How Deep Is The Ocean
A lonely drifter and a burnt out former comedian form an unlikely friendship on the mean streets of Melbourne.
Interview with Writer/Director Andrew Walsh
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you many reasons!
I'd written and directed five short films and had no urge to make anymore. I did everything I set out to do and wanted to go to the next level.
I spent years working on different feature film scripts and would bring in my actor friends to workshop scenes and I found the stuff we were improvising together was a lot more exciting then what was on the written page so I decided to wanted to make an entire feature film with that approach.
I'm fascinated by women and wanted to tell a story from a female perspective. I haven’t seen many films with a protagonist like Eleanor.
I wanted to make a film about our city of Melbourne. The city is a character within itself and we wanted to show the good the bad the ugly the strange and the beautiful. Like the character of Eleanor I came here 15 years ago with the clothes on my back and very little else.
Melbourne is portrayed as this utopian cosmopolitan city where the streets are paved with gold and there are no problems and that's all a facade. Most of us struggle and live week to week. Day to day. Minute by minute. Second by second. We never hear or see the stories of people like us.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I'm naturally biased but it’s an entertaining film with beautiful visuals great performances a few laughs and some very profound moments!
The soundtrack is also awesome.
A huge problem with the Australian Film Industry from the audience’s point of view is they recycle the same actors over and over again. Our film does not have that problem.
There's a lot of new faces in How Deep.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film is very personal. As i mentioned earlier like the main character of Eleanor I moved to Melbourne with no money no job or a place to go but I was determined to start again so I fell into a lot of the same situations she does.
The challenges Eleanor faces are universal and happen in every major city on the planet. I think a lot of people will relate to it.
The biggest theme in the film is an idea of finding a home and a place to belong in the world.
Each character is yearning for something they can’t have. Eleanor (Olivia Fildes) wants to escape the trauma of her past and build a new life but she's thwarted by her own self sabotaging behavior and the harsh realities of life in the city.
Roy (Cris Cochrane) wants to go back to his glory days of being a celebrity and a successful comedian rather than take a hard look at himself and the decisions he's made that have brought him to where he is in the present.
Matt (Will Weatheritt) wants to find love and he's looking for it in all the wrong places.
Charlie (Adam Rowland) facing impending fatherhood is struggling with the expectations of his new role and wonders what life would've been like if he took a different path which is what romantically draws him to Eleanor.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The first couple drafts were terrible. The first couple of drafts of anything are terrible. It was full of lots of cliches.
It wasn’t a traditional script I structured it as an outline and each scene had a beginning middle and end and I let the actors interpret it their own way and add their own things to the story. 90 percent of the dialogue was improvised on the spot.
As a result the script was constantly shifting throughout the whole proccess which could've been a disaster but working out very well.
I had complete trust in my cast and crew and they had complete trust in me.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Since we released our final cinematic trailer it's been overwhelmingly good so far! This is my first feature and were taking our time with it so everything the editing- the sound- the performances is the highest quality.
I want this film to stand on the world stage. Its paying off.
The best so far is from Alex Proyas who directed "The Crow" and "Dark City" among many other classic Hollywood films. He's got a pretty big presence on social media these days and I sent him a link to our official trailer and he said it looked great.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
None yet! A lot of the humor and dialogue is what some people currently believe is "politically incorrect" and "problematic" so I imagine we'll be get a bit of grief when the film is released but I don't really give a shit.
History remembers the work of the artist not the opinion of the critics.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Getting it out there! Were on the look out for a distributor and representation and sites like WAMS is an invaluable for filmmakers like us who are working outside the system.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
All of the above! How Deep Is The Ocean was entirely self funded by me. I paid for the production now we need all the help we can get to see the film is out in the world.
Anyone wants to help us hit me up on awpictures86@gmail.com
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I just hope the film will connect with people on an emotional level.
The film 1979 "Quadrophenia" directed by Franc Roddam was a big influence.
I related to Phil Daniels character so much because its a story about a guy who is essentially a complete failure but that's okay because I think people can relate to failure more than success. That the reason Quadrophenia has a huge cult following to this day.
I hope we've created something similar that will endure over time. Endurance is everything.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
That's a great question. I don't know if I made the film with an intention to spark a debate but I'm sure it will provoke a reaction none the less.. The characters say and do some pretty questionable things and as the writer I don't necessarily condone them. We all get lost in life and and the world needs a lot more empathy and kindness. Now more then ever.
Maybe people we see something of themselves in it and realize there's nothing wrong with being vulnerable. It's a thing I've been wrestling with for a long time.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Our producer Dia Taylor is currently working on not one but two feature films "Jett" and "Disconnected" which she wrote directed and produced! Alot of the crew from How Deep are involved in that.
Olivia Fildes has a few things on the go. Adam Rowland is currently living in Sydney fulltime and playing the role of "Remi" on Home And Away.
Me personally I don’t think i'll be doing another project for a very long time.
I've been chasing after films for 19 years now without a break, so I think I've earned the right to have a rest.
I'm Looking forward to spending a lot more time with my 16th month old daughter and catching on all the things I've missed out on making this film.
That and I really want to learn how to play the piano.
Interview: August 2022
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
Length:
1:16:36
Writer/Director
ANDREW WALSH
Andrew Walsh is an independent film director based in Melbourne Australia who specializes in creating films that mix a fearless uncompromising style with intimate sensitive storytelling.
His controversial and subversive work has screened in venues festivals and events across Australia and overseas.
How Deep Is The Ocean is Andrew’s feature film debut.
Producer
DIA TAYLOR
Dia Taylor is an independent filmmaker and videographer. She has been working behind the camera professionally since 2007, founding her own event videography company “Taymaynari Productions” in 2017. Dia has also built her experience in a number of other roles, including as a Director Of Photography on Nathan Hill’s feature film ‘I, Portrait’, Camera Assistant on Rebecca Ann Bentley’s ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’, and currently, Producer Andrew Walsh’s ‘How Deep Is The Ocean’ (as well as numerous other projects)
DANIELA ERCOLI
Daniela is a producer based in Melbourne, started with roles as production assistant for indie companies, one year later she was Associate Producer of 'Choir Girl" an art-house feature film that starred many well know Australian actors and Neighborhood Watch a comedy web series that was a local success. She studied the Entertainment Industry in Milan and collected experiences in short film, newsroom TV, film festivals and videoclips ( 'Ti Sposero' of Carosello Records was one of the video clips she worked on which attained millions of views). Daniela produced creative works set for a worldwide release as 'Black to White' a short film which featured in local and international film festival and 'Nena' artistry short film released in July 2018 which is now being circuited around many film festivals. Daniela has an educational background in marketing and advertisement and holds a Degree in International Business from Australia Centre Further Education Institute in Melbourne.
Key cast:
Olivia Fildes (Eleanor Grey) Cris Cochrane (Roy) Will Weatheritt (Matt) Adam Rowland (Charlie)
Looking for:
sales agents, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/howdeepistheoceanmovie
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/howdeepistheoceanmovie
Hashtags used:
#howdeepistheoceanmovie
More info:
www.howdeepistheocean.com