briefly noted

Last night I encountered a bit of happenstance. I unknowingly walked into the Apple store in Soho to find filmmaker Baz Luhrmann on site talking about his new film, Australia. This proves yet again why New York is such an incredible city- you never know what’s around the corner.

Baz shared personal stories from the set of the film and gave advice to all the budding filmmakers in the room - simply put, “just do it.” I also learned a little bit more about the plot of Australia, which centers around a dark piece of the country’s history known as the Stolen Generation. Between 1869 and 1970, Aboriginal children were kidnapped from their families and re-programed, for lack of a better word, with European values. This procedure was enacted by the Australian government in hopes that the country would attain white racial purity. “Aboriginal removal” was addressed in the independent film Rabbit Proof Fence and within a documentary called Kanyini yet Australia will really be the first time the story is showcased in such a large screen production. Of course, in typical Baz Luhrmann fashion, he promises entertainment and he made it known among that crowd that he’s folded the seriousness into an epic story that includes moments of romance, comedy, drama and action. 

One of my favorite films of all time is Out of Africa with Robert Redford and Meryl Streep.  Its many layers - the drama, romance,  action, etc. - set among such a beautiful, mysterious Kenyan landscape are what make it such an enchanting and moving story.  Australia has potential here. 

If you’re interested in filmmaking, you should check out Apple’s Set to Screen series, which includes short video podcasts from Baz during the filming of Australia. This morning I watched pods on editing, sound and on-set photography and plan to crank out the others later today.