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Breath
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| Fran |
Date: Sunday, 07-Jun-15, 6:15 PM | Message # 121 |
 Fair Dinkum
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Listed at See Pictures as 'In Production' http://www.seepictures.net/#/breath-in-production/
An adaption of the best selling novel by Tim Winton
Producers: Mark Johnson, Simon Baker, Jamie Hilt
Writers: Tim Winton, Peter Duncan, Gerard Lee
[Also Cannes promotional poster was posted in a different thread, bigger version now in Gallery, view in real size http://thebakerboy.ucoz.com/photo/95-0-10836-3?1435746741 or with transcript of readable poster text (which are comments taken from reviews of the book) http://thebakerboy.ucoz.com/photo....0-10836 ] |
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| Fran |
Date: Wednesday, 01-Jul-15, 11:30 AM | Message # 122 |
Fair Dinkum
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So this thread is up-to-date - excerpt from i-Magazine interview posted by Tanja on Home Page, indicating possible delay to the schedule:
What made you decide to take the jump from acting to directing, especially the adaptation of a novel such as BREATH?
S.B: Directing is something I have wanted to do for a very long time. From very early in my career I knew I wanted to direct, but I realised that it was something that I had to leave for later in my career. Then, all of a sudden the opportunity presented itself: a producer friend of mine gave me Tim Winton’s book. I read it and fell in love with it and from there it progressed to the point where my producer partner said to me “why don’t you direct it?” and I said “I’d love to do that”. However I had to wait until the show was over so I could focus all my energy on it. So over the last few years, I have worked sporadically on developing the script and we are now up and running and ready to shoot probably early next year.
So it is really happening, isn’t it? When could we expect to see it hitting the screens?
S.B: Probably not before 2017.
http://www.imagazine.gb.com/simon-baker-interview/ |
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| Fran |
Date: Monday, 06-Jul-15, 9:56 AM | Message # 123 |
Fair Dinkum
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Breath updates from The Age interview:
Most of what he's worried about today is his first film as director – an adaptation of Tim Winton's lyrical, disturbing novel Breath. He will also star in the film and co-produce it. "God," he says, "how cheesy does that sound? I knew it would sound vain ... this is why I never wanted to even suggest it. I never felt brash enough to bring it up: 'Oh yeah, I'll star in it, and produce it, and direct it.' " Yet here he is, doing all those things. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, I try to point out. Lots of people do it. "But I'm not that big a star," he objects. "Most people just identify me with The Mentalist, that show that's on Channel Nine sometimes. It's not sexy, it's not fashionable. And it's a bit hard to go, 'Actually, I've done 20-something films, I'm brilliant.' "
When it came to Breath, for a long time Baker was uncertain how – and even if – he could make the film. "I went through waves of anxiety about it," he recalls. "I had a couple of periods where I went quiet on it. It just felt too big. And then one day Bec said to me, 'How come whenever we bring Breath up, you mumble something and go quiet?' And I said, 'I just don't think I can do it justice. It's going to be so hard, and it's my first film, and it's teenage boys, in the water, with heavy sexual stuff...' And she was like, 'What are you talking about? We watch movies together all the time! You know how many terrible movies there are out there? So what if you make one more? Just go and do it!' " Baker sits back from the table and smiles. "And I thought, 'Yeah. That's pretty much it.' "
He first read Tim Winton's slender, award-winning novel several years ago in LA. Veteran Hollywood producer Mark Johnson (Rain Man, Breaking Bad) sent it to him, with the suggestion that they option it and he, Baker, co-produce and, possibly, star in it. It's the story of two small-town surfing boys, pulled into the orbit of a charismatic older surfer and his wife. It's a beautiful, unsettling story about love and damage and the end of childhood.
"It was weird," recalls Baker. "Maybe my view was affected by the fact I was so far away, so there was this longing for that period in my own life, but it really shook me. There were a couple of moments when I put the book down and wept." He finished it and picked up the phone. "I just said, 'Yes. Let's do it.' "
It was clear from the start he would co-produce and though he won't be drawn on whether he's putting his own money into the project ("That's like asking me how old I am!"), Screen Australia has kicked in funding as part of a $13.4 million investment in 12 new film and television projects. He was also excited about playing the adult male lead, Bill "Sando" Sanderson, and he knew what he wanted in terms of adapting the story. He and Winton, who won't be directly involved in the film, have met and seem to have got on. As Baker puts it, "I hope we're in a situation where I feel like I can do what I want to, and he trusts that I'm not going to totally butcher it. Or I'm going to really try not to!"
So far, so good. But then came the question of finding a director.... he assumed they'd hire someone else. He and Johnson met with several high-profile directors. And then one day, "Mark said to me, 'Has it occurred to you that maybe you should direct this film?' And I said, 'Why do you ask?' And he said, 'Because it's obvious to me that you talk about it like a director, and think about it like a director, and it kind of seems that you are the director.' " Baker sits back with a self-deprecating, lighting-up-the-room smile. "And I was like, 'Oh shit. So I'm scaring the directors off?' " He begins to laugh. "And of course I was very proprietorial about it. And I was probably going to smash any director who did anything I thought was inauthentic, and so it probably was hard for them."
So that was that. Filming, which is slated to begin this September, will take place in WA's south-west, where the book was set. It will be a very tough shoot – "fraught with difficulties!" is how Baker puts it. "Shooting outside, you're totally at the mercy of the weather anyway, but with surfing you also have the swell, the wind direction, the light ... It's a nightmare." Plus non-actors in the lead roles, plus the "Jurassic" wildness of the setting, plus Baker's own triple-role responsibilities. "Oh god," says Baker, closing his eyes. "Can we just cut to pretending I've done this movie, and people have actually enjoyed it?"
Baker loves the way Breath pivots around particular instants in life: moments of decision around which our past coalesces and our future unfolds. "I think that's really true," he says. "I've felt it a lot, that sense that a decision I made, which seemed insignificant at the time, with hindsight, had great bearing on how I turned out as a person."
He feels it about choosing to be with Rigg – "the best decision I've ever made in my life. But did I know it at the time? No way" – and he feels it about choosing to be an actor. And perhaps, one day, he'll feel it about choosing to make this movie. "It's weird to promote something before it's happened," he says at the end of our conversation. "But it feels like a pilgrimage I've got to go on – that may end tragically."
Full interview: http://www.theage.com.au/good-we....-ghn6ug
or http://thebakerboy.ucoz.com/load....1-0-269 |
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| coral |
Date: Friday, 10-Jul-15, 0:34 AM | Message # 124 |
Cobber
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Actor Simon Baker to direct film adaptation of Tim Winton's novel Breath in Denmark, WA
Australian actor Simon Baker is set to become a regular sight around the beachside town of Denmark in Western Australia as he makes his directorial debut on the film adaptation of Tim Winton's novel Breath.
Based on the Miles Franklin Literary Award winning novel, the production is expected to create more than 250 local jobs and generate $4.3 million for the WA economy.
Breath tells the story of two teenage boys who forge an unlikely bond with an older surfer in the fictional WA town of Sawyer.
The majority of filming will take place in Denmark and will feature infamous surf break The Right.
Mr Baker will also star in the project, with filming expected to commence later this year.
Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said the local economy would directly benefit from the project.
"Having the likes of Simon Baker, an internationally acclaimed actor and producer, will help profile the region to over 20 million people worldwide," he said.
"[It's] fantastic for this region and particularly good for Denmark."
More than 150 Great Southern locals will be scouted as actors, extras and surfing doubles, with at least 100 crew members to be sourced from around Western Australia.
Baker, star of The Mentalist, will work alongside Oscar- and Emmy-winning US producer Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, The Notebook, Rainman) and Australian producer Jamie Hilton of See Pictures (The Little Death, The Waiting City, Backtrack) on the project.
Royalties for Regions will invest $1.5 million in the project, with State Government screen funding agency ScreenWest providing a further $800,000.
http://www.abc.net.au/news....6608836 |
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| Ivana |
Date: Friday, 10-Jul-15, 6:26 AM | Message # 125 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 1223
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Simon Baker to film Tim Winton’s Breath in WA
The movie adaption of Tim Winton’s best-selling novel Breath, to be directed by Simon Baker, will be filmed in Denmark, Western Australia.
The announcement:
A $2.3 million investment by the State Government has secured Denmark as the location to film the movie adaptation of Tim Winton’s best-selling and award-winning novel, Breath.
Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said this was an opportunity that could not be missed and the State would reap the benefits of Breath being filmed in the beautiful Great Southern.
“This State has an experienced screen industry and the international spotlight will well and truly be focused on them with Hollywood actor Simon Baker choosing Western Australia to make his feature film directorial debut,” Mr Day said.
“The majority of the key production creative and 100 crew will be West Australian. In addition, 150 Great Southern locals will be employed as actors, extras and surfing doubles.
“ScreenWest and the Great Southern Development Commission have worked closely with the film’s producers to sell the State’s attributes as a premier filming destination. I am thrilled that this iconic West Australian story will be filmed here.”
Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said the production would directly generate around $4.3 million, with further economic benefits expected to flow to the local community.
“Breath will create local jobs, directly benefit the local economy and showcase the Great Southern to the world,” Mr Redman said.
“As a Denmark local, I’m excited about the level of international exposure this production will provide and the opportunities it will create – not only for Denmark and the Great Southern, but the entire State.
“I am pleased to see the State Government’s Royalties for Regions program assisting regional communities to capitalise and expand on their social and economic opportunities.”
Breath focuses on the lives of two teenage thrill-seeking boys. Hungry for discovery they form an unlikely bond with reclusive older surfer, Sando (Baker) and his mysterious wife. The boys are driven to take risks that will have a profound and lasting impact on their lives.
Mr Baker will star in and direct the film alongside Oscar and Emmy-winning United States producer Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, The Notebook, Rain Man), and Australian producer Jamie Hilton of See Pictures (The Little Death, The Waiting City, Backtrack).
Source: ScreenWest media release
http://mumbrella.com.au/simon-b....ELLA%29 |
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| Ivana |
Date: Friday, 10-Jul-15, 10:42 AM | Message # 126 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 1223
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It's the same text with added financial info on production at the end of the article
Simon Baker to film Tim Winton's Breath in WA
Friday, 10 July 2015
Feature film of Tim Winton's Breath to be filmed in the Great Southern
Film is expected to create 250 local jobs and generate millions for the economy
Simon Baker (The Mentalist, The Devil Wears Prada) will star and direct
Screenplay writing team includes Tim Winton and Gerard Lee (Top of the Lake)
A $2.3 million investment by the State Government has secured Denmark as the location to film the movie adaptation of Tim Winton's best-selling and award-winning novel, Breath.
Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said this was an opportunity that could not be missed and the State would reap the benefits of Breath being filmed in the beautiful Great Southern.
"This State has an experienced screen industry and the international spotlight will well and truly be focused on them with Hollywood actor Simon Baker choosing Western Australia to make his feature film directorial debut," Mr Day said.
"The majority of the key production creative and 100 crew will be West Australian. In addition, 150 Great Southern locals will be employed as actors, extras and surfing doubles.
"ScreenWest and the Great Southern Development Commission have worked closely with the film's producers to sell the State's attributes as a premier filming destination. I am thrilled that this iconic West Australian story will be filmed here."
Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said the production would directly generate around $4.3 million, with further economic benefits expected to flow to the local community.
"Breath will create local jobs, directly benefit the local economy and showcase the Great Southern to the world," Mr Redman said.
"As a Denmark local, I'm excited about the level of international exposure this production will provide and the opportunities it will create - not only for Denmark and the Great Southern, but the entire State.
"I am pleased to see the State Government's Royalties for Regions program assisting regional communities to capitalise and expand on their social and economic opportunities."
Breath focuses on the lives of two teenage thrill-seeking boys. Hungry for discovery they form an unlikely bond with reclusive older surfer, Sando (Baker) and his mysterious wife. The boys are driven to take risks that will have a profound and lasting impact on their lives.
Mr Baker will star in and direct the film alongside Oscar and Emmy-winning United States producer Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, The Notebook, Rain Man), and Australian producer Jamie Hilton of See Pictures (The Little Death, The Waiting City, Backtrack).
Fact File
Tim Winton's Breath won the 2009 Miles Franklin Literary Award
Royalties for Regions will contribute $1.5 million while ScreenWest will contribute $800,000 to the project
For more information, visit http://www.screenwest.wa.gov.au or http://biggerpicture.regions.wa.gov.au
https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages....WA.aspx |
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| Ivana |
Date: Friday, 10-Jul-15, 11:14 AM | Message # 127 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 1223
Status: Offline |
Updated abc.net.au/news article with a new photo
Actor Simon Baker to direct film adaptation of Tim Winton's novel Breath in Denmark, WA
By Karla Arnall
Updated about an hour ago
Australian actor Simon Baker is set to become a regular sight around the beachside town of Denmark in Western Australia as he makes his directorial debut on the film adaptation of Tim Winton's novel Breath.
Based on the Miles Franklin Literary Award winning novel, the production is expected to create more than 250 local jobs and generate $4.3 million for the WA economy.
Breath tells the story of two teenage boys who forge an unlikely bond with an older surfer in the fictional WA town of Sawyer.
The majority of filming will take place in Denmark and will feature infamous surf break The Right.
Baker will also star in the project, with filming expected to commence later this year.
He and his producer scouted locations around Albany and the South West before arriving in Denmark.
"I just knew," he said.
"I said to my producing partner Jamie, I said 'this is the place'.
"As soon as we drove into the town there was just an appeal straight away. It felt rich in authenticity and you knew that as soon as you opened doors you were going to find interesting characters and genuine people that have a real sense of community and a feeling for pride for the area.
"You can't deny the beauty of the environment. The scope of it, the scale of it... there's a timelessness about it as well."
Mr Baker said he felt a great responsibility in adapting the much-loved book.
"There's an enormous responsibility with this book because people love this book so much," he said.
"People really identify with that and I think the strength of Tim's writing in a lot of ways is that it talks about the ordinary in such a beautiful, detailed way.
"It affected me in that way. It felt like it was my small town that I grew up in."
Denmark region to benefit from role on silver screen
Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said the local economy would directly benefit from the project.
"Having the likes of Simon Baker, an internationally acclaimed actor and producer, will help profile the region to over 20 million people worldwide," he said.
"[It's] fantastic for this region and particularly good for Denmark."
More than 150 Great Southern locals will be scouted as actors, extras and surfing doubles, with at least 100 crew members to be sourced from around Western Australia.
Baker, star of The Mentalist, will work alongside Oscar- and Emmy-winning US producer Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, The Notebook, Rainman) and Australian producer Jamie Hilton of See Pictures (The Little Death, The Waiting City, Backtrack) on the project.
Royalties for Regions will invest $1.5 million in the project, with State Government screen funding agency ScreenWest providing a further $800,000. |
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| Thrill |
Date: Saturday, 11-Jul-15, 7:18 AM | Message # 128 |
 Dinkie-Di
Messages: 210
Status: Offline |
I saw this on our news last night - so close....
I recorded it and was just figuring out how to copy to my PC then upload - but NINE have already done it - well done (if only they would get past Ep 6 of S7 though but that's another story. Thanks for the link Raven. |
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| Tina |
Date: Saturday, 11-Jul-15, 8:45 PM | Message # 129 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 2066
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Tom Walker also wrote they haven't found the main actors yet...hope they soon will. |
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| Ivana |
Date: Sunday, 12-Jul-15, 6:22 AM | Message # 130 |
Fair Dinkum
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Actor and director Simon Baker with his son Claude at Ocean Beach
Denmark’s location hits spot for Baker
From his first look at Denmark, Australian actor Simon Baker knew it as the location for his film adaptation of Tim Winton’s acclaimed 2008 novel Breath.
What he didn’t know until dinner with Winton two days later was the novel was actually set in the South West town and its Ocean Beach.
“It just felt right,” the star of The Mentalist TV series said.
“It was a gut feeling. There was obviously the incredible beauty, but also an attachment to nature.”
It was just what he wants to capture and he says the location will be important for the film, just as it was for the book, a very personal story set against the power and scale of the setting.
As he read Breath, a Miles Franklin Award winner, Baker was taken with it as a film he had to make, so he bought the rights in 2009 to wait for the time and the self-belief required.
Not only will he produce and star in the film, it will be Baker’s debut as director.
“Denmark is a gem of a town with a unique community and it holds a very special place in my heart,” Winton said.
“I hope it reaps the benefits of having the production based there and that Simon’s film will show the rest of the world what they’re missing.”
The State Government put in $2.3 million to secure Denmark as the film’s location.
Culture and Arts Minister John Day said that it was an opportunity that could not be missed.
“The majority of the key production creative and 100 crew will be West Australian,” he said. “In addition, 150 Great Southern locals will be employed as actors, extras and surfing doubles.”
Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said the production would directly generate about $4.3 million, with further economic benefits expected to flow to the local community.
Breath focuses on the lives of two teenage thrillseeking boys.
Hungry for discovery they form an unlikely bond with reclusive older surfer Sando (to be played by Baker) and his mysterious wife.
Baker said he hoped to start work on the film by the end of year, with pre-production expected to last six weeks and filming up to seven.
During the work, he said he expected his Sydney-based wife Rebecca Rigg and their three children Stella, Claude and Harry to pay regular visits.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/a....twitter |
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| bee |
Date: Sunday, 12-Jul-15, 9:17 AM | Message # 131 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 1525
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Thank you Ivana, what a lovely photo of Simon and Claude together. Claude has grown into a handsome young man! Great to hear that Rebecca, Stella, Claude and Harry will pay regular visits and give him all their support. Such a close family. 
Message edited by bee - Sunday, 12-Jul-15, 9:20 AM |
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| DS_Pallas |
Date: Sunday, 12-Jul-15, 10:32 AM | Message # 132 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 1979
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So according to this article, when he fell for the place and chosed to shoot his film here, Simon didn't know Winton had Denmark in mind when he wrote the book? Wow. |
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| Ivana |
Date: Wednesday, 15-Jul-15, 10:02 AM | Message # 133 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 1223
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thanks to @finepickle
https://instagram.com/p/5JWSImIxSb/
westernaustralia This superb location will be home to the movie adaptation of WA author Tim Winton's best-selling and award-winning novel, Breath. #Denmark in @australiassw was chosen by Australian actor and director Simon Baker for its "incredible beauty and attachment to nature." Filming is expected to start later this year and will feature the infamous surf break The Right! Photo credit: @gregorsnell. #thisisWA #australiassw #westernaustralia #screenwest #simonbaker
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| Fran |
Date: Thursday, 16-Jul-15, 9:42 AM | Message # 134 |
Fair Dinkum
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Breath excerpts from the ScreenBlog article 'Drawing Breath: Simon Baker on surfing, directing & returning home'
( full article is posted here http://thebakerboy.ucoz.com/forum/2-191-21653-16-1436947283 )
I’ll confess I’m not a big reader of novels as I have to read so many scripts but as soon as I read it I recognised a world I grew up in, where I knew all the characters. I also thought it contained the best descriptions of surfing I had ever read. And what really appealed to me was the bigger theme of identity and where you fit in.
“I wasn’t too sure who I was in my teens, but the beach tribe I hung out with at the beach, helped define who I am now. They had a big hand in raising me. I wasn’t a big risk-taker as a kid. I was more the cautious type, a thinker, a bit like Pikelet. I was at my core, introspective.”
“Like Tim, I’m a country boy. I grew up in an overtly masculine environment. I think we speak a similar language – we’re both pretty direct. We met and there was an immediate ease, but at one point I had to say to him, ‘Mate, no disrespect, but I have to feel free to make Breath mine now’. He was very supportive and encouraging, more than he needed to be. He told me I was brave. That scared me!’
After early drafts by Winton and Peter Duncan (Rake), Baker worked on the script with Gerard Lee (Top of the Lake). “I didn’t know Gerard at all before this but what I liked was the way he captured the kid’s voice in an early draft of My Mistress. He’s not a surfer, so this was quite bold of him to take on. I took him around to some of the places where I lived as a kid, bored him senseless with stories, introduced him to the world in which the film had to exist. He’s a very sensitive and open guy and our collaboration has been real joy.
“It was a challenging story to distill while keeping its essence but I’ll say this: what we’ve done is not literal, but it’s faithful to the spirit of the book.”
Of shooting in WA, Baker says “I love the scale of the place, it’s so massive. I like the idea of telling what is an intimate story against a vast canvas as the boys push their boundaries. As you pull back from Pikelet and Loonie wide to where they are, that should really express his vulnerability and fragility.”
Despite his passion for surfing, Baker is keen to emphasize that Breath is not specifically a surfing movie. It provides us with a dramatic backdrop but the physical element could just as well be any other sport or activity. Although he clearly feels there is a certain poetry in the graceful art of surfing that adds a rich texture to the piece.
Initially, Baker was intending to co-produce with Johnson and Jamie Hilton and to play the charismatic role of Sando, who initiates Pikelet and Loonie into a dangerous adult world they are unprepared for.
“We met with all the hot up-and-coming directors, whether they were working in commercials or film until one day Mark turned to me and said ‘Has it ever occurred to you, that you should direct this film, because you understand it like a director?’ It felt a bit presumptuous of me to ask,” said Baker. “But the thought had been sitting in the back of my mind, and with Mark’s encouragement, I decided to take the leap.”
He acknowledges that readers are often infuriated by Winton’s endings and is playing his cards close to his chest about how the film resolves – although his version has the author’s seal of approval.
“I just got a short email that said: ‘You are on track, now go make it.” |
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| Fran |
Date: Thursday, 16-Jul-15, 9:43 AM | Message # 135 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
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I thought there were several interesting comments in this interview, but these 2 particularly interested me:
Quote “It was a challenging story to distill while keeping its essence but I’ll say this: what we’ve done is not literal, but it’s faithful to the spirit of the book.”
Quote He acknowledges that readers are often infuriated by Winton’s endings and is playing his cards close to his chest about how the film resolves – although his version has the author’s seal of approval.
I've thought quite a lot about how literal Simon's adaptation would be, and what he would change. Because when I read this book I felt that some parts of it wouldn't translate well to the big screen, particularly for an international audience. I think it's an inherent risk with book adaptations, that lovers of the books often feel disappointed with the film, but I feel that movies are a very different medium to books, and so retaining the spirit of the original is what I think is most important.
For me, what's best about Winton's writing is its authenticity, and I'm sure that Simon feels its important to retain that authenticity. But, as a result, I think it makes it difficult to ensure that it resonates with an international audience not just an Australian one. |
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