FOREVER FIRST LOVE

Director's Statement

Director’s Notes - Forever First Love Forever First Love began to take shape on a weekend away with my actor friend, Kevin Spink. After many discussions around first loves, heartbreak and holiday romances, the idea for the film was born. We wrote the initial story outline and found that the narrative had a universal appeal, particularly among our family and friends. I enlisted some of my colleagues in the film community in Brisbane to share ideas on how to bring the film to life. I pitched the story to our Director of Photography, Shing Fung Cheung, who had spent a few years filming in the Philippines and he suggested that the texture and colour of the Philippines would create the perfect backdrop for the film. I was quick to explore Cheung’s idea and completely agreed, which is how this adventure began. I spent the following few months writing the screenplay, working with friends and industry professionals to workshop the script and create realistic dialogue. I also utilized this time to research the Philippines and how the setting would influence the story. With the first draft in hand, I organised a script read with some well-known Australian actors and as we explored the themes and tones throughout the read, the potential of the story became apparent. Having worked on previous film projects with both Carmel Savage and Janelle Rayner, they agreed to co-produce the film and started working quickly to translate the story to screen. Understanding that ‘first love’ is a shared human experience, I wanted to write a story that resonated with people, whilst also exploring the changing attitudes of women towards love and romance. I also wanted to uncover the feelings of regret, ‘what could have been’ and the perception of ‘the one that got away’. Female perspective was essential in developing the story and myself, Rayner and Savage worked together to refine the script. The story is written from Paul’s point of view. Paul is an international photographer, who has followed his passion to the Philippines to capture that perfect image. In the chaos and heat of a crowded market, his first love, Anna appears in his lens. Paul convinces Anna to go on an adventure with him and together they explore exotic locations, share confessions and experience a night of passion that neither could have anticipated. But in harsh reality of the morning after, Paul comes to realise that living his life through a lens will never be enough.  After the script was completed, myself, Rayner and Cheung set off on an adventure to the Philippines for a location scout. Having previously worked with Cheung, we were fortunate to enlist one of the Philippines most well-respected Line Producers, Phyllis Grae Grande, and through her support we were given access to the best film crew and equipment rentals in the country. Whilst researching the Philippines, I had stumbled across a location the far north-west coast called Vigan City. Known for its cobblestone paved streets and heritage houses, my instincts told me this could bestow the charming scenery that was essential for the film and I convinced my colleagues that we should travel there on our scout. Vigan City was perfect - it was like stepping back in time. This decision was crucial to the success of the film, with the 16th Century Spanish Colonial Town featuring as another character throughout the film and adding so much to the overall tone and romance of the story. After the location scout, the potential was evident, passions were high and the film came together quickly. Approximately 3 months after the scout, we set off to the Philippines to commence shooting. The project was filmed on a low budget and financed entirely through private investment. We were able to keep filming costs to a minimum through meticulous planning and scheduling, with Principal Photography being accomplished in just 12 days and to the credit of our Australian and Filipino crew who worked tirelessly to finish the film on time. After an extensive search throughout Australia and internationally, I found a London-based, Italian actress, Carlotta Morelli, who embodied all the complexities required to play the role of Anna. Morelli initially self-taped for the part, then we moved to a Skype audition and I had no doubt that she was the perfect Anna, so we offered her the role. I am grateful that Morelli believed so much in the project that she was willing to put her faith in our unknown team and travel half-way around the world to join the production. Two weeks before filming commenced, the actor we had cast in the leading role had to step aside due to scheduling conflicts and we were faced with the possibility of postponing the entire production. Determined to find our new leading role, we were lucky to come across popular Australian Actor, Steven Rooke. Rooke agreed to audition for the role and with little time to prepare, he nailed it. His talent and professionalism was obvious, it felt as if he had been with the production from the beginning. With no time to waste, I organised Skype rehearsals with Morelli and Rooke and together we work-shopped the scenes through a screen in the fortnight leading up to the shoot. I knew the chemistry of the actors was fundamental to the success of the story and recognized there was some risk in having them meet for the first time on set, but my belief in their talent was unwavering and I was confident they would pull it off, even with the time constraints we faced. They exceeded my expectations and really brought the story to life. It was wonderful to witness the founding of their friendship off-screen and they were a great support to each other throughout the shoot. We faced many obstacles shooting overseas and we were able to gain the support of the Philippines Press Centre, as well as meeting with the Governor and Vice-Governor of Ilocos Sur Province who cleared us to film in the region. We had 5 days of Pre-Production in Vigan City to prepare the locations, rehearse with the actors and build rapport with our Filipino crew. Due to budget constraints, we didn’t have the luxury of a Production Designer, and as luggage weight restrictions are imposed on international flights, most of the set dressing had to be sourced in Vigan City and it felt like chaos to pull it altogether in time. The production was also challenged with language barriers, tight time-frames and twelve-hour days scheduled with no time for error. The hot weather conditions were gruelling at times, particularly on our final shooting days in Manila, and we all persevered on the shoulders of our talented Steadicam Operator, Alec Shultz, who battled through the conditions with 50kg of equipment strapped to his body to capture some of my favourite moments in the film. Crowds of people would flock to our filming locations and we found the Filipino public was really supportive and respectful of our filming requirements which definitely added to the overall experience. It was a great adventure for the actors and the crew and whilst we endured the heat, crowds and tight scheduling, everyone pulled together to capture the stunning footage and truthful performances from the actors. The Filipino crew were incredible, sharing with me that they normally work a 24-hour day filming with only a day in between, it was no surprise that they had a strong work ethic. It made me appreciate how lucky we are in Australia to work under more privileged conditions. The Filipino crew was staying with us at the location in Vigan City and I particularly enjoyed the conversations held each night when we would wrap filming, sharing stories about our lives and having a laugh. Always with a smile on their faces, the team had an incredible sense of fun and level of professionalism which brought so much joy to the project. Many of our Filipino team stood in as extras whenever needed, so we have a wonderful record of our time with them. Once we returned to Australia, I spent 2 weeks in Noosa, a town on the Sunshine Coast, enjoying bush walks through the national park and ocean swims in between editing the first cut of the film. At this stage the film was 85% complete, but we felt it would be beneficial to view the first cut to determine how we could interweave the flashbacks into the film. Allowing the brief space between shoots and with the advantage of the first cut in hand, we were able to easily work the flashbacks into the narrative, filling in any gaps in the plot and creating moments that perfectly fitted the edited footage on screen. The flashback sequences of young Paul and Anna were filmed in Australia on Bribie Island, a small island off the coast of Queensland and about an hour from my home town of Brisbane. While Cheung and I were scouting the flashback locations, we came across a secluded beach with an elaborate tepee made from sticks which perfectly mirrored the net tepee that drapes from the top of Paul’s bed in the romantic scenes in the Philippines. Beautiful Australian beaches and forests added contrast to the locations in the Philippines and were very much part of the narrative. Once we wrapped Principal Photography, I bunkered down over the next couple of months and finalised the edit of the film. Working vigorously alongside our Sound Designer, Michael Angelo Monaco, in order to complete post production sound and remain within our budget. Monaco played a pivotal role in the production, going above and beyond to help when needed and this included several sleepless nights of data wrangling when we were under pressure in the Philippines. My good friend, Peter Spierig (Predestination, Daybreakers & Winchester), was one of the biggest supporters of the project, jumping on board and composing the exquisite score for the film. Collaborating with Spierig was a highlight of my career so far and he made the process seamless, creating a score that perfectly captures the real emotion of the story. I am indebted to the talented and professional team of people who made this adventure unforgettable and proud to share Forever First Love as my debut feature film as Writer and Director. I have taken inspiration from filmmakers such as Peter Weir, Alexander Payne and Steven Spielberg throughout my career and wanted to create a story that delves into our fundamental desire for human connection and attachment to the past. Forever First Love explores themes around love, identity, culture and the complexity of relationships when stereotypes and assumptions collide. I hope the film starts a dialogue around the perception of traditional love and the changing gender roles in modern relationships. LUKE MAYZE Writer / Director