The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2018 - Decks and the City
The film for music lovers, by music lovers.
Interview with Director Glen Scrymgour and Producer James Corbett
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Like all good things, it started over a couple of beers in a local pub, discussing why the media always painted the nightlife scene in a negative way. We thought it would be cool to make a 5 minute YouTube video showing what it was really like for the people that loved the music and had a real passion for the scene. Of course, once we started talking to people on camera we quickly discovered there was far more to the story that could fit in a 5-minute video, and we had a feature documentary on our hands.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
If you grew up in the scene, you'll get an absolute kick out of this film. If you know nothing about the scene, you'll learn a hell of a lot. We made this film for someone who has never stepped foot inside a night club, to learn a bit about the history, the different genres, the technology, the culture, the passion and the people. And if you spent most of your 20's and 30's inside nightclubs, it's nostalgia time. We also spend some time looking at lockout laws and how they have affected everyone in the industry.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Although based entirely in Adelaide, Australia, you could re-shoot this film anywhere in the world and find most of the themes holding true, from the love and passion for the music, to the community on the dance floor and the struggle to compete in the competitive music industry. People from other states will resonate with the struggles that the lockouts have placed on them and absolutely everyone with a slight interest in electronic music will resonate with the soundtrack.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Well, a 5 minute film turned into a 30-minute and then a 90-minute film, so that's quite an evolution. I guess for us, the biggest thing was telling a cohesive story that flowed from topic to topic, almost like a perfectly-created DJ set, with peaks and troughs and drops and moments to breathe. We didn't go into this with much more than a bunch of basic questions and a desire to get as much content as possible, so the evolution was definitely writing the story in the edit suite.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It's been incredible. We've had a strong support base of people dying to see the film throughout the whole process, and those people have absolutely loved it. We've had people who have been in the scene for over 20 years say things like 'I never realised I was part of such a special community until you showed me with this film', and we think that's pretty special. What we're really looking forward to is how people from outside Adelaide and outside the scene take to it. I think that they will give us the best possible feedback.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We were pretty nervous at the first screening, to be honest. We'd spent 3 years in our spare time making a film about an industry and that industry was sitting around us, and they would definitely be the harshest critics if we screwed it up. But they loved it, luckily. At the end of the day, the music enthusiasts that have showed interest in the film, are all very passionate about the scene, where’s it’s come from, and where it’s going. Whilst there may be different music tastes among the audience, the unified viewpoint is the passion for music, and the objection of anything that would interrupt people enjoying it.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We just want as many people to see this film as possible.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Anyone and everyone. As first time independent film makers, there's a whole new world of distribution that, to be honest, we know nothing about. Distributors and journalists would be great to help get the message out. Ultimately letting people know that the film exists before we can move to a sales and distribution process.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We've had people come up to us and say that we've managed to capture a massive part of their life on screen, and we hope it continues to do that. Equally though, we want people to be proud of the artists that come out of our scene, and to hopefully make people more aware of things like lockouts and how they do more harm than good.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Absolutely lock-out laws. How is it that a city like Melbourne can decide lock outs are bad for not only their arts scene, but their economy as well? The rest of the country just stubbornly goes ahead with them. And why are casinos exempt? And why do governments continue to ignore world-wide statistics that show lock outs don't help with reducing violence? The South Australian government introduced lockout laws to reduce street violence and claimed they worked. Later it was found they fudged the numbers and now, a few years later, violence is higher than it ever was. We think there is some conversation in that.
Would you like to add anything else?
We are pretty thankful to all the music producers who provided us with music for the film. We have 90 minutes of non stop music, all Adelaide producers and all world class.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Glen is growing his small production company in Adelaide. Additionally, he is filming a couple of narrative shorts this year, while on the lookout for his next documentary project. James will continue to run music events, DJ and work on music production as well as collaborating with new and existing promoters. Music is where the heart is, and there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing people be in the moment on the dance floor.
Interview: July 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Decks and the City
The film for music lovers, by music lovers
Length: 89mins
Director: Glen Scrymgour
Producer: James Corbett
Writer: Glen Scrymgour & James Corbett
About the writer, director and producer:
GLEN SCRYMGOUR likes to shoot cool shit with cameras and tell stories through film.
JAMES CORBETT has been getting his fingers in every music-related pie he can since 2002. DJing, organising events, writing & managing music press locally and internationally.
Key cast: HMC/Late Nite Tuff Guy, Troy J Been, Jorge Watts, Uberjak’d, Gunda G, Motez, Driller, DJ Josh, Heath Holme and many more.
Looking for: journalists, distributors etc. that will help get the film out to the right people.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/decksandthecitydoco
Funders: Self funded + Kickstarter Campaign
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? That all depends on which film festival will have us next!