SALLY McLEAN PRESSKIT
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A Little Rain Must Fall Internet Movie Database Review by Annabel Ryder, London, UK 5 August 2002 Fascinating look at life in London's club scene in the 90's
I saw this film at it's launch at Ealing Studios in London, back in 1997. I went to the screening, not sure what to expect, but found it fun, thought-provoking and a little uncomfortable. Script writers Jonathan Carr and Sally McLean dealt with the subject matter in a practical, almost offhand way, giving a sense of being in the middle of it, but from an impartial viewpoint. The death of one of the characters was handled without over-sentimentality, yet the effect on the other characters was looked at in a realistic and sympathetic way. None of the characters were perfect people - they all had flaws, which gave the sense that we were watching real people. All begin the film being very
self-involved, but after the dramatic turn of events take place, each character is forced at some moment to take stock of who they are and how they view their place in the world. Not all the characters make changes to their outlook, which was again a nice touch and saved the film from being too pat and simple. The cast were superb, all of them giving strong performances, particularly Rebecca Nunn, Joanna Goodchild, James Buckley and Sally McLean. David Hankinson was under-used, but excellent in the scenes that he had. All up, it was a cohesive and well-supported ensemble performance. There were a few technical problems - the director and DOP sometimes didn't seem to know how to handle the dialogue scenes in the most interesting of ways, yet shone in the surreal nightclub and London street sequences. The sound slipped occasionally, but only seemed to add to the overall feel of the audience being a "fly on the wall", witnessing events that they shouldn't really be seeing. Editing was excellent, and made up for any technical glitches that may have occurred. The ending was refreshing in the sense that it didn't present all the answers in one neat package. The audience was left feeling that the characters would, for the most part, be okay, but there was still some issues to resolve. This was a welcome change, as too many films that deal with drugs as their subject matter offer the film makers' opinions like it's gospel, with a clear attitude, but this was presented realistically - there are no easy answers to the problem, or the problems drugs cause. Overall, I really enjoyed the film. It was a journey into friendship and relationships - not always happy - that gave a solid insight into the complexities of surviving as a young adult in a not-so-sympathetic modern world.
Alistair Barrie & Sally McLean in A Little Rain Must Fall (1997)
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LOVEPUKE Gorgeous Productions The Mechanics Institute, Brunswick Show runs until June 18, 2000
Rating: out of five stars
I saw this show on Friday 9th June, after reading about it in Inpress - and I have to say that it is an excellent night's entertainment. Laughs galore, strong comedic acting - altogether a really tight show.
This is a really strong ensemble piece that doesn't pretend to be anything but what it is - an entertaining night at the theatre. I laughed so hard at the character's predicaments, that I feel a second viewing is needed to see what I missed the first time around.
All the cast's performances were delightful - I especially enjoyed Hermoine with her off-beat poetry - and the two actors that had the toughest job as far as the laugh lines department goes Bruce Woolley as Glen and Sally McLean as Marissa, shone for me, both making what could have been the most bland of lines funny.
Fast paced, fun and worth seeing. Good on you Gorgeous Productions for producing a piece of theatre that just lets your audience have a good time. Highly recommended.
Susan Wilkins 12/06/00
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The Leader Newspaper Group, Tuesday, July 5, 2005
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Quick flick set for Cannes: Fairytale film Journey The Peninsula Journal Weekender (Front page story) Thursday, 10 March, 2005
Lights! Camera! Action! Filmed on the Mornington Peninsula, Brigit & Benny is a short feature film selected for the Cannes Film Festival, writes Kristy Spena. THE Mornington Peninsula was abuzz last December as actors, cast and crew descended on the area to film the locally produced Brigit & Benny. While the Peninsula is renowned for its food, wine and beautiful landscape, its
ability to produce high quality feature films is beginning to make its mark on the industry. Director and actor Sally McLean, who lives in Mt Martha, is one of Australia's most accomplished actresses and the brains behind Brigit & Benny - a short feature film that could receive plenty of overseas accolades if successful. "The Peninsula is a community rich in filmmakers. I'm not sure if it's a sea change thing, but there are a lot of documentary makers who have moved down here, so it adds a nice flavour to the area," said Sally. "It's great for the area, there are a lot of actors like Cameron Daddo and (radio personality) Matt Tilley who lived on the Peninsula, so maybe there is something in the water!" [The Peninsula's] ability to produce high quality feature films is beginning to make its mark on the industry. The script for Brigit & Benny was a light-bulb idea for Sally who wrote it in 10 minutes while working on another project. It was put aside for a year, until she and a co-producer read through it and saw its potential to be made into a film. Brigit & Benny is a "modern faerietale" told for adults and is based on the themes of diversity and acceptance. "It is a story about not judging things (or people) on how they look. Of rediscovering the world through the eyes of a child. Of learning to live without fear or mistrust of that which we do not understand. Of embracing the gift of compassion," said Sally. Filmed over two weekends in December at Mt Martha House, the crew used plenty of props to turn it into a city park. "We made gazebos, bought trees, rocks, flowers and benches to make it look like a park," Sally said. Directing the film was a challenge for Sally, who is used to being in front of the camera. However, the support she received from the cast and crew made it much easier. "It was fun, but very fast moving. I had a very supportive cast - and I got to wear elves ears!" said Sally who also plays homeless woman Brigit in the film. "I was in tacky clothes and got to have dirt allover my face which was great!" The film was originally set for Tropfest, however because the film was nine minutes they would have had to edit it to seven, which could have taken away essential elements. As it turns out, this decision may be well-rewarded, with the film now being entered into the 58th Cannes Film Festival, which will take place from May 11 to 22. "It would be great to finally get a film screened at Cannes. The closest I've come to it was with my first short feature, A Little Rain Must Fall, made in London in 1997," said Sally. "We had the film selected for Cannes in the non-competition section of the festival, based on the rough cut, but unfortunately in the days leading up to the deadline ... the entire final cut was deleted off the AVID suite we were using by another editor who thought we had finished. With no hope of recovering it, it was pretty devastating, to say the least."
(Cont/)
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Sally hoped no one would be unlucky enough to have the same thing happen twice. "But, it is the film industry, and so you take it a day at a time. That said, our editor is very careful and no one else is using his computer, so we should be okay." While Sally and her crew are happy with their product, it will all be in the hands of judges. "It's always hard to know how it will fare. I know Cannes like things that are edgy and have a strong theme, so it will come down to criteria and personal preference by the judging panel. Australians are pretty good at making good things on very little money and the editor said it 'looked like a bought one' so we'll see what reception we get," said Sally. What made filming on the Peninsula even more exciting was having an audience watching on the first day of shooting. "The locals came and sat on the banks, which was nice support. I think they were quite excited and interested in what we were up to and watched it unfold. "The theatre actors loved it because they're used to a live audience and thought it might help them," said Sally. While the editors finish putting the film together, the Peninsula has its fingers crossed that this locally produced film takes home the gong and cements its name in the industry. "It has worked out really well. We've just gone through the editing phrase and it's looking brilliant. The special effects are now being put in and then we will add the music," said Sally. "You get so close (to completion) and you keep changing things that you think can be improved. While we may think it's the best thing since sliced bread, others may find things that could be done better." Even if the film isn't a success at Cannes, Sally intends on entering it
