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FIRST PERSON
“THIS FILM HAS BEEN ONE OF THE HIGHEST GROSSING IN AUSTRALIA FOR 2009 AND I THINK FUJIFILM IS PART OF THAT SUCCESS.”
started not long after, cracking into the ground only meters away. I had to light it for morning so we closed up the shutters a little and put a bank of 2.5k’s outside to do the daylight coming in, a soft backlight wash across the room and some Kino for fill and an eye light.
The storm swirled outside above us while we filmed this little scene. The lamps outside were being blown over even though they were held down with sandbags. The afternoon food and tea trolley got blown over on its way to us and we all had to shout at each other very loudly to be heard.
The lightning got so close the flashes were reading inside onto the
worked in heat like it. The intense heat at the back of the camera truck was 44.3 degrees Celsius!
At the end of the production and a few days away from Christmas found us filming on a beach in an Aboriginal community near Cairns. On our journey, we had filmed in the cold blue light of a blustery coastal town, through the sepia tones of mid-western sheep country and onto the blinding turquoise of the great Barrier Reef and the clean white sands of the tropical north.
Throughout all this, Fujifilm maintained our look. I love the way the stocks coped with the ever-changing colours of our ever changing backgrounds but gave me
A world away from the comfort of Shepperton and the controlled environment of an all studio shoot that I
“had with my previous Fujifilm outing, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, directed by Kenneth Branagh, Charlie & Boots is a heartfelt story of a father and son (Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobson) travelling together to reconcile their differences... and go fishing.
Our journey was the equivalent of a road movie that was being shot all the way from London to Istanbul, over 2,500 kilometres.
It was filmed with Panavision cameras using 35mm Fujicolor ETERNA 250D as well as a little ETERNA 500T.
The director Dean Murphy
and I chose Fujifilm as our capture medium based on my award-winning successes of our previous films made together. We both love the flexibility and richness that film offered I also needed to shoot quickly with a stock that could handle the heat and contrast of the Australian countryside.
We started our first location near the southern coast of Australia. It was cold and windy but this suited the storyline and look of the film as the film starts with a family tragedy. We then travelled north for the next eight weeks, which, in the southern hemisphere means you’re travelling towards the heat and the tropics.
We had great success with our car rig. There were three cars, one cut down and errantly mounted on the low loader car rig; another was the hero car which was used for filming with Paul and Shane at the wheel or for any main unit driving shots; and a third which travelled with the hard working 2nd Unit.
As we drove north and the
weather warmed up so increased
the likelihood of big outback storms.
We only filmed in the rain once and
it was no big deal but when we were
in Tamworth, Australia’s country
music capital, we were forced to film
in a cafeteria of a building used for
equestrian events. Fujifilm print stocks were also used ”
film so we would try and turn over only between the lightning. Who were we kidding? That didn’t work. The sound recordist was in tears, head in hand hiding behind his sound gear. I think it was because of the tea trolley!
right throughout all of the post production procedures.
We recreated a country town rodeo for two days in a dusty town called Emerald. None of us had
very balanced flesh tones as well, especially with a veteran actor like Paul Hogan and the fresh translucent face of female newcomer Morgan Griffin, who joins the car-ride.
We filmed three hours out of Tamworth in a tiny town called Bingara, which had a lovely old picture house and theatre that we used as an interior music hall. Fujifilm once again showed its talents. The sumptuous colours of the reconditioned theatre were beautifully rendered and the scene looks fantastic when projected.
This film has been one of the highest grossing in Australia for 2009 and I think Fujifilm is part of that success. It gave this movie a style and look only achieved with film. As the current Australian Cinematographer of the Year
and Milli Award winner I’m very proud to have been part of Charlie & Boots.
The scene was our heroes having breakfast and dad chatting up the waitresses. The sky had turned black obliterating the sun and it was only 4pm. The lightning
Charlie & Boots was originated on 35mm Fujicolor ETERNA 250D 8563 and ETERNA 500T 8573
Photo main: Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobson; inset above: Paul Hogan, DP Roger Lanser ACS and co-star Shane Jacobson: right; scenes from the film as well as Lanser at work
14 • EXPOSURE • THE MAGAZINE • FUJIFILM MOTION PICTURE