by Ron Elliott
She fell amongst people on the cool damp grass. Frances and Samuel found her. She lay on the glass looking back at their house. She was in a lifeboat, the ship on fire. The Christmas tree caught and whooshed white in the window, popping each little glass pane, cascading sparks. Helen giggled. They’d done it. They had the best Christmas display in the street.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author wishes to acknowledge the following sources: ‘A Young Girl’s Confession’ from Marcel Proust, Pleasures and Regrets, 1896; Sunsest Blvd, written by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder and D.M. Marshman Jr, 1950; the online quotes in ‘For the Birds’ epigraph have been morphed from www.onestopclick.com/tag/56/business-connectivity/United Kingdom and gettingafreewebsite.com/the-g1-blueprint; Wayne Swan in www.bncc.com.au/2012/newsletter/wayneswan2012; opening image in ‘Small Claims’ comes from ‘Old Drive-in Theatre in McCamey, Texas’ by Clinton Steeds, Flickr Yahoo (www.flickr.com/photos/cwsteeds/4974191705/lightbox).
Ross Hutchens and I have worked on many stories together since back in the day, including ‘Small Claims’, ‘For the Birds’ and ‘Random Malice’. Story conferencing can occur in front of a basketball hoop.
Sue Taylor and I have worked on many television shows and feature ideas together including ‘For the Birds’, ‘The Ring-In’ and ‘Double or Nothing’. Story conferencing can occur in restaurants serving very bad food in a variety of countries.
It does not take many glasses of wine to unlock screenwriters’ scurrilous stories about the producers with whom they’ve worked. On the other hand ... without Ross and Sue, I don’t believe these stories would have been written. Their interest, encouragement and criticism have been absolutely essential. Their friendship is dear. Any faults of course with the finished stories lie entirely with – the director.
Georgia Richter has toiled once again with great wisdom, sensitivity and patience. I do hope I have not broken her in the process as she is too important to WA writers. Thanks to the rest of the team at Fremantle Press, especially Claire Miller, Clive Newman and Naama Amram.
Michelle Johnston has read all of this. She has read the worst first drafts and read them in the worst circumstance – under my unwavering critical gaze monitoring any reaction with seismic sensitivity. For your unflagging valour, thank you, babe.
The stories that make up this collection have had a variety of inputs. There has been encouragement, criticism and suggestion from producers, government agencies and broadcasters. Money has changed hands and lights have been turned to green. A lot of care and work and belief has been invested.
‘Small Claims’ (nee ‘Just Desserts’): Ross Hutchens and I received script development funding from the Australian Film Commission for a number of drafts. I also received valuable feedback from SBS as part of a production funding initiative and further development assistance from ScreenWest with a valuable script edit from Victor Gentile. I’d also like to thank Rebecca Anderton for some timely advice. This project had a public reading at what is now PICA. I’d like to thank the actors who worked with me along the way, especially Paula and Marcus.
‘Random Malice’: Ross and I received script development funding from the Western Australian Film Council and ScreenWest over a number of drafts. Ken Kelso script edited a draft.
‘The Ring-In’ (nee ‘Random Variations’): ScreenWest invested in a number of drafts of this project. Sue Taylor first worked with me on this story, with script editing by Ian David. It was later picked up by Ian Booth and I worked with Carlo Burelli as prospective director and another script edit by Ken Kelso. Cheers, Ken.
‘Double or Nothing’ (nee ‘Crossed Lines’ and ‘The Scottish Play’): won a script-pitching contest and was picked up by Sue Taylor and Ross Tinney and developed with Sandy Ross at Scottish Television. I was working with Sue at the time on the television series Minty. I’d also like to thank Murray Oliver for his script feedback and Steve McCall for his crucial ‘canny’ notes on Scottish pronunciation and spelling for the prose story.
‘For the Birds’: I’m not sure anything official ever happened with this, but I worked on it with Ross and Sue. I have some notes from Margaret Kelly at ScreenWest but I can’t find a contract or any record of money changing hands. I wrote a number of drafts and do remember some lunches but come to think of it, I paid for my own food. Those bastards!
I would like to acknowledge the essential investments made by ScreenWest in the development of these stories. The Western Australian Film Council and ScreenWest have nurtured many projects and screen practitioners through Western Australia and continue to do so.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank Lotterywest for their superb and continuing contribution to the arts in Western Australia.
I’d further like to thank the script assessors at AFC, WAFC and ScreenWest for their feedback and service to writers, in particular Margaret Kelly and Victor Gentile, and to the WA chapter of the Australian Writers’ Guild. Cheers Alan. I’d also like to thank Gwenda Marsh for teaching me to write for television and for making so much of it absolutely magical.
ALSO BY RON ELLIOTT
A simple boy with an amazing gift.
A promise to a dying man.
And a nation that wants to believe.
Can a twelve year old boy become the hero his country needs?
‘...a sparkling novel with serious overtones and tantalising glimpses of real-life history.’— Adelaide Advertiser
‘...you don’t have to be a cricket fan to enjoy this delightful story about how an unsophisticated boy makes his mark in a world of men.’— Launceston Examiner
‘This is a great yarn...’— The Age
Available from www.fremantlepress.com.au and all good bookstores
