Screen Australia Podcast

Producer Naomi Cleaver talks about producing an enormous studio TV series like NBCUniversal's La Brea and the benefits of being able to do so in Victoria, as well as talking about the production department more generally – including the different roles she has worked across, from production coordinator, to production manager and then line producer on projects like Oddball and the Mystery Road TV series.

Screen Australia's outgoing Head of Content Sally Caplan reflects on her eight years at the agency, changes in the screen sector both here and globally, advice to applicants and more. Sally holds more than 25 years' of international experience across financing, development, acquisition, production and distribution, which has included roles such as MD of eOne International, head of the UK Film Council's Premiere Fund, and President of Icon Film Distribution UK.

Head of Content Tyler Bern talks through the strategy for Amazon Prime Video Australia, advice for anyone hoping to pitch to Amazon and what kind of ideas they are looking for. Bern also reveals the new hire who will be leading their scripted slate, and explains how upcoming TV adaptation The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart came to Amazon Prime Video.

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason looks at the record-breaking numbers in the 2020/21 Drama Report, before executive producers Andrea Denholm of ABC series Fires and Catherine Nebauer from International Emmy-award winning kids' TV series Hardball and Paramount+ TV drama Spreadsheet give their insights into what production has been like on the ground. For more info, click here: https://bit.ly/3owNuun

Australian director of photography Greig Fraser ACS, ASC, talks about working on the epic new feature Dune, including collaborating with director Denis Villeneuve, shooting on IMAX, the switch from his Emmy-award winning work on The Mandalorian to a new sci-fi world, and how his lighting approach on Australian features Lion and Mary Magdalene helped with filming some of those big desert sequences in Dune.

Australian cinematographer Ari Wegner ACS talks about working with director Jane Campion on The Power of the Dog including spending a year in pre, shooting New Zealand as 1920s Montana, and what it was like switching to a handheld camera style for some scenes with the always-in-character Benedict Cumberbatch.

Nakkiah Lui on getting her start in the screen industry on Black Comedy, writing for stage and screen, staying on track during long development periods, and how a very real fascination with doomsday prepping led to co-creating, co-writing and starring in the new ABC half hour comedy Preppers.

For her first feature documentary Under the Volcano, Australian producer Cody Greenwood needed to licence music for 30 songs from the likes of Elton John, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Duran Duran and more. She breaks down the ins and outs of music licensing and dealing with archival footage, as well as getting that first interview with Sting, working with director Gracie Otto, and advice. Visit https://www.underthevolcanomovie.com to stream, rent, or buy.

Screen composer Caitlin Yeo talks about her career writing music for film, television and documentary, and how she went about creating the score for the epic four-part SBS series New Gold Mountain – a murder mystery set in the Australian gold rush and told from a Chinese perspective – including working with director Corrie Chen, instrument choice, and breaking down the title music in detail.

Journalist, documentary-maker and presenter Marc Fennell talks about his latest work hosting ABC documentary series The School That Tried to End Racism and more broadly about his career to date, including interviewing techniques, his approach to research, why he always like to have at least two jobs on the go, and how he's navigated a constantly changing media and screen landscape.