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Five years ago, you might remember a film that came out asking Australian moviegoers, \u201cWhat would I do on my last days on Earth if I was stuck in Perth?\u201d<\/p>\n
The movie, These Final Hours<\/i><\/em><\/a>, was directed by Curtin graduate Zak Hilditch.<\/p>\n It followed a group of characters, played by Nathan Phillips, Curtin graduate Jessica De Gouw (of Arrow <\/i><\/em>fame) and Spider-Man: Far From Home <\/i><\/em>actress Angourie Rice, who have 12 hours to live until a firestorm from a meteorite collision wipes out all life on the Western Australian coast.<\/p>\n The film was a long time coming for Hilditch, but the positive Australian reaction to his self-described \u201cmovie about the bogan apocalypse\u201d made it all the more worthwhile.<\/p>\n His message is to stay determined.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you truly love what you do and want to succeed, then you\u2019ll get there\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n Hilditch graduated from Curtin in 2004 with Honours in Screen Arts<\/a>, and says the networks and skills he developed at university were invaluable, especially during his early career.<\/p>\n \u201cImmediately from first year you’re making film. The tutors and lecturers are really passionate and knew what they were talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n Since These Final Hours<\/i><\/em> was unveiled at Cannes Film Festival in 2014, Hilditch has gone from strength to strength directing several Netflix Original films. His upcoming psychological horror film Rattlesnake <\/i><\/em>is set in rural Texas, and follows the story of a mother who makes a desperate deal to save her daughter bitten by a rattlesnake. In return, she is forced to take the life of a stranger.<\/p>\n Hilditch credits his strong start in Western Australia as a springboard into his current US filmmaking career.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to make a splash with your work if you get given the chance, as you might only get one shot at it. Luckily I made just enough of a splash!\u201d<\/p>\n The haunting notes of a cello, the beat of a helicopter\u2019s propellers and the distressed faces of a herd of wild camels in the harsh remoteness of northern Western Australia.<\/p>\n They\u2019re ideas that you might not immediately think would work together, but for Alison James, they were the perfect instruments to tell Judas Collar<\/i><\/em><\/a>, a short drama film based on the actual process that occurs in the Australian outback where hunters fit a tracking device to a single feral camel, follow its movements to a herd, and cull the herd but leave the tracked animal alive, for it to lead them to the next herd.<\/p>\n James, a Curtin graduate, was affected by anecdotal accounts that described some of the camels as being aware that they were being used to find and kill other camels, and choosing to isolate themselves.<\/p>\n The film has had an amazing reception around the world, winning the St Kilda Film Festival and the Austin Film Festival, which resulted in it being longlisted for the 2020 Academy Awards short film category. James also received a special mention for best director at the Sydney Film Festival.<\/p>\n With some unique challenges, James needed to ensure that her small crew of 12 was a tight-knit unit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a crazy adventure. We shot in the remote desert around Mount Magnet, 500 kilometres north of Perth. There were flies everywhere. It was dusty. I was four and a half months pregnant. We had eight camels and a helicopter.<\/p>\n \u201cI think in your career it\u2019s important to know how to work with all sorts of different personalities and resolve conflicts. The way you learn is working with others.\u201d<\/p>\n James\u2019 experience in working with people from all walks of life was also helpful in her previous work directing documentaries. Meeting an eclectic mix of different people, including Nobel Prize winning scientists, Aboriginal elders and outback truckers was a rewarding aspect of her work.<\/p>\n James graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television<\/a>, minoring in Psychology, and said that university provided her a good start in developing the people skills required on a film set.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re thrown in the deep end with a bunch of people from really different backgrounds, and that can be an important learning experience to take into your career.<\/p>\nTip 2: \u201cFilmmaking is a collaborative industry. You can\u2019t <\/i><\/em>make it on your own.\u201d<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nTip 3: \u201cHave a complementary skillset that gives you an edge as a director.\u201d<\/h2>\n
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