From AFL to scripting writing, Acting Film Department Coordinator and Lecturer Jess Laurie gives us the scoop on his role at SAE Perth, and the making of the short film Raising Thunder.
Can you give us an idea of your role at SAE Perth?
At the moment I'm the acting Film Department Coordinator. Our regular Film Department coordinator has a secondment as the Academic Coordinator of Jakarta SAE, so I'm filling in for the interim. and I’m teaching the film studio unit for narrative drama whilst doing a bit of people management.
I'm also in the film program committee, so we're trying to organize how we can best coordinate the units and create a positive direction for the film program as a whole.
And how did scriptwriting come about for you?
Originally I was hell bent on playing AFL and I luckily got drafted to Port Adeliade as an 18 year old and moved to South Australia. I spent 10 months on their list as a rookie. I learnt a lot … but unfortunately they didn’t extend my rookie contract so I returned to Perth.
I felt a bit lost but realised what I really loved was the creative arts. I did a bachelor’s in media communications… and discovered screen writing when I did my masters. The rest is kind of history!
So, when did you write the screenplay for Raising Thunder?
I wrote the first draft in 2018. Then I applied for some funding by myself but wasn’t successful. Through a screen writing workshop, I met and made a good friend, Caleb McKenna, who was also a writer and a director. Collaboratively we shifted the story in another direction and Raising Thunder was selected for a Screenwest funding grant.
Can you tell us a bit about the filming, and the involvement of SAE students?
We filmed at the very beginning of this year, and it took about five days to shoot. We had to capture 1212 pages of script in that time, which was solid, but we got there. We reached out to a selection of students who jumped into different roles such as second assistant director, assistant gaffer, second assistant camera, and things like that. They all did a stellar job.
The students must have found it such a rewarding experience?
They were brilliant… and such a step up for them and a great insight into how they need to take their current level of understanding and apply it towards this thing that they've now experienced in a tangible way. Their confidence has been boosted for sure.
Can you give us an idea of the story?
In a nutshell, it’s the story of a young girl who attempts to mend her father's broken heart with the help of a magical cloud. It’s sad to a degree but also beautiful. The girl has lost her mum and the dad kind of wants to ignore it and almost deny it, but she wants to confront it head on. She befriends a magical cloud that helps bring her and her dad closer together.
What happens next for the film?
It goes into postproduction so it's with the director. There's a lot of special effects mainly because one of the characters happens to be a CGI cloud… It looks like we’ll be able to see it early next year, hopefully at some short film festivals.