Rhiana Davies-Cotter
Louise Alston is a director for entertainment company Reel One (who distributed her last two features), and for Passionflix, a streaming service created by Tosca Musk (yep, Elon Musk’s sister) that turns popular romance novels into movies and series. How exactly did a Brisbane-based director get on the radar of America’s most popular romance streaming service? Tosca sought out Louise after seeing and loving her romcom All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane.
Their meeting didn’t get off to the smoothest start. “I was in L.A., driving on the highway, and my phone beeped. It was a reminder that I had an introductory meeting with Tosca Musk in ten minutes. I was on the other side of town in traffic. I was like ‘Oh fuck!’ I pulled off at a servo and called her apologising profusely and asking if we could reschedule. Turns out it was actually Sunday, and she was heading to the Golden Globes, and our meeting was the next day [laughs]. I’d put it into my diary wrong, and I was sure she’d never hire me after that. It’s not a great first impression. But thankfully the meeting went ahead the next day, and I got the job. I’m lucky she saw something in me despite my bad diary management, because she has really championed me in the industry.”
Although Alston works in America frequently, she hasn’t technically ‘left’ Brisbane. “We’ve got two places. One in Brisbane, and one in L.A. Our daughter, who is seven, goes to two schools. In the last six months, I’ve crossed the Pacific Ocean five times. It’s just nuts.”
Even in L.A., Alston tries to keep her Brisbane roots strong. “In the States, we live in Sherman Oaks, which is totally the Brisbane of L.A., it’s got wide open roads, lots of greenery, hills, and unrelenting sunshine.”
Alston didn’t always dream of leaving Brisbane to direct films in the USA – she would actually love to make more films in her home city. “There’s this perspective in Australia that we have to make ‘world cinema’, or that we need to make gritty films for the festival circuit. We don’t really explore romance and sexuality that much in our cinema. And if we do, it’s often either ridiculous and comedic, or really dark and disturbing.”
According to Alston, people around the world are hungry for romance. “Just think of all the romantic cultural phenomena we’ve had in the past few years – 50 Shades of Grey, Outlander, Bridgerton – people love them. There’s no stigma around romantic content in America – if something is popular, like a romance novel or film, then it is considered worthy. The popularity is its value, it doesn’t matter whether it is a romance or an artistic indie film. It’s the same with romance novels. In America, there are hugely successful Australian romance writers like Kylie Scott, who is a writer from Brisbane. But in Australia, no one has heard of these authors, and their books aren’t celebrated or considered ‘literature’ or taken seriously. We have amazing romance writers and directors in Australia, but most of them are in the US making content, because that’s where they are valued.”
She also tries to give other Australian filmmakers opportunities in the USA. “Often, the producers want me to work with an American crew, but they give me my choice of DP. I often choose Australian DPs, like Jason Hargreaves (Christmas on the Farm) or Peter Borosh (Love or Laughs), because we literally speak the same language. I can make references to Australian movies and TV shows, and use Aussie slang, and they get what I’m talking about. I don’t have to filter myself. If we’re low on time and need to pull something off quickly, I can say to them ‘let’s do a Home and Away beach walk and talk shot, and they get what I’m talking about [laughs]. I’ve also worked with some fantastic American DPs though, like Carrie Glassman (Resisting Roots) and Denis Maloney (Driven).”
Alston takes her work very seriously. Her goal is to elevate her films, and the romance genre in general, as much as possible. “Sometimes, my crews are surprised at how seriously I take a romance genre film. They come onto set thinking we’re going to make an easy romcom. But I don’t see it that way. I want to give people the opportunity and the space to do their best work, and to bring their best ideas to the table. I have open communication with my cast and crew. I have a vision, but I invite everybody to the table. Soon enough, the attitude I have rubs off on others, and then everyone takes the project seriously and gets on board with making the film as great as it can possibly be.”
Something Alston has learned is to stop worrying about what people think about her. “Whether I’m making a thriller, a drama, or a romance, it’s a film. Whatever it is, I will make it as good and elevate it as much as possible. I mean, come on, it’s a chance to make a movie! Also, people love romantic content – especially women and mums. Why is that seen as lesser than the content men like? Mum eyeballs are just as worthy as Dad eyeballs.”
The AFTRS grad also realised long ago that if you want to be a filmmaker, you can’t wait around for permission. “If you want to make movies, you have to get out there and make something. You can even film it on a phone and release it on YouTube. There’s a lot of opportunity out there if you’re willing, just to pick up a camera and shoot something. That’s basically what I did with All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane and Jucy. I made them independently, with as much money as I could muster. In general, I’m really inspired by Dogme 95 filmmaking – which is all about stripping back filmmaking to its simplest form. That approach really helped me with my first two films. If you want to make movies, just get out there and make them.”
As well as the two feature films Alston has on the horizon, she also has four potential projects budding. “I’m developing a romance set in Brissie, which I’m really excited about. There are also a couple of thrillers. I’ve also got a literary feminist gothic that I’d love to shoot in Ireland.
“As I said, I try not to attach myself too much to what people think about me or the type of movies I make. If you are passionate about what you do, and elevate your films as much as possible, then opportunities will follow. In the US, they don’t understand self-depreciation, and everyone backs themself to a ridiculous extent. If you don’t walk into the room like ‘I’m here, I’m great, you need me to make this film’ they wonder what’s wrong with you. I think us Australians could do with a little more of that can-do attitude.”
