Shift Table Read

We have spent the second half of this year gathering people who are interested in making this film happen. Most of these are people who I’ve worked with before. These gathering-gatherings usually took place at the Dome in East Victoria Park and online via WhatsApp. After the fun that we had shooting Not Fake News with the support of North Metro TAFE (NMTAFE) thanks to our producer, film school lecturer and production designer extraordinaire Anne Liedel, we decided to explore how we could work with NMTAFE on this project. Where better than to have our first table read than in a room at NMTAFE. Thanks Anne!

Summer Williams read for Juliette, the compassionate nurse. Ian Bolgia read for JD, the mysterious mute patient. As we haven’t cast the ambitious doctor, Malcolm yet, Andy Milner (cinematographer) managed to recruit his mate Mike Gill to read for Malcolm. The wonderfully versatile Rose McKenna also joined and read for her own, Adelle’s mum and other roles. I read the big print or screen directions. Not to forget my super talented son August Bennetts who also read some of the minor roles and took photos on the day. It was a tad embarrassing as the version of the script we were looking at was poorly formatted, but we managed to get a feeling for the story and the characters and getting together in this way also helped to build momentum towards the next step, which is the filming of a proof-of-concept video (my next blog).

After the reading we discussed the script, the elements that work and the elements that could do with more work. Criticism often centres on the character of Malcolm, how he is too unlikeable, particularly for Juliette to love. But how often do we see inadequate men loved by intelligent women? And vice versa. It’s funny how we sometimes seem to almost expect more from our fictional characters than we do from real people! That Juliette is embroiled in this extramarital affair with Malcolm is seen as a weakness or a lack of intelligence, whereas I see it as an aspect of her human frailty or emotional vulnerability, rather than a “weakness” per se.

I have also been told that the ending is too depressing. Shift started out as a stage play. When I was writing the script I really wanted to give it a happy ending, but it was just not where the characters took it in the end. It seems that the theatre form can handle a tragedy more easily than can a film. So, I have been redrafting since the table read and have made the ending more redemptive, but I still feel it has a way to go. Thankfully there is time.

Our focus now, after the table read, is to cast Malcolm (the doctor), the only lead role that is not cast and put together the proof-on-concept film to apply for funding in earnest next year. I figure there will be heaps of time for re-writes in the meantime.