Rachael Turk

Character Acting
Brendan Cowell

On the release of his rom com I Love You Too (also starring Peter Dinklage and Peter Hellier), I talk to leading man Brendan Cowell (Noise, Love My Way, Beneath Hill 60) about his approach to creating complex characters across a range of genres. A must-attend session for directors, actors and screenwriters alike.

Time: 5-6pm
Date: Friday, May 7
Event: Friday On My Mind
Venue: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Entertainment Quarter

A free AFTRS event bringing you face to face with the industry’s brightest thinkers.

Free entry. Free 2-hr parking. All welcome.

Storyboarding Universe
David Russell

David Russell is one of Hollywood’s top conceptual illustrators who cut his teeth on Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Since then, he has created key sequences for over 100 productions including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Batman, Terminator 2, The Thin Red Line, Moulin Rouge, Wolverine, Sanctum and The Chronicles of Narnia. He shares with us the secrets of capturing cinematic style and action at the crucial planning stage.

Time: 5-6pm
Date: Friday, April 30
Event: Friday On My Mind
Venue: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Entertainment Quarter

You can pay hundreds of dollars for the Masterclass… Or you can join me for this free AFTRS film event bringing you face to face with the industry’s brightest thinkers.

Free entry. Free 2-hr parking. All welcome.

© The Age

Only the Brave
Ana Kokkinos

Amongst trends towards lighter, more homogenised material and identifiable genre, Ana Kokkinos (Head On, Blessed and The Book of Revelation) talks about the importance of directorial courage, artistry and independent vision.*

Time: 5-6pm
Date: Friday, April 16
Event: Friday On My Mind
Venue: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Entertainment Quarter

Join me for this weekly AFTRS film event bringing you face to face with the industry’s brightest thinkers.

Free entry. Free 2-hr parking. All welcome.

*note: material screened contains R-rated images

Writing High
Justin Monjo

You don’t need to move to L.A. to write high-budget scripts. Prolific playwright, film and television writer Justin Monjo talks about writing projects in the $30-$90 million range, from war epics to fully CG animated features – the most recent being produced by Dan Lin (Terminator Salvation) with Animal Logic.

Time: 5-6pm
Date: Friday, April 9
Event: Friday On My Mind
Venue: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Entertainment Quarter

Join me for this weekly AFTRS film event bringing you face to face with the industry’s brightest thinkers.

Free entry. Free 2-hr parking. All welcome.

Animal Kingdom
David Michôd

From his internationally acclaimed short films Crossbow and Netherland Dwarf to his Aurora script and Sundance winning debut feature, the films of my former fellow IF editor David Michôd find beauty in a rough, male world. Here, the Variety-listed ‘Director to Watch’ explains the lay of the land on the international circuit.

Time: 5-8pm
Date: Friday, March 26
Event: Friday On My Mind
Venue: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Entertainment Quarter

Join me for this weekly AFTRS film event bringing you face to face with the industry’s brightest thinkers.

Free entry. Free 2-hr parking. All welcome… but get in early!

FREE SCREENING OF BOTH CROSSBOW AND ANIMAL KINGDOM.

Creative Spirit
Claudia Karvan

As Australian horror/drama Daybreakers busts $40m worldwide, leading lady Claudia Karvan explains the creative ethos at the core of her highly acclaimed film career – from Gillian Armstrong’s High Tide to a string of TV successes (The Secret Life of Us, Love My Way and the upcoming Spirited) – that merges the actor/producer roles.

Time: 5-6pm
Date: Friday, March 12
Event: Friday On My Mind
Venue: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Entertainment Quarter

Join me for this weekly AFTRS film event bringing you face to face with the industry’s brightest thinkers.

Free entry. Free 2-hr parking. All welcome.

Great Adaptations
Jennifer Byrne

As Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet starts shooting in Perth, the thoroughly well read Jennifer Byrne (host of the ABC’s First Tuesday Book Club) talks about what makes a “great Australian novel” ripe to become a great screen adaptation.

Time: 5-6pm
Date: Friday, February 26
Event: Friday On My Mind
Venue: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Entertainment Quarter

Join me for this weekly AFTRS film event bringing you face to face with the industry’s brightest thinkers.

Free entry. Free 2-hr parking. All welcome.

Friday On My Mind is back for 2010!

And who better to launch it than the legendary John Collee. Put it in your diaries folks! And turn up early to guarantee a seat.

Mastering the Craft
John Collee

Internationally renowned screenwriter John Collee (Happy Feet, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) divulges how to gain a command of the “method” of screenwriting, as well as sharing his ideas about the development process and a 7-step approach from idea to treatment to script.

Time: 5-6pm
Date: Friday, February 19
Venue: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Entertainment Quarter

Friday On My Mind is AFTRS‘ weekly event bringing you face to face with the industry’s brightest thinkers.

Free entry. Free 2-hr parking. All welcome.

Seeing the Big Picture
Michael Petroni

A graduate of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles (AFI) and winner of both its Screenplay of the Year and the WGA/Scenario award for Best New Screenplay of 1996, Australian born writer/director Michael Petroni (Til Human Voices Wake Us, Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader) talks about his work in Hollywood amongst the likes of 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Spyglass Entertainment and Revolution Studios writing commercially rewarding films for an international audience.

With an aim to enhance the level of storytelling in Australia through his Australian production company See Pictures (with producer Jamie Hilton), Petroni discusses his work with local writers here to develop bigger stories and his own plans to write and direct projects in Australia in 2010/11.

Time: 5-6pm
Date: Friday, November 27
Venue: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Entertainment Quarter

Friday On My Mind is AFTRS‘ weekly event bringing you face to face with the industry’s brightest thinkers.

Free entry. Free 2-hr parking. All welcome.

Warp Mentality
Anna McLeish

Following a Screen Australia grant of $400K, Anna McLeish spills the beans on what Warp Films Australia shares with Warp X (UK), the specific opportunity they see in Australian talent and how the local industry can best engage with their slate encompassing low-budget genre pics, mid-range features and Australia/UK co-productions.

Time: 5-6pm
Date: Friday, November 20
Venue: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Entertainment Quarter

Friday On My Mind is AFTRS‘ weekly event bringing you face to face with the industry’s brightest thinkers.

Free entry. Free 2-hr parking. All welcome.