We first clocked on to Shoot The Player around the middle of 2008, just after the pair of Amelia Tovey and Jonathan Wald had opened up shop – and we got very excited indeed. The project, inspired by French director Vincent Moon’s much-adored Take Away Shows, would not only offer a new medium for us to gawk at homegrown talent but, by filming googled-after international acts as well, it would introduce the world not only to some of our favourite Aussie acts, but to some of our most iconic local spaces – they’ve shot at Bourke Street Bakery, Gould’s Bookshop, Illustrated Man, Harry’s Cafe de Wheels… beaches and parks too, but everyone has them, yeah?

Since they started, Shoot The Player have shot international names like Andrew Bird, Soko, Lightspeed Champion and Vivian Girls, as well as locals like Belles Will Ring, Cloud Control, Sarah Blasko, Washington and Jack Ladder. Acclaimed musicians, each performing one or two songs live and in one shot only – making for spontaneous, energetic, and endearingly unpredictable clips. They’re toasting their good health this month in their first ever installation, opening at CarriageWorks on January 8 and running until the end of the month. They’ve remastered all their films for the big screen with little pods for individual viewing too, for those of us that Just Don’t Want To Share. We spoke to Amelia about how far they’ve come, what they’ve learned along the way, and what we can expect from the show..

—++—

Shoot The Player :: Q&A With Amelia Tovey

–
+ How has Shoot The Player changed since way back when you began?
> We started making Shoot The Player films for our friends and with friends. That much hasn’t really changed, we still use the same tiny camera and we still work spontaneously and aim to shoot something live and exciting and totally unrehearsed. We’re a lot less nervous than we used to be and we’ve learned a few little post production tricks that come in handy for smoothing out the bumps… being more experienced allows us to take more risks which is fun.

+ What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?
> Always press record. When in doubt do a second take. Traffic noise is a bitch to take out in post. When you’re filming in public try to blend in as much as possible. When you’re filming in public you really have to own what you’re doing – if you’re doing it right you can pretty much get away with anything.

+ Where was your favourite location to film at?
> There have been so many favourites. I loved filming on the roundabout with Vivian Girls in Surry Hills, I loved filming in the cemetery in Clovelly with Soko, and Bourke St Bakery was a bit difficult but it was fun too. Filming in iconic Sydney places where passersby are relaxed and get involved – that always makes for a better film.

+ Where would you love to shoot? And who would you put there?
> Jonathan and I would love to shoot Bruce Springsteen, or Dolly Parton, just for fun and something different. I’d also love to film The Necks and make a really long, challenging one take film. I’ve always wanted to shoot in a ferris wheel, where the band would be crammed into a tiny carriage with us and we’d all just go around and around, singing with the sky all around us…

+ What can we expect from the Carriageworks installation?
> The CarriageWorks installation is really exciting for us. We’ve remastered all the films and they look amazing on a big screen. Viewers can come and watch the films either on the main screen or at little listening pods. It’s exciting to have the films on public display in a way that really foregrounds audience interaction; the vast urban aesthetic of the CarriageWorks foyer is the perfect setting.

—++—

Shoot The Player’s debut installation is running in the CarriageWorks foyer from January 8 until January 30. An artist with Jonathan and Amelia is being held on January 23 at 11am – for more information, click here.

Posted by steph in Features, Screen

Tags: Amelia Tovey, Andrew Bird, Carriageworks, Cloud Control, Jack Ladder, Jonathan Wald, Pikelet, Sarah Blasko, Shoot The Player, Soko, Takeaway Shows, Vincent Moon, Vivian Girls, Washington