'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. This book gives film-makers a voice, allowing them to engage with the issues and concerns usually raised by journalists and critics.