More with Elissa Down, Rising Australian Filmmaker

More and more people have recently been drawn to the art of filmmaking. Show business, as ever, lures everyone. Those who cannot stand the glare of the silver screen have found another route – behind the camera.

Filmmaking technology and equipment are more available to the ordinary person today than ever before. Digital films are quite inexpensive to make; digital videotapes cost only a pittance compared to film stock. Possible actors abound; family members, friends and neighbors are willing to work for free.

But while the cinematic art form may be open to anyone, only very few actually meet the high standards of good filmmaking. There are certain characteristics that one must possess in order to excel in this special field. One has got to be a good storyteller, of course. But what does it take to tell a story well? What other skills do you need to acquire? And what pressures does one have to bear with in this profession?

Today we continue our interview with Miss Elissa Down, the award-winning director of the equally multi-awarded film “The Black Balloon”:

ARCHIE: Elissa, what key personal trait or traits would you consider to be most important to have for someone who aspires to become a film director?

ELISSA: I think, first of all, you’ve got to have determination and patience. And I think you have to have a strong instinct to observe and analyze. To be able to know when something isn’t working, to know which to rectify and which to stick on to, I think that’s a highly tuned instinct. 

ARCHIE: Will you please, in simple language, briefly describe the scope of the director’s responsibilities in the process of making a film?

ELISSA: A director’s job is to creatively realize the film. That comes down to choosing the actors and working on their performance, choosing where the camera goes, what the overall look of the film is, the music that’s going to go on the film. The director picks a script and creatively makes it into a film. That’s the simplest way I can put it. But then there are just so many creative decisions that the director makes.

ARCHIE: A filmmaker friend of mine said that a good movie director is highly qualified to run a country.

ELISSA: (Laughs.) Was this filmmaker trying to run for President or something?

ARCHIE: You know, because of the so many decisions that a filmmaker makes in the course of film production, it’s just like running a country.

ELISSA: Yes. Actually a film set is very much like a military operation. It works pretty much the same way, like the hierarchy and the way of doing things is very similar to a military setup. 

ARCHIE: Up to what extent do you give the actor freedom in his own approach to a role? Or, what’s the most assistance you give or the most control you impose on the actor?

ELISSA: The thing is that you cast your actors because you think they have a pretty good grasp of what you’re after. You wouldn’t cast an actor who doesn’t completely match your viewpoint. And so you allow your actors to put their own spice upon the character, and then you’re just there as a boundary person, to make sure that their performance doesn’t go far away, one way or the other. So you would always bring them back to what the script requires. You are there to make sure everything fits the overall structure and your vision of the film.

ARCHIE: What, in your opinion, is the greatest reward or benefit that one gets from being involved in the film arts, as actor and as director?

ELISSA: There’s nothing like being among the audience and hearing the audience react to your film, or having people who’ve seen your film come up to you or send you e-mails, and say how much your film means to them. That’s why you make films: to touch and to affect people. Yes, that for me is the greatest reward.

ARCHIE: Would you say that, in a way, good audience feedback makes you feel bigger than yourself?

ELISSA: Yes! Actually I feel that way with “The Black Balloon” because it has a big social message. So many families were so appreciative that someone told the story. You realize that it’s not only about you anymore, that this film is bigger than you.

ARCHIE: I’ve heard that “The Black Balloon” is a story drawn from your personal experience. Some people say that it’s hard to have an objective view of the picture when you yourself are inside the frame. How did you prepare yourself to tell a story that closely resembles your own life experience, so that you were able to tell that story effectively enough?

ELISSA: Well, there are a number of factors, one of which is that I didn’t closely tell my story in the film. Many of the things there were actually taken from what happened with me. But these have been modified. For instance, myself has been transformed into a male character. And I have two brothers with autism, but my character in the film has only one autistic brother. That’s as far as the changes go. But emotionally everything else goes the way I myself had it. Ah, it was a bit difficult at the start, but once I had the actors and I got down to making the film, I actually became quite objective about it.

ARCHIE: What would you consider to be the biggest hurdle you had when making “The Black Balloon”? And why is that so?

ELISSA: The water scene. There’s a scene taken in the creek. The water in the creek was quite cold. We had two cameras; we had a rain machine. That was quite hard to control logistically, and keeping the actors’ spirits up because they were freezing. That was probably the hardest thing I had to deal with when shooting.

ARCHIE: “The Black Balloon” is showing here in Cebu from November 9—14, during the Australian Film Festival here. Unfortunately, you couldn’t be with us…

(Note: This interview took place on November 7.)

ELISSA: It’s unfortunate, right, that I couldn’t be there. I’m actually flying out back to L.A. in a couple of hours’ time.

ARCHIE: If friends would ask me what your film “The Black Balloon” is about, what should I tell them?

ELISSA: Tell them it’s a “dramedy”. The film is going to make you laugh and cry. And it’s about a 16-year old boy – Thomas. He has an autistic brother – Charlie, who is moving into a new school. It’s about Thomas having to deal with his brother’s sometimes embarrassing antics.

ARCHIE: Thank you, Miss Elissa Down, for your time – and for sharing with us your professional experience and wisdom. Thank you very much.

ELISSA: My absolute pleasure. Thank you, Archie. Bye.

Ms. Elissa Down must now be in the top list at major film production companies. This lady filmmaker has successfully cracked into the global movie industry. Her last name is Down, but her career is certainly up and rising.

(E-MAIL: [email protected])