By Travis Johnson
What was the initial inspiration for The Gateway?
Michael [White, co-screenwriter] and I wanted to write a script for an Australian sci-fi movie, which in itself is a rare beast. So we spent a number of afternoons at the Dome cafe pitching ideas back and forth and found ourselves moving towards a time travel type film. For me the issue with time travel movies is that they have been done to death and there are so many good ones, with Primer and Looper probably the best of the lot. We came upon the idea of parallel worlds simultaneously and decided that was the path we wanted to go. At the same time we had already discussed the idea of a scientist who bends the rule of nature for her own needs and thus the central premise of The Gateway was born.
How did the project change from first idea to what we see on the screen?
As you know, when you make a film, you end up making three. The one you write, the one you shoot and the one you create in the edit. The project evolved quite a bit from its original inception and I think for the better!
How did your budget affect your creative choices?
I knew we would have a very limited budget to make the film and I was very much inspired by sci-fi classics like Primer and Monsters, films made on a shoe-string that (to me) are as good as any big budget movie. During the writing process Michael would throw some fabulous, big budget ideas at me and I had to gently remind him that we would be working on a very low budget, so those ideas had to be put away, hopefully for the sequel. The film’s budget came in at $1.7M, which sounds like a lot of money, but really is a small amount to make a movie. However, despite our low budget, we used every trick in the book to get the maximum production value, plus our post houses, Sandbox (for vision) and Backlot (sound) gave us a lot of extra value by doing extra work on the film.
Tell us about your casting process.
Firstly, I never write a script with an actor in mind. Don’t do that as the chances are you won’t get the actor you want and then you’re stuck! Secondly, once we had the script, I spent some time studying a number of actor profiles on IMDB and ultimately wanted cast who would be passionate about a sci-fi movie. I struck gold with Jacqueline McKenzie, who has been nominated for a number of best actor awards for playing the heart and soul of the movie, Jane Chandler.
You’ve once again shot in Perth – was there ever a question of shooting elsewhere?
Well, we have a terrific crew in Perth, talented artists like David Le May, Monique Wajon, Dion Borrett, plus a pool of quality actors I can reach out to, plus I know the lay of the land here, all the cool/great locations that add production value, so that’s an advantage when you’re making a low budget movie. Shooting in an unfamiliar location on a low budget is not a good idea! Also, most importantly, I have four kids, so it’s important to be here for them, even when I’m directing a film!
The film has had marked success on the festival circuit – can you talk about your distribution strategy?
We have been very lucky with our selection for a number of genre friendly festivals, including the Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival, FilmQuest, Austin Revolution, CinefestOz and the London Sci-Fi Film Festival. My strategy was to make a film good enough to be selected in quality genre festivals in the US, UK and Australia, which are our three biggest territories and this was achieved. While an Australian release is important, the key goal has been to also secure a successful US release, because that is still the biggest entertainment market in the world and it drives all the other territories. Based on our latest data, the film is performing well in the US, in particular on Amazon Prime, where it is ranked number six out of 75 titles for 2018.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in production?
The biggest challenge was our low budget. We had to come up with inventive and clever ways to maximise production values for the film to make it feel cinematic and bigger than what it actually was. It also meant a fast shoot – we shot the film in 20 days with no reshoots. I would have liked another couple of days, but the budget didn’t allow for it.
What’s up next for you?
I have co-written a sci-fi script with a US writer, Todd Gordon, titled Imprint that already has overseas interest, so hope to get that up in the next year or two!
The Gateway is in cinemas from May 3, 2018
