Floating Brothel screening Thursday 8th Jan at 9.55pm on ABC1

05/01/09 - Quick update, but I just noticed that the ABC is re-screening The Floating Brothel this Thursday 8th Jan at 9.55pm. Hope you can catch it if you haven't already - it's a hugely entertaining and fascinating doco.

AFI Win!!

08/12/08 - Well, it was an amazing weekend. On Friday night I won an AFI Award for Best Sound in a Documentary along with my fellow nominees David White, John Willsteed and Greg Docwra. It was a huge honour and a fantastic evening. Thanks again to Randall Wood and Vickie Gest the director and producer respectively of Rare Chicken Rescue for inviting me to write for this beautiful film, and also to my co-nominees for the great mix. Strolling the red carpet was quite a treat! I also went to the televised awards ceremony on the Saturday and had a lot of fun. A highlights package of the AFI industry awards is below.

AFI Nomination!!

29/10/08 - I have just received an AFI nomination for my work on Rare Chicken Rescue along with John Willsteed, David White and Greg Docwra who did an outstanding job with the sound. Not only this, but the film was also nominated in the Best Documentary, Best Direction, Best Cinematograhy and Best Editing categories as well as Best Sound. This film just keeps on travelling. Congratulations once again to Randall Wood, Vickie Gest, Trish Lake and Scott Walton for their extraordinary work.

Secrets of the Forbidden City Nominated for Best Music Score!

28/10/08 - I'm very proud that Secrets of the Forbidden City has been nominated for Best Music for a Documentary at this years APRA - Australian Guild of Screen Composers Screen Music Awards. This is my 2nd nomination, and I'm very humbled by the company in this category including the wonderful Caitlin Yeo and Cezary Skubiszewski. View the list of nominations here

There's a great line-up of presenters including MC H.G Nelson, Rhys Muldoon, David Hirschfelder, Nadine Garner, Leah Purcell and many others. Should be a great night. The ceremony is on the evening of the 3rd November.

In other news, Rogue Nation now looks like airing on the ABC in the New Year. I'll keep you posted.

Forbidden City trailer

13/07/08 - Happened across a trailer for Secrets of the Forbidden City at the Reelscreen website. You can view the trailer here. Incidentally,Secrets of the Forbidden City will be available to purchase from Amazon UK and other UK retailers from August 11. Nice!

Rare Chicken Rescue gets a couple of nominations (& a win!)

10/06/08 - Just found out that Rare Chicken Rescue has been nominated for a Panda Award for this years Wildscreen Film Festival, the international wildlife and environmental film festival held in Bristol each year. RCR has also been nominated for a Dendy Award as part of this years Sydney Film Festival.

Rogue Nation is almost a wrap, and I've finished up on 'Lucy Wants to Kill Herself' from Blue Dahlia Films. More news on both these shortly...

13/06/08 - UPDATE - Hot off the press. Congratulations to director Randall Wood for just picking up the 2008 Dendy Award for Best Documentary for Rare Chicken Rescue at the 55th Sydney International Film Festival Great News!

News and reviews

11/05/08 - Quick update. 'Rare Chicken Rescue' garnered some wonderful reviews when it aired this week. Here are just a couple (the rest are on my RCR page)...

"A beautiful, simple tale about one man's love of rare-breed chickens and how that love redeemed him from chronic depression.... funny, heartfelt, and surprisingly moving." Sunday Age, Melbourne. 4 May 2008

"With a whimsical style reminiscent of Errol Morris (The Fog of War) and Mark Lewis (Cane Toads), writer-director-cinematographer Randall Wood has laid a beauty." Sydney Morning Herald. May 2008

Also, I just found out that a stunning 2.6 million Britons tuned in to watch Ten Pound Poms when it screened on BBC2's prestigious Timewatch slot in early February this year. Given that the Timewatch slot usually averages an audience of 1.8 million, this made Ten Pound Poms one of the most watched Timewatch documentaries ever screened.

Furthermore,' Poms' has been selected to screen at this years 55th Sydney International Film Festival and has been nominated for Best Community Documentary for this years Dendy Awards which is wonderful news! Congratulations Lisa Matthews and Essential Media!

'Rare Chicken Rescue' screens this Tuesday 6th May at 8pm on ABC1

04/05/08 - 'Rare Chicken Rescue' screens this week which is great to see. Tune in if you can and you can download the flyer from the Film Australia website here. Still waiting on Innocence to screen (come on SBS!).

Still working on Rogue Nation for Essential Media and the ABC. I've seen it mentioned several times in the press so there should be quite a bit of interest when it screens (later this year?). I'll put a page up when we've all finished working on the film.

New pages for 'Secrets of the Forbidden City' and 'Rare Chicken Rescue'

13/03/08 - Just added pages for 'Secrets of the Forbidden City' and 'Rare Chicken Rescue' including new music and pictures. I will eventually add new pictures to the flash player on each of the pages, however for now it's just these two, and 'Over My Dead Body'

Unfortunately, unless you have The History Channel on pay TV (or a relative in the UK to record it for you!) you won't get to see 'Secrets of the Forbidden City'. In time perhaps I'll post some footage - it looks amazing, truly. You will however hopefully see 'Rare Chicken Rescue' in the next few months on the ABC.

About to begin work on an exciting 2-part docu-drama called 'Rogue Nation' for Essential Media and the ABC to be directed by Peter Andrikidis and Lisa Matthews. I'll keep you posted.

What a year! - And topped off with a 'Best Music' nomination...

30/01/08 - A belated Happy New Year to you all. Well, it's been a busy 3 or 4 months.

I have just finished a feature-length docu-drama called 'Secrets of the Forbidden City' for director Mark Lewis and Lion Television (UK) commissioned by BBC and The History Channel. This is truly an awesome film beautifully shot on location in China, and I hope to have a page with some more information up shortly. This is the most ambitious film I've ever worked on and the score reflects the scale of the production. So much fun with this one! - More to come including some music...

I also received my first nomination for the APRA - AGSC Screen Music Awards, Best Music for a Documentary for The Floating Brothel. I know it was a large field this year so this was a great honour. The awards were held on 27th November in Sydney and while I didn't win (the award went to the outstanding 'Bomb Harvest' composed by Caitlin Yeo) it was a great night, and a hilarious ceremony hosted by H. G. Nelson. Check out the list of nominations and winners here.

Ten Pound Poms screened on the ABC on 1st November and is scheduled to screen in 3 days on the Timewatch program on BBC2 in the U.K. on Sat 2 Feb, 8:20pm. The film has also just been released on locally on DVD and is available to buy at ABC shops and other decent outlets here.

Over My Dead Body screened on the ABC on 15th November.

In between I completed original music for Rare Chicken Rescue for Randall Wood and Freshwater Productions to be sceened on the ABC later in the year (page to come)

I am currently working on the Film Victoria funded animation Lucy Wants to Kill Herself for Andrea and Craig Brookes of Blue Dahlia Films. I'll have much more to say on this project over the next month or two but it's looking amazing!

Two more docos

28/09/07 - Apologies for the long lag between updates. What with our little man now 11 months old we barely have time to scratch ourselves. Still, I've added a few new pages for Innocence (dir Dennis K Smith for Handmade Productions), Ten Pound Poms (dir Lisa Matthews for Essential Media) and Over My Dead Body (dir Ian Walker, for VizPoets). Each of these excellent documentaries should screen later this year and I have uploaded plenty of music for you to listen to on each of their respective pages. The only one I have a confirmed screening date for is 'Poms' which screens on the ABC Thursday 1st November - ages away I know but I'll remind you all as it approaches. Three great mixes in a row too which I'm very pleased about.

Also finished a DVD for Duraloid promoting the Silk Cut Award for linocut prints (dir Miriam Johnson)

Busy times...

25/06/07 - Finished the documentary 'Innocence: The Dark Side of DNA' to screen on SBS later in the year. When I get some time I'll put a page up for it. Also done a short film called 'Message for Humanity' for the launch of the Australian hosting of USCs visual history archive.

Currently working on 'Over My Dead Body', a documentary by Ian Walker and VizPoets for the ABC, and the documentary 'Ten Pound Poms' for Lisa Matthews, Essential Media, ABC and the BBC. Exciting times and will post a proper update when I have the chance.

'The Floating Brothel' nominated for Logie for 'Most Outstanding Documentary'!

8/5/07 - Never thought I'd be able to proudly say I did the music for a Logie nominated documentary...

Currently contributing music to a short film and finishing the score for Handmade Productions' 'Innocence', although I'm sure the title will change by the time it screens on SBS later in the year. I'll keep you posted.

'Neil Perry: High Steaks' screens Monday 21st May @ 9pm

14/3/07 -Here comes another long overdue update...

I've just finished a 3-part documentary series for Essential Media to be screened on the Lifestyle Channel called 'Neil Perry: High Steaks'. Director Ruth Cullen followed celebrity chef Neil Perry of Rockpool fame for over a year during which deals were broken, restaurants were closed, hats were lost, babies were born, and Neil embarked on his most ambitious venture, Rockpool Bar & Grill at Melbourne's Crown Casino.

Neil Perry: High Steaks screens on the Lifestyle channel Monday 21st May at 9pm, and on the following two Mondays. Of course, being pay-TV you really can't miss it as it additionally screens at the following times. Check out the promo here.

In other news, Welcome to Wonderland was selected to screen at the Byron Bay Film Festival. I hope some of you ended up making it! A few reviews and more info about the film generally can be found here.

Essential Media have a new site, and have pages representing 'Neil Perry: High Steaks', 'The Floating Brothel'and 'The Shadow of Mary Poppins' all which I have scored. Have a look.

Film Australia has a new trailer for 'The Floating Brothel', and this rather excellent documentary has been nominated and won even more awards!

SBS also ran a webchat following the screening of 'In Search of Bony' hosted by Lisa Matthews (dir.) and Caroline Baum (prod.) which might be of interest to those who caught the doco.

'In Search of Bony' airs this Thursday 25th January

18/1/07 - Flicking through the Green Guide this week reminded me that of course 'In Search of Bony' screens next Thursday at 8.30pm on SBS. I hope you'll all take a look at this documentary about author Arthur Upfield, and his fictional part-aboriginal detective Bony, that while little known here in Australia, is still a contraversial character today. See the SBS link here.

In other news, Welcome to Wonderland is now available to purchase at the following retail outlets nationwide.

At Last. The Floating Brothel Screens!

18/11/06 - The rather excellent documentary 'The Floating Brothel' is finally screening this Thursday 23rd November on ABC at 8.30pm. It is also soon to be available to purchase from all decent DVD stores, and is available directly from the ABC from the following link.

Furthermore, 'In Search of Bony' has been given the screening date of Thursday January 25th 2007, at 8.30pm on SBS.

I have updated the music downloads page, and now also have links to audio examples on many of my credits pages. Surf through my 'Credits' in blue on the left.

'In Search of Bony'

22/09/06 - Had a bit of fun. I recently completed the 'In Search of Bony', documentary on the life of Arthur Upfield, the Australian-based author of the Bony series of novels about a part Aboriginal detective. It was great to once again work with Lisa Matthews, the director of 'The Shadow of Mary Poppins', and Karin Steininger, editor of 'Poppins' and 'The Floating Brothel'

Incidentally, have you seen the promos for 'The Floating Brothel' in ABCs Spring season? Looks like a November air date...

Awards and Premieres...

25/05/06 - 'The Floating Brothel' has recently picked up a First Place Gold Camera Award at this year's US International Film & Video Festival in the "History; Biography" category (the film screened as 'Voyage of the Courtesans' in the US). Congratulations to Mark Lewis, Karin Steininger, Sonja Armstrong, Deb Szapiro and all at Essential Media! Still no news as to when the film is to screen here (come on ABC!).

In the mean time check out this great pdf flyer for 'The Floating Brothel' by Film Australia.

In other big news Welcome to Wonderland has been released on DVD! At a huge night last Friday the film 'officially' premiered at the Cinema Como on Chapel Street, and was screened again at Brown Alley (Colonial Hotel) for the after party featuring DJs from the film. It was a great night.

The film is currently available to buy from the Welcome to Wonderland Website with distribution to follow. The package includes the CD soundtrack as well as the DVD including almost 2 hours of extras (I never thought I'd get to be a special feature...). I also designed the sound for all the DVD menus which was heaps of fun. Check it out, it's a great Australian film.

Friday Night Games!

19/02/06 - In the tradition of 'It's a Knockout' the new game show 'Friday Night Games' premiered last Friday 17 Februrary on Channel 10. Produced by Endemol Southern Star, I was commissioned to write the theme music. 'Friday Night Games' runs for the next couple of months.

In other news...

'The Floating Brothel' premiered in North America on the PBS network on November 23 last year, screening as 'Voyage of the Courtesans' on the 'Secrets of the Dead' series. It also screened this February 3 in the UK on BBC2 as part of the Timewatch series. No date as yet for the local screening but it should be on the ABC sometime in March or April.

The Premiere of 'Welcome to Wonderland'

29/01/06 - It was worth the wait. The feature-length documentary 'Welcome to Wonderland' had a special pre-release screening at the Rainbow Serpent Festival at midnight on Friday 27 January. Watching this documentary with friends James Short and Sioux Currie (the director and editor respectively) amoungst the gum trees under the stars was a beautiful and exhilarating experience. The numbers swelled enormously during the screening and the enthusiasm for the characters and the scene was insane. Great premiere and great night...

The Floating Brothel

25/10/05 - Just finished the score for an amazing documentary called 'The Floating Brothel' for the ABC, BBC and PBS America. It's a fantastic doco-drama examining the unlikely story of a boat load of convict women who resuscitated the dying colony of Sydney. Directed by Mark Lewis, edited by Karin Steininger and produced by Sonja Armstrong of Essential Media (previously Hilton Cordell Productions) this is a sumptous film of the type rarely made in this country. Tentatively scheduled to screen here early next year, I'll let you all know the dates as they approach. It screens in Britain and America late November. I had so much fun doing this one...

Other News? A promo for the Yoga Radiance DVD was included with 'The Age' newspaper a couple of months ago.

Been a While...

19/07/05 - Amelia and I have recently returned from a wonderful trip overseas visiting Hong Kong, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Turkey and Canada. Yes, we were busy! Far too many highlights to mention in full, but the standouts were Dubrovnik in Croatia, Mostar and Sarajevo in Bosnia, Budapest in Hungary, and Selcuk in Turkey. It's hard to be back in the routine...

Music news?

Fable Music's Media Promos 2 Production Music CD has recently been released which I'm excited about. Eight tracks were contributed to this Image Library CD.

Prior to departing o/s I extended 4 tracks from the Welcome to Wonderland score for the soundtrack CD, which is to be released concurrent with the DVD later in the year.

Happy New Year!

03/01/05 - I don't know where the end of '04 went, but I felt busy. I did a short film for Lucas Testro called 'Big Shoes to Fill' which I was really pleased with. I also have finished the 5.1 mix for Welcome to Wonderland. There have been a number of post production delays and a couple of extra cues for me, but the sound mix is scheduled for early January, and the DVD release a couple of months after that. It's a great doco and I'm looking forward to seeing it out there.

Yoga Radiance DVD

25/10/04 - It's been crazy lately. Just finished the music for a Yoga DVD called 'Yoga Radiance with Jessie Chapman'. Almost 50 minutes of music with a 2 week turn around time. Apparently it's going to be on the front cover of 'Wellbeing' magazine by the end of the year. Who'd have thought...

'The Soul Benefit Show' on Channel 31

I have written the theme and incidental music for a new series on Channel 31 called 'The Soul Benefit Show'. The premiere is on Monday 11th October at 9pm. Tune in.

Welcome to Wonderland is nearing completion

Welcome to Wonderland is a unique documentary by filmmaker James Short, which aims "to give the audience a greater insight into Australia's outdoor dance culture and reveal its wonders...an incredible journey that unveils the beauty, power and intrigue created when music, the natural environment and people combine". I was commissioned by James to create 9 tracks for the film, and am currently mixing the score in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround for the DVD release later this year.

Poker Kings on SBS

Poker Kings aired on SBS on Wednesday 15th July at 10pm, and received positive reviews in national press publications, including the Melbourne Age, Daily Telegraph, and Sydney Morning Herald. It has also screened on the A&E network in North America, and is shortly to screen in both Ireland and Denmark.