| FEATURES |
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Razzle Dazzle Director’s Special |
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| Razzle Dazzle Director’s Special |
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 DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Razzle Dazzle came about quite by accident. One evening I stumbled across a short story, untitled. It was a 3-page scenario about a desperate stage mother, her name Justine, her desire to see her child succeed at any cost. It was riveting. This brief, incredible story became the foundation of our lead female character. She was driven, dangerous and fantastic. It was from Justine that everything else was born.
Finding an actress to play her would be a challenge. On the one hand, she needed that unconditional and singular obsession with her daughter, and on the other, to betray her own failings, all without playing the cliché stage mother. There were only two actresses I could see in the role, and one of them was Kerry Armstrong. I remember our first meeting, at Nick Hamon’s casting office in Melbourne. It was one of those encounters in which you’re meeting each other for the first time, testing each other out, exploring ideas. It wasn’t an audition; it was an experiment, and the results were exciting.
What I felt at that mad meeting was only confirmed when we began to work together. We’d spent over two hours pushing Justine one way then the other, Kerry improvising and wrestling with ideas, sometimes playing drunk and singing, at other times being forthright and determined. This pattern of discovery continued until the day we completed our last shot. Never had I met an actress who challenged me or came to a role with so much creative energy. Kerry never stopped thinking about her role, but she also did much more: she thought about the film and the relationships of the characters within the story.
One of the most exciting discoveries was when I read the first draft of the script was the character of Mr Jonathon – a man dedicated to expressing global issues through young dancers. The comedy derived from his view of the world was terrific, yet finding an actor to play him was near impossible. Not until we went to the UK did we discover Ben Miller. From the first moment I knew we’d found our man. It all made sense.
What evolved was something far stronger than anything I ever imagined. Ben was incredible. He was inventive, attacking the role with an inspiring vigour and insight. Not only was he very funny, but his comments on the script and character were intelligent. I suppose that’s to be expected when you work with someone who gave up a PhD in Physics to become an actor.
The choice to work in this genre was immediately obvious. The reality of the world was foremost in my mind, and also the manner in which the comedy needed to be played. Satirical and understated was the tone of this film; yet my affection for the subject, engendered unknowingly by my dance-crazy daughter, found its way into the script and ultimately the film. It is with immense affection that I guide the characters through this story.
Of course, even this style of comedy has a number of approaches. The tone can dance from super-real through to heightened, almost sketch-like representations of scenes and characters. The best of the genre are the works of Christopher Guest (Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind) but there are many more. I wanted my approach to Razzle Dazzle to be more real.
I like to work with comedy scripts that have a heart, ones in which the characters’ vulnerability and relationships are exposed. I always wanted the tone of Razzle Dazzle be as close to reality as possible – across the board, for all characters. This meant that Ben Miller as Mr Jonathon had to be a credible dance teacher. For an actor who had only danced at weddings and discos, this would be a challenge. Enter John O’Connell, dry-humoured choreographer (Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge, Shall We Dance).
I had never worked intensively with a choreographer, so Razzle was new territory for me. John and I began talking about the narrative of the pieces and he would design the dance around that. This was the delight of working with John: he choreographs for character and story and has a keen sense of what makes a good shot.
The shooting style, music, editing and art direction had to support the documentary feel. Author intrusion, in the form of the director, must be practically non-existent. During the shoot I ran the scenes from beginning to end and had the cameras, hand-held in most cases, simply record the action that unfolded. Minimal “camera direction” was involved, with the camera operators “forced” to follow the action without the benefit of pre-planning or choreographed blocking. Mis-frames and moments of dropped focus form part of the truth of the film.
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 We shot the concerts using real dance troupes performing as if in a real eisteddfod. This was an important part of creating a credible frame in which the film could unfold. The detail - especially in the background action - was allowed to evolve naturally. It is the smaller things that the cast do, particularly the background extras, that I believe give the film depth. For example, checking hair; kids refusing to go on or nervously awaiting their turn off stage; parents doting or trying to cajole their child; children playing hand clapping games – small details that all ring true.
With so many children involved in the film, it was important to create a world that felt real for them. The main ensemble of Jazzketeers never read a script, nor were they aware of what each day would bring. For them each moment in the film unfolds for the first time when they are in it. Obviously they rehearsed their dance numbers, but this was done in a way closer to the way they might prepare for a troupe dance competition than for the dance routines of a feature film. I know working with pre-teens was a challenge for John, but he managed, after a couple of “stern chats”, to keep them on track.
On a character level, preparation for the Jazzketeers was simple. Each of the young dancers was given a character name and character belongings; personal items like a bracelet, bag, shoes and a character book. Within this character book was a brief description of who they would be playing and two paragraphs on how to use the book. From the moment they walked into dance rehearsals or onto set, we used nothing but their character names. The events in the film were to be real for the Jazzketeers. In many instances, they were actually “directed” within the scene by the adult actors.
Razzle Dazzle has some great female roles, derived obviously from writer Carolyn Wilson’s experiences: Justine lives vicariously through her child and represents the ultimate stage mother. Barbara’s officious nature and desire to be needed drives her. Paulette is the most balanced character, representing the “typical” parent. This makes for an interesting and conflicting mix and allows the actors to develop characters with different on-screen energies.
With a comedic tone that is completely understated and performances that are consistently real, the end result is a film only just this side of a documentary. In the end, I hope Razzle Dazzle engages the audience with a humorous insight into the world of dance competitions and that it is as delightful, politically incorrect and uncompromising as those who push their children forward into the bright lights.
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 PRODUCTION NOTES
Shot over just 27 days, Razzle Dazzle was a logistics challenge of some proportion from beginning to end. Not only did the film require an excellent cast to bring the characters to light, but it called for an ensemble cast of 14 children between the ages of 10 and 13 to provide the tableau of Jazzketeers.
The idea for Razzle Dazzle started as a short story written by Carolyn Wilson (director Darren Ashton’s wife). The untitled story told of a desperate stage mother called Justine and her desire to see her child succeed at any cost. Wilson and Ashton worked on the script with British comedy writer Robin Ince (long-time collaborator of Ricky Gervais of The Office) and together they developed an hilarious look at the unique world of the Australian children’s dance eisteddfod.
Having all worked together before on Ashton’s debut feature Thunderstruck, producers Jodi Matterson and Andrena Finlay were actively involved in the scripting process from the beginning.
“Jodi, Darren and I wanted to work together again,” says Andrena Finlay. “We had a really good experience on Thunderstruck and I felt that Darren’s strengths of observation, humour and heart should be encouraged for a second time”.
“Darren and Carolyn are the parents of a girl who dances; Jodi is an ex-dancer and I have a daughter who dances as well. So when they came up with this satirical but gentle look at the world of children’s dance competitions, I loved it from the moment they pitched it to me.”
Once the script was at a stage they were happy, with Matterson and Finlay started approaching the people Wilson and Ashton had in mind for the main roles. From the moment director Darren Ashton met with Kerry Armstrong the role of Justine was born, and Aunty Barbara was essentially written with Denise Roberts in mind.
It was the role of Mr Jonathon which was a challenge. The character demanded someone who was a man dedicated to expressing the politics of the world through young dancers, yet the script required someone who could portray his sense of the world with a deadpan delivery. As Ashton says “it was not until we went to the UK that we discovered Ben Miller. From the first moment he delivered a scene through to his inventive improvisations on set, we knew we had found our man. Ben understood the subtle level of comedy and the tone of the character completely.”
The rest of the adult ensemble cast came together like a dream – as each preferred person read the script, each committed to it immediately – Nadine Garner, Tara Morice, Roy Billing and Paul Mercurio, as the celebrity dance teacher brought in by Justine to coach Tenille.
“We used the script as a blueprint, but it was not until the characters were cast and the actors came into workshop the project that it really came to life,” said producer Jodi Matterson.
It was the casting of the Jazzketeers that proved probably the most challenging and the most entertaining.
Over 600 incredibly talented children came to the first round of auditions and were put through their paces – dance, improvisation and reading lines. It was from this that the final group of twelve girls were cast – and one boy! Also cast from the auditioning was Miss Elizabeth’s dance troupe – the arch-rivals of Mr Jonathon’s Jazzketeers.
As Andrena Finlay says, “there is an incredible wealth of talent in this country of children who can dance and we were so fortunate to be able to put together the troupes that we did.”
Because the film was to be a satirical yet warm look at the world of children’s dance, and shot in a mockumentary style, Darren Ashton never gave the main ensemble of Jazzketeers a copy of the script. From the first day they walked onto set they had no idea what was going to happen from one moment to the next. “It was important to create a world that felt real to them,” says director Darren Ashton. “For them each moment in the film unfolds for the first time when they are in it. Obviously they rehearsed their dance numbers, but this was done in a way closer to how they would prepare for a troupe dance competition than for a dance routine for a feature film.”
Choreographer John “Cha Cha” O’Connell worked with the children for four hours each day after school for three weeks leading up to the shoot. Within this time he choreographed, set and polished - with the help of the wonderful Pam French - the variety of competition numbers, as well as the mini-routines the girls perform in class. |
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 The children were not the only challenge for John O’Connell. British actor Ben Miller had never danced before he started work on the film. In preparation he had an intensive period of learning how to dance, with John O’Connell: “I had no time to worry about the script or the character because I was concentrating on how to learn to dance” says Miller. “John is one of the most fabulous people I’ve ever worked with. He inspires you beyond your ability.”
An extremely important element in the success of the film was the creation of the look of the film. With her extraordinary creative flair, Ariane Weiss was appointed costume designer: “Ariane looked at what dance schools do with their costumes, and then lifted it 100 notches. She is so incredibly creative and both she and Troy Follington have lifted the film visually,” says producer Jodi Matterson.
The film was fortunate to gain the hair and makeup design expertise of Troy Follington, who personally created the outrageous orange and pink wigs for both the Jazzketeers and Miss Elizabeth’s dance troupes respectively. As his wife owned a ballet school for six years, Troy is very familiar with this world and brought not only his expertise but his humour to the design of the look.
Again, to keep the look and feel of the film authentic to the dance world scene, Follington devised a “Chi Chi” make up pack which was given to each of the Jazzketeers with instructions as to the look. This was for the girls and their parents to interpret and apply - just as they would if they were in an actual dance troupe. Similarly the girls were asked to do their own hair for both the class scenes and the competitions.
For Kerry Armstrong, the wardrobe, hair and makeup were integral to bringing the character of Justine to life: “There were two elements that went into the creation of Justine. Troy had the hairpiece and Ariane had these intense mini-skirts, and from there Justine just popped out like something out of some terrible 1950s retro birthday cake, and we couldn’t get her back in!” says Kerry.
One of the largest challenges of the film was the creation of two major eisteddfod days for the Semi and Grand Final - complete with competing troupes. Associate producer John L Simpson searched dance schools in Sydney and the surrounds and discovered 40 – 50 incredibly talented troupes performing in many different styles. The major eisteddfod days were shot at Kogarah RSL for the semi-finals and Sydney Theatre for the Grand Final. “We are incredibly grateful to the children, their parents and their teachers for being so enthusiastic and gracious, not to mention talented – and allowing us to film them,” says producer Andrena Finlay. “They are very much part of the fabric of the film and bring so much to it.”
To give the film an authentic behind-the-scenes feel, cinematographer Garry Phillips chose to shoot it on HD format with Panasonic Varicams in a two-camera set up: “We chose to shoot on this format to give the film a documentary feel,” says Phillips, “With a two to four camera set up, we were not only able to shoot at 50 to 60 frames a second and capture all of the dance movements, but keep the cameras rolling” he added.
With over 120 hours of footage shot, Razzle Dazzle was a mammoth job for editor Julieanne DeRuvo. So big, in fact, that the production had to enlist the help of an additional editor (Philip Horn) to help navigate the way through the footage.
Having two editors provided a unique opportunity to have two people who brought very different strengths and skills to the editing process. Scenes would be cut independently by each editor, then brought together for discussion, and then they would swap and cut each other’s material. It was a truly collaborative editing process.
“The exciting part about having so much to work with is that you really can create any film you want in the edit suite,” says Jodi Matterson. “Because we had so many options, it was really important for us to do a number of test screenings to try out different structures and ideas on people. And because we spent many months editing the film, it was important to keep showing people with fresh eyes, because there is always the danger that because you have seen the material a thousand times you don’t find it funny anymore and are tempted to cut it,” Matterson continued.
Music plays an integral role in Razzle Dazzle. Says Matterson: “It was especially important that the music feel authentic. There were songs that were ‘must haves’ – at every eisteddfod someone always trots out “Mickey” and “Flashdance” – they are in every dance teacher’s repertoire so had to be included in our soundtrack.”
“We were amazed by how enormous the effect music has on this film. During the editing period when we were doing test screenings, we used these as an opportunity to test different music choices. When we made good choices, the film soared. When we picked the wrong songs, it was disastrous!” she continued.
A number of well-known music tracks were used in the film, but all are original versions. “We had a great deal of fun, working with some legendary Australian performers doing ‘pumped up” versions says Matterson. “Deborah Conway provides vocals on two tracks – including “Big Spender” – and she was very excited when we asked her to perform this song, because it was the song her family made her sing as a child every time they had relatives and visitors over!”
Chrissy Amphlett recorded her version of “That’s Entertainment” for the film in a studio in Las Vegas. Originally she thought she would channel Judy Garland for her vocal performance, but after hearing the recording back she said she might have channeled Ethel Merman instead! Other performers used for the soundtrack include Jon Stevens (Noiseworks), Martin Plaza (Mental As Anything) and Sean Kelly (The Models).
The heart and soul of Razzle Dazzle is that everyone involved with the making of film truly loves the world it represents. As producer Jodi Matterson concludes: “We wanted to do a satire about dancing and pushy stage mothers, but we wanted to do it with great affection because we have such a love of the world of dance and the people who live within it.” |
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