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Your new serialized anthology Discontent
- in a few words, what is it about?
It’s
about a bunch of millennials who have found themselves in weird situations
because of smartphones and the internet.
What were your sources of inspiration when writing Discontent,
and is any of it based on personal experience? I
was thinking about how the internet and smartphones now rule our lives in
so many ways, and from there I was trying to think about how to make
interesting stories out of this. The ways in which this technology
connects us and divides us are pretty fascinating and also how
irresistible it can be. Breaking his banjo string, doing nangs (nitrous
oxide), buying stuff off Facebook Marketplace, binge-watching - yeah most
of Discontent is based on personal experiences just heightened and
embellished. Which of
the protagonists of the different segments could you identify the most,
who the least,
and why? Milly
in episode 2 I could identify the most with - whenever I lose or am away
from my phone for more than a few days I notice a real shift inside of me.
Initially, it was irritation but then I feel so much better than when I
had a phone. Although when I’m reunited with my phone I love it again
haha. I think it’s crazy that a piece of technology can make someone
feel this way! Do talk about Discontent's
brand of humour for a bit! It’s
finding the absurd and the funny in the everyday. Not trying to be over
the top and forcing the humour with wacky zaniness. The everyday is weird
enough already. A few words about your
directorial approach to your story at hand? Discontent
has been a testing ground for directorial approaches, particularly because
it’s five shorts with an overarching theme. I was very inspired by the
start of Gaspar Noe’s film Enter the Void that I wanted to make an
episode like this - all in someone’s head. It was such a different way
of directing, very technical but fun - probably more so for the
cinematographer and myself than Isabella Giovinazzo the lead that would
have to reach her arm into the shot if her character were drinking a beer
for instance. In the final episode, I deliberately wrote it with a
different genre so that I could experiment with form. It’s the most
cinematic of the series and also took the longest to shoot and in post.
All the other episodes are drama/comedies and I let the performances drive
the show.
What can you
tell us about Discontent's
cast, and why exactly these people? Mostly
because I had access to them and knew that they were talented and were
right for the role. I thought a lot about who should play who and
discussed this with my producer Tobias Willis. Kathleen Lee who plays
Sandra in episodes 1 and 3 I went to film school with and had her in mind
while we were writing those episodes together. Maria Angelico who plays
Milly in episode 2 with Yianni Warnock I also knew quite well and thought
they would have good chemistry together. I also went to film school with
Isabella and Tavis Urquhart in episode 4 and admired their acting. I
didn’t know Nicholas Jacquinot who plays Archie in episode 5 but had
seen his work and thought he’d be great. And Chloe Martin in episode 6
as the alien had worked with my producer on some other projects and I had
seen her in the web series Dee-Brief, also made in Melbourne,
and thought
she’d be great and of course, she was. Do talk about the
shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere! We
didn’t have any money and were always shooting with a small crew and
trying to work quickly or shooting over many shoot days spaced out. The
final episode for instance was shot over a couple of months. But the banjo
string episode was shot in just 1 night! So on-set it was relaxed and
friendly and I think people just like hanging out and working on something
that isn’t corporate or boring. Because I’m calling in favours,
everyone is basically good friends already or knows each other. As it’s
so small though much of my time and energy is spent playing multiple roles,
not just director, which isn’t great. The
$64-question of course, where can Discontent
be seen?
It’s out now on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl62W5FznZ837OjIDiqIeg0gBv9pDuV4N
It’s also available on Tubi, Amazon Prime Video (video on demand),
Apple TV (video on demand), Mometu, Box Brazil Play, Moodbox and
Indieflix.
Anything you can tell us about audience and
critical reception of Discontent? It’s
been good. I have had a tonne of messages from people saying how much they
love the show which has been nice. Discontent
or parts of it have screened
at over 20 festivals around the world including a heap of nominations and
a couple of awards. The first episode screened at Flickerfest Festival on
tour in Melbourne to a large audience, and everyone laughed at the right
times and seemed to love it. The reviews have been positive and
encouraging. Any
future projects you'd like to share?
I’m
writing a feature about a woman who falls sick and never recovers from a
terrible bout of the flu, and at the same time strange weather events are
happening to her. And another feature that is more of a horror.
What got you into
filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on
the subject? In
Multimedia class in year 10, we had an assignment where we had to use
digital point-and-shoot cameras I think just to take photos, but my friends
and I just filmed each other jumping over rubbish bins. I cut it to a Rage
Against the Machine track and it was heaps of fun. From there I made a Year 12
film, enrolled in a multimedia course at university and realised I just
wanted to make films, so studied at Swinburne University in the Film and TV
Bachelor in Melbourne, Australia, and made a bunch of great friends that
I’ve cast in Discontent
or still work with today.
What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to Discontent? I’ve
written/directed a number of short films. Nangs won Best Director at the
Melbourne Queer Film Festival in 2018. Breathe screened at St Kilda Film
Festival and a few others in 2015. I’ve written/directed maybe 8 shorts
in total, a few documentaries and a bunch of music videos and I work as a
videographer on the side. How
would you describe yourself as a director? Calm
on the outside, working hard on the inside. Open to any input that anyone
has at any time. Filmmakers
who inspire you? Gaspar
Noe and Jonathan Glazer. See if you can spot which episodes were inspired
by them. I love Andrea Arnold, Paul Thomas Anderson, the Safdie Brothers,
Stanley Kubrick, Darren Aronfsky, Terrance Mallick, Carlos Regaydas,
Yorgos Lanthimos and Quentin Dupieux to name a few. Your favourite movies? Under
the Skin, American Honey and Punch Drunk Love. ...
and of course, films you really deplore?
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Any
film that trades the search for the truth for a lie disguised as the
truth. Your/your
anthology's website, social media, whatever else?
Follow Discontent on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/discontentseries/
and
its production company: https://www.instagram.com/kewlstudio/
and
my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam___rogers___/
Anything
else you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Thanks
to all the cast and crew for making Discontent
come to life, I am very
grateful for everyone's support! Thanks
for the interview!
Thank
you!
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