NEWS ARCHIVES
Razor Eaters Picture
Lock Off! With a BANG!
Nick’s new feature film Razor Eaters has reached picture
lockoff, with the final shot just a few weeks ago – blowing up a house!
Festival Madness
RadSam has been entered into the Toronto International Film
Festival and the Melbourne Underground Film Festival.
Short Film Development
Suburban Nightmare is the latest short film to be edited
and sound mixed at Nick’s production house. Directed by experienced
film hound Nathan Hill, it is sure to shock audiences when it hits the festivals
later this year.
Radio Samurai World Premiere!
Radio Samurai will have its world premiere on Thursday 13th
June at the Treasury Theatre in Melbourne. This screening will be the first
public viewing of the film.
The music score is currently being mastered, after which the film will undergo a final sound mix in time for the premiere!
Radio Samurai has also been entered into a number of festivals both here and overseas, including the Toronto International Film Festival and the Melbourne Underground Film Festival.
Click here for the May director's diary.
Nick starts another film
Nick has recently started development of a short film for the Australian arm
of a large LA-based production company. He discusses this in the latest director's
diary.
Razor Eaters reaches final cut
Razor Eaters has finally reached final cut thanks to the hard work of
director Shannon Young and editor Sade MacLurkin.
A website dedicated to the Razor Eaters will be up soon. In the meantime you
can find out more about this controversial new feature-film by clicking
here.
Short film success
A short film Nick edited and sound-designed gained entry to the 2nd round of
the popular Tropfest Festival.
New script on the go
Nick has completed the first draft of his new feature-script, currently untitled.
It is a romance drama with a twist.
Distribution hunt continues...
So far all large Australian distributors have been approached, as well as some
overseas ones.
29 September 2001
General Update
A new Director's Diary is online, along with a second promotional poster.
3 September 2001
Promotional poster
The first promotional poster for RadSam has been completed, with thanks to Tom
Kearney. And it looks sensational! Click here for a look.
New: A second poster is now available here.
20 August 2001
Director's Diary Update
A new Director's Diary is online, with news about the recent premiere of the
RadSam trailer.
8 August 2001
Radio Samurai Trailer Premiers at Film Forum
The RadSam trailer premiered last Wednesday night at the monthly Melbourne Film
Forum to a crowd of 100 filmmakers.
27 July 2001
Picture lockoff - post production nears completion!
Yes, editing and ADR for the film have finally been finished to tape standard.
Only music licences and score remain outstanding, and a couple of different
trailers are being cut. It's been a long, long process of adventure and education,
but we made it, and now the big sell begins. Read all about it in the latest
Director's Diary.
14 July 2001
Razor Eaters finished principal photography
Nick's 3rd feature project in 18 months, Razor Eaters, has wrapped principal
photography and one week of pick-ups. We celebrated with a wrap party on a boat
last weekend and the director, Shannon Young, has already started cutting.
7 July 2001
Sensitive New Aged Killer opens around Australia
The latest Australian independent film, SNAK, opened around Australia 5 weeks
ago to rave reviews. The film starred Paul Moder, who stars in and co-produced
Nick's latest production, Razor Eaters.
July 2001
SCAM trailer premiers at Melbourne Film Forum
The long-awaited extended Scam Trailer premiered at a new Melbourne Film Forum
at the Barry Bar in Smith St, Collingwood to an audience of more than 100 people.
It was extremely well received.
26 February 2001
In Brief...
* RadSam has moved onto an Avid
for final trimming and preparation for sound work.
* Stuart filmed a guest role on the popular television series 'Neighbours' and
his episodes will air in March/April this year.
* Two new director's diaries are now online.
25 January 2001
Mad Deal for Drew
Drew Hobbs (RadSam focus puller) has a deal with George 'Mad Max' Miller to
write and direct a $900,000 feature film in the near future. Details on the
script are sketchy (and secretive), but we give Drew all our support in his
courageous endeavour.
20 January 2001
SCAM Alert!
SCAM has started shooting around Melbourne, with director Cameron McCulloch
(RadSam camera assistant) at the helm. The rushes are looking fantastic, with
the guns and bullet hits looking a treat thanks to special effects supervisor
Paul Moder. You can check out his own website at www.neteffective.com.au/pilot/bullet
23 December 2000
Down and Under
Joanna Mackay has had an audition for one of Jerry Bruckheimer's
new films shooting soon in Australia - titled 'Down and Under'. Matthew
Perry is being touted as a possible star. As yet Joanna has not received
word on whether she has been successful.
16 December 2000
This is Hardcore
First draft of the making-of book, 'This is Hardcore', has been completed and
the Introduction is now online and available for viewing here.
12 December 2000
Pickups scheduled
A wishlist of pickup shots has been drawn up, and a skeleton camera crew (not
that it can get much smaller) is scheduled to shoot the various shots around
Melbourne this weekend.
10 December 2000
Third cut commences
The second cut of the film has been completed and we have embarked on a third
cut to further streamline scenes and maintain the fast-paced story. ADR work
is scheduled to commence this week with three of the lead actors. More detail
is available in the latest Director's Diary.
2 December 2000
Crew of the Damned
Nathan (John Reese) has been working on the $40 million Queen of the Damned
project as a stand-in and featured actor, while Larry has spent 2 weeks doing
spfx makeup.
23 November 2000
News Update
Despite several months of inactivity on the website front, things have been
progressing very smoothly indeed. Editing began in July on a souped up Macintosh
G4 with 256 megabytes of RAM and around 160 gigabytes of hard drive space. Final
Cut Pro is our editing software of choice. We are now three scenes away from
a rough cut, and are putting the finishing touches to two trailers, which will
be made available for download very soon.
The website has gone through a major overhaul, and will be updated more regularly with pictures and news. A new Director's Diary is online, and more images of the shoot are being progressively uploaded. The cast and crew page has also been updated.
28 February 2000
Pictures added
More pictures have been added to the Images section, this time featuring shots
from scenes in and around the radio station. Meanwhile, the search continues
for an edit suite, after the original deal fell through due to a compatibility
problem with the equipment. An editor would be nice, too...
24 December 1999
Production update
Shooting has now wrapped and post production will kick off after the Christmas/New
Year break with the good news that we already have a number of distributors
interested in seeing an early cut of the film.
14 December 1999
First look at rushes
The rushes have been coming in thick and fast, and we now have pics from two
scenes online, including the epic Metro shoot! See the Images section for details.
Thanks to everyone who turned up at the Metro last Monday, the crowd scenes
were a great success.
10 December 1999
Media coverage
Radio Samuari was today featured in a great article by Fiona Scott-Norman on
page three of EG in The Age newspaper.
26 November 1999
Extras needed for dance party scenes
As mentioned recently, we need extras (and heaps of 'em, too!) for the final
scenes of the film. For more information, read this page.
20 November 1999
Apples on deck
The iBook and iMac arrived yesterday from Apple Computer Australia, and are
an impressive sight indeed. Our EP is determined to convert Nick to Macs by
the end of the shoot.
19 November 1999
Production Meeting
The biggest production meeting so far was held last night, where cast and crew
networked and last minute details were finalised in time for the start of shooting
on Tuesday. The vibe was extremely positive; everyone is excited about the prospect
of shooting the film, but not so naive as to think it'll be an easy task.
18 November 1999
Sponsorship update
Berri Juice Australia has come back onboard, kindly supplying product for the
duration of the shoot. TDK has agreed to supply us with VHS tapes for telecine,
as well as some DVC tapes to use for the requisite 'making of' documentary.
And Kellogg's has jumped on board in a big way, with a substantial financial
contribution. Thanks to Kellogg's, TDK and Berri for their support and confidence
in our film.
13 November 1999
Catering news
We are pleased to welcome our principal caterer, the Curry Family Hotel in Collingwood.
They will be providing food for the troops throughout most of the shoot. Also
helping out is one of our favourite haunts, The Noodle Box, who has offered
us a generous deal for a number of meals. We all know the importance of good
catering (does this sound like health food ad?), and we're especially thrilled
to be supported by these fine establishments.
12 November 1999
Location! Location! Locations!
We have secured the use of Melbourne's Metro Nightclub to shoot the climactic
final scenes. Extras will be required - stay tuned for more information later
this month. We will be also filming at KUSH Cafe in Chapel Street, South Yarra.
12 November 1999
Now showing: iMac and iBook
Our product placement specialist, Melissa Suriano of Entertainment Marketing
Enterprise in Sydney, has secured sponsorship from Apple Computer Australia.
They are lending us an iMac and an iBook for the duration of the shoot. Alison
will use the iBook to write her novels, and the iMac will appear in Gene's office.
Thanks to Apple for their generous support; we should mention this site was
designed on a very user-friendly Macintosh!
10 November 1999
Shoot date 'adjusted'
Shooting has been delayed until November 23rd, giving us useful extra time to
block scenes, finalise locations and test makeup.
23 October 1999
Casting news: introducing Brooke Satchwell and Dennis Coard
Brooke Satchwell and Dennis Coard have joined the cast of Radio Samurai as the
most experienced and well-known actors in our film-making group. Brooke is just
completing a 3 year run on the successful Neighbours television show, while
Dennis played the character of Michael on Home & Away for 5 years. We welcome
them and know they bring another level of professionalism and quality to our
film.
22 October 1999
Dangerfield, American Rag to sponsor Radio Samurai
To more positive sponsorship news, Dangerfield Clothing Co has agreed to sponsor
Radio Samurai with a kind contribution of clothing outfits for our main cast.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Dangerfield and, of course,
recommend their product! Dangerfield complements the stylish and hip fashion
look we are striving to achieve in the film. American Rag Clothing Co has also
agreed to support Radio Samurai. Thanks guys!
20 October 1999
Sponsor's backflip
Wolfgang Puck Cafe has withdrawn their support for the film, apparently due
to a sudden urge to renovate. Let us know if you notice a difference in the
decor next time you're there.
3 October 1999
Cinematographer secured
Karl Siemon has joined the Radio Samurai as Director of Photography. This 22
year old cinematographer has had much experience on short films and is ready
to plunge into a feature, or so he says. We would show you a picture of Karl,
but he's too lazy to scan one onto the website! Karl brings with him Camera
Operator Cameron McCulloch and Camera Assistant Daniel Blake.
25 September 1999
Production Designer, Costume Designer come onboard
Tom Kearney, a kick-ass production designer, has joined the Radio Samurai team
and is currently (if he's not in bed sleeping) searching the city for props
and organising costumes with costume designer Paula Levis. Tom is also a director,
working on his version of Scream 3. Paula stars as one of the female victims.
25 September 1999
Fundraiser guarantees 16mm shoot
A fundraiser competition held by the Radio Samurai gang, by selling extra roles
in the film, raised enough money to finally make the decision to shoot on Super
16mm film instead of Digital Betacam. The winner of the competition was Sarah
Hill, who now has a walk-on speaking role and associate producer credit in the
film. Congrats to Sarah!
2 September 1999
Sponsorship news
Video Ezy and Comprehensive Bookkeeping and Business Services have agreed to
support our film. We would like to thank them for their support and, of course,
we recommend their products!
28 August 1999
Website Up and Running
We would like to welcome you to www.radiosamurai.com, providing an opportunity
for you to follow the progress of this low budget Australian film. Thanks to
the guys at Rubix for hosting this site. We hope you get as much enjoyment from
watching our progress as we do from making this film.
7 July 1999
Rehearsals Begin
Rehearsals have begun in earnest, with actors work-shopping the script with
director Nick Levy. A new, unifying, focus has been unveiled and entrenched
through the story and dialogue. Read all about the new vision in the Synopsis
and Production Notes.
1 July 1999
First Photo Shoot
Nick Levy and lead actors participated in their first publicity Photo Shoot
at the New Exhibition Building, Melbourne. The results were impressive, some
of which are currently on display in our Photographs section. We will be revealing
more of these encouraging beginnings, photographed by Simon Disler, in coming
weeks.