Third Take

A collection of writings about Australian film from the film-maker's perspective.

'Newsfront is about how we were and still are repeatedly colonised by America in different ways. Whenever we seem to get our head above the parapet, it's then knocked down again. The recent arrival of Fox Studios is doing much the same now as was done back then .' - Bob Ellis

'I think there should always be some sort of backing for new talent in this country, which will evolve with all of its own set of problems but one always has to remember that the film industry is an international business.' - Don McAlpine

'The issue of globalisation is certainly a reality for me, as it is for everyone else, but largely it passes me by. I would feel under threat if I were not able to make another film, but so far the only threat I've felt is in regard to my own inventiveness or lack thereof.' - Rolf de Heer

Third Take is a collection of articles and conversations by Australian film-makers, which explores the place of Australian cinema in a globalised world. A world where Planet Hollywood is not merely the name of a restaurant chain, but a way of life.

Third Take looks at the contributions of Australian film-makers working in America. Including renowned cinematographers Don McAlpine (Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge) and John Seale (The English Patient and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone), Peter Weir focuses on the director's voice, and what it might mean in the world of film-making today.

Third Take devotes a section to the classic Australian film of the 1970s, Newsfront, in an extraordinarily candid, witty, and eclectic mosaic of the making of the film and includes contributions from the film's producer, scriptwriter as well as director, Phillip Noyce, who writes of the forces in his life that led to the making of Newsfront.

There has been a lot written about the development of an Australian aesthetic, however, there have been no forums for those who actually make the films to discuss their own work and the work of fellow film-makers. Third Take: Australian Film-makers Talk gives film-makers a voice, allowing them to engage with the issues and concerns usually raised by journalists and critics.