A few words from the director

DIRECTOR – CRISTOBAL ARAUS LOBOS

I was born in Santiago Chile, I migrated to Waipukurau in New Zealand with my family in 1987. I remember the streets going crazy because the All Blacks had won the world cup.

I started playing with video cameras from a young age, through that I got into photography. I learnt a couple of tricks and then I went back to video. I always kept shooting home videos with my brother, throwing him off the balcony or throwing myself off the balcony. I looked for a course to do when I was in Waipuk and the only place that was offering a course of anything to do with television or film was UNITEC up in Auckland. So I moved up here and I’ve never really looked back.

UNITEC was great because we got to meet all the people from the performing arts course as well, all of the actors. They wanted to be in films and we needed actors so it was a great relationship. They’re all different as well, that’s the great thing about actors. They all bring something new, something different, something odd. You use that to your advantage when you are making a film.

With Netherwood we started with the exploration of a character in the middle of nowhere and I guess it all just kind of came out of that very simple premise. We gave a rough concept to John (Argall) and he came up with something quite different I think, but Owen and I both embraced it. The characters were all working well and there was a mystery there which we liked. Also, the whole Western element which we hadn’t seen prior to John’s involvement, that worked really well and it anchored the whole script.

As far as the look of the film goes, the opening scene was the key for me. Once I knew how I was going to film that I knew how the rest would kind of follow. You try and work out where the tension needs to build in the film and you work to those beats and to that rhythm. We had to shoot fast and once you get into that rhythm of shooting fast, I don’t know, things come quicker. I guess I picked my shots, just seeing who matters in the scene. Sticking to the genre of the Western but trying to keep it Kiwi, trying to keep it a bit local. Even though it’s a Western we should still recognise the people.

I am very happy with the way Netherwood has turned out. I’m quite surprised at the way it looks, we shot it on such a small camera, a little DSLR 7D. The way it holds up on the big screen is really inspiring to see, it makes me want to go shoot some more! Being out in the country and having the luxury to place the camera in front of this great land was incredible. I would love to go back and shoot more there, the local people were just amazing, so supportive. North Canterbury is a very film friendly place and very cinematic.