Interviews with the cast of Tomorrow When the War Began.
August 15th 2010 09:01
Roving reporter for Screentrek and 20/20 FIlmsight, Fog, joined forces with Duncan McLeod, from Primate Perspective Really Long Link , to do quick Q&A’s with the stars and starlets of the new blockbuster from Aussiewood, “Tomorrow When the War Began”.
As we bravely endured the lunatic squealing of barely pubescent girls and the shock assault of groovy rock band “Delta Riggs”, we awaited with intrepid anticipation on the edge of the red carpet, at the VMAX Cinema complex in George St, Sydney, last Sunday.
Eventually, as my over worked arches and complaining calf muscles began to give out from underneath me, we got our first quickie...
INTERVIEW WITH: STUART BEATTIE: Director and wrote the screenplay.
PP: (Primate Perspective):
Huge demographic, 14 year old girls, 7 book series, I’m a big fan, looks like the whole Australian audience is going to be behind it, looking like a comparison to Harry Potter Lord of the Rings and Twlight, what does it feel like being director behind this massive machine when you set the camera to rolling on day one?
BEATTIE:
(Beattie laughs) Wow!
PP:
Do you think you are onto a good thing?
BEATTIE:
Suddenly I feel under a whole lot of pressure now! I think I’m going to crack! That’s obviously very, very kind and I appreciate it. They are fantastic books, and I felt very honoured, very humbled to help bring them to the screen. We had a fantastic crew, great cast, so, day one, you know, was just so exciting, calling “action!”
FOG: (Screentrek & 20/20 Filmsight)
For some of the actors it was their first film, so how did that work on set?
BEATTIE:
Ah great! I think we prepared them very well, how it’s going to work, we had them talk to our DP (ED. NOTE: director of photography) our fist AD (assistant director) all the people who say, ‘hey, this is how the day’s gonna work’, ‘here’s how it’s gonna run’, we were very , very well prepared and I think they did great. They were on the ball, they were there, they knew how important it was, they hit their marks.
FOG:
Marsden writes a good story, he has a lot of fans, but with all films it can live or die in the editing room, so how did that go? Did you get on well with the editor? Work at a fast pace?
BEATTIE:
Markus Darcy, he is my editor. Yeah, we had a great time together, Markus started editing day two of shooting, as soon as we had the dailies (ED. NOTE: dailies are called ‘rushes’ in Australia; developed film shot day before and viewed by crew to check production values) we started editing, and he was on set, and at the end of every day’s shooting we would watch the dailies, and he and I would stay behind and would start working. We’ve been editing the film for a year.
It’s amazing what you can do in the edit suite, you can change the whole film around and Markus has been working for 30 years, he has worked with all the best directors and knows all the tricks and he is a gentleman and a pleasure to work with. He did an amazing, amazing job.
PP:
A lot of stuff left over for the DVDs?
BEATTIE:
A lot of stuff for the DVDs, yes, a lot of great stuff.
FOG:
And you’re going to fire up for the next in the series?
BEATTIE:
Oh, you know we’d love to; it’s out of our hands. It’s really about ‘will the audience come’ if they come, we will definitely do more, but it’s not up to us unfortunately
FOG:
Best of luck.
BEATTIE: Thank you.
INTERVIEW: CAITLAN STASEY: plays Ellie Linton
FOG:
Congratulations on the film.
STASEY:
Why thank you.
FOG:
So what was it like shooting the film?
STASEY:
It was incredible and definitely, you know, thus far, it was the highlight of my career, I suppose, of a very short career. But it was amazing.
FOG:
So you found the process gruelling, or...
STASEY:
Yeah, it was hard, but then again it shouldn’t have been easy, otherwise it might not have been faithful, (Ed. NOTE: faithful to the book) and it wouldn’t have been good enough.
FOG:
What do you bring to your character of the Marsden series?
STASEY:
Naivety. Because I hadn’t read the books prior to getting the script. (laughs)
FOG:
Oh, okay, that’s good!
STASEY:
(Caitlin laughs)
But I think the thing is though, when you are handed the script, they are honestly two separate entities. (ED.NOTE: Character in book as against character in screenplay) You know, the adaptation of a book to a film, and also cinema is very different to literature, (next is part paraphrased) I had read the books when I was much younger, so I wasn’t weighed down by a concept of how Annie was, I had a fresh new idea and I hope that translates, in the film.
PP:
How did being a female action star suit you?
STASEY:
Oddly enough, I felt like it fitted quite well. The thing about Annie though, she is a reluctant action star. So I think that is why I found it easier to deal with, because action is not something I have dabbled in before. It was a brand new experience and a very frightening concept... explosions going on (ED.NOTE: inaudible comment) ... so yeah, it was fun, to say the least.
PP:
Did you do all your own stunts?
STASEY:
No, not all my own stunts, I did my dirt bikes and things like that, but unfortunately we were not allowed to, I don’t think they trusted us, particularly not me!
PP:
That’s okay. I’m sure you can handle it though...
STASEY:
I think so, but you know, insurance and all that sort of stuff.
FOG:
Okay, thanks Caitlan
INTERVIEW: DENIZ AKDENIZ: plays Homer Yannos
PP:
So, everyone wants to work with guns and CGI when they work in movies, how was it working with both?
AKDENIZ”
Ah, it’s insane, I mean, you have to play around with these fun characters but at the end of the day you also get to shoot stuff, get shot at, blow a bridge, a lawnmower, cars, it’s insane.
PP:
And you were talking before about cows, what was that about?
There is a scene where we try and make a diversion, there is about a hundred steer, and we try and get them across a bridge, that was huge, we actually had a hundred steer there, and like, some people had to herd them out, I was herding them as much as I could, but I don’t think I really made a difference.
PP:
So you don’t think you’ll see yourself on a cattle station at some point in your life?
AKDENIZ:
Look, I mean, I hope this gig works out, but you never know. (laughs)
FOG:
So this is your first feature?
AKDENIZ:
Yeah , my first feature, so all this is all unreal.
FOG:
So what was it like for you?
AKDENIZ:
I had a ball. Working with such talented cast, and crew, I mean the crew were amazing, they were Australia’s best...
PP:
Would that be your first film?
AKDENIZ:
Yeah.
PP:
Unreal.
FOG:
So what was your background then?
AKDENIZ:
My background as in...?
FOG:
In the technical side of acting.
AKDENIZ:
Oh! Well, I’ve done, since 8, I’ve done theatre, big time, and then last four years I’ve gone to screen, doing short training films, then two seasons of As The Bell Rings, which is a Disney Channel show, so this is a bit different to Disney Channel show, so loving it.
FOG:
So, you’re going to get ready for Hollywood next?
AKDENIZ:
Oh look, whatever happens! Hopefully I will make a second and third (film) of this first, then I mean, you never know with these sorts of things...
FOG:
Good luck!
AKDENIZ:
Thank you very much!
INTERVIEW: ANDY RYAN: plays Chris
PP:
Every guy wants to work with CGI and guns, how did you feel about it?
RYAN:
Like every guy would! Yeah, yeah, yeah!
PP:
Got your hands dirty, got into the part?
RYAN:
Yeah, definitely, all of the above.
PP;
So what do you prefer in terms of cinema, or TV, or stage? What is your forté?
RYAN:
I think cinema probably, just because you get a longer time to think about what you are about to do, theatre is obviously immediate, TV, three takes you’ve gotta move on, here (ED. NOTE: film) you’ve got all day to sit back and really nail it on your first couple of takes.
PP:
Excuse my naivety; is this your first feature?
RYAN:
Definitely, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
PP:
Fair enough, so you want to do more on this?
RYAN:
Definitely, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
PP:
Anything in the pipeline?
RYAN:
Not at the moment. I’ve got a production company, we’ve got a pilot together that we’re gonna start pitching, it’s called “Not Available” apart from that, not much.
PP:
But you are available.
RYAN:
Yeah, definitely!
FOG:
So how do you prepare for your roles?
RYAN:
I actually, I shut down; my character is a bit of a recluse, so I didn’t talk to mum and dad for about three months.
FOG:
Right...
RYAN:
And so that was quite convenient, (laughs), and also a benefit for the role as well.
FOG:
Yeah...
RYAN:
Ahh, apart from that, just kept to myself, yeah, listened to a lot of music, yeah, just spent a lot of solo time.
FOG:
So you tend more towards a more method style of acting, preparation?
RYAN:
Yeah, definitely. I graduated from QUT (ED. NOTE: Queensland University of Technology) and they teach the Eric Morris work, which is based on the Stanislavski method, so yeah, yeah, so that’s how I was trained, so yeah, I definitely put that into the film, yeah.
FOG:
I look forward to it and congratulations.
RYAN:
Hope you like it mate, cheers!
INTERVIEW: ASHLEIGH CUMMINGS: plays Robyn Mathers
FOG:
Hi Ashleigh, congratulations in getting the role, so what was it like?
CUMMINGS:
The film?
FOG:
Yeah, the production of it?
CUMMINGS:
It was incredible.
FOG:
Gruelling stuff?
CUMMINGS:
Tiring, I mean we did a lot of night shoots and stuff, I don’t know, the good trumps the bad, we just had a ball.
FOG:
What is the essence of your character?
CUMMINGS:
She is kind of the moral compass I suppose, in terms of, with her religion, she is very Christian, so she tries to guide the group on that path.
FOG:
So they don’t go too feral?
CUMMINGS:
Yeah, there is an underbelly which I think starts to grow within her character, about pushing her faith, but she kind of denies that, but it is a wonderful story to follow.
FOG:
(The PR again started pressing me to end it)
Oh good, well, better let you go and congratulations.
CUMMINGS:
Thank you so much.
So there we have it folks, but, most regrettably, we missed out on Christopher Pang who, unbeknown to me at the time, gracefully glided past us as we interviewed Deniz Akdeniz.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Duncan McLeod, who assisted me with supplying some photos of the stars, as I was unable to do so myself, having had my camera stolen. No, not at this event, mercifully. In a mutual trade off, I transcribed the entire set of interviews, and agreed to send Duncan a copy for use on his own review site.
I am currently trying to organize an interview with Christopher Pang, and maybe the author of the books, John Marsden, upon which this film is based.
If the successes of Marsden’s novels are anything to go by, then this film has an excellent chance of doing very well at the box office.
Regrettably, I was not allowed to see a preview of the film before doing the interviews, (not until this coming week), as I was locked out by the television networks, newspapers and magazines, which does show how popular Marsden's work is. Oh, and damn them!
Next time, I would hope I am given an equal opportunity to see the preview, so I am better equipped to ask more pertinent questions regarding a star's performance.
I wish the entire production the greatest of luck and shall post a review of the film this week, by Friday the 20th of August, 2010.
PRODUCTION:
Directed by
Stuart Beattie
Produced by
Andrew Mason and Michael Boughen
Executive producers:
Christopher Mapp, Matthew Street, David Whealy, Peter Graves
Screenplay by
Stuart Beattie
Based on the novel of the same title:
by John Marsden
Starring
Caitlin Stasey
Rachel Hurd-Wood
Lincoln Lewis
Deniz Akdeniz
Phoebe Tonkin
Chris Pang
Ashleigh Cummings
Andy Ryan
Colin Friels
Music by
Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil
STUDIO:
Ambience Entertainment
Omnilab Media
DISTRIBUTORS:
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) 2 September 2010 (2010-09-02)[2]
Running time 103 minutes[3]
Country Australia
Language English
Photo Credits and Permissions: All photographs by Duncan McLeod are copyright protected, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, and are reproduced here with his permission. All production poster images and photographs are the property of the Production Company and/or the Distributor and are used here with permission for critical review and film product promotional purposes only and are not meant for copying and/or re-distribution, all are low res. reproductions, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
official poster: all rights reserved
poster reproduced courtesy of Production Company and Distributor
As we bravely endured the lunatic squealing of barely pubescent girls and the shock assault of groovy rock band “Delta Riggs”, we awaited with intrepid anticipation on the edge of the red carpet, at the VMAX Cinema complex in George St, Sydney, last Sunday.
Eventually, as my over worked arches and complaining calf muscles began to give out from underneath me, we got our first quickie...
Director and Writer Stuart Beattie
photo by Duncan McLeod
INTERVIEW WITH: STUART BEATTIE: Director and wrote the screenplay.
PP: (Primate Perspective):
Huge demographic, 14 year old girls, 7 book series, I’m a big fan, looks like the whole Australian audience is going to be behind it, looking like a comparison to Harry Potter Lord of the Rings and Twlight, what does it feel like being director behind this massive machine when you set the camera to rolling on day one?
BEATTIE:
(Beattie laughs) Wow!
PP:
Do you think you are onto a good thing?
BEATTIE:
Suddenly I feel under a whole lot of pressure now! I think I’m going to crack! That’s obviously very, very kind and I appreciate it. They are fantastic books, and I felt very honoured, very humbled to help bring them to the screen. We had a fantastic crew, great cast, so, day one, you know, was just so exciting, calling “action!”
FOG: (Screentrek & 20/20 Filmsight)
For some of the actors it was their first film, so how did that work on set?
BEATTIE:
Ah great! I think we prepared them very well, how it’s going to work, we had them talk to our DP (ED. NOTE: director of photography) our fist AD (assistant director) all the people who say, ‘hey, this is how the day’s gonna work’, ‘here’s how it’s gonna run’, we were very , very well prepared and I think they did great. They were on the ball, they were there, they knew how important it was, they hit their marks.
FOG:
Marsden writes a good story, he has a lot of fans, but with all films it can live or die in the editing room, so how did that go? Did you get on well with the editor? Work at a fast pace?
BEATTIE:
Markus Darcy, he is my editor. Yeah, we had a great time together, Markus started editing day two of shooting, as soon as we had the dailies (ED. NOTE: dailies are called ‘rushes’ in Australia; developed film shot day before and viewed by crew to check production values) we started editing, and he was on set, and at the end of every day’s shooting we would watch the dailies, and he and I would stay behind and would start working. We’ve been editing the film for a year.
It’s amazing what you can do in the edit suite, you can change the whole film around and Markus has been working for 30 years, he has worked with all the best directors and knows all the tricks and he is a gentleman and a pleasure to work with. He did an amazing, amazing job.
PP:
A lot of stuff left over for the DVDs?
BEATTIE:
A lot of stuff for the DVDs, yes, a lot of great stuff.
FOG:
And you’re going to fire up for the next in the series?
BEATTIE:
Oh, you know we’d love to; it’s out of our hands. It’s really about ‘will the audience come’ if they come, we will definitely do more, but it’s not up to us unfortunately
FOG:
Best of luck.
BEATTIE: Thank you.
____END INTERVIEW____
Caitlan Stasey
photo by Duncan McLeod
INTERVIEW: CAITLAN STASEY: plays Ellie Linton
FOG:
Congratulations on the film.
STASEY:
Why thank you.
FOG:
So what was it like shooting the film?
STASEY:
It was incredible and definitely, you know, thus far, it was the highlight of my career, I suppose, of a very short career. But it was amazing.
FOG:
So you found the process gruelling, or...
STASEY:
Yeah, it was hard, but then again it shouldn’t have been easy, otherwise it might not have been faithful, (Ed. NOTE: faithful to the book) and it wouldn’t have been good enough.
FOG:
What do you bring to your character of the Marsden series?
STASEY:
Naivety. Because I hadn’t read the books prior to getting the script. (laughs)
FOG:
Oh, okay, that’s good!
STASEY:
(Caitlin laughs)
But I think the thing is though, when you are handed the script, they are honestly two separate entities. (ED.NOTE: Character in book as against character in screenplay) You know, the adaptation of a book to a film, and also cinema is very different to literature, (next is part paraphrased) I had read the books when I was much younger, so I wasn’t weighed down by a concept of how Annie was, I had a fresh new idea and I hope that translates, in the film.
PP:
How did being a female action star suit you?
STASEY:
Oddly enough, I felt like it fitted quite well. The thing about Annie though, she is a reluctant action star. So I think that is why I found it easier to deal with, because action is not something I have dabbled in before. It was a brand new experience and a very frightening concept... explosions going on (ED.NOTE: inaudible comment) ... so yeah, it was fun, to say the least.
PP:
Did you do all your own stunts?
STASEY:
No, not all my own stunts, I did my dirt bikes and things like that, but unfortunately we were not allowed to, I don’t think they trusted us, particularly not me!
PP:
That’s okay. I’m sure you can handle it though...
STASEY:
I think so, but you know, insurance and all that sort of stuff.
FOG:
Okay, thanks Caitlan
____END INTERVIEW____
Deniz Akdeniz & Caitlan Stasey
photo courtesy of Producers/Distributors
INTERVIEW: DENIZ AKDENIZ: plays Homer Yannos
PP:
So, everyone wants to work with guns and CGI when they work in movies, how was it working with both?
AKDENIZ”
Ah, it’s insane, I mean, you have to play around with these fun characters but at the end of the day you also get to shoot stuff, get shot at, blow a bridge, a lawnmower, cars, it’s insane.
PP:
And you were talking before about cows, what was that about?
There is a scene where we try and make a diversion, there is about a hundred steer, and we try and get them across a bridge, that was huge, we actually had a hundred steer there, and like, some people had to herd them out, I was herding them as much as I could, but I don’t think I really made a difference.
PP:
So you don’t think you’ll see yourself on a cattle station at some point in your life?
AKDENIZ:
Look, I mean, I hope this gig works out, but you never know. (laughs)
FOG:
So this is your first feature?
AKDENIZ:
Yeah , my first feature, so all this is all unreal.
FOG:
So what was it like for you?
AKDENIZ:
I had a ball. Working with such talented cast, and crew, I mean the crew were amazing, they were Australia’s best...
PP:
Would that be your first film?
AKDENIZ:
Yeah.
PP:
Unreal.
FOG:
So what was your background then?
AKDENIZ:
My background as in...?
FOG:
In the technical side of acting.
AKDENIZ:
Oh! Well, I’ve done, since 8, I’ve done theatre, big time, and then last four years I’ve gone to screen, doing short training films, then two seasons of As The Bell Rings, which is a Disney Channel show, so this is a bit different to Disney Channel show, so loving it.
FOG:
So, you’re going to get ready for Hollywood next?
AKDENIZ:
Oh look, whatever happens! Hopefully I will make a second and third (film) of this first, then I mean, you never know with these sorts of things...
FOG:
Good luck!
AKDENIZ:
Thank you very much!
____END INTERVIEW____
Andy Ryan
photo by Duncan McLeod
INTERVIEW: ANDY RYAN: plays Chris
PP:
Every guy wants to work with CGI and guns, how did you feel about it?
RYAN:
Like every guy would! Yeah, yeah, yeah!
PP:
Got your hands dirty, got into the part?
RYAN:
Yeah, definitely, all of the above.
PP;
So what do you prefer in terms of cinema, or TV, or stage? What is your forté?
RYAN:
I think cinema probably, just because you get a longer time to think about what you are about to do, theatre is obviously immediate, TV, three takes you’ve gotta move on, here (ED. NOTE: film) you’ve got all day to sit back and really nail it on your first couple of takes.
PP:
Excuse my naivety; is this your first feature?
RYAN:
Definitely, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
PP:
Fair enough, so you want to do more on this?
RYAN:
Definitely, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
PP:
Anything in the pipeline?
RYAN:
Not at the moment. I’ve got a production company, we’ve got a pilot together that we’re gonna start pitching, it’s called “Not Available” apart from that, not much.
PP:
But you are available.
RYAN:
Yeah, definitely!
FOG:
So how do you prepare for your roles?
RYAN:
I actually, I shut down; my character is a bit of a recluse, so I didn’t talk to mum and dad for about three months.
FOG:
Right...
RYAN:
And so that was quite convenient, (laughs), and also a benefit for the role as well.
FOG:
Yeah...
RYAN:
Ahh, apart from that, just kept to myself, yeah, listened to a lot of music, yeah, just spent a lot of solo time.
FOG:
So you tend more towards a more method style of acting, preparation?
RYAN:
Yeah, definitely. I graduated from QUT (ED. NOTE: Queensland University of Technology) and they teach the Eric Morris work, which is based on the Stanislavski method, so yeah, yeah, so that’s how I was trained, so yeah, I definitely put that into the film, yeah.
FOG:
I look forward to it and congratulations.
RYAN:
Hope you like it mate, cheers!
____END INTERVIEW____
Ashleigh Cummings
photo by Duncan McLeod
INTERVIEW: ASHLEIGH CUMMINGS: plays Robyn Mathers
FOG:
Hi Ashleigh, congratulations in getting the role, so what was it like?
CUMMINGS:
The film?
FOG:
Yeah, the production of it?
CUMMINGS:
It was incredible.
FOG:
Gruelling stuff?
CUMMINGS:
Tiring, I mean we did a lot of night shoots and stuff, I don’t know, the good trumps the bad, we just had a ball.
FOG:
What is the essence of your character?
CUMMINGS:
She is kind of the moral compass I suppose, in terms of, with her religion, she is very Christian, so she tries to guide the group on that path.
FOG:
So they don’t go too feral?
CUMMINGS:
Yeah, there is an underbelly which I think starts to grow within her character, about pushing her faith, but she kind of denies that, but it is a wonderful story to follow.
FOG:
(The PR again started pressing me to end it)
Oh good, well, better let you go and congratulations.
CUMMINGS:
Thank you so much.
____END INTERVIEW____
So there we have it folks, but, most regrettably, we missed out on Christopher Pang who, unbeknown to me at the time, gracefully glided past us as we interviewed Deniz Akdeniz.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Duncan McLeod, who assisted me with supplying some photos of the stars, as I was unable to do so myself, having had my camera stolen. No, not at this event, mercifully. In a mutual trade off, I transcribed the entire set of interviews, and agreed to send Duncan a copy for use on his own review site.
I am currently trying to organize an interview with Christopher Pang, and maybe the author of the books, John Marsden, upon which this film is based.
If the successes of Marsden’s novels are anything to go by, then this film has an excellent chance of doing very well at the box office.
Regrettably, I was not allowed to see a preview of the film before doing the interviews, (not until this coming week), as I was locked out by the television networks, newspapers and magazines, which does show how popular Marsden's work is. Oh, and damn them!
Next time, I would hope I am given an equal opportunity to see the preview, so I am better equipped to ask more pertinent questions regarding a star's performance.
I wish the entire production the greatest of luck and shall post a review of the film this week, by Friday the 20th of August, 2010.
PRODUCTION:
Directed by
Stuart Beattie
Produced by
Andrew Mason and Michael Boughen
Executive producers:
Christopher Mapp, Matthew Street, David Whealy, Peter Graves
Screenplay by
Stuart Beattie
Based on the novel of the same title:
by John Marsden
Starring
Caitlin Stasey
Rachel Hurd-Wood
Lincoln Lewis
Deniz Akdeniz
Phoebe Tonkin
Chris Pang
Ashleigh Cummings
Andy Ryan
Colin Friels
Music by
Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil
STUDIO:
Ambience Entertainment
Omnilab Media
DISTRIBUTORS:
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) 2 September 2010 (2010-09-02)[2]
Running time 103 minutes[3]
Country Australia
Language English
Photo Credits and Permissions: All photographs by Duncan McLeod are copyright protected, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, and are reproduced here with his permission. All production poster images and photographs are the property of the Production Company and/or the Distributor and are used here with permission for critical review and film product promotional purposes only and are not meant for copying and/or re-distribution, all are low res. reproductions, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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