1. What was one of the most challenging moments you faced while making Darwin Story? Did this ‘setback’ change the direction of the final story?

One of the most challenging moments was finding a way to animate the characters so they would integrate well with the painted backgrounds. If we hand painted every frame it would have taken a team of 6 about a year. With a bit of trial and error we found a way to hand paint the characters, but only repaint the parts that were moving. This shortcut was made possible with the magic of After Effects (the computer!) It was still a lot of work, but doable within the timeframe and budget.

Another challenging moment was finding a local artist to work with to create the goanna and the rock artwork. This was mainly because of distance and the impossibility of travelling back to Darwin at the time. If we hadn't found an artist to work with then that probably would have impacted the story a lot. So it was such an incredible moment when Darwin Community Arts helped us by facilitating a working relationship local artist Dotty J Fejo Stone. Especially since many of her iconic artworks feature across Darwin.

2. What was the biggest inspiration behind Darwin Story?

I wrote the story after spending Christmas in Darwin 2019. The narrative was created from observations I made during that period, combined with the many other times I had visited while living away. During that trip I had also made a lot of 'plein air' landscape paintings of the surrounds and these helped shape the look and feel of the film.

3. What message do you want the audience to take away from Darwin Story?

That ignorance shuts down opportunities to connect.


4. How involved were BFI Network (Film London) in the making of this film? Were there any cuts that needed to be delivered before locking the picture?

Without the funding from the BFI Network (Film London) the film couldn't have been made in a year. Instead it would have taken me a number of years to do it alone and I wouldn't have been exposed to all of the new things I learnt along the way from collaborating with others, which ultimately made it a better film.

As part of the funding we received guidance and feedback from the executive producers, which helped to deliver a more concise and effective story. In animation you lock the picture before production starts. Generally the more cuts the better because the less you have to animate! I was really glad to have the feedback from Film London. It helped me recognise parts that weren't working as well as they should and made the film stronger as a result.