Review: Sea Patrol

The opening episode of a television show is always a challenge, the need to establish characters, location and still have something happen - is a delicate balance. With the chance that viewers may change channels within a few minutes and new shows can be axed in within weeks, the stakes are high.

'Sea Patrol' wisely plays all it's cards within the first five minutes, we see 5 time Gold Logie Winner Lisa McLune make her return to televison, the Producers hoping that we remember how much we loved her in 'Blue Healers' and hoping we forget that 'Marshall Law' show she did afterwards. We see the beautiful blue skies and waters, we see it's high production values, and just for Grandma and Grandad, who may have been experiencing de ja vu, thinking that they had seen the show before, the words 'Patrol Boat' are dropped in before the credits.

Lisa McLune plays the XO Kate McGregor, an Officer with a bright future who has found her self assigned to serve on a small patrol boat rather than the larger ships and crews she's used to. For McGregor the posting to the small HMAS Hammersly is a stepping stone in her career, but will her usual approach work on such an intamite crew? Ian Stenlake is the CO Mike Flynn he has a prickly relationship with his new subordinate, and we get a hint that they have a confrontational past. The crew is made up an assortment of sailors and the writers have shown great restraint by making them free of quirky mannerisms or obvious character traits. Amongst the cast are a good mix of new and familiar faces including Neighbours alumni Kristian Schmid and Jay Bunyan.

The first episode sees the crew of the HMAS Hammersly deal with two situations simultaneously, they intercept an illegal fishing boat and are called to a rescue operation at the same time. While both these scenario's play out in a fairly predictable fashion they do allow us a good chance to get to know the characters, their relationships and we are given a hint of things to come. It's worth watching and worth tuning in to see where the story goes in episode two.

For the launch of this series Channel 9 has taken a lesson from shows that premiered in the USA last year, such as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and allowed it to be downloaded for free from their site in the lead up to Thursday nights launch, the site also contains internet only material, a video blog from one of the characters and behind the scenes footage.

JTLeroy was a fraud... the continuing story

The JT Leroy saga continues with a New York court finding that the author had committed fraud when she signed a film contract under her pseudonym.


Previous Posts
Cult Author JT Leroy exposed as a fraud, but does it really matter? - Tuesday, January 10th 2006.

Megan Spencer at FTI

Documentary director, JJJ Film Critic and Revelation Film Festival Curator, Megan Spencer, will be the guest at Meet the Filmmaker (MTF) on Thursday 26 July, 7pm at the Film & Television Institute Cinema in Fremantle.

Her documentary Lovestruck: Wrestling’s No 1 Fan will be screened at 7pm prior to a Question & Answer session hosted by Phil Jeng Kane in the FTI Cinema.

Ten years in the making LOVESTRUCK: WRESTLING'S NO. 1 FAN is a 52-minute independent documentary about Australia's “No. 1” wrestling fan, Sue Chuter.

As producer, director and DOP Spencer’s major documentary productions include Heathens (1994), Hooked on Christmas (1997), Strange Hungers: Mistress Ursula (2001) and Lovestruck: Wrestling's No 1 Fan which was screened at the 2006 Revelation Film Festival.

Meet the Filmmaker is usually presented on the first Thursday of every second month but has been brought forward to allow us to have Megan Spencer as a special guest before she flies back East.

Meet the Filmmaker provides Perth audiences with an intimate opportunity to hear emerging and established industry professionals discuss their craft, answer questions and talk about their personal journey through the production process.

The MTF events are an excellent forum for local filmmakers to gain inside knowledge of the filmmaking experience and be inspired by those working successfully in the West Australian screen industry.

Tickets to Meet the Filmmaker events are $10 for FTI Members & concessions and $12 for non-members.

To secure your seat for the Megan Spencer Meet the Filmmaker on 26 July at the FTI Cinema, 92 Adelaide St, Fremantle, email screenevents@fti.asn.au or call FTI on 9431 6700.

The Circuit

Last night I went to the launch of the new SBS Mini series 'The Circuit' that stars Aaron Pederson, Kelton Pell and Gary Sweet. The 6 part series will premiere on SBS on July 8th and it is definately worth tuning in for. Last night we got to see Episode One , and I can't wait to see Episode Two.

The story is about a indigenous lawyer from the city who moves to Broome in the far north of WA to work for the Aboriginal Legal Service. Each day the Magistrate, Defenders and Prosecutors travel from location to location, setting up court in remote and largely indigenous communities. It's a classic fish out of water story and I was engrossed.

The premiere was held at the Astor Cinema and afterwards at there were drinks at The Jazz Club. Who was there, Mediaworld's Ross Hutchens, Susie Campbell, Dot West, Jub Clerc, Janine Boreland, Zak Hilditch, Henry Inglis, Mark Defriest, Annie Murtaugh Monks, Kelton Pell, Ian Booth, Erica Smyth, George Kapitharkis, Alison James, Debra Shorter, Daniel Gallagher, Nick Briton, Sue Taylor, Jim McGinty, Sheila McHale, Liz and Graeme Sward, Tim Burns, Tom Lubin and many many others.

Sea Patrol will premiere online

Taking a tactic used in the USA last year, Channel 9 will premiere it's big budget new drama series 'Sea Patrol' online four days before it screens on television hoping to build word of mouth buzz for the expensive new show.

The show which stars Lisa McLune is a retake on the poular 1980's program 'Patrol Boat'.

Hey Hey it's Saturday to return

There is news that Daryl Somers have been given the cash to make a pilot for a new series of his iconic show 'Hey Hey It's Saturday'. I think there is definately a place for a show like 'Hey Hey, It's Saturday', it used to be a great show to have on before you went out on a Saturday night. The trick is thought to keep it fun and light hearted - without becoming just a big messy muck about.

Somers apparently has voice man John Blackman onboard but there must be a huge challenge to put in some fresh, and dare I say, younger ellements. The success of 'Hey Hey' was always it composited parts, Red, Wilbur, Celebrity Head, Plucka Duck, Ozzie Osterich, Jackie Mac, Cook Lotto, Dickie Knee, Molly, Russel Gilbert, Andrew Fyfe and Murray Tregonning and Lucky Phil the Floor Manager. ...but please don't bring them all back Daryl - find some new talent and ideas.

Quite a few of the 'Hey Hey' alumni are now contracted to Channel 7 - making them available for a return.

I often wonder what Ossie Osterich is up to, is he sitting poolside in Queensland playing Majong with Mr Sqiggle and Winky Dink.

Grant's New Comic

My brother, Comic Book Writer, Playwright, Director, Actor, Film Lover, Grant Watson has begun a new comic - a real life account of his honeymoon in Europe in 2005. A sneak preview the new work 'The Trip' can be seen on his website.

The depiction of himself is pretty spot on, I just want to see him draw his wife as a comic character - there's a subtle art.

Dogstar gets a second season!

The animated TV show 'Dogstar' that is made by Animationworks is going forth to a second season. The show is currently showing in the UK and will be on Channel 9 later this year.

A whole bunch of Animation

A whole bunch of animated films from the Film and Television Institute can now be watched online.

A new look to the Annex Building at FTI

The Annex Building at FTI has been undergoing a transformation. In the next few weeks we will be launching a whole new range of programs and opportunities for West Australian Animators. In the meantime here is some sneak peak photos of the new look.

No more drab grey walls that stifle creativity.

The Beauty of Decay

There is a line in the Tears for Fears song 'Break it Down Again' which says "They make no mention of the Beauty of Decay", it has always stuck with me.

The fire in the National Hotel earlier this year was very tragic but the ruins of the building, which many see as an eye sore on the Fremantle landscape, have a certain beauty.

The Evolution of Television: The Chat Show

I find this intiguing, our new show in the UK is being heralded as an advancement on the stagnent structure of the chat show, ITV's '24 hours with...' sees a celebrity locked in a room with the interviewer Jamie Campbell. The celebrity guest of the first episode is Bobby Brown, and I guess it is only going to be minor celebrities who would give up 24 hours . The final show is edited down from 24 hours to a final 1 hour that is screened on TV - although the show will be able to be repackaged many times over probably with the remaining 23 hours of footage.

It is an evolution, in that is a natural progression. Big Brother, Celebrity Big Borther, Celebrity Big Brother Interview Style. The Guardian article got me thinking though, what would be innovative in chat shows? There are two basic models, firstly the Tonight Show model - which includeds Letterman, Jay Leno et al, Parkinson, Michael Aspel, Vizard and Rove. The pre-recorded model - some episodes of Denton, Barbara Walters and Oprah Specials.

What would an audience participantion model look like? Viewers SMS in their questions. A panel interview - like a job interview, it could be called 'Under the Spotlight'. Interview Magazine has often had celebrities interviewing other celebrities, a visual version of this would be a treat, Robert Hushes with Paris Hilton, Gretel Kileen asks the tough questions of Alan Jones, Mr Squiggle talk to Kevin Rudd. What if instead of talking to celebrities about their latest book, album or movie - we talked to them about something unrelated. Four random guests are thrown into the room and the mystery topic is released.

What would your dream chat show be?

Video Advertismements for Theatre

The GUARDIAN reports on the British National Theatre using YouTube as a distrbutor of viral video advertisiements for theatre shows. This is not really that original, earlier this year when I was blogging about the play 'Small Metal Objects' I found the Festival of Sydney had some video footage of the show online, edited together with interviews. It does however create a new market for filmmakers.

Could the opposite work though, could you suddely do an improptu scene from a low budget film in the Mall and then encourage the passing shoppers to indulge in some independent film at the local cinema later in the afternoon?

Four Eyed Monsters on You Tube

For one week only you can see the cult film Four Eyed Monsters in it's entirity, all 71 minutes on YouTube.

Related Enteries
Sundance to Screen to Create Virual Screening Room in Second Life - 15th December 2006

WAnimate: The Way Ahead

Recently the WAnimate Committee members put a day aside to focus on strategic planning, working out why we exist, what our priorities are, and what activities best suit the needs of our members. It was an incredibly productive day. I love this photo Kat Black took of Ian Tregonning adding another post it note to the big wall of 'what's it all about'.

One thing that is really clear through the process is that the needs of animators in WA are many and there is still so much work to be done in this area of the screen industry. As a new organisation WAnimate has been really lucky in securing a number of high profile speakers like Cortney Armitage from PIXAR and Sue Erolkan at Dreamworks - and while listening to high profile speakers certainly inspires and educates - the most valuable thing that goes on in WAnimate is the discussions about how to continually develop and build business in this area in WA.

There is enormous demand for animators in WA right now, especially 3D aniamtion, from the rapidly growing games sectors to visualisations for architecture and resources industries. Yet, we only have a handful of animators who are really up to the grade, many people who have done a short course, or qulaification seem reluctabt to take the next step and continually upgrade their skills. There is certainly a challenge to bridge this gap.

After the Strategic Day, I personally feel very invigorated and enthusiastic about moving forward - there are so many things that an organisation like WAnimate could do - but now we are really starting to hone in on what we will do. Full steam ahead.

These thoughts are of course just my own, humble reflection, and bear no relation to the position of the organisation as a whole, or the actual strategic plan. You know, just thinking out loud.