Check out our latest behind the scenes video with the super talented hip-hop artist and all around good guy Mantra. This is our most extensive video update yet, and Mantra takes us through the process of creating some of Play It Safe's original music, the relationship between improvised music and acting, as well as the music video for his track "The Fear" which was created by the core creative team behind Play It Safe.
Behind the Scenes with Christine Lui
Behind the Scenes with Maya Aleksandra
Our second behind the scenes interview has just been released, with the super talented Maya Aleksandra. If you've watched Australian TV in the last couple of years then you'll probably recognise Maya from shows like Neighbours, Winners & Losers, and Wilfred. Check her out here talking about what it was like working on PLAY IT SAFE.
Recording The Band
On Sunday we hit Blank Tape Studios to record a bunch of music for Play It Safe! I'm listening to the tracks right now, and I have to say that it's a very surreal experience! I've been talking to Nathan and Oscar about these songs for more than a year now and to finally have them sitting on my computer is just incredible.
Band Rehearsals
I'm very excited right now (even more excited than normal) because tomorrow morning we head into the studio to record the music for Play It Safe! From Play It Safe's inception, music has been a huge part of the film. Nathan began working on ideas for the soundtrack late last year and Mantra came on board early this year. As you can imagine, these songs have had a lot of work put into them and I just can't wait to hear the final products!
Recording MC Jibber Jabber
A couple of weeks ago we recorded the final version of a song Jamie (Nicholas Kato) and his housemate Jefferson (Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall) make up while drunk one night. The recording session was tons of fun and half the time Nathan, Al, and I were just laughing at how stupid the whole thing is. (Don't worry, it's actually supposed to be stupid.)
MC Jibber Jabber
A while back I cast Melbourne comedian Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall in the role of Jefferson, who is the best friend and housemate of the protagonist Jamie. Al is a very funny guy and working with him has been absolutely hilarious. For the last few weeks I've been working with him on a song that Jeff and Jamie will perform (when drunk one night in their living room) late in the film. I'm totally stoked with how the track is turning out and I can't way to record the final version. I don't want to give away too much info about the song just yet, but for now here are a few photos of Al in action:
Workshopping With Actors & Reworking The Script
Working On Demos With Nathan & Mantra
About a month ago I mentioned that one of my favourite Australian musicians had signed on to work on Play It Safe. At long last I can now reveal that our mystery musician in none other than Mantra. In my opinion, Mantra is one of the best MCs (if not the best MC) in Australia. I've been a fan of his work for a long long time and it is an absolute honour to have him involved in Play It Safe. He will not only be working on the soundtrack, but he will actually be appearing in the film as well!
Workshops
As we get closer to shooting, I have been spending more time with the actors workshopping and rehearsing scenes. This process has been incredibly productive and it's also a whole lot of fun. After working on the script for more than a year now, it's quite an amazing experience seeing it come to life in the actors' performances.
I plan to write much more extensively on my process working with actors (whenever I get a free moment). For now here are some photos from workshops with Nick Kato (who plays the protagonist Jamie), Christine Lui (who plays Chloe), and Kane Felsinger (who plays Craig):
