WEBVTT - Joanna Werner: Crazy Fun Park - Executive Producer 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:01.760 It's in the news today, but it was actually on 0:00:01.840 --> 0:00:04.800 TV Reload, the podcast last week that might welcome TV 0:00:04.920 --> 0:00:07.920 Reload listeners. My name is Benjamin Norris, and this is 0:00:08.039 --> 0:00:10.680 your podcast to get all the inside goss on the 0:00:10.720 --> 0:00:14.880 popular TV shows you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably, 0:00:14.920 --> 0:00:17.880 our TV sets are a major part of our home entertainment, 0:00:18.040 --> 0:00:20.720 and very little is known about how our favorite shows 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:23.479 get made. Each episode, I find guests that want to 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:25.800 dive just that little bit deeper into the shows they're 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:29.120 currently making, so that you can hear all the exclusive 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:32.400 stories and gain access to the biggest names in television. 0:00:32.720 --> 0:00:35.159 I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to 0:00:35.200 --> 0:00:38.080 this podcast. I love hearing your feedback, so make sure 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:40.960 you leave a comment on your chosen podcast platform and 0:00:41.040 --> 0:00:43.159 I will make sure you feel as included in the 0:00:43.159 --> 0:00:46.440 production of the show as possible. This episode, I'm joined 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:49.720 by Joanna Werner. Joanna Werner is a three time Emmy 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:54.040 nominated AFI actor and multi Logie award winning producer, and 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:57.080 we will be talking Crazy Fun Park, which you can 0:00:57.120 --> 0:00:59.520 catch up on now on the iView app as it's 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:03.240 a fantast plastic news series on the ABC Nicholas Verso's 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:06.919 Crazy Fun Park tells the story of Chester, an introverted 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:10.880 teen who makes the incredible discovery that he's recently deceased 0:01:10.920 --> 0:01:13.480 best friend maple Thorn, is one of a group of 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:16.480 ghoulish teens who hold the abandoned fun park at the 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:19.560 edge of town. Sounds fun right, with lots of practical 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:22.959 effects young actors getting their start. I have loved this 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:26.679 series so far as the creators don't stupefy their audience, 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:29.160 which is why it's been a success with young adults. 0:01:29.240 --> 0:01:32.440 Whober times can be really hard to engage with. Anyway, 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:35.639 I'm gonna bring Joanna into the podcast now. I hope 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:38.440 you enjoy this chat and check out this fun series 0:01:38.480 --> 0:01:42.560 and support local content. Hi, Joanna, thanks for coming on 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:44.760 to TV Reload. Thanks for having we been you know, 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:47.240 I'm thrilled to be having this chat with you, as 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:50.400 so many of your peers have spoken so highly of 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:52.880 your work. Does that sound like a strange thing to hear? 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:55.120 That sounds like a very lovely thing to hear. 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:58.680 Thank you well. I wanted to ask you about how 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:01.920 you got started, what made you want to get into television? 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:04.960 It was certainly not something I thought was a possibility 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:07.120 growing up, it never occurred to me. I grew up 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:09.360 in a outside of a town of three hundred people. 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:12.799 My parents were certainly not in the industry, nor was 0:02:12.840 --> 0:02:15.880 anyone I knew. But I always was a huge reader. 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:18.720 I loved it when mom and dad took us into 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:22.639 the city to see live shows, and was always, you know, 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:26.000 part of school productions and school Rockerstedford's and all those 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:29.040 sorts of things. But I I didn't have science in 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:30.760 year twelve, and I was going to do engineering, and 0:02:30.800 --> 0:02:31.959 I just got to the end of view twelve and 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:34.560 I said, I can't bear it if that's what I 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:37.040 ended up having to do. I just got to be 0:02:37.080 --> 0:02:41.280 something else. And so I did Media Studies at r MIT, 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:44.480 and after deferring for a year to work for the 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.760 Rockstedford in Sydney, where I did a trainee ship in 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:50.680 television and video production and worked on their TV special, 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:54.800 And then the first first semester at Media Studies at 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:57.040 ROT we did I think we did a term of 0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:00.000 scriptwriting and then a term of producing and I just 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:02.079 I'll boom, that's what I want to do. That all 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:02.600 works for me. 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:04.680 You know, Dance Academy is starting to make a lot 0:03:04.720 --> 0:03:05.480 more sense. Now. 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:10.200 Yeah, yeah, I was doing ballet classes since I was 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.280 four years old at my little ballet Country Ballet school. 0:03:13.800 --> 0:03:16.040 Well, I think it's really important. I was brought up 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:19.320 by an educator and it was so important for her 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:21.480 that we were readers, and I think that was really 0:03:21.480 --> 0:03:25.160 important for us because it meant that we were quite creative. 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:28.080 I think it's kind of like an entry point into 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:29.880 using your creative talents. 0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:35.040 Oh. Absolutely, I was still one of the key reasons 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:38.760 I have my career. I think I loved YA and 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.520 Zam Strauss, the creator of Dance Academy, and I bonded 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:47.280 over our love of Ya books and yeah, it's why 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:51.040 I really loved working in children and team television to 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:52.400 begin with and still do. 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:55.760 Now, was there a show that you connected to as 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:58.000 you were growing up? Well maybe that was because there 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:00.920 wasn't television. You know, there wasn't as much television for 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:02.760 young adults. I mean, what was there a show? 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:02.920 Now? 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:03.840 I loved it. 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:06.960 I mean Degrassi was sort of the cornerstone. I remember 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:10.360 at high school, rather than have health taught to us, 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:12.840 they just let us watch episodes of Degrassi and it 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:15.640 was awesome. I know Sam and I bonded over My 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:18.919 So Called Life with Claire Danes, which was amazing. So 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:21.279 they're the sort of shows that stand out in my 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:24.600 memory is being really significant and important and helped shape 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:29.000 your worldview, which is why I think YA and Team 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:31.760 programming is really important because it can matter so much 0:04:31.800 --> 0:04:34.080 to you at a really pivotal part of your life. 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:36.360 Absolutely. I mean, I thought the shows that I watched 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:39.760 in my teenage years were quite formative for me, and 0:04:39.839 --> 0:04:42.320 I was quite addicted to them. It's interesting. My So 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:46.039 Called Life was my favorite TV show up until I 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:47.800 was twenty years of age, and I could still go 0:04:47.880 --> 0:04:49.919 back and watch it. And even though I am not 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:52.200 that age. It's funny I start to relate to the 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:54.599 mother in that show, the mum, and I can see 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:56.280 the show on a different perspective. 0:04:56.839 --> 0:04:59.360 Absolutely, I know that show still holds up. It's still 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:01.360 worth it worth a watch, now, that's for sure. 0:05:01.480 --> 0:05:04.719 Well. I came across your work originally with Dance Academy, 0:05:04.800 --> 0:05:08.279 and I just loved how accessible your storytelling is for 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:10.920 I guess i'd say a broader audience. 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:14.360 Yeah. I just think if you're given by a lot 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:16.839 of money to make something you want to make something 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:19.760 that as many people as possible are going to enjoy 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:22.400 and get something out of and it can matter to them. 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:26.040 I've just been so incredibly lucky in my career to 0:05:26.120 --> 0:05:31.400 team up with incredible creators and writers that have really 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:35.280 appealed to my sensibilities as well. And I've been able 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:41.520 to work really collaborately, collaboratively with really amazing writers, and 0:05:41.560 --> 0:05:43.440 we have been lucky enough to make shows that have 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:48.080 found really wide audiences and have made shows that do 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:52.839 matter to people. It's really important, and we've been so 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:54.919 thrilled with the way that a number of our shows 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:55.679 have been received. 0:05:55.880 --> 0:05:59.040 Well, is it harder to create worlds for younger people? 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:00.000 I mean, what's the secret? 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:04.279 That was where I started off. I worked for years 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:08.040 for Jonathan Shift Productions, doing back to back twenty six 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:12.080 half hour series each year, which sort of led to 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:15.080 H two O, which was the first show that I produced, 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:18.640 and then and then onto Dance Academy when I started 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:21.840 my own company. And so that's how I learned to 0:06:21.880 --> 0:06:24.000 do it. And so that's sort of, you know, that's 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:25.880 the benchmark for me of how you do do it. 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:28.679 I mean, you need to engage younger audiences with issues 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:31.719 that they may face in a way that feels interesting 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:33.839 to them, and I think that sometimes can be quite 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:35.280 complicated and hard to do. 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:38.280 Yeah, and you're just trying to create fabulous characters. I 0:06:38.560 --> 0:06:40.960 don't see that there's a huge difference in whether you're 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:45.200 producing for teen audiences or adult audiences. You're trying to 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:52.200 make creating incredibly rich, diverse and interesting characters in interesting 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:55.400 settings that are going to appeal to your audience. So yes, 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:57.480 it's important to think of who your audience is when 0:06:57.480 --> 0:06:59.640 you're making it. That that sort of falls away when 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:01.400 you're in the process of it. You're just trying to 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:04.279 make great stories for really interesting characters. 0:07:04.360 --> 0:07:07.320 Well, Crazy Fun Park feels like a really unique show 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:10.080 that has really wide appeal. I mean I watched it 0:07:10.120 --> 0:07:12.960 as a previous screening and entered it without really knowing 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:14.920 too much about it, which I often love to do 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:18.440 with this type of storytelling, and I was compelled. You know, 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:20.880 what was it about this story that really appealed to you? 0:07:21.000 --> 0:07:23.720 I just thought it really had something to say as 0:07:23.760 --> 0:07:26.760 well as being it's funny, it's scary, it's a really 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:31.360 enticing world, and it's creepy, but it also has this 0:07:31.400 --> 0:07:36.119 thing to say. It's a really wonderful exploration of teen 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:40.119 boy relationships and your relationship with grief. And I thought 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.720 it had some really profound messages, but it's buried in 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:45.600 there so you don't feel like you're learning a life 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:48.280 lesson and you're watching it, you're just engrossed, hopefully, just 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:51.360 engrossed in the drama and in the characters. But it 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:55.800 does have something really important to say and can really 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:57.680 sort of sit with you and you can think about 0:07:57.680 --> 0:07:59.520 it afterwards. Which are the shows that I really like. 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:01.360 That's going to sound strange to you, and you probably 0:08:01.360 --> 0:08:03.240 haven't even seen this, and people listening will be like, 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:05.880 what is Ben talking about? But it was kind of 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:08.160 like a blend of The Boy Who Could Fly for 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:11.040 Me mixed with Beetlejuice. I mean that's kind of what 0:08:11.360 --> 0:08:13.080 I felt. I felt like a bit of a Tim 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:15.000 Burton feel to it. But I don't know if you 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:17.200 ever saw that film, Oh yeah. 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:19.600 That is I love that reference. I'd never thought of 0:08:19.640 --> 0:08:22.520 it that way, and Beetlejuice was absolutely a reference. But 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:24.320 The Boy Can Fly it was a classic. I've watched 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:26.880 that so many times growing up. I love that you've 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:27.440 made my day. 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:30.960 Well, that film, to me, it was interesting at the 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:34.479 time because they did handle grief. I mean, the protagonist 0:08:34.520 --> 0:08:36.880 in that story had lost their father and that's kind 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:39.079 of where the story had started, and it was kind 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:41.920 of the first time I'd seen a film that was 0:08:41.960 --> 0:08:45.320 made for young adults that was tackling hard to deal 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:46.440 with subject matter. You know. 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:49.080 Yeah, absolutely, And the grief of loss of a friend 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:53.880 that we're tackling in Crazy Fumpack is really profound. It 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:57.360 comes from a real place, a very real place for 0:08:57.400 --> 0:09:00.840 the creator, Nick Verso, and you can fit that depth 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:04.920 and groundedness to it. It comes from a real place 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:08.480 of knowledge of that experience. Yes, I thought it was 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:11.120 a very special, very unique show, and I was very 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:13.760 lucky that Nick came to be with that Immediately. 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:17.000 The protagonists in this story engage you as an audience, 0:09:17.160 --> 0:09:19.760 and they make you feel like they're your real friends, 0:09:20.120 --> 0:09:23.760 and I think that's so imperative to getting people to engage. 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:25.120 Did you love these too? 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:28.920 These two boys, I absolutely love them, and I just 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:33.640 love their catch phrase friends for another Day, And when 0:09:33.679 --> 0:09:36.600 it's used later on in the storyline door and given anyway, like, 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:41.040 it's really beautiful. Their friendship is just is just beautiful 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:44.520 and I love it. I think the casting of those 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:46.960 boys was really crucial and we knew that and I 0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:49.440 feel we really got that right with Henry and Stacey 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:54.120 who play Chester and Maplethorpe. It's really beautiful that their friendship. 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:57.760 And yeah, I feel like I've made so many things 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.720 with a female audience in mind, we always want everybody 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:03.280 to watch it, but possibly skewed a bit more towards 0:10:03.280 --> 0:10:05.800 a female audience. So it was really wonderful to make 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:08.680 something skewed towards a boy's audience. My oldest nephew is 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:10.640 the exact spot on age for this, and I hope 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:13.240 he loves it. My Little Boy is for and you 0:10:13.400 --> 0:10:17.760 just realized they really their friendships are so beautiful, and 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:20.439 I was just really happy to have a show that 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:23.720 was really aimed at at a boy audience and shows 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:28.320 boys hugging each other and having loving relationships. I just 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:32.480 don't think you get that often anymore. And I really 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:33.560 loved that about it. Well. 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:35.800 Sadly, in life, I think we all experienced grief, and 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:38.360 that was something about this show that I thought was 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:41.440 handled really well. You know, was there an overall message 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:44.760 that you guys were trying to get across to your audience. 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:49.280 Many audiences and many messages, and I think and Nick 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:54.120 the creator of the show, would have his own viewpoint 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:56.720 on this as well. But for me, it was friendship 0:10:56.760 --> 0:10:59.360 and that friendship can stay with you and that you're 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:01.959 able to keep that, keep that with you even if 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:05.240 you do lose somebody. And I've got lots of friends 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:10.560 now that sadly have lost parents or loss and grief 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:13.520 can come at any stage in your life. And I 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:16.960 loved that the message of positivity of keeping those friendships 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:19.440 and relationships in your heart and that they and they're 0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:21.880 part of you was ripped something really beautiful. 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:24.480 If young people are watching this, I think it might 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:26.680 be something they'll draw back to because it is handled 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:29.600 quite well throughout the whole series. I mean, I haven't 0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:31.400 finished the last episode, so that's where I'm up to, 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:33.640 but I just think it's handled so well and in 0:11:33.679 --> 0:11:35.520 a way that kids can understand why. I don't want 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:37.400 to say kids, I want to say young adults. You know, 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:40.839 I think you know the sets, the cinematography, and the 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:45.559 storytelling gave me early Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes as well. 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:48.000 Had you seen that show or was that any inspiration 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:49.520 to any of the content makers. 0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:52.360 Oh yeah, definitely seen it, seen it and loved it. Yeah, 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:57.559 we had lots of references and Beetlejuice was definitely one 0:11:57.559 --> 0:12:00.880 of them. Patty Reard and our production designer was tasked 0:12:00.960 --> 0:12:04.680 with build us a fun park please inside this empty, 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:09.000 abandoned warehouse in Altona, and he delivered. It's you know, 0:12:09.040 --> 0:12:13.200 he used CGI to enhance the tops the top of 0:12:13.240 --> 0:12:17.120 the set, but everything is in there. And he did 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:21.280 the impossible and convince people to lend us their rides 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:25.679 and games to populate the world. But yeah, I think 0:12:25.800 --> 0:12:27.080 I think he did a beautiful job. 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:29.840 I think the basic sets and I'm not basic sets, 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:33.240 they're quite elaborate sets, but you know, just basic special 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:36.160 effects that's used throughout it phenomenal. 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:40.520 Yeah. I mean we definitely embraced low fire and high fire. 0:12:40.559 --> 0:12:43.040 We you know, we did everything we could within our budget. 0:12:43.280 --> 0:12:45.640 And I think there's a you know, there's a level 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:48.959 of expectation now from an audience. They're very sophixedicated audience 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:51.760 they're watching. You know, it used to be that Harry 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:54.960 Potter CGI was the benchmarker. Now that's you know, that's 0:12:55.320 --> 0:12:58.760 very outdated. So yeah, it's a sophisticated audience that we 0:12:58.840 --> 0:13:01.319 have to cater for within a TV budget, and I 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:02.480 was thrilled with the results. 0:13:02.679 --> 0:13:04.840 Do you think that you know, we've changed the way 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:07.200 in which we make television in the last few years, 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:08.679 particularly in Australia. 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:11.480 I just think we keep aiming to be better. I 0:13:11.480 --> 0:13:14.240 think we keep aiming to keep those production values as 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:17.320 high as possible. So I think it's just a constant evolution. 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:21.360 I can't see a moment where you know, we took 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:25.520 a huge leap. We're just continuing to take progressive steps forward. 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:28.880 So it's just always that striving for better, to do 0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:32.760 more with our budget, to keep those production values really high, 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:36.160 just so that your audience can get captivated with the 0:13:36.160 --> 0:13:39.040 world and the stories that you're telling within that world. 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:41.559 So I think we're just constantly pushing ourselves to do 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:42.760 better and more. 0:13:43.160 --> 0:13:45.480 I think one of your biggest skill sets is getting 0:13:45.480 --> 0:13:48.000 these performances out of the young adults that you work with. 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:50.840 You know, how do you get such authentic performances out 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:53.400 out of young people who might you know, have this 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:54.840 as their first acting role. 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:58.960 That's me being lucky enough to work with fabulous directors, 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:02.440 but also helping them to have a world, a production 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:05.680 world where that's supported. So at the moment where just 0:14:05.679 --> 0:14:08.880 about start shooting the second season of Surviving Summer, which 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:11.760 is really exciting, our teen surf show for Netflix, and 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:15.320 we're working with a fantastic dramaturgue who's working really hard 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:18.720 with this young cast to really give them all the 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:21.320 skill set that they can have to bring the best 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:23.760 to their scenes. On Crazy Fump Up, a lot of 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:26.560 the cast, heaps of the cast were first timers. It 0:14:26.600 --> 0:14:29.960 was a really diverse group, so it wasn't necessarily the 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:32.200 actors who were always going to have the agents or 0:14:32.240 --> 0:14:35.320 have been the lead in school plays. We unearthed some 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:39.000 people who this is absolutely their first time and creating 0:14:39.120 --> 0:14:42.960 an environment where they feel supported, where they feel brave 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:45.760 to take some risks, because you obviously feel very vulnerable 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:48.800 when you're on set being filmed and in front of 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:50.720 this huge crew who have all worked on heaps of 0:14:50.720 --> 0:14:52.680 shows and this is your first time on set. So 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:55.320 it's just getting the right team together to create that 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:58.560 supportive environment is really important. 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:00.760 Did the kids laugh with Judae with Lucy? I mean, 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:03.160 I love Judith Lucy as an adult, and I think 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:05.520 she's so funny. How did she go down on set 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:06.960 with these with these kids? 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:10.600 I reckon some of the cast didn't know who she 0:15:10.800 --> 0:15:14.280 was because there that's not their target audience. And then 0:15:14.320 --> 0:15:16.560 they found out who she was and then they were impressed. 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:18.560 But they to begin with, they were just impressed with 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:20.680 her on set because you know, she's hilarious. Who's this 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:21.360 older lady? 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:24.560 Was she hilarious on set? Is she being very Judith Lucy? 0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:29.160 Oh? I think she was? I think yeah, I think 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:33.200 everything that Judith Lucy says is hilarious. Had this fantastic 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:36.240 meeting where Nick Versus and I went to have lunch 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:38.560 with Jez to try to Cajola into doing the role, 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:40.800 and she told us she was already going to say yes, 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:42.480 but she would to take the meeting anyway, and she 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:46.040 was hilarious in that. No, she's a very talented performer. 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:48.680 I'm obsessed, and she's fantastic in the show. So I 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:50.120 think it's a great gat you know. 0:15:50.280 --> 0:15:51.440 Yeah, me too, me too. 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:53.800 People who might be a little bit older, I think 0:15:53.800 --> 0:15:55.400 we'll tap into this series. I mean, that's the other 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:58.480 thing about this show is that I think it is 0:15:58.480 --> 0:16:00.400 for a broader audience. I think, you know, our adults 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:02.800 are going to enjoy this as much as kids anyway. 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:06.240 Oh totally, I think so, PG but write a butting 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:09.320 against M. So our sort of looking at how far 0:16:09.400 --> 0:16:11.440 we could go with the scares or anything. It was 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:14.320 always let's go as far as we possibly can without 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:16.600 it tipping into M's. So we worked really closely with 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:19.400 the ABC and the ACTF to make sure that we 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:23.120 were just hitting that line but not going over. And 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:24.960 for me, I'm a bit of a wars so it 0:16:25.000 --> 0:16:27.760 was at the maximum capacity of me scare wise anyway, 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:29.040 So it was prorometer. 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:31.800 I'm a boss as well. I feel like I'm getting woolzier, 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:34.320 if that's even a word. As I get older, I'm 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:36.400 so less inclined to want to watch things that are 0:16:36.440 --> 0:16:37.560 too scary to me. 0:16:37.640 --> 0:16:39.320 They take away more than they give. I don't want 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:41.800 to have to be scared for weeks afterwards. But Nick 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:46.320 Verso is such an aficionado when it comes to horror 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:49.360 and the things that, Yeah, I just would never watch 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:51.440 any of the references that he was talking about. 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:54.640 Oh he's great, and you've worked with some amazing people 0:16:54.800 --> 0:16:57.520 like Tony Airs and Emma Freeman. What do you enjoy 0:16:57.760 --> 0:16:59.880 about collaborating with people like that? 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:03.880 Oh, just being in a room where everybody smarter than 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:06.840 you is the best place to be in your career. 0:17:07.240 --> 0:17:10.639 That's how you learn. And that's sort of about what 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:13.640 I aspire to every time. And I have been lucky 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:17.639 to work with amazing people, and every time I am 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:19.600 lucky enough to work on a new show with a 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:22.120 new talent, you just learn so much from working with them, 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:24.199 and that's you know, you're here for the marathon, not 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:26.920 the sprint of a career. So that's how you kind 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:30.600 of hopefully have longevity of just continuing to learn from 0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:31.480 the people around you. 0:17:31.520 --> 0:17:34.160 And there's sort of changing between you know, young adults 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:38.080 and making television for adults. And there's been some brilliant 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:40.199 shows that you've worked along the way. I think Secret 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:42.359 City is yours the news reader. Did you have to 0:17:42.359 --> 0:17:45.240 put a different hat on when you are targeting different audiences? 0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:47.280 I had thought so to begin with. So I was 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:49.119 really nervous when I did Secret City because it was 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:50.840 the first time I'd worked on a grown up show, 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:53.400 and I had to stopped pulling in an adult show 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:55.040 because I realized it sounded to people like I was 0:17:55.040 --> 0:17:57.879 making porn, but it was just a I'm not kids show. 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:00.200 But then I realized when we got through it, you're 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:02.120 just trying to do the best work you can. It's 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:05.120 the same cruise, you know, You're just on every show 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:06.520 that you're on, people are trying to do the best 0:18:06.520 --> 0:18:10.720 work they possibly can. And probably the level of interrogation 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:15.600 of scripts can be more so at times from adult actors, 0:18:16.240 --> 0:18:19.480 and so there's that extra pressure. But you're trying. You're 0:18:19.560 --> 0:18:21.600 just with every show you're doing, you're trying to do 0:18:21.640 --> 0:18:24.280 the best work you can and make them the most complex, 0:18:24.720 --> 0:18:27.280 you know, stories, stories you can. So I don't think 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:28.320 there's a huge difference. 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:31.760 No, Well, Secret City such a beautiful show to watch. 0:18:31.920 --> 0:18:34.520 I mean, you know it was obviously about politicians, but 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:37.359 you know, all of the cinematography, everything about that show 0:18:37.440 --> 0:18:40.040 was first class, which I think is brilliant because we're 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:42.679 now is telling stories in Australia that stack up and 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:44.840 look just as good as anything that you're going to 0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:48.040 see on HBO or anywhere else from around the world. 0:18:48.240 --> 0:18:51.200 It's quite amazing and you can feel very proud, I think, 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:53.960 to be making television that's just as good as anywhere 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:54.560 else in the world. 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:56.960 Oh yeah, that's certainly what we aspire to do with 0:18:57.040 --> 0:18:59.280 Secret City. Our aim was to make Canberra sexy. 0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:01.359 But was it the new Reader as well? That was yours? 0:19:01.800 --> 0:19:04.280 Yes, So the news Reader was when a film production's 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:08.320 first first full series. So I produced Secret City with Matchbox, 0:19:08.560 --> 0:19:12.080 which was awesome, and then the Newsreader is is when 0:19:12.119 --> 0:19:14.280