TITLE: Just the Beginning

RESEARCH STATEMENT:

Just the Beginning presents an exciting opportunity to connect one of Australia’s most iconic brands with the filmic medium, bringing avant garde expression to the general public. This film aims to reach Bunnings shoppers aged between 25 and 50 with its dry but authentic sense of humour and subtle cultural imagery. 

This will be an absurdist short horror comedy about a Bunnings employee, Otto, who stars in a company advertisement and receives an unanticipated flurry of admiration from the public, eventually ensuing in a stalker situation from a person in a hammer costume. Ideally, this film will spark conversation and excitement about the humour and novelty of unique Australian experiences, reflecting the community spirit of a Saturday sausage sizzle.

While Just the Beginning opens with fluorescent lighting and the static quality felt in commercials, the shots will become more reactionary, aiming to strike a sense of anticipation and fear in the audience and reflect Otto’s emotional journey. The contrast between the surrealist horror and unique Australian humour will be felt through costuming and production design. The design of the hammer costume will resemble my past work in short films with a blend of uncanny realism and flesh-like qualities, evocative of character design from The Mighty Boosh. 

The sound design of this film will portray the paranoid psychological state of Otto, but contain a similar surrealist style to the production design. The audio techniques used in Almost Friday TV’s short film sketch Peaked in High School (Almost Friday TV 2024) are close to what I am imagining with staged scenes taking place around the character, imbued with an atmospheric reverb that becomes more tangible as the film goes on.

In generating ideas for this film, I drew on Almost Friday TV’s breadth of comedy horror sketches which produce cinematic films on extremely low budgets. Their film when you accidentally select MEET AT DOOR (Almost Friday TV 2023) was particularly interesting for its cinematic and comedic portrayal of a home invasion. A dominant area of my research was into the “insistent internationalism” (Collins F et al. 2019) of Australia’s film industry. In seeking to sculpt a unique language of Australian cinema, I have been watching local films made with a variety of budgets, including Petrol (Lodkina A 2022) and Strictly Ballroom (Luhrmann B 1992). I hope to channel the stylised drama of these films, reflective perhaps of the most dominant trait in Australian films: that it is not taking itself too seriously.

Just the Beginning would ideally premiere in or outside a Bunnings store, hopefully propelling awareness for the film, but also encouraging the target audience. Similar to the Bunnings Warehouse Party of August 2024, the premiere of this film would be an opportunity for a community gathering, uniting a popular retail experience with the artistic medium. Additionally, I believe there is the potential to team up with an independent theatre and play this film prior to a popular film screening. We could run this special program for one day, preferably on a discounted day or the weekend in order to reach larger audiences. The whole film would ideally be kept offline until the premiere, except for 3 teaser clips and imagery to serve as promotional material across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

REFERENCES:

Almost Friday TV (5 June 2024), Peaked in High School , Almost Friday TV, YouTube website, accessed 5 April 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4kKATFOrTM

Almost Friday TV (9 August 2023) when you accidentally select MEET AT DOOR , Almost Friday TV, YouTube website, accessed 8 April 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFPzshwfXUA

Collins F, Wiley J and Sons (eds) (2019) ‘A Companion to Australian Cinema, edited by Felicity Collins’, Incorporated, ProQuest Ebook Central, pp. 22. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rmit/detail.action?docID=5752353.

Lodkina A (2022) Petrol, Arenamedia [film].

Luhrmann B (1992) Strictly Ballroom [film], Village Roadshow Pictures, Columbia Pictures. 

TREATMENT:

An upbeat jingle plays over footage of a young man, Otto, 25, awkward but endearing, as he delivers lines for a Bunnings Father’s Day commercial. In full uniform, he brandishes a neon hammer in one hand and another in his front pocket.

His face becomes the September campaign’s poster boy, featuring on social media, across bus stops and the storefront he works at. On the phone with his father, while eating a Vegemite sandwich, Otto confesses his pride at being recognised for his part in the commercial during work. He retells an encounter with an old man who asked for a photo together. As the call ends, a hammer falls from one of the shelves. He places it back in its shelf compartment.

As he is walking back through the tools section, a small child stops him in his tracks, pointing to the apron she’s wearing and a pin that says “Otto”. Starting to enjoy the attention, Otto smiles as the father takes a photo of him and the little girl together. Other shoppers stop to chat to Otto until his manager steers them away.

Leaving work, Otto scrolls on his phone until he notices his commercial and the astounding number of likes, comments and shares the post has. He gazes proudly until noticing a figure in the background of the footage: a blurred hammer costume. He shrugs it off.

Back at home, Otto tries to decompress, but as he goes to put away his apron, he notices a shadow in the headlights of a passing car – in the shape of a hammer. He investigates the balcony and through each of his windows, but there is nothing to be found.

In bed that night, Otto closes his eyes to a tapping sound that grows louder. He turns on the light, investigates further, but there is still no answer to the mystery. His phone pings with a notification. It’s a text from his father: a hammer emoji.

Unable to sleep, Otto eats a midnight snack in front of the TV, distracted by the message from his dad. His commercial appears on the television and he notices the blurred figure is much closer this time. A headlight flashes across the wall in front of him and the TV turns off as well as the house lights. A car drives past once more and Otto sees the shadow of the hammer once again. A whispering sound comes from behind him and he turns around to see the entire hammer person in his living room. He gets up and tries to equip himself for battle, holding up his phone as a torch and going to grab a kitchen knife. Upon reaching the draw, another hand slams it shut, questioning his preference for a knife over other tools. He screams at the home invading hammer who proceeds to announce that it is Otto’s father. Otto backs away, only for the hammer to take off its mask and reveal that it is, indeed, his father, who scolds him for not getting him a Father’s Day gift.

MOODBOARD:

MECALUX (2 November 2020) L’approvisionnement en logistique, MECALUX, accessed 8 April 2025. https://www.mecalux.fr/blog/approvisionnement-logistique?utm_source=rssid-MWIkVntRqgTt&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rssdate-20201027 

This image features the ideal lighting and framing of the commercial in the opening scene of the film.

Golden T (3 December 2020) ‘Superstore’ to End After Season 6 on NBC, Variety, accessed 8 April 2025. https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/superstore-ending-season-6-nbc-1234845804/

The vivid colours and costuming seen in this frame from the sitcom Superstore will be the goal with the production design.

Almost Friday TV (9 August 2023) when you accidentally select MEET AT DOOR [video], Almost Friday TV, YouTube website, accessed 8 April 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFPzshwfXUA

Almost Friday TV (9 August 2023) when you accidentally select MEET AT DOOR [video], Almost Friday TV, YouTube website, accessed 8 April 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFPzshwfXUA

Nocturne Shadows (n.d.) Shadow person, Pinterest website, accessed 9 April 2025. https://au.pinterest.com/pin/21814379440600269/
Replicating shots like these of silhouette shadows will be crucial in frightening the audience. The slightly blurred edges of the shadows would be preferable to capture. 

Lissarrague J (15 May 2024) Image of Ratman.

The prosthetics and mask for this character I created for a short film last year are similar to the style I would like for the hammer costume. Absurdist with a touch of realism.

Part 1.

As soon as I saw the studio booklet for this semester, I knew I wanted to be a part of Long Live Australian Cinema. It took me a week or two, but I fought my way into the course. I’ve had the daunting ambition to be a filmmaker since I first got cast in an unforgiving role as an astronaut in a school art project. From this project on, I became entrenched in the idea of not only being a filmmaker in my own right, but contributing to the greater Australian cinematic landscape. To be among so many incredible Australian filmmakers like Kitty Green, David Michôd and George Miller – that is the dream.

Upon realising that Australian cinema was not remotely as prosperous or as distinct an art form as those of Europe, or America, was what drew me to this course. The need to create and draw audiences to Australian films that are nuanced and reflective of our cultural values was outlined as an aim of this studio and I truly resonated with that. Additionally, I’ve always been interested in the creative production of films, but this studio offers insights on the behind-the-scenes mechanics that bring these films to life. Learning about distribution and marketing strategies specific to the Australian industry is a goal of mine.

As for the technical components of this studio, I am always compelled by the opportunity to create a piece of media under the guidance of an experienced tutor. I look forward to building on my cinematography skills in particular during this course, as that is an area I would like to develop for the professional world. Lastly, of course, this studio seeks to examine the patterns behind classical and contemporary Australian cinema and I look forward to being enlightened by films I have yet to see.

Part 2.

a.) The making of a documentary

During a Thursday studio session, we had the opportunity to create a short interview in groups focusing on any topic we would like. After much discussion, my group landed on the cheery theme of death. Our project, titled Afterlife: An Interview with the Living, featured myself, Jazz, and Clem as we sat down to interview one another about how we thought we would die and what we would like to happen following our death. It was a quirky, introspective project that gave us all a chance to broach these dire questions and take part in some taboo areas of discussion.

As with any project using mildly unfamiliar equipment, we came across challenges. We had some technical difficulties, especially with our audio. Although we attempted to use a set of wireless lapel microphones to capture clear sound, we ran into issues with them not recording properly and improvised with iPhones to capture the audio. Despite the lower quality, this was a practical solution that helped us to capture content in the hasty means we needed. In post-production, I spent a fair amount of time removing unwanted noises (including child screeches). An additional challenge came with lighting. We had experimented with different setups, and in some areas, the lighting turned out to be too harsh, creating intense shadows or overexposure. Luckily, the lighting wound up having a spooky effect in the final product.

Like many films I have been a part of so far in my degree, there comes a time when the awkwardness of being vulnerable on camera is beseeched by the need to create an interesting piece of work. While it was unusually confronting to playback the recordings of us all chirping about causes of death, the result of this conflict between darkness and light was incredibly amusing. I think it is so important to take these leaps wen creating work. And although this documentary was merely an exercise, I found it to be an interesting lesson in how far you can experiment with humour and offensiveness.

b.) David Easteal’s visit to our studio

Although I enjoy putting on the display of being headstrong about my opinions on film, I secretly cherish an event or piece of media that completely reshapes my perspectives on the art form. In class, we had the privilege of having David Easteal, the writer, director and editor of The Plains (2022), visit our class. His insights on filmmaking were so strangely and absolutely captivating. This experience beckoned me to reflect on my approach to cinema. Easteal’s minimalist style, which focuses on the quiet dramas of everyday life, was a significant contrast to the high-stakes style of cinema I’m usually drawn to viewing and creating.

The Plains takes place entirely within a car, following a lawyer named Andrew as he drives to and from work over the course of a year. The film is part documentary, part drama, and explores the subtle piques of tension and unfolding theatre in routine aspects of this man’s life. Easteal’s emphasis on long takes and muffled interactions between Andrew and the people around him left me bewildered by its simplicity. His approach was so different from the complex, colourful styles I normally gravitate toward, in which each scene is intricately planned out, dolled up and edited to a crisp.

As I listened to Easteal talk about his process, it became more and more clear to me that the quirky, introspective style I thought I was sculpting in my own portfolio was nowhere near the edge of experimental. Truly, I see my current work aligning now more with the commercial, Hollywood-influenced scriptures. My work may be creative, but it often remains within the confines of what’s to be expected in mainstream cinema. The minimalism that Easteal spoke of guided me to realise how I have yet to explore any kind of slow, unplanned storytelling. I have never thought of constructing something that genuinely challenges viewers to focus on the subtleties of everyday life. Work that seeks to push the boundaries of audience expectations and truly follows through. Hearing about Easteal’s admiration for filmmakers like Abbas Kiarostami and Chantal Akerman, whose work defies traditional Hollywood expectations led me to think about films that avoid the American lens. I’m looking forward to exploring more films with these cinematic philosophies that aren’t confined to blockbuster conventions.

Part 3.

Link to my video essay: https://vimeo.com/1068056449/a09e399a89?share=copy

References: Long Live Australian Cinema – Assignment 1 References