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* How you
find out your path ?
It took me a while to realise filmmaking was the path I wanted to
explore. I had always made amateur short films, but I decided when I
was 18 to join the army. After spending two years at the Australian
Defence Force Academy as an Officer-in-Training I realised I wanted
to pursue my dream of filmmaking. I left the army voluntarily and
came back to my home town of Melbourne, setting up my production
company. I went to a filmmaking course for a month and changed my
Bachelor of Arts degree to focus on Cinema Studies. Within six
months of my return, I made Black Button. Since then, I haven't
looked back and don't regret my decision for a moment.
* Any reason for Dark Heart Productions? (why not Bright Heart?)
I have always been fascinated with the exploration of the darker
side of humanity.
* Inspiration ???
Stanley Kubrick, Sam Peckinpah, Darren Aronofsky, Paul Thomas
Anderson, John Hillcoat, Mel Gibson, Andrew Dominik, Peter Weir,
James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, Michael Mann,
Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorcese, Ridley Scott, The Coen
Brothers, Ken Russell (the list goes on...)
* How did you find Hayden James, how about your together works ?
Hayden and I went to school together. We were making short films for
quite a few years before I left for the army. He's a great working
partner
* Most memorable rewards ...
We've had a few festival wins and have been received well on YouTube,
which has been great. YouTube is wonderful because it allows your
films to be exposed to quite literally millions of people and
receive their honest feedback. Perhaps the most rewarding thing is
finishing a short film and showing it to family and friends, and
seeing their reactions.
Lucas Crandles with Hayden Grubb in New York Television Festival
Opening Night
* If Internet is not there in the world, whats your role in the
world ..
If the internet wasn't there we certainly wouldn't have had the
exposure we've had to date, and consequently the motivation that
exposure has provided to work harder. If the internet wasn't an
option we would have gone down the traditional festival path, but
that can be somewhat limiting as your audience is significantly
smaller and the success or failure of your film is determined by a
handful of judges rather than an indiscriminate audience.
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* how much internet useful to u ..
The internet has been incredibly useful for us. We've
been able to connect with an audience and build a fan
base. Now we are in a position where anything we produce
will be seen by a large number of people due to the
subscribers we have on YouTube. It's not quite enough to
make enough money to finance future projects, but as
YouTube Partners we are seeing some revenue come in.
* dream project ??? , future plans
We have been focusing lately on a television project
quite different from our other work entitled 'Wentworth
& Buxbury', an animated sitcom about two British
supervillains-in-training. We were fortunate enough to
have the pilot for the show selected for the New York
Television Festival this year, where it won the award
for Best Writing. We're waiting to see whether the show
will be picked up by a US television station so that has
been our predominant focus. It would be wonderful if the
show were picked up. We're also working on our next
short film entitled 'Of Land and Bounty', a drama set in
1870s Colonial Australia, with shooting planned for
December. Our dream project would be to get a feature
film off the ground. We have a few ideas floating around
at present and will be developing a feature length
script hopefully in the next few months.
Lucas Crandles in American History* What is cinema to
human life?
I feel cinema is the most potent medium for exploring
the many facets of the human experience. Films are able
to reach and connect with so many people and impact on
their lives, even if only in some small way.
* Best support ..
My father is without doubt the person most supportive of
my endeavours. He's been behind me 100% from the
beginning, and without his support and encouragement
there is no way I'd be able to be doing what I am today.
* Advice for your fans / tomorrow`s artist ..
If you have an idea, get out there and make it. It's
hard work, but the rewards can be incredible. In the age
of the internet, anyone can make a film and have it seen
by thousands (or even millions) of people. Spend the
time working on the script and in the pre-production
process, it's always worth it.
* Interested to do anything in someother fields ?
I'm not limiting myself to film but I am only interested
in working in some form of creative medium, be it
television, cinema or the like. So long as I can tell
stories, I'm happy!
* what you know/think about india?
I haven't been to India but I have quite a few Indian
friends and a great deal of admiration for Indian cinema
and culture in general. Black Button was broadcast on
India's CNBC network and a substantial number of our
YouTube views come from India.
* about Bollywood/ Indian Film Industry ...
I think it's fantastic that India has developed such a
thriving and successful film industry. Hollywood is of
course the hub of world cinema, but I think it's
important that national cinemas are able to develop and
compete on the international market. |
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