Director signs with Complete Access Films

OFFING DAVID Director Jeffrey Michael Bays has signed a deal with Complete Access Films to direct a new feature film tentatively titled "All Sorts of People," written by Corey Druskin. "This is by far the best project I've ever been involved in," says Bays. "We have the best writer and the best producer and have no doubt great things will come of this."

Photos from cast & crew screening

OFFING DAVID cast and crew gathered at the Dendy Opera Quays Wednesday night to watch the film on the big screen.

Inside Offing David: music score

OFFING DAVID composer João Camacho says even though it was a lot of work, this independent film was his own personal playground. He describes it as "a very rich experience."

Camacho is an award-winning composer in Portugal and teaches music at the Regional Conservatory of Palmela. He joined the OFFING DAVID team in 2004 while searching for his first project to expand into computer film scoring.

"I had for the first time the opportunity to write all the music that follows the action of a real movie," says Camacho, "including suspense scenes, humour, drama, romantic involvement and even a highway chase. No doubt a challenge to my skills and hopefully an open door to other productions like this one."

With computer software called Cubase SX2 he was able to mimic a real orchestra using a vast library of instrument samples. For a person accustomed to real instruments it did have its challenges, but Camacho was able to teach himself the software.

"My musical experience is vast and it was very helpful, namely in the orchestration process," says Camacho, "but writing for a live orchestra is very different to making music using the computer."

His music score plays an omnipresent role in the film OFFING DAVID. "Sometimes it only establishes a general mood," he says, "other times it complements the action stressing the importance of something in the image... it helps dynamically to build the feelings that inspire the audience."

Camacho's world is filled with music, whether it be teaching his classes, conducting, or playing music on his own. His favorite composer is Tchaikovsky, yet he has all the records of British rockers Dire Straits. He is currently designing music for computer games and hopes to do more film scoring in the future. Visit his website: Sonic Daze

Listen to some tracks from his OFFING DAVID film score:

OD Music: My Ninja Lover live Friday

My Ninja Lover is a unique electronic band based in Brisbane, Australia. Their song 2x2 is part of the OFFING DAVID movie soundtrack. Join them Friday in downtown Brisbane and at QUT over the weekend.

OD Music: Jessica Paige to perform Sydney

OFFING DAVID musician Jessica Paige plans to give free performances Thursday August 16th at Mars Hill Cafe on Church St. in Parramatta, NSW, Australia. "I will be in Sydney for a conference so I thought I would do a nice little gig at this cafe, well known for its support of the art," says Paige. There will be two sets, 8pm and 10pm. Listen for her song Under My Skin in the upcoming indie film OFFING DAVID.

Cutting Room: phone screens

In order to add content to a mobile phone in OFFING DAVID, graphic artist Peter Shepherd designs icons and borders for the phone screen window. Then visual effects artist Daniel Christie composites those graphics onto the phone, tracking with the motion in the scene. He also adds a glow effect so the phone appears to be emitting light.

Asha Kuerten on the set

Australian TV host Asha Kuerten in a behind-the-scenes interview about the indie film OFFING DAVID courtesy of Jaxtapose Productions. Music by David Lawrence & Sunbird.

OD Music: Alison Hams performing soon

The OFFING DAVID movie soundtrack includes a variety of Australian musicians, including Alison Hams (seen in photo on right with Australian Idol Musical Director John Foreman).

Alison Hams recently toured to the East Coast with appearances at the National Folk Festival in Canberra, and a couple of club appearances in Sydney including Canterbury Hurlstone Park.

South Aussie fans get to see her in festival mode next at the Riverland Music Festival and Awards on the June Long Weekend. Heavily involved in tutoring youth, she and performance partner Mark Tempany are about to embark on a series of Songwriting Workshops, as well as regular gigs in their hometown of Whyalla. Check www.alisonhams.com for more details.

Cutting Room: adding sunlight

Much can be done digitally to change the colour of a scene. In this example sunlight can be added on a scene shot during a cloudy day. (Richie Harkham and Adam J. Yeend star in Offing David)

Cutting Room: music score finished

We are happy to announce that after many months of work in Portugal our music composer João Camacho has completed his musical score for OFFING DAVID. His sound files are now being sent to the sound designer to be mixed into the soundtrack. Mr. Camacho's work is truly phenomenal. On an indie film like ours his score does so much to paint the emotional context for the world our actors created.

-- Jeff Bays, director

Producing and starring in an indie film

OFFING DAVID Executive Producer Richie Harkham admits, "Being a producer of a no-budget feature has been real tough at times. But on the whole I am bringing one of my life long dreams into fruition."

He joined OFFING DAVID as lead actor and was immediately impressed by the directing style of Jeff Bays. The two teamed up to save the film when it was about to fall apart.

"Jeff is an amazing director,” says Harkham. “He always strives for the most true and real in-the-moment performances which led me to doing some of my best performances to date."

In 2004, Harkham took a leap of faith and flew to New York to pursue his acting talents at William H. Macy's Atlantic Theater Company. There he acted with the likes of Lucy DeVito and Anna Chlumsky from My Girl (1991).

Later that year he landed the lead role in the small indie feature film OFFING DAVID in Sydney. That choice would prove to open up new avenues for him as a film producer. Now after two years of production, the film is almost ready to be sent to festivals.

But even with his new love for producing, Harkham says he will always primarly be an actor. He says being on stage or in front of a camera brings out the life in him.

And, he takes his acting very seriously. This was evident during an audition for a film in which he was reading for the role of a homeless person.

"They told me I could never play a homeless person because I didn't have the right look," explains Harkham. After being turned down for the role he set out to prove them wrong by dressing up as a bum and hitting the streets of Newtown.

Richie Harkham is a graduate of the University of Sydney and currently runs a winery in Australia's Hunter Valley where he specialises in making liquors.

Cutting Room: Enhancing Images

The process of colour grading shows subtle changes. Above Brendan Clearkin and Richie Harkham in a scene from the indie film OFFING DAVID.

OD Music: Jessica Paige in Melbourne

The OFFING DAVID movie soundtrack includes some of the best Australian musicians, including alternative singer/guitarist Jessica Paige with her song Under My Skin. Join her every Tuesday in March for special performances in the Melbourne CBD, Australia as part of March of the Buskers. Dinner begins at 6:30pm and music starts at 8pm each Tuesday on Manchester Lane.

“We have a lot of amazing international artists here performing as buskers in Bourke Street Mall, people may not realize,” says Paige. Tickets are available from the buskers in the mall or at the door on the night.

Watch for the April issue of Rolling Stone where Paige's tune Under My Skin is on a compilation CD bundled with the magazine. Her music is on Triple J Radio and also has a full lineup of other performances throughout Australia, including Sydney - check her website for schedule.

Inside Offing David: making it shine

Daniel Christie spends hours in front of a computer in a monumental cleanup effort to enhance the visual look of the indie film OFFING DAVID in order to bedazzle its viewers.

"It's funny, there are a few moments when I actually get distracted from the task at hand and find myself completely absorbed in the narrative of the film," says Christie.

Christie joined the team in 2004 as Director of Photography and is now Visual Effects Supervisor. That dual role gives him unique control over the film's visual look and what is inevitably seen in the theatre.

He says OFFING DAVID does not follow the trend towards light comedies among Australian indie filmmakers, nor does it look the same. He says it has been a goal of the crew to maintain high production values and "cinematic sensibility" in both the camera work and editing which makes it stand out among similarly budgeted films.

"My role as VFX Supervisor is to create effects that will blend seamlessly into the narrative of the film and aid the suspension of reality," says Christie.

Included on his list of 39 visual effects, he must create content that shows up on the display screen of David's mobile phone, with the help of graphic artist Peter Shepherd. He also must hide stray objects which weren't meant to be seen in the film: legs from crew members, misplaced light stands, or microphones which wander into view.

Christie also works closely with the director to judge the colours of thousands of shots which must be adjusted to please the eye. "Our chosen colour palette subtly characterises the world around our protagonists and helps us enhance the look of the film," says Christie.

The 75-minute drama is digitally stored on a computer hard drive in Sydney taking up nearly 200GB of space. Visual effects and compositing are being done in Adobe After Effects 7, utilising various plug-ins, including Synthetic Aperture's Colour Finesse for colour grading.

Daniel Christie has studied extensively at UBS Film School and works regularly at Metro Screen in Sydney.

OD Music: My Ninja Lover in Brisbane

Join My Ninja Lover for their live performance at the University of Queensland this Friday 23rd of February. They will be on the Eastcape Stage natural amphitheatre as part of the lineup at Unite O-Week Party 2007 from 2pm to 10pm.

The group began with a massive kick-start in late 2004, when they took out the grand prize in Nokia's national Terminal Nine Connecting Beats competition (as voted for by the Australian public), winning a trip to London and a mastered demo EP. This achievement paved the way for the commercial release of their debut EP Silk and Daggers in late 2005 through the renowned Creative Vibes label, which peaked at #2 in the iTunes Dance/Electronic chart.

My Ninja Lover is a unique electronic band based in Brisbane, Australia. Their song 2x2 is part of the OFFING DAVID movie soundtrack.

OD Music: Alikeminds in Canberra

Great minds think ALIKEMINDS! This Australian hip-hop band will be performing in Canberra on Thursday, February 22nd at the Awkward Bar grand opening on Bunda Street, Civic. Join them next month for another performance March 17th also at Awkward Bar.

Their song Workin for the Man 9-5 is part of the OFFING DAVID soundtrack.

Cutting Room: new sound designer

The OFFING DAVID post-production team welcomes Phil Jeffers as Sound Designer and Re-recording Mixer. Jeffers has a Master of Arts degree from the Australian Film Television and Radio School, and is a foley recordist / sound editor for the Soundfirm post-production facility in Sydney. In 2004 he recorded studio dialogue for Master and Commander: Far Side of the World which won an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing.