by Reuben Stojanovic-Rowe

Writer-director Poppy Stockell has been having a fantastic year.

May saw the Australian release of her first feature-length doco Finding The Voice on the life of music icon John Farnham, which has broken box office records as the highest grossing Australian documentary. Now, only a few months later, Stockell is following up with her first foray into scripted television, Triple Oh!

Making such huge leaps and bounds in such a short amount of time is not unheard of in the creative industry, but it’s definitely a wonderful achievement for Stockell and she couldn’t be happier.

“I feel really fucking good actually. So I say, bring it,” the enthusiasm from Stockell is contagious.

“These two projects were brewing for quite a while, especially Triple Oh! It just feels so good to finally put it out there. And it’s a long dream come true.”

Triple Oh! is a comedy-drama described as ‘a queer paramedic dramatic comedy inspired by real people and events’. The 5-webisode run follows the lives of two ambulance paramedics, Tayls (Brooke Satchwell) and Cate (Tahlee Fereday), as they get their hands on life, death and each other.

The show was developed by Stockell, writer Erica Harrison and Melvin J. Montalban. All three loved the procedural genre and were inspired by friends who had worked as paramedics.

“They told us their stories and it inspired us. It moved us. It shocked us. And we saw that they used humour as a way to cope with what they had to deal with every day.”

The brush-ins with death, entering complete strangers’ homes, establishing trust and the absurd scenarios people find themselves in… Poppy and the writers wanted to make sure all of this carried through every episode.

“The show was designed to catapult and parachute the audience into the intimate lives of the patients. It’s a reflection to what paramedics have to respond to every day and how they don’t know what they’re walking into. Some of these stories are just so fucking funny. People get themselves into absolute stitches all the time.”

It was important then to make sure that the comical approach towards death would not be insensitive, but be shown as a way to cope with tragedy.

“[Writer] Erica’s mother passed away a few years ago and her father when she was young, so she’s no stranger to the grieving process and death. And I think she understands that a bit of laughter is the only way through.”

Of course, a black comedy is nothing without a solid cast of characters behind it. For Triple Oh!, it was decided to focus on two paramedics that are polar opposites: The street-smart veteran and the by-the-books newbie.

“I think we wanted opposites to attract and bounce off each other to make humour. When people are opposites, it’s funnier. They butt up against each other. But there also has to be an attraction that keeps them together.”

The casting of Brooke Satchwell and Tahlee Fereday (Fisk) as the respective duo of Tayls and Cate was critical to getting this chemistry right.

“We always wanted Brooke for Tayls and she was very gracious to honour that when we finally got the go-ahead.”

Tahlee on the other hand, brought a whole fresh perspective that completely redesigned who Cate was to the creators. “Tahlee was so good in her casting tapes, she provided a completely different type of Cate, which we found worked so much better. We ended up going with her version of the character.”

Speaking of different versions, Stockell also confirms that the show did not start off queer themed.

“We had a completely different thing in mind, but once the show and characters developed over the years, it seemed like the right way to go. Two of us (the creators) are queer and we wanted to make queer content. And at the time, there weren’t many shows, especially online, that focused on queer content.”

It’s a treat for Stockell to have Triple Oh! premiere at Sydney’s Queer Screen Film Fest, representing an array of LGBTQI+ cinema locally and globally.

“I’ve had one of my prior movies, Scrum (2015) screen here and they were so supportive. They help filmmakers kickstart their careers and flourish. I really can’t thank them enough. They are wonderful.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t have it in Melbourne where majority of the cast and crew are based. But look, I’m so glad we have jumped on this opportunity with Queer Screen, and it’ll be really fun showing it on the big screen with friends and family based here.”

Looking back on the development of John Farnham and Triple Oh!, Stockell is reminded of what attracts her so much to storytelling.

“Apart from the collaborative aspect, it’s this deep-diving into characters’ scenarios that you previously wouldn’t have known or had much experience with. Telling that story of what paramedics live every day is amazing. Same with Farnham. I didn’t know anything about him before I researched his extraordinary life and the people surrounding him. And that is the honour of being a filmmaker. Being able to join the dots and bring that to the screen. It’s infinitely fascinating.”

Triple Oh! + Q&A premieres at the Queer Screen Film Fest on Friday 25th August at Event George Street alongside drag queen caper Fanny Scat Investigates. Click here for more information.

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