Video Production | Photography | Design
Out of the 'Blue'
Article by Freyla Ferguson
It took director, writer and photographer Dallas Bland only one hour to put on paper the script behind his science-fiction short film Blue World Order back in 2012.
Then called “EMP”, he says the story came to him in its entirety at work where, during his lunch break, he jotted down the first draft.
The short film, which Bland describes as a “post-apocalyptic sci-fi action adventure” first screened at the 2012 Lights Canberra Action was greeted with critical acclaim – taking out Best Visual Effects, Best Editing, and Best Performance at the festival as well as Best Director at the 2012 Canberra Short Film Festival and 2012 Canberra Critics Circle Award for Film.
Five years on, the world that Bland first saw as “flashes of images” in his mind has been turned into a feature film.
Bland co-directed the feature with film-maker and author Ché Baker and co-wrote it with Baker and writer Sarah Mason. It stars iconic Australian actor Jack Thompson alongside Billy Zane (Titanic), Stephen Hunter (The Hobbit) and Jake Ryan (Wolf Creek).
The film, shot entirely in the Canberra region, premiered earlier this year when it screened at its first international festival for the Sci-Fi London Festival last May.
“I got the ball rolling back in 2012 with the short film, but what Ché has done since then to get it to where it is today is nothing short of awe inspiring,” Bland says.
“As a producer Ché is relentless, tenacious, and absolutely unstoppable, and if he does not go on to have an amazing career ahead of him then God help the rest of us.”
An explosive moment in the Blue World Order short film
Bland on-set shooting the Blue World Order short film
Meeting in 2011 at a course run by Baker in video editing with Final Cut Pro, Bland had approached Baker to play the main role of Jake Slater in Blue World Order.
“When Ché came on board, aside form acting in the film, he oversaw the Visual Effects in the short as well as creating some himself,” Bland says.
“He helped out with music and editing and really helped take the film to the next level.”
After the short film’s success, Bland says people were left wanting more and together with Ché began developing the idea into a TV series.
Faced with the chance of gaining funding through a ScreenACT program called Low Budget Feature POD, Bland and Baker decided to condense their TV series into a feature film, which brought Sarah Mason into the fold. They just missed out, but the new direction had breathed life into the project and for the next two years Bland, Baker and Mason wrote the feature script with Baker and Mason producing – seeking investors and raising the capital to make the feature.
“Arriving on the first day on set to see everything happening, all the people, the cast getting ready, the crew setting up. I just had to stand back for a minute and take it in,” Bland says.
“If I could single out the biggest highlight of the experience, it would have to be the three hours I spent in a room rehearsing Jake (Ryan) and Jack Thompson.
“Jack was so great to work with. He had no ego, he was extremely collaborative and just ready to play and have a good time. When an actor of his experience can work with a first-time feature director and be so humble and so genuine; that is a true testament to his character as a person.”
Bland, an actor himself, started class at the National Acting School in 2003. He spent years acting in short films and low-budget features.
“On every shoot I watched what the film makers did, and more and more I found myself envisaging different ways to achieve certain shots.”
“I wanted to give it a try for myself. So in 2006 I wrote, produced, directed, edited and acted in my first short film – Only He Knows.
“The film wound up winning best film, Canberra Region, at the 2006 Canberra Short film festival.”
Bland in the short film 'Brick', written and directed by Gregory McCann
The filming of Blue World Order as a feature started in early 2015, with Baker and Bland co-directing – Baker working on camera direction and Bland with actors on performance.
“The greatest thing about working with Jack (Thompson), Billy (Zane) and Bruce (Spence) was seeing their different approaches to the work,” Bland says.
“Bruce had an extremely methodical way of working. We didn’t have a chance to rehearse with him before getting on set, so he did it all on set.
“He moved around and vocalised his thoughts – the thoughts behind the delivery of his lines and his timing and movements.
“We were in his head with him and because of that we could basically see the road he was heading down and we just had to tweak here and then and he was on it. It was wonderful to watch.
“Billy had a completely different approach again. Very spontaneous. He would react to anything and everything that happened during the scenes, which led to vast range of material to work with in post-production.
“If he felt like going off-script, he just went off-script. And it meant that everything he did and said was 100 per cent based in truth. His work was incredible and it shows on screen.”
Poster art for the feature film Blue World Order
Design by Gavin Tyrrell (IRONGAV Productions)
Bland and Baker watching on as the first shot of the production is captured
Photo by Michael Mulrine.
Bland says despite Blue World Order being science fiction the films he enjoys making are mostly drama.
“My first short film, Only He Knows was straight-up drama,” he says.
“But I got sick of seeing indie film-makers make the same stuff over and over and I wanted to present something different like taking one of those stories and setting it another world.
“A lot of sci-fi is a bit boring I find. Because it is often missing what makes a great drama film work so well – something the audience can relate too.
“Viewers are hooked watching the Kramers fight over custody in Kramer vs Kramer.
“They want to BE Mel Gibson in Ransom who goes to the ends of the earth to save his kidnapped child because it's stuff that people can say, that could actually happen to me.
“But who really cares if the Autobots stop the Decepticons from destroying the world in Transformers? Not many people.
“So I want to combine both. Let’s tell a dramatic story that could happen to people we know, have it be very high stakes and dramatic, even tragic – but let’s go and set that story in a different world.
“This is the whole reason Blue World Order is based around Jake Slater trying to save his daughter.”
Bland working with actor, Christian Doran, on set of Embers; a short film produced by Leah Baulch.
Currently, Bland is working towards two web series that he will be directing.
“One is a psychological thriller called Bridgette being produced by Leah Baulch, the other is a time-bending Sci-Fi called The Last Time Traveller being written and produced by Christian Doran,” he says.
“I want to keep exploring drama in different contexts and really develop my skills as an actors director."
“These two web series, while being very different to each other, offer the same challenge for me - facilitating realistic and believable characters and performances."
“Directing the camera is a very different skill to directing actors and a director is expected to be great at both."
“For me, the most exciting stuff to watch comes from directors that have a really strong emotional connection to the work and can really work with the actors."
“When that stuff is spot on it is less important how you shoot it – it will always be engaging."
“That being said I really love fantastic visuals and they are very important to me when it comes to film making. But if it comes down to it and I have to choose between a visually stunning shot that misses the emotion, or an OK looking shot that perfectly captures the moment – then the OK shot will win for me every time.”
So does Bland have any big plans to take on Hollywood?
“I just want to lead a life that makes me happy,” he says.
“I have won awards and creative competitions, been recognised by my peers, and created work across various mediams that I am really proud of and creatively, those things have been really exciting and I treasure them all. But if I had had complete tunnel vision on one career goal then I most likely would not have had all of those experiences."
“I don’t follow a map, I follow the road - and I choose my direction as the choices arise. Sure; sometimes I get lost, but I always enjoy the drive. To me that’s the most important thing.”
Blue World Order premiere's around Australia through November and December 2017. Some cities, like Melbourne, are still to be confirmed for January 2018.
Blue World order is set for Video On Demand international release on 16 January 2018.
Links:
View the Blue World Movie trailer and keep up to date with screenings at bwomovie.com
The original Blue World Order short film
Ché Baker's novel (as Scott Baker) The Rule of Knowledge
Trailer for Greg McCann's short film - Brick
© 2017 CutRush Creative.