NEWS FROM CURRENT PROJECT “A LIFE UNEXPECTED“:
While we may have gone quiet here in our updates section of late – plenty has been going on behind-the-scenes!
Actor/Producer, Ben SteelFirstly, we are delighted to welcome to the A Life Unexpected team, actor, writer, director and producer, Ben Steel.
Ben comes from an extensive background in production, including working in various production crew roles for feature films such as The Matrix, Moulin Rouge!, Babe: Pig in the City, Dark City, Doing Time For Patsy Cline, Oscar and Lucinda, Two Hands, Bootmen and the recent Aaron Eckhart movie I, Frankenstein.
He also runs his own production company Ben Steel Films, producing, writing and directing TV series, films, commercials and web series. Under the umbrella of Ben Steel Films he has created & produced projects in the USA, UK, Czech Republic, Australia, & Aruba.
But audiences may best know Ben from his acting work both in Australia and overseas in roles such as the popular regular character “Jude Lawson” in Channel 7’s Home & Away and his more recent appearances in international feature films Solomon Kane (opposite James Purefoy) and George Lucas’ Red Tails.
Ben has brought a whole new energy and a slew of fantastic ideas and experience to the project as Producer and we are thrilled to add his name to the list of creatives already involved.
But wait! There’s more!
We have also just completed filming our first round of interviews in Melbourne with Australian and international sports luminaries John Landy and Ralph Doubell, as well as the engaging John Beaurepaire (speaking on behalf of his late grandfather, Sir Frank Beaurepaire), Tim Lincoln (representing his father, the great miler Merv Lincoln) and Dunera Boy and past Dunera Association President, Mike Sondheim.
It was great to be able to get back to filming after too long away from the set. Tim Egan (DOP), Saraj Alkemade (Gaffer) and Sally McLean (Director) were joined by Gunay Demerci (Sound), with Ben Steel on behind-the-scenes directing duty, along with Marg Woodlock-McLean and Billy Smedley on co-producer duties. We were graciously welcomed into St Catherine’s School, filming the interviews in their beautiful drawing and dining rooms. We cannot thank St Catherine’s Principal, Dr Sylvia Walton AO and their Director of Development, Catherine Middlemiss enough for their support of this film and are so grateful to have had the chance to use their beautiful main building for this first Melbourne shoot.
Thanks must also go to the fantastic Nigel and Ben at Gear Head Melbourne for their ongoing support of the project and for offering such a fantastic service with camera equipment hire.
In the last bit of news (for now), we had a lovely article written about the project by IF Magazine journalist, Don Groves, which appeared this week on if.com.au. To read the full article, click here, or check out our Press section.
And that’s it for now! But there is plenty more happening that we just can’t talk about yet! Such as the results of our Executive Producer, Robert Galinsky’s, trip to the UK and … well, we’ll just say there’s lots going on and we promise to tell all when we can!
Until next time, take care and thank you all for your support and interest.
Sally McLean
Writer/Producer