THE REEF BLOG

Cannes Reaction & the next steps...

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:42:00 GMT

Hi all,

Just back from Cannes and the UK. "The Reef" was received really, really well, and we've already been invited to Sitges Film Festival in Spain & the Fantasy Film Festival in Germany, along with numerous other festivals that have expressed interest as well. Fingers crossed that we get into Toronto Midnight Madness!

The movie is selling well too - keep an eye out for some announcements coming soon.

Cannes was a blast! A feeding frenzy of ideas, hope and talent - our sharks fitted in nicely. Now it's about getting the word out here in Oz for what looks like a November release.

My last film "Black Water" was very well received and got theatrical releases around the world, but due to the distribution deals here in Australia was hardly seen. So the big push now as well is to make sure "The Reef" gets seen here at home in the land of the SHARKS!

Cheers,
Andrew

Cannes Film Festival - Here We Come

Mon, 10 May 2010 02:10:00 GMT

Hi all,

It's going to be a case of from the lab to the airport! "The Reef" will be ready tomorrow morning after months of post-production.

I am on a plane at 2pm to head to the Cannes Film Festival where "The Reef" will have its first ever public screening - what a ride!

Fingers crossed the world still has an appetite for shark movies. Stay tuned!

All the best
Andrew

Next Step...Editing and Beyond...

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:07:00 GMT

So we've wrapped principal photography and editing on The Reef has finally commenced!

It's SO good to be inside - not having to worry about what the weather is doing, not having to be in the water 10 hours a day, not having to re-arrange schedules everyday because of the weather conditions...and best of all - seeing the film come alive.

Editing is such a fascinating process. You sit through a long dreary compile of footage thinking "oh my god what rubbish!", but then you start to sculpt, play with the timing, rhythms, emotions, sound and suddenly that dull inert object on the screen starts to reveal itself as a true gem!

I'm also starting to get fully absorbed in the sound - the other great dimension of a thriller.

The post production process is a long road - there's so much work to do to complete the film so stay tuned for more updates.

Cheers,

Andrew

A Streaming Success!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:01:00 GMT

What a great day. Our world first live stream - on the net from a film set. Could have gone horribly wrong, but instead it was AMAZING. The cast and crew were saying hi to friends and viewers, thousands in fact. The viewers who joined us were all hyped, and the general vibe was that the stream was strangely compelling - even when there were quiet moments! What a hoot - inviting the world on to our set.

For anyone who missed it - we will include some portions online at some point - stay tuned for details. And remember you can always email the website if you didn't get a chance to ask a question and we'll do our best to get back to you as soon as possible.

I'd also like to thank the entire cast and crew & the streaming team who made this happen.

I loved it. Thanks to everyone who tuned in and helped make this a resounding success.

Some more behind the scenes pix..

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:03:00 GMT

Here's a few more behind the scenes pix for you to check out...

Andrew Traucki on set

one of our characters on the overturned boat hull

Streaming day is here!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:18:00 GMT

Our live stream day is here! Make sure you visit our website to witness a world first in the film world - as we stream live from the set of "The Reef". Remember you can send us questions & comments for the stream.

I'll have an updated blog for todays filming and more on the live stream soon.

Day 20 + Live Stream tomorrow!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:37:00 GMT

Day 20. Back in the water. What looked like a calm, still day on dry land proved to be a bit rougher once we got out in the open ocean. Each day has presented its own unique water challenges, and today was no different. A few of the crew got sea-sick in the rough water, but carried on like the troopers they are. We also filmed some scenes at one of the Marinas as well as on board our boat "Boomerang".

So our live stream is tomorrow. The cast, crew and all involved are buzzing with excitement! We've had some fantastic press support, news stories and placements - so to all the media who have come on board to support this world first, on behalf of all of us here at The Reef - thank you!

In terms of who has signed up for our live stream, we've had people from Australia, US, UK, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Austria, Japan...and the list goes on. For anyone who hasn't signed up yet, you can still do so on the LIVE STREAM page on this website.

See you on the stream tomorrow.

Andrew

Day 19

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:23:00 GMT

Day 19 of our shoot. A good day! Today we knocked over a variety of scenes and shots, including filming on Round Island, helicopter shots and sail boats.

Round Island - an amazing little sand island just off Hervey Bay. It was very beautiful and peaceful, home to some sea eagles and an amazing place to have a Melbourne cup sweep stake!

As we're filming in such beautiful surroundings, we figured we should get some aerial shots. Not only can we show off this part of Australia we're filming in, but having aerials gives us a real sense of how isolated these characters become in the water environment. We got some stunning footage.

Only two more days now until our live stream - we've had such a positive reaction and feedback to this, so I hope you'll all be joining us for this world first.

Stay tuned for some more behind the scenes pix soon..

Behind The Scenes pictures

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:01:00 GMT

Hey all,

Here's some behind the scenes pix for you to check out. More to come. I'll have an updated blog later tonight too...so check back.

[Andrew Traucki on set]

[Rhys Nicholson - Clapper Loader, Camera Department]

[Michael Robertson - Producer - Prodigy Movies/Reef Films]

[L-R, Pete Mether - EPK Producer, Leo Cowan - Assistant Grip, Alby Orellana - Focus Puller]

Ahoy! - Dry Land..for the moment at least

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:32:00 GMT

We've now been filming in the water for 3 weeks. That's been generally 10 hour days, 6 days a week. It's been hard for all involved dealing with being in the water for so long but the cast and crew have been troopers and as of today we're out of the ocean - for at least a little while.

We're doing some scenes on one of our boats at the moment, so i'm sure everyone is happy to be out of the water for a bit. That's not to say there's still not water involved for some lol!

Gearing up to our live stream next Thursday 5th (Aus) & 4th (US/UK), we're getting great feedback and support from media which is very encouraging, and also re-assuring to know that the hard work going into this is being recognised & appreciated.

We're also happy to say that we've got some schools & educational bodies expressing interest in how they can incorporate the streaming into their classrooms and curriculum - we're thrilled to be able to offer some insight and a rare opportunity for some behind the scenes for young budding film makers and future film buffs as well!

Stay tuned..

The Press, A Live Stream & A Monster Shark

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:43:00 GMT

We've had a few press set visits this past week with photographers and writers - they seem to have liked what they saw. Keep an eye out for some press in coming weeks. Big thanks to Empire (www.empireonline.com.au) & Fangoria (www.fangoria.com) magazines for coming on set to check out what we're doing - their reports will run closer to the release of the movie.

Our live stream is happening next Thursday, November 5. A LOT of hard work has gone into setting this up so I hope all of you reading have registered on our website and are planning to tune in. As I've mentioned before, this is a world first concept and the team assembled to make it happen are working diligently to offer a unique online experience.

Apparently there is an article in the Sunday Mail here in Australia on the 25th October about a mauled Great White Shark caught in the shark nets off the Queensland coast. According to the experts, the bite radius on the mauled shark indicates a suspected Great White Shark easily larger than 5 metres. Food for thought...

Week 3

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:34:00 GMT

Heading into week 3 of our shoot. We lucked in last week with some good weather, but it's proving to be touch and go this week. Storm forecasts have forced us to work with a contingency plan for filming just in case mother nature decides not to co-operate.

One of the scenes we've been filming is a dialogue scene upon an overturned 38-foot boat hull - so working on these scenes with having to potentially change locations and how we film can be tricky...but our team is prepared and we're ready for whatever challenges we face. Ah..the joys of film making huh?

The daily rushes and footage we've seen so far has been turning out great...I'm happy with what we're getting. The actors are working hard in difficult conditions - can you imagine going to work each day and spending up to 10 hours in the water? When you see the finished film remember for the cast and crew alike - this is definately not a 9to5 job so anyone who's been reading these entries hopefully will appreciate how hard everyone's been working.

Check back tomorrow for another update...

First week of filming & location pix

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:12:00 GMT

Well how were our first few days of filming?

Firstly, i want to say that we have a fantastic cast & crew - so that always makes the harder elements of film making easier when unexpected factors such as weather and the water come into play. And as i've mentioned previously, we're filming live on location in the sea, not in a studio tank or in a controlled environment as some other films do. Our film is all about being as realistic as possible, and I'm confident that all the trials we'll face filming on location will pay off on screen.

Can you imagine what it's like working in deep water in a full steamer wetsuit for 9-10 hours with the wind howling? Around you are 30 crew all trying to get their relevant set ups right whilst gear gets wet, sinks or drifts off. The cast (who are doing a brilliant job) are swimming - floating around being pushed by currents and tide so they can't always hit their marks. The scripts and storyboards are so soaked you can't turn the pages.

Yes, the first few days of our shoot were crackers, but with an amazing team we're well on our way. Check out some of the pix below and you'll get an idea of our location & the environment we're working in.

Final checks & we're good to go :)

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:21:00 GMT

Went through final checks today...

* Art Department - looking good

* Make Up & Wardrobe - all done

* Camera - exciting!

* Sound - hmmm could be difficult on water...

Everyone else seems well prepared so now we just need good weather and some calm under fire.

Stay tuned!

Rehearsals, Blocking, Action!

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:56:00 GMT

Had a great session with the actors today - finally hit the water for rehearsals and did some blocking.

Always amazes me how you can talk, talk and talk about a script, however it is so much more useful to block the scenes - especially in the environment you'll be filming in (which for our movie is mostly the ocean).

For those reading who aren't familiar with the term, "blocking" is essentially designing how you'll shoot the scene, the camera angles & movements, and the action & dialogue delivery from the cast.

Tomorrow is the last rehearsal and work day before we start shooting on Monday - BRING IT ON!