The Contribution of Director Gillian Armstrong - Report Example

Finding a Mentor Finding a mentor Gillian Armstrong is a film and documentary director for the Australian screen industry since 1976 (Madman Entertainment, 2014). The 63-year-old director has made a great contribution to the screen industry in Australia through her works that have inspired many in the industry and revolutionized the industry’s perspectives (IMDb, 2013). With an earlier aim of becoming a theatrical set designer, she ended up being the first female director of films in Australia at the age of 27 (Collins, 1999). Since then, she has focused on making the Australian screen industry better. Overview of Gillian’s work Gillian began her journey in filmography by starting with Old Man and Dog and Roof Needs Mowing (1971). She then took part in the development of Gretel, Satdee Night, The Singer and Dancer, One Hundred a Day, Smokes and Lollies. In 1979, Gillian directed My Brilliant Career, which won the Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for best director and the Special Achievement Award from the London Critics Circle (Bigscreensymposium.com, 2013). She later directed Starstruck, Touch Wood, Having a Go, Fourteen’s Good Eighteen’s Better, Mrs Soffel, and Hard to Handle (Madman Entertainment, 2014). Gillian directed High Tide in 1987, which got a nomination for AFI award (IMDb, 2013). Her prowess in directing films also manifests itself in the Little Women, Bingo Bridesmaids & Braces, Not Fourteen Again, Fires Within, and Oscar and Lucinda. The Last Days of Chez Nous was film that Gillian directed and it received a nomination at the 42nd international film festival in Berlin (IMDb, 2013). In the 2000s, Gillian directed Death Defying Acts, Charlotte Gray, Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst, and Love, Lust & Lies (IMDb, 2013). Contributions Making films relevant Gillian Armstrong focused on making films and documentaries relevant to societal issues that face Australia. She put more emphasis on the use of films to highlight the plight of women and teenage girls (Bigscreensymposium.com, 2013). These works aimed at creating awareness about gender issues in the society and the need to address them. Gillian set a precedence in the industry on the relevance of filming and the overall screen industry on the issues facing the society. After winning an award at the Sydney Film Festival, the South Australian Film Corporation commissioned her to develop a documentary that explores the way of life of teenage girls that reside in Adelaide. She came up with Smokes and Lollies in relation to her works in Adelaide that exposed the various challenges and influences that teenage girls undergo in their lives (Armstrong, Burton & Caputo, 2003). She directed the Little Women, a film based on a novel, in order to demystify the intimate lives of the characters and their relations with each other. She is keen on portraying the women as powerful characters. This notion of portraying women as being superior aims at breaking the traditional roles of women and facilitates the transformation of the society’s attitude and practices on gender issues. Nurturing talent Gillian was keen to develop new talent and make them stars through films. Nurturing talent and mentoring other upcoming actors ensures that the industry sustains itself through the provision of fresh talent. Gillian set the pace for other directors to encourage upcoming actors to take big roles instead of downplaying them and looking for renowned actors (TheAustralian, 2010). She believes that directors should take the risk of giving upcoming actors a platform to display their talent in the industry. For instance, she used two quite unpopular actors and brought them to stardom in the award-winning first feature length film called My Brilliant Career (1979). This film was the first of its own kind and won several awards in the Australian Film Awards including Best Director. She not only made the two stars of the film, Judy Davis together with Sam Neil, to be popular and appreciated, but also won several awards despite the risk of using unpopular actors as stars. Gillian’s effort to enhance a culture of mentoring others also shows itself in Oscar and Lucinda (1997) where she uses the unpopular Cate Blanchett as a star together with Ralph Fiennes (TheAustralian, 2010). The film was a lucrative opportunity for Cate to prove her talent, which she did. Gillian recognizes the mentoring of other actors as important in the attainment of growth in the Australian screen industry. Diversification Diversification in the Australian screen industry is essential for developing the interest of viewers and improving the scope of knowledge of directors in the industry. Gillian facilitated the growth of diversity in the screen industry by directing other forms of screenplays to develop her skills in those genres and to ensure that the industry breaks its monotony of conventional movies. For instance, Gillian directed an Australian rock-musical by the name Starstruck in 1982 (Siemienowicz, 2010). This rock-musical proved Gillian’s ability to handle more contemporary and new subjects and styles. Her passion for diversification in the Australian screen industry saw her direct several rock music videos during the 1980s including Pat Wilson’s “Bop Girl” (TheAustralian, 2010). This need for diversification led to her interest and expertise in period drama. The Australian screen industry has learnt a lot and experienced significant growth from her inspiration to continue learning and diversify her skills (Bigscreensymposium.com, 2013). The desire for diversification and expertise in period drama made her the pioneer foreign woman to receive an invitation from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the United States of America to direct a highly costly film Mrs. Soffel (1984) (Armstrong, Burton & Caputo, 2003). However, on returning to Australia, she continued directing documentaries and feature films, having gained considerable experience and exposure from diversification. The diversification of the Australian industry has increased the scope of activities and globalization of the screen industry. Artistic style Gillian made the culture of feminism with an Australian flavor to be important in the screen industry of Australia. Most of her films relate to the issues of women and these films have had societal impact and influenced the treatment of gender issues in Australia (Carter, 2002). Her films also intermingle genres leading to the development of films that are different from their normal perception. The films have a conventional appeal to their audience. Gillian’s films have sensitive cinematography, setting and costume that have an evocative feel, fluid editing, and an emphasis on solid character development (Urbancinefile, 2010). These styles have dominated the industry since these types of films are more attractive and tend to win many awards (McFarlane, 2008). Gillian has revolutionized the styles in the direction and creation of films in a way that has led to significant growth of the Australian screen industry. Themes Gillian says that her desire is to reach out to a diverse audience irrespective of gender or country differences (Urbancinefile, 2010). This desire is an influence for the Australian screen industry towards growth and covering the global context of issues. She has put more focus on issues to do with sexual politics and tension in families (Siemienowicz, 2010). Gillian demonstrates the challenges of traditional gender roles and the steps taken to address them as presented in One Hundred a Day, High Tide among other films (McFarlane, 2008). Gender issues are common and affect the whole world. The choice of these kinds of themes that cover global contexts enables the growth of the Australian screen industry at the international level. Gillian played a crucial role in enhancing the internationalization of the Australian screen industry through the promotion of themes that cover wide audiences (TheAustralian, 2010). Filming in community welfare Gillian’s focus on the welfare of the society brings the challenge and inspiration to industry stakeholders to consider their responsibilities in making the society better. Upon the completion of the documentary on teenage girls of Adelaide, Gillian took initiative and made a follow-up after some time to see how the girls/women lived (Madman Entertainment, 2014). These follow-ups led to the development of four other films about the girls/women. Gillian has influenced a change in the perceptions of industry stakeholders concerning the welfare of subjects following the completion of documentaries (Carter, 2002). This concern is increasing the identification of the roles of the Australian screen industry on the welfare of its society. Incorporation to own work Focusing on relevant issues There is need to identify an area or issue that affects the society and focus the works on that issue to positively impact society. Issues to do with family challenges and terrorism seem to be a threat to the society and the nation. Works on these areas are essential in maintaining the relevance of films in society. These issues need careful handling and strategic use of the screen media to influence changes in attitude and behavior. The centering of the works around relevant societal issues needs frequent review to ascertain whether the issues are still relevant and to tackle new issues that are of relevance. Nurturing talent The works will focus on inspiring and presenting opportunities to new actors in the industry. There will be creation of a connection between new actors and possible mentors who will keep track of their performance and growth. The works will also seek to provide platforms for the new actors to showcase their talents. The new actors will present their skills and talents in important roles in the films of associated works. By providing these challenging roles, the new actors are able to grow, learn more, and get the exposure they need for a successful career in the screen industry. Diversification of works Apart from filming documentaries, the works will tend to include a variety of other components of film in the industry. The diversified platform of work will include music videos, feature films, and television series. This diversified platform will require and will provide an opportunity for learning and widen the scope of understanding for various Australian screen industry stakeholders (McFarlane, 2008). This diversification will not only ensure that the fans are always on the lookout for something new, but also helps reduce boredom attributed to repetitive tasks. There is need to be keen on new trends and skills in the industry in order to stand out in terms of the diversification of expertise. Artistic style The works need to adopt a unique style of presentation so that they are distinct from the films of others. An experimental approach will be used; mixing various genres in order to develop unique films. A well-organized combination of several genres will be put in place to provide unique and attractive films in the industry. The characteristics of film noir will tend to dominate the works to espouse a unique classical look. The choice of theme Just as Gillian thought of gender as a theme that cuts across the global context, the works will also focus on a theme of universal importance. An example of these themes is family conflicts, which affect many families across the world. A focus on this theme of family issues is likely to bring about awareness and influence a change in behavior among the viewers. The viewers of the films also gain confidence on the importance of the works in ensuring the society’s wellbeing. This issue of family conflict will form a theme that appeals to all people and will internationalize the films, increasing the probability of positive reviews. Filming and community welfare The works intend to put more emphasis on community welfare through the production of kinds of films that inspire others and build their character, and highlight the plight of those in need. The theme’s concentration on societal issues is the first step towards promoting community welfare. The films will be informative, educative, and insightful to change the attitudes and practices ascribed to the populace (Carter, 2002). A change in the attitudes and perceptions among the people is a great step towards facilitating community welfare. The subjects captured in the preparation of documentaries will be tracked. This tracking of subjects aims at ensuring that their lives improve. An assessment of the impact of the documentaries on the lives of the subjects is essential to the determination of the influence that the documentaries have in highlighting the plight of the populace. Just as Gillian did, the follow-up will be essential in identifying new challenges or changes ascribed to the documentary. This concern for the community will lead to a good reputation of the works and a subsequent increase of fans. A percentage of the profits of the works will go towards charity initiatives and community projects. The works can also mobilize partners and other firms of similar interest to generate funds to help the needy and the vulnerable in society. This corporate social responsibility effort maintains the good image of the filming works and increases the number of fans as well. References Armstrong, G., Burton, G., & Caputo, R. (2003). Second take. Crows Nest., NSW: Allen & Unwin. Collins, F. (1999). The films of Gillian Armstrong. St Kilda, Vic.: Australian Teachers of Media in association with Australian Film Institute Research and Information Centre and Deakin University School of Visual, Performing and Media Arts. McFarlane, B. (2008). Her Brilliant Career: Gillian Armstrong on Four Decades of Filmmaking.Metro Magazine: Media \& Education Magazine, (156), 16. Carter, H. (2002). Gillian Armstrong. Senses Of Cinema, September, 30, 2008. Siemienowicz, R. (2010). The Australian Film Institute | Love, Lust & Lies: An Interview with Gillian Armstrong. Afi.org.au. Retrieved 25 October 2014, from http://www.afi.org.au/AM/ContentManagerNet/HTMLDisplay.aspx?ContentID=10727&Section=Love_Lust_and_Lies_An_Interview_with_Gillian_Armstrong Madman Entertainment,. (2014). Gillian Armstrong - Director Bigraphy. Retrieved 25 October 2014, from http://www.madman.com.au/actions/directors.do?method=view&directorId=77 Bigscreensymposium.com,. (2013). Gillian Armstrong | Big Screen Symposium. Retrieved 25 October 2014, from http://bigscreensymposium.com/speaker/gillian-armstrong/ TheAustralian,. (2010). Gillian Armstrong: the real thing. Retrieved 25 October 2014, from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/gillian-armstrong-the-real-thing/story-e6frg8n6-1225862000002?nk=205a709cca41bf9c896d3c1ecb59dbc6 Urbancinefile,. (2010). Urban Cinefile GILLIAN ARMSTRONG - LOVE LUST & LIES. Retrieved 25 October 2014, from http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?Article_ID=16834&p=y IMDb,. (2013). Gillian Armstrong. Retrieved 25 October 2014, from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000788/ Read More