WEBVTT - BOOKS THAT MADE KALITA CORRIGAN! 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:01.720 It's in the news today, but it was actually on 0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:03.640 TV Reloaded podcast last week. 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:06.560 Am I how would I just go on a television set, 0:00:06.680 --> 0:00:11.039 oh Man action from a headline grabbing point of view, 0:00:11.080 --> 0:00:14.320 the hack producer me says one hundred percent put him in. 0:00:14.400 --> 0:00:18.239 Thanks your welcome back guys to TV Reload. My name's 0:00:18.280 --> 0:00:20.959 Benjamin Norris and on this podcast, I go behind the 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:23.279 scenes with the biggest players in television. 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:24.280 Yeah, great questions. 0:00:24.360 --> 0:00:26.479 The show's about the game. There's a lot of great 0:00:26.520 --> 0:00:28.360 television out there in Australia. 0:00:28.440 --> 0:00:30.960 But I've also got to go behind the scenes with writers. 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:33.240 The truth is, when I started writing it, it wasn't 0:00:33.320 --> 0:00:36.160 had nothing to do with the news and casting agents. 0:00:35.880 --> 0:00:38.440 They know from a casting point of view what they need, and. 0:00:38.479 --> 0:00:41.839 Editors because that's what we do as editors where storytellers. 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:45.360 Not to forget some incredible executive producers who are making 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:47.200 some of the best TV in Australia. 0:00:47.640 --> 0:00:50.000 I have been on the program since the beginning and 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:52.040 it's kind of in my DNA. 0:00:52.120 --> 0:00:54.520 So thanks for joining me each week and I hope 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:57.800 the podcast continues to give you real insight into the 0:00:57.840 --> 0:00:58.960 magic of television. 0:00:59.320 --> 0:00:59.560 Today. 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:02.440 On the Podcascast, I have one of Australia's most prized 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:06.080 TV content makers, Kaleida Corrigan, who has just launched my 0:01:06.240 --> 0:01:09.640 favorite new program Books That Made Us, an insightful look 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:12.520 into Australian authors who have made an impact on the 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:16.120 world with their best selling novels that reflect Australian culture. 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:20.039 As an executive producer for ABC Arts, Kalida oversees a 0:01:20.120 --> 0:01:24.000 vibrant slate of series and feature documentaries. Her passion about 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:27.199 making the arts accessible to a broader audiences has seen 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:30.200 her work on Tiny Oz, Inside the Opera House and 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:35.399 the Actor Award winning feature documentary Firestarter The Story of Bangerer. Previously, 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:38.800 Khalida was a director and series producer in the independent 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:41.920 sector and had made a broad range of programs for 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:45.920 the UK, USA and Australian TV markets. Now working at 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:50.960 ABC Factual and Cultural, Kalita consistently produces high quality, award 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:55.400 winning factual and arts programs that feature Australian voices, places 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:58.840 and stories which connect with a broader audience right across 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:02.560 the ABC platform. Today will unpack the new ABC series 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:05.600 with Claudia Carvin. Books That Made Us and I simply 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:07.880 can't wait to talk about how this show got made 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:10.799 and why it's so important for Australian audiences. 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:11.840 The show did. 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:14.320 Launch last Tuesday night, but you can catch up on 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:18.040 episode one on ABC I View and episode two. We'll 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:21.040 launch on Tuesday night at eight thirty on ABC. However, 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:24.240 let's get started with today's episode. I'd like to welcome 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:27.079 Kaleida Corrigan to this week's TV reload. 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:30.960 Objectivity when you're telling stories is really important. 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:33.639 As Australians, we love a great story. 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:37.240 We are reaching a new audience with this show. 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:40.480 There's nothing like getting completely lost in a book where 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:41.760 you see the sun go down. 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:45.800 You can't assume the audience is going to care. 0:02:46.080 --> 0:02:48.919 I want to delve into Australian books, the ones I've 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:50.239 read and the ones I have. 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:53.520 I think books that made us is the books that 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:54.960 have created an impact. 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:59.720 So come with me as I explore books that made us. 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:03.440 Claudia Carbon does that. She's someone that a lot of 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:06.560 our audience would wish was at their book club. 0:03:06.760 --> 0:03:07.280 How are you? 0:03:07.440 --> 0:03:08.040 You're good? 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:08.560 You know. 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:10.760 I want to thank you so much for coming onto 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:13.360 the podcast. I'm not going to bog you down into 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:16.360 the details of why, but I'd been on a break 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:20.840 from this podcast and you know, I was struggling to 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:23.880 get back the energy to come back and get into this, 0:03:24.040 --> 0:03:26.800 and it was your show that got me out of 0:03:26.840 --> 0:03:30.440 bed and started me thinking about getting back to work 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:33.840 and doing what I love. I watched a preview of 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:36.720 the last Tuesday's episode about two weeks ago, and I 0:03:36.760 --> 0:03:37.640 loved it so much. 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:39.840 It actually sort of turned my life around in a 0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:40.400 weird way. 0:03:40.760 --> 0:03:43.600 I went out and bought a book by an Australian 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:46.800 author and I set up this chat with you. Is 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:49.520 it strange to know that a show like this can 0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:51.760 make such a big impact on one person. 0:03:52.160 --> 0:03:54.640 Yes, it's very strange to hear, but it's such a 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:58.080 welcome thing to hear. I'm so happy to hear that. 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:00.160 And I know that you're here to talk to me, 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:03.320 but I want to ask you about what was it 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:06.200 about the show that you loved? Is that okay to 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:06.760 ask you that. 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:09.880 I think it's so important for us as Australians to 0:04:09.880 --> 0:04:13.000 hear our own voices. And I was brought up by 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:17.719 a teacher and she encouraged me to read as so 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:21.960 so much of my early learning and my creativity came 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:25.840 from reading whatever my mum would get me to read. 0:04:26.200 --> 0:04:28.760 You know, she started off by reading Paul Jennings and 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:31.520 roll dhe books to me as a kid, and as 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:35.000 my life has gone on, I've loved literature. I love 0:04:35.320 --> 0:04:38.320 being able to escape into that. But on top of this, 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:43.360 I love Australia. I love our Australian culture and how 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:47.080 could you be more Australian than to get Claudia Carvin 0:04:47.160 --> 0:04:51.480 to unpack these authors who we're so proud of. It 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:54.520 inspires us to feel hurt, it inspires I think the 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:58.920 show will inspire anyone because it reflects who we are 0:04:58.960 --> 0:04:59.640 here in Australia. 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:00.880 That'd a good enough answer. 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:04.160 It's beautiful And this isn't about the show, but I'm 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:07.320 a mother of three boys. So my children are eight, eleven, 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:10.800 and thirteen, and I am so proud of the fact. 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:13.560 And I probably shouldn't even say it because it'll probably 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:15.680 change because kids change all the time. But they're all 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:19.600 bookworms and I think that books just offer you something. 0:05:19.800 --> 0:05:22.920 It's a phrase I heard when we were talking about 0:05:22.920 --> 0:05:26.360 this show was slow release nutrition. It's like books give 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:29.839 you something and it's wholesome and it's very different to 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:31.960 something that you can get from a screen. And I 0:05:31.960 --> 0:05:35.000 think it's just a really different relationship with story, and 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:40.080 I think it really broadens us and it enriches our lives. 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:43.159 So I'm very proud of having three kids who read. 0:05:43.200 --> 0:05:45.920 But I'm also just a passionate reader myself, and I 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:49.839 really want to admit that. Just recently, quite strangely, I'm 0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:52.000 having a bit of a patch of no reading and 0:05:52.040 --> 0:05:55.200 I feel it's not good. But I think for years 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:57.520 and years in my adult life, I just I read 0:05:57.600 --> 0:05:59.440 a lot of books and was sort of like the 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.440 remember at book club who always read the book and 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:05.840 was very keen to discuss it. But yeah, lately I'm 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:08.279 actually a bit of a bad egg on that front. 0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:10.880 But I hope that with summer coming, I'll get back 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:13.920 into it. I think choosing a book can be quite scary, 0:06:13.960 --> 0:06:16.159 you know, that kind of feeling when you start a 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:18.480 book you just want it to be a good relationship 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:21.800 from the first page, and I think sometimes there's that 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:24.240 trepidation of like, if I knew it was going to 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:26.039 be a book that I would dive into, I would 0:06:26.120 --> 0:06:28.560 just but it's just that sort of that choosing what's 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:30.960 it going to be? And I think that's actually why 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:33.599 book clubs are quite good, because they kind of take 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:36.000 away that choice a little bit. It's sort of like, 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:38.640 you know, you get you get the unexpected book, and 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:40.760 there's always surprises, which I really like. 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:43.159 I love that you say that we're coming into summer 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:45.760 because how Australian is it to be with your family 0:06:45.760 --> 0:06:46.960 at the beach reading a book. 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:49.480 Yes, that's my childhood. 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:52.440 Yeah, awesome. And I think that's why we scheduled it 0:06:52.480 --> 0:06:55.159 to go out in at the end of November, because 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:57.320 it is. I think people are thinking about what they're 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.280 going to read over the summer, and I think there 0:06:59.360 --> 0:07:02.480 was heaps of comments on Twitter last night, people saying, oh, 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:04.920 someone actually said you fucked up my reading list, which 0:07:04.920 --> 0:07:06.800 I thought was quite funny. They were like, oh my god, 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:09.800 I've just totally influenced me. So yeah, I think people 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:12.800 are I think I think we're influencing people's reading lists, 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:14.040 and I just think that's awesome. 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:20.000 There are thousands of novels to choose, from classics to 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:23.000 best sellers, and so I'll be seeking out some of 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:26.320 those books that have really touched a nerve and revealed 0:07:26.320 --> 0:07:27.560 something about who we are. 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:33.040 Can you tell me in your words, what the idea 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:35.720 of books that made us? What is it about I 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:36.520 think books. 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:39.400 That made us is the books that have created an impact. 0:07:39.720 --> 0:07:42.680 I think that the reason why, there's a really good 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:45.960 reason for that. Like at the ABC, we celebrate the 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:48.480 arts and we promote the arts, and we endorse the 0:07:48.560 --> 0:07:50.800 arts and we champion the arts. I think that we 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:54.200 have this incredible team at Radio National that week in 0:07:54.320 --> 0:07:57.680 week out they are supporting books. But we lost our 0:07:57.680 --> 0:08:00.240 book show, our permanent bookshel a couple of years ago, 0:08:00.520 --> 0:08:03.680 and it's we've always been trying to find this opportunity 0:08:03.680 --> 0:08:05.720 to bring books back, but it has to fit into 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:10.080 our commissioning strategy, which is to create programs. We're trying 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:13.800 to take arts into a primetime space, and that's how 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:16.640 this kind of was formulated. It was basically, we knew 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:19.400 that we wanted to put it out at Tuesday eight thirty, 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:22.240 which is a primetime spot. So it's like, how do 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:26.800 you take books, this really specialist subject area that has 0:08:26.960 --> 0:08:31.000 tons of integrity that you just can't mess with, but 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:34.760 present it to an audience that may or may not 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:39.640 identify as a complete book nerd whilst including the people 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:43.920 that do so. Finding a little formula that kind of 0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:46.560 worked for both audiences is really what a lot of 0:08:46.600 --> 0:08:49.480 my job is about, which is really taking arts to 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:53.480 a broad audience to justify getting that spot on the 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:57.640 in the primetime main channel. And so to do that, 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:01.439 you've got to balance the kind of specialist integrity of 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:05.720 the genre, which in this case is literature, and to 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:09.920 include our authors, who in my mind, are all national treasures. 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:12.240 And how do you find a way into that? Well 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:15.720 that and that's how Claudia became attached Claudia Carbon. 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:21.360 When the sound of the slap slammed through his body, 0:09:22.040 --> 0:09:26.600 it had been electric, fiery, exciting, It had nearly made 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:30.080 him hard. It was the slap he wished he had delivered. 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:33.840 He was glad that the boy had been punished. Glad 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:36.800 he was crying, shocked and terrified. 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:43.720 We want to find ways to make specialist subject areas 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:48.360 and in this case, literature accessible. So Claudia Carbon does that. 0:09:48.400 --> 0:09:51.360 She's someone that a lot of our audience would wish 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:55.080 was at their book club. So she makes this world 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:59.640 that can be really deeply specialist accessible, and I think 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:02.760 she is the reason why a broad audience has come 0:10:03.000 --> 0:10:06.640 to this subject. We also, we will never lose our 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:12.480 book loving audience. They're really rusted on, committed deeply committed audience. 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:15.880 There is such a big culture of book lovers in Australia, 0:10:15.920 --> 0:10:18.640 but I think this show was also positioned to attract 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:21.720 a broader audience. You might have other reasons for coming 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:24.680 to the show, which might be the geography that we cover, 0:10:25.000 --> 0:10:27.200 the fact that Claudia is on this journey, so there's 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:29.439 other reasons to come to it. And then there's kind 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:34.480 of we surprise them with the brilliant sequences where Claudia 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:37.240 gets to meet the authors and explore the books. 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:41.000 How unbelievable, like, you know, the talent that you managed 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:44.120 to ascertain. You know, I was shocked at how much 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:47.400 of these books I'd read. I'd read so many of them, 0:10:47.800 --> 0:10:50.240 and I couldn't believe. You know, when you see Christos 0:10:50.280 --> 0:10:53.920 Cholcos turn up and you see the list of people 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:56.800 like even Leanne Moriarty who's coming up in a later episode, 0:10:56.840 --> 0:10:59.480 you know, just like the kram Crame of Australian authors 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:03.320 are all there. And then not only do you get 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:06.480 to have a splice of them talking to Claudia, but 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:09.439 she's also being really authentic with the way in which 0:11:09.480 --> 0:11:13.720 she interacts with them. And immediately, you know, the first episode, 0:11:13.720 --> 0:11:16.480 you see her with Christos Chalkers. She says that she 0:11:16.520 --> 0:11:20.160 didn't finish the slap, and you think, AREM I nervous 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:21.960 that she didn't finish the slap? Is that the wrong 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:25.560 thing to say? But then that unearthed and unpacked the 0:11:25.600 --> 0:11:27.760 information that we as an audience want to know. 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:32.760 I have a confession to make. I do have to 0:11:32.760 --> 0:11:35.319 declare myself that before we start talking too much to 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:38.200 me about my response to the slab. There was a 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:40.120 certain time in the book where I literally just threw 0:11:40.120 --> 0:11:41.680 it across the room and I didn't pick it up again, 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:45.480 and I was just like, I couldn't find enough faith 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:48.280 and hope and love in that book to keep me 0:11:49.280 --> 0:11:51.640 parenting every day. 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:54.559 I remember when I first saw that in one of 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:57.320 the rough cuts, I just was covered in goosebumps because 0:11:57.679 --> 0:11:59.800 obviously it's a very strong way to start the series. 0:11:59.840 --> 0:12:04.480 But to hear Christophe Chocos respond to that and to 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:06.560 tell us and I think that's the thing I forgot 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:10.239 to mention before. It's like the books that are selected 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:15.320 are they're not Claudia's favorites, they're not the production's favorites. 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:19.520 These books were very carefully selected because they have impacted 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:23.480 Australia in some way, shape or form, and every book 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:26.720 that we present has do we set it up with 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:30.400 a historical context. And in the case of The Slap, 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:35.040 the author was able to respond to Claudia by saying, 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:38.280 how this was written at a time when the Tampa 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:42.440 was happening, and it was a part of Australia that 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:46.120 was really ugly, and yet we were in you know, 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:49.240 we're such an affluent society and that this was going on. 0:12:49.360 --> 0:12:51.360 He said, that is an ugly part of Australia and 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:54.600 I'm going to, you know, use that to inspire this book. 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:56.840 And I just thought, yeah, I thought that was a 0:12:56.880 --> 0:13:01.079 great opportunity to bring in the motivation for writing that book, 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:03.800 and just hearing it again and reflecting on our history, 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:06.000 I think it really I found it quite powerful. 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:08.080 Well, how important do you think it is in hearing 0:13:08.120 --> 0:13:12.320 our own voices in mainstream media, in books, in music? 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:13.560 I guess in the arts. 0:13:13.920 --> 0:13:17.319 I think it's just so important that you are reflected, 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:19.880 because you can't be what you can't see. And I 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:24.360 think Australia is growing in confidence as a nation and 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:28.640 as an identity. I think it's a very broad identity. 0:13:29.400 --> 0:13:33.400 Australia we have a hunger for Australian stories. 0:13:33.679 --> 0:13:37.040 We don't quite know who we are yet, and we 0:13:37.120 --> 0:13:41.959 want to. I worked in the UK in the TV 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:45.320 industry for ten years and I noticed over there and 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:47.240 I guess the same for America. There seems to be 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:50.720 so much confidence in people's identity and I feel like 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:54.480 that's something that Australia is growing and growing. I think 0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:59.600 seeing yourself reflected in our myriad ways, there's so many 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:03.319 you know, Ben Law has that brilliant quote about who's Australia. 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:06.280 You know, who's Australia are we actually talking about? We're 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:11.760 such a diverse mix, but I think seeing ourselves reflected 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:15.000 is just crucial. It is absolutely crucial because it's like 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:17.520 you feel seen and you feel heard. In this there 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:19.920 was such an you know, it's obviously a huge focus 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:23.800 of all ABC commissioning is to reflect contemporary Australia, like 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:28.840 genuinely reflect contemporary Australia, and I think so diversity is 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:31.160 a huge part of that, and so whenever we're kind 0:14:31.200 --> 0:14:34.640 of like commissioning programs, that's something that we think about, 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:37.680 and so do all the amazing program makers that we 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:40.720 engage with do. I mean, it's just I think it's 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:44.120 just the way that we think in this day and age. 0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:45.680 You know, we really need to get back and talk 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:48.200 about Claudia Carvan just for a little bit, because I'm 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:50.640 obsessed with her, and I'm assuming that you're obsessed with 0:14:50.720 --> 0:14:51.400 her as well. 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:52.720 As is the rest of Australia. 0:14:52.920 --> 0:14:55.400 Why do you think it is with Claudia that she 0:14:55.560 --> 0:14:59.360 resonates so warmly with Australian audiences. 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:03.040 Because it's all about her. She's really for someone who's 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:06.040 as successful as she is, she's incredibly down to earth. 0:15:06.120 --> 0:15:10.040 She's incredibly real. She's has a really sharp intelligence, but 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:13.760 she's also witty, and she just did her homework. I mean, 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:17.000 she read a lot of books. She took the role 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:21.440 very seriously. She found some of the interviews quite intimidating. 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:24.680 You know, you're walking into someone's life who has dedicated 0:15:24.720 --> 0:15:27.680 their life to writing something and they've put in so 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:30.920 much effort. You know, she wanted to do that role. 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:33.320 You know, that was a privileged role and she wanted 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:36.080 to do it justice. So but she's just real and 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.080 I think it's kind of fun that she did this 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:42.880 show because she's always playing roles, you know, in dramas, 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:45.360 but this was an opportunity to just be herself, and 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:48.120 I think she just went with it, and I think 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:51.400 that's just super brave. Actually, she just really went with it. 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:54.240 And you know, the way we make documentaries is really 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:56.520 really different to the way dramas are made. So I 0:15:56.520 --> 0:15:59.280 think it was it was an eye opening experience. 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:01.680 Yeah, I kind of out of her comfort zone, you know, Like, 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:04.280 I think that was interesting about it. But it was 0:16:04.360 --> 0:16:08.040 so palpable because she was really honest. Like I love 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:09.920 that bit where she walked into one of the author's 0:16:09.920 --> 0:16:13.520 house and she said, lower your expectations because he was like, yeah, 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.280 I know, I can't believe that, Clauda Cup, you know, 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:17.560 this is exactly amazing to be interviewed by you. I 0:16:17.600 --> 0:16:20.880 wasn't prepared for this. And then she put him at ease, 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:23.680 and she put the audience at ease as well, Like 0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:25.760 I think that sort of made it feel comfortable. 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:29.480 Well, I didn't know why I was going to have 0:16:29.520 --> 0:16:31.080 an interviewer of your distinction. 0:16:31.760 --> 0:16:32.720 I'm a humble reader. 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:34.840 The expectations really low. 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:40.120 How did she get attached to the show, because obviously 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:42.840 you wanted her to do it, but she's so busy 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:45.920 with her acting and producing these days? How did you 0:16:45.960 --> 0:16:48.360 manage to get this gorgeous amount of time with her? 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:51.360 Yeah, she was attached before I was on board as 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:55.880 the executive producer, but I know that she's she obviously 0:16:56.280 --> 0:16:58.720 had time in her schedule, which is really lucky because 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:01.680 I know she's absolutely hit dick now on Bump two 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:04.919 and three, so she had time. There's no way she 0:17:04.920 --> 0:17:08.080 would have done it if she wasn't completely passionately up 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:10.960 for the ride. So I think it was actually just 0:17:11.480 --> 0:17:16.400 really clever casting on behalf of Blackfellow Films, who produced this. 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:18.680 They you know, there was there's always a short list 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:22.080 when you're coming up with shows like this, and they 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:25.840 approached Claudia and it just happened to be the right 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:29.520 time and the right project and she signed up. So 0:17:29.720 --> 0:17:32.000 I think it was a lot of luck but also 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:34.600 really good, good instincts from Blackfellow. 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:36.560 Can we get a series two already? Because I know 0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:39.400 that I'm already two episodes in, so I've seen Tuesday's 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:40.720 episode that's coming up, but I. 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:41.560 Don't want it to end. 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:45.159 And I know that there's probably so many other authors 0:17:45.200 --> 0:17:47.200 out there that it'd be watching the show thinking oh, 0:17:47.200 --> 0:17:48.760 why didn't I get asked to come and talk to 0:17:48.760 --> 0:17:51.159 Claudia Carvin about this. You know, do you think we 0:17:51.280 --> 0:17:53.359 will look at seeing a second series or do you 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:55.400 think it's just a standalone. 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:57.960 Oh god, I'd love to and I think we should 0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:00.920 rally Blackfellow Films to picture some new series basically, and 0:18:01.000 --> 0:18:04.200 if anyone's got any ideas on what books they'd love 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:07.199 to see covered, because there is a thesis to the 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:10.000 structure of the show, and it is people, place and power. 0:18:10.280 --> 0:18:12.640 So you've really got to be thinking about how these 0:18:12.640 --> 0:18:15.800 books a have impacted Australia, how we can build that 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:18.679 context visually because it is it is television, it's not 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:21.359 a podcast, so it's really you've got to be able 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:26.440 to set that book up somehow visually, and that's super challenging. 0:18:26.480 --> 0:18:29.280 And I think Jacob Hickey, the series producer, and Sally 0:18:29.320 --> 0:18:33.159 Aikin the director, and the cinematographer Aaron Smith did a 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:38.080 sterling job on that front. Like creatively, they've really created something. 0:18:38.880 --> 0:18:40.720 I'd tell you what, it's really hard to do, and 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:43.439 they've made it look really easy with the finished product. 0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:46.680 So I think the books, if we did it again, 0:18:46.760 --> 0:18:48.639 they would all have to kind of like you know, 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:51.760 feed the thesis. That'd have to be a coherent narrative, 0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:53.679 and they would have to be sort of you know, 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:58.240 be able to be translated onto screen. But I mean, god, 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:00.000 I would love to do another series. 0:19:00.600 --> 0:19:02.439 I could tell which authors were coming up just by 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:06.280 the cinematography, so the change would happen, and you know, 0:19:06.320 --> 0:19:08.959 Clauda would walk away from one of the authors. But 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:12.480 how amazing, Yes, that the that it all came together 0:19:12.680 --> 0:19:12.919 like that. 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:17.080 You know I should mention the beautiful editor because again 0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:20.240 like that, editing is crucial to get right and that 0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:22.840 takes a lot of a lot of work. So the 0:19:22.880 --> 0:19:24.919 main editor was Jane Usher, and she just did an 0:19:24.960 --> 0:19:27.840 amazing job as well. So there are so it is 0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:30.480 such a team sport making shows like this, and I 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:32.879 think the team is just, you know, just did a 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:33.640 sterling job. 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:36.879 How much did you workshop those chats with each author? 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:39.560 Like how much did you know what Claudia was going 0:19:39.640 --> 0:19:40.040 to say? 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:43.880 So we get scripts that come through before the production 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:47.000 starts that we approve, but all of that has been 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:51.919 written by Jacob Hickey, the series producer, so he really 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:54.800 has mapped out the series and I think that we 0:19:54.920 --> 0:19:58.640 broadly know what might be the highlight points for each sequence, 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:01.600 each encounter with each all. But that's just the starting 0:20:01.640 --> 0:20:04.720 point because obviously then real life comes into it, and 0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:07.679 Claudia is in there as the perth like she's not 0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:12.680 obviously not scripted. That's her knowing what the possibilities are, 0:20:12.720 --> 0:20:16.720 but really driving that conversation. And I'm fairly sure I 0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:18.639 don't think I'm getting this wrong. I'm fairly sure that 0:20:18.720 --> 0:20:22.840