Pre-Production

The pre-production for ‘Don’t Look Back’ began in March 2011 under the working title of ‘Caprice’.

Having worked on the Director’s previous film to achieve a certain style and aesthetic we were constantly discussing the method in which this film would be shot, both in terms of the aesthetic and the production itself. We decided to keep crew to a minimum and some crewmembers had numerous roles. Traditional production roles such as continuity, line producers, location scouts were not needed and not used for the production. It was our aim to make the filmmaking process as personal as possible.

It was agreed from the outset to keep costs to a minimum throughout production using all resources at our disposal. Swinburne University were to acquire an ARRI ALEXA and it was decided that we would shoot on digital both as a means of experimenting with the digital medium as well as keeping film stock costs to nil. Locations were kept to those that we had direct access to as well as public places.

In keeping film costs down it was decided to invest in Art Direction, an area we both felt was imperative to the telling of the story. Ste Carey came on board as Art Director in June 2011 and his ability to work within a budget and still achieve a distinct style is testament to his work ethic.

The performance of the actors was of the utmost importance to the project and it was the Director’s desire to hone his directing skills by experimenting with new techniques. As a result, the Director worked closely with the actors through rehearsals in order to help develop the characters and their relationships.

Aaron Farrugia was chosen as Director of Photography early in pre-production as Kosta and Aaron had previously worked together and wished to continue the working relationship. However, one week from production Aaron became unavailable for the first week of photography and Tim Metherall was engaged to take on this role. Therefore, each individual was responsible for shooting one story each, Tim shooting the ‘Junkies’ as well as the ‘Flashback’, and Aaron the ‘Couple’. The result is two distinct yet harmonious shooting styles that indeed suit the telling of two different stories that share this tragic connection.

Alexi Ouzas