00:00I do very little research in terms of anything that I do, especially acting.
00:07I didn't know that...
00:09I was the director.
00:10I didn't know that Viscount was pronounced Viscount.
00:13I thought it was Viscount, because it's spelt like discount.
00:17And I was like, the first few times I was like, I'm the Viscount.
00:21And then they're like, it's Viscount.
00:23I should have researched.
00:25And then they're like, what's a Viscount?
00:29Still don't know.
00:32But more than I count.
00:36This is a...
00:37Is it a children's book also an Australian story?
00:41No, the children's book was written in the UK.
00:44And then we made this as a UK-Australian co-production,
00:47but very much in Australia, Australian crew and all of that sort of thing.
00:50But yeah, the book has its home back in the UK.
00:53Was it something that you read as a child or when...?
00:58No, I've read it to my children.
01:01And so that was sort of my way into working out if it was funny and cheeky.
01:04But you've been a child.
01:05I have. I can't deny that.
01:07That's undeniable.
01:08We all have.
01:09But yeah, so I read it.
01:11I thought it was really cheeky and funny.
01:13And I didn't quite know where the film was in it when I first read it.
01:16But I knew that it had a lot of joy in there and it was very mischievous.
01:20And then when I read the script, they'd really fleshed out some really beautiful characters.
01:24And I went, oh yeah, there's something in this little gem.
01:26The iconic part of the book is this furry ball with one eye.
01:30So, you know, that was the main sort of, you know, leaping off point.
01:33And then there is some beautiful illustrations in the book of, you know,
01:37where Blake's character goes to the big jungle and there's fantastical creatures
01:41and there's pictures of the mum and dad and there's pictures of Myrtle
01:44and all of that sort of thing.
01:45Myrtle has a crazy little hair and all of this sort of thing.
01:47So I think it was more sort of, because we gave, the whole film has a lovely sort of storybook-like quality.
01:52And it's not necessarily that we made it in the aesthetic of what those illustrations were.
01:56But they were, they're super helpful when you start.
01:59Because anything that you can sort of, you know, get from that original, you know,
02:03sort of what had come from the author's head and all of those sort of things is really great.
02:07And then we had to kind of shape it and fashion it into our own.
02:10Can I just talk about how great this film looks and like the art direction and everything in this.
02:16And I hadn't seen, you know, when you're on set, you're like, this is a cool set.
02:19You're not really thinking about anything other than yourself.
02:22And then watching the film and often I watch other people's work and it makes me feel very lazy as a filmmaker
02:29because I saw like just how much detail was taken and planning, like storyboarding,
02:37like there's shots where like there's like transitions and match cuts to things,
02:40which made me feel so lazy when I was like, you really thought about this, man?
02:44This is so cool and looks so awesome.
02:46And I just needed to tell you that.
02:48And now while I'm blowing smoke everywhere, you guys are so great in this film.
02:54I'll get to you.
02:55But you guys, like even that first opening, like I was talking to my friend and he was like,
02:59it's like the opening of Up.
03:00It's like so, there's so much is told.
03:02And at first like five to seven minutes and with you guys and your relationship and all of that stuff.
03:07And it's like this wicked, awesome kind of just beautiful living montage thing that really pulls you in.
03:14And then this thing comes on the screen and changes everything.
03:17And then it's like, it's so great just watching that and being part of that.
03:21And it's like really.
03:23Yeah, you're okay.
03:24I know you are in The Hunger Games too.
03:26Which one?
03:27I won't ask you which is your favorite, but I'll ask you too.
03:31How many kids you killed?
03:32I will say like what, what was like most different about this movie and like which is more fun, exciting, scary?
03:38Like what?
03:39Um, The Hunger Games was a lot more serious, I feel like.
03:42Um, cause my character is very traumatized in The Hunger Games and then this one I'm traumatizing people.
03:49Um, so I guess that things are a lot more fun and heartwarming.
03:54And I just feel like it teaches a lot of lessons when people learn it.
03:58Whereas The Hunger Games is more entertaining, so.
04:01Did they have the toy Furby in Australia?
04:05Oh yeah.
04:06I had one of those.
04:07The weirdest thing with having a Furby is that just, you can leave the batteries in, it doesn't do anything for three years,
04:12and then out of the blue it'll just start talking to you one day.
04:14Yeah, that creeps me out.
04:15I don't like that.
04:16It's very creepy.
04:17It's very creepy.
04:18Yeah, I was like thinking Furby.
04:20Again, like just from before seeing any footage or pictures, just from the line,
04:24I pictured a Furby almost melding with like a labubu, I suppose.
04:28Um, which turned out to be not correct at all.
04:31But that was like, that was what my mind.
04:33We had to make the choice on this before labubu was so big, unfortunately.
04:36You did.
04:37But yes, we could have folded into labubu.
04:39You did.
04:40Yeah.
04:41What was, um, what felt most different for you guys about making this versus other things?
04:45Like just the fun lightness or the...
04:48It was fun working with a puppet.
04:50Yes.
04:51That was really nice.
04:52And I thought that was a great choice on Geoffrey's part.
04:54Um, rather than using CG just to have this real life thing that we could interact with.
04:59Um, that was really great.
05:01Yeah.
05:02I mean, it just...
05:03You were okay sometimes.
05:04Yeah, I know.
05:06Yeah, that's the best compliment I'll get all year.
05:07Um, so, um, yeah, no, I, I absolutely loved working on this.
05:11The whole thing just felt magical.
05:12I mean, to echo what Tyke said, I mean, Geoff's just done such a fabulous job of it.
05:16And every day being on set with these guys was just really, really fun.
05:21We had room to, to play.
05:23And because of the nature of the, the film being this kind of fantastical world in, in,
05:28in places, I think for me, it, it just made me feel quite kind of childlike at times in the way that you can just respond to things and play and the puppets and like the stunts that we did.
05:40I was on wires at one point and then all of that was just so, I was leaving work every day with such a spring in my step.
05:46It was so nice.
05:47It really, it really was a bit sort of lighter than air, you know, when we were filming.
05:50Yeah.
05:51The hard work was in the pre and by the time we were shooting it, it was pretty joyous.
05:54And Tyke would turn up and he's got, you know, I'll do your scripted line and then, you know, I've got a few alts.
05:58Yeah, I'll take your alts any day of the week.
06:00So, you know, it was, then it felt a bit more playful and we rehearsed some of the scenes on set.
06:04They seemed to click really well and then when we got there, you know, we could spend more time talking and having fun and enjoying it than occasionally acting between them.
06:13Yeah.
06:14Occasionally acting.
06:15It was, it was very, very sweet.
06:17Every once in a while.
06:18Did any of you guys have a toy as a child that like, what was the holy grail must have?
06:24Power Rangers for me.
06:25I remember having like a 10th birthday that was just so many different Power Rangers toys.
06:30It was amazing.
06:31Best day of my life.
06:32I have a teddy bear called Puff, who I still have.
06:36And anyone who knows me knows Puff.
06:39Very iconic child toy.
06:41My age, I think the type of thing is like American Girl Dolls and our generation.
06:48I went through a massive phase of that and I had like the cafe in one corner of my room and the ice cream truck and the school and, and I begged my mom for all of them and I never got them.
06:57But yeah.
06:58Which American Girl doll, or maybe you might have new ones, but like I was, I had a Samantha.
07:03Yeah.
07:04I actually don't remember what mine were called.
07:06I just remember she had like orange hair and it always got so knotty.
07:12And then I had to like, yeah.
07:14He dated.
07:15It was Felicity.
07:16No, Felicity was the one with the red hair.
07:18Yeah, probably that one.
07:19But I just had to keep like, I used to take her into the bathroom and like put her head over the sink and then like just wet all her hair and then start brushing out, like rip out her hair.
07:28Little sister you never had.
07:29Yeah, exactly.
07:30Got a twin brother.
07:31Exactly.
07:32Or twin brother.
07:33I had a little teddy bear called Blue Ted, who I found in a rubbish bin when I was about three and took him home and we washed him.
07:43And he's, I've still got him.
07:46That's sweet.
07:47We mended him.
07:48He had a little tear in him.
07:49So sewed him up.
07:50Yeah.
07:51Mine was a little ET doll like this big and everyone has tears.
07:54There is no ET doll in existence that doesn't have the little tear right where the arms are for some reason.
08:00Major defect.
08:01I don't know what it is, but I, that was my favorite.
08:04You loved, you loved it nonetheless, it seems.
08:07Um, before we run out of time, something I'm asking everyone is what is a note that you would be happy to never hear again on set?
08:17And I will also say, if you direct, you can say a note you're happy to never give again, but.
08:21Bigger.
08:22Bigger.
08:23Smaller.
08:24That's usually what people give me.
08:26Smaller.
08:27Smaller.
08:28Do you want to go fast while I still think?
08:29I don't really know.
08:30It wouldn't.
08:31Clearly it wouldn't be from our film.
08:32It would be from the Hunger Games.
08:33Every note on this film was perfect.
08:34I'm sure.
08:35Probably like be scarier.
08:36Like, cause I'm not a scary person.
08:37Like, would you want me to, I guess it's acting, but like, yeah.
08:41Usually, uh, it's usually, um, uh, pull it in, rain it in.
08:56That's what it is for me.
08:58Which is a fair note.
09:00Our, our mutual collaborator, uh, in Sam Neill.
09:04He said to me at the start of the film when I was so nervous to work with him.
09:08It was, it was terrific.
09:10He just said, you don't need to give me any direction in this.
09:12I know exactly what I'm doing except for more or less.
09:14That's it.
09:15What did you wind up doing more often, more or less?
09:17He could see when I was walking over, it was going to be less.
09:20You know, just walking, he goes, Les, I can't, I can't.
09:23He said, no, it was, I thought that was really sweet.
09:25I hadn't had someone had to say that.
09:26I think a great note is faster.
09:27Because it's, you get, I think, when you're ahead and you're also like,
09:31you're like labouring over these lines and like, the thing about your mother was.
09:37How can I put this?
09:40I mean, it takes forever.
09:41When you're in the edit, you're like, oh my God.
09:43You know, and it just helps sometimes.
09:46And also for actors, I think it helps.
09:47They just throw it, throw it away.
09:49They don't stop thinking so much if they're just like, I've just got to do it.
09:52Just get faster.
09:53It can just help just to bridge between some different, you know, different versions of things.
09:57Just to get out of your head.
09:59I agree.
10:00That's for you that night.
10:07Absolutely.
10:12And ceux will bring it forward.
10:15They don't even know what they're doing.
10:16They'll take the 장mer to get someone else yet.
10:17I can leave them in other fun.
10:18I don't like to forte on how long the children.
10:19It feels like heartless.
10:20It's crazy.
10:21But it feels like a beautiful thing that the child can encourage you but you can do.
10:22If it's just a great thing.
10:24What are you doing to do?
10:25The life of death is suffering for many nights in the day,
10:28even more than amakers.
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