Story

Armature is a story about loss, dealing with grief and the inability of Australian men to connect or seek help. 

The drought has left farmer Lindsey Sullivan high and dry. His stock is dying, his wife has left and his elderly father George is missing. Unable to connect with his distraught son Patrick, all he can do is search aimlessly to find whatever he can of George on their boundless, dead acreage. Meanwhile Patrick works tirelessly on a taxidermy project in secret, a tribute to his lost grandfather's trade. Later Lindsey finds out his wife plans to take Patrick from him, the last thing he has left. A slave to these changes Lindsey retreats into waiting and watching, absolutely desititute. When his wife arrives he goes to confront an unreceptive Patrick with the news. Patrick tries desperately to bar Lindsey from entering his shed but is unable to. It is there that Lindsey discovers the nightmarish reality of what has been happening under his nose. He discovers the taxidermied corpse of his father George.

Crew

Writer/Director - Riley Nimbs

Riley has the power to write and direct compelling and powerful films which leave lasting impressions on his audience, such as his first Swinburne production ‘Mumma’s Little Angel’ (2018). Riley believes that the screen is a unique medium for storytelling, and is where a story like ‘Armature’ belongs. This film is something he has been stewing over for years, and he hopes to bring it to fruition with his crew over the next year.

Producer - Maddy Owen

Having always had a passion for film, Maddy has an enthusiasm for creating content that tells impactful stories. Through her university degree, she has experience in working with people to bring their stories from the page to the screen. In 2018, she produced her first documentary ‘Surf Mermaid’ which won ‘Best Documentary’ at ‘Peninsula Film Festival,’ and screened in London at the ‘Little Wing Film Festival.” She hopes that her next endeavour - ‘Armature’ has even more success.

Associate Producer - Holly Volkmer

Making short films since receiving a Sony TropFest DVD in 2007, Holly has had a passion for the logistics, and creativity it requires to bring stories to life. She has produced a number of short films, most with a focus on human interaction, and minority groups, which is something she believes is important to explore. A short documentary ‘Transpiration’ (dir. Maggie Brittingham) she produced has recently been screened at MQFF, TILDE, Setting Sun Festival, Hanoi International Queer Film Festival, and Mezipatra Queer Film Festival.

Cinematographer - Byron Hewson

Byron has shot short films, documentaries, film components for theatre and several events and functions. In 2018, Byron was the cinematographer on the ‘The Third Team’, a documentary that was screened at CSFF, Bayside and Wollongong film festivals. Byron is an enthusiastic and passionate creative who is excited to work with the crew on this ambitious project.

Production Designer - Shenae Louise

From a fine arts background, Shenae has taken her passion for artistry and translated it to the screen. Since 2018, she has worked on various films and music videos with a substantial  focus on production design, across a variety of genres and styles. To date, she has worked on nine productions, and with this ample experience, she looks forward to expanding her repertoire with ‘Armature.’ 

Sound Designer - Josh Whitaker

Dating back to 2017, Josh has been keenly focused on pursuing a career in sound, both on set and in post. Since then, having worked on numerous student films at Swinburne, Deakin, JMC, as well as in the indie scene, he knows his way around a pole. He believes a rich story should tell you more about the characters and the world than just what’s in frame, it's a dynamic affair between sound and light where one is never disjointed. A symbiotic play of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Editor - Jaide Innes

In her third year of FTV at Swinburne, Jaide has developed a keen focus on editing short films and documentaries across a number of Swinburne productions. With an attraction to dark, layered stories Jaide’s innate ambition is to help her director and team collaborate, cultivate and realise meaningful and compelling film stories through the art of cutting. Hoping to progress her interest in editing, Jaide is eager to extend her editing skills on Armature and contribute to the production of this personal and eloquent short film.

Challenges

This film is ambitious, but is a story we believe should be told. From rural locations, heavy use of prosthetics and special effects to the use of a safety officer - we face a lot of challenges in creating this film. All of the above will cost us funds that we as students need help acquiring, and without them the film simply cannot be made. 

Photos by: Emmie Guy

The biggest financial demand of this film is the production design, with the taxidermy and prosthetic elements of the script proving to be costly. We want to use props that will enhance what is in the script, bringing the story to life in an exciting way. This involves sourcing and creating realistic props and using special effects to create the illusion we are trying to put on the screen.

However other costs also include paying our talented actors, paying for location use and hiring a safety officer to monitor the use of dangerous props. Smaller costs such as feeding our cast and crew during production also contribute to the ‘big picture’ so to speak, so every donation counts!

• Production Design (43.4%)

• Safety, Catering and Travel (20.5%)

• Marketing and Festival Entry (18.3%)

• Lighting, Grading and Music Fees (11.8%)

• Cast (5.9%)

We appreciate any and all donations, and want to reward our supporters for helping us create this exciting project. Not only are you helping us make this film, you are helping us learn new skills and gain experiences in filmmaking which will launch us into a career in the industry one day (hopefully!).