Edwin James Lynch

A picture I did (of an artist) in Tuesday morning's art class. The best stress relief ever ! Drawing is like meditation. Not like Saturday. The kids I teach Saturday are in 2 groups. The 9-12 year olds The 15+ y.o. teenagers The differences in behaviour between these two groups is vast . There is no professional approach to acting at all for the younger, immature kids. It's completely a game. The director is merely a part of that. Things not to rehearse with 10 year olds When I say not rehearse , what I mean is - just roll the camera and go for a take. Rehearsing is never taken as seriously as a camera shot. On tape, with a tiny crew (ie. me on Saturdays) and with kids as my subject, I shoot all "rehearsals". Young kids get bored and soon wander off to the toilet - or to Mum - or to get a drink. Instead of rehearsing, just shoot whenever a child has to: hold hands, touch or hug another (unfamiliar) child do a fake fall or punch cry do anything t...

I've been working my guts out doing websites all week (day and night) and now I have to mark 50+ online student usability exercises. Ugh! I got a glimpse of my girlfriend this week. She lives really far away and - as I ride a CRX 1 Flat bar road bike - it takes me a good 2 hours to get there. Especially after riding from Como to teaching Saturday acting classes in Hammersley. I got to her place late and then had to leave at 5am to get to Freo on time - where my parents were celebrating their 4oth wedding anniversary. Hi Ma & Da. Congratulations! Now for the meat of this post. Read carefully: It's a nice ride. For every difficult hill, there's a downward slope. I top around 50kmh (peak at 60kmh) but try to cruise along at around 30kmh to conserve energy. You never know when you might need to sprint. I'm mostly on bike tracks - I don't like to ride on sand. My bike has no shocks, so my energy isn't wasted. I get to feel the ground. Whatever power I have go...

I just added a link to Taylor Media's website for Marx and Venus (I did the site). The SBS script deadline is March 31st, but, as I did her website and Sue Taylor is exec-producing the show (with Natalie Bell, Ian Booth and Francesca Strano line producing the 25 episodes) I felt it my duty to let everyone know that TM is looking for directors, DoPs and editors. My CV is in. Phew! But I'm thinking of submitting a cover letter. Or hopefully, explaining my particular during interview - and without trying to sound like I'm gonna break house-style . Writing with other people . . . Ooooh I've written two episodes of M&V so far - one with local writer, Richard Hyde and one all by myself . I want to write one with Phil Jeng Kane, but I want it to be his idea. I'm second credit on Richard's and I want the same credit on Phil's. Three scripts sounds reasonable and not too greedy - especially if I'm working with other people. "What? What kind of filmmake...

I'm tandem teaching an art class at Curtin Uni. Well, teachin g probably isn't the right word. Experiencing might be better. Each mini lesson I get to do what the students are doing. It's called Multimedia design 175 - Theory and Practice . A loosening up class designed for people who think they can't draw. Each week we do a different, really cool thing. Like the objects above. I drew these by feeling what was in a brown paper bag without actually seeing . Which was the point. I was quite surprised at how the drawings came out. In retrospect, it kind of confused me. We can see things without using our eyes. Filmmaking - The infamous and oft-ignored Axis of Action I was ranting the other day - as usual. There was an old movie on Channel 31 which was really bugging me. The camera kept flipping around the room. One moment we were high angle POV (point of view) the next low. It was jarring. But I noticed that it was still irritating even if the camera was only a few inch...

I ride a bicycle and this is what I see. When you ride a bicycle (as opposed to driving a car) the world changes . Your approach to life changes. My approach to filmmaking changes. The body becomes a metaphor, the road - life - each hill an obstacle. You are using your own power. You are thousands of years of human technology. You are losing fat, strengthening your muscles, heart, lungs, entire physical wellbeing.Problems dissolve. You de-stress. Coffee at Just Espresso , Como Coffee on the other hand freaks me out! It makes me anxious and very often I return home and do everything but work. I was having coffee with a friend (Rob) this morning and we were talking about our work lives. Comparatively, we are extremely lucky. We work when we want and do what we want. We're not answerable to anyone because we have clients - not bosses . Most people my age are paying mortgages and raising children - in jobs they don't particularly love. I don't feel the urge to do that and I...

Finally put up the podcast interview I did with Phil Jeng Kane (from the FTI) a week or so ago on the 9th Mumbai International Film Festival . The sound is a bit thin because I had to remove a slight buzz. Today I'm teaching 3 classes of students internet studies. I wanted to get these podcasts ready for them so they could see some of the technology working. I was surprised to find that a few friends of mine had no idea what a podcast is and fewer knew the meaning of BLOG!!! Well, guys, this is about all there is to a BLOG. You're reading it. It's an online, public diary. In response to Phil's comment . . . Yes, I know filmmaking is a team sport. 100 people worked on A Stone Throw (AST). Without them, or yourself, there would be nothing. Obviously. The writer, producer and sound designer overpowered me with an idea and I went with it. It's possible that 50 people may have approached me after the film with, "What were they saying in that long shot?" My last...

Yawn. It's 6am. Maggies are warbling. Crows are cawing. There was one thing that came back to me from several people. It's been bugging me all night. The same critique. And it has to do with thinking that the audience are dumb. For those of you who know the film, I'm talking about the scene where Cassidy confesses his crime to his Mum. Several people at the premiere, including one twelve year old boy, asked me why we got to hear the dialogue between Cassidy and Tess as he confesses his crime. They felt it interrupted the story and hindered their connection with the film (my interpretation). On the shoot day, Joshua Beechey was a bit nervous about Anna Brockway playing Tess - his mum. So I went with that. I got Joshua (Cassidy) to retell most of the story to her and finally confess based on what he remembered of the script . She would hug him and it would look awkward. It did. To actually hear this bit of dialogue was always going to be a bit iffy for me - but more importan...