The depths of Sanctum: Part 1
Monday, January 31, 2011
I’m almost in the mind to call this Sanctum week because not only is the film out on Thursday, I have three delightful (that’s subjective) stories with exclusive interviews coming your way. This is the first and I dedicate it to Alister Grierson, who once said he reads this blog and made a she-geek very happy. I hope you like it. 
Alister Grierson just had “a Sanctum moment”. By that, he means something disastrous nearly happened underwater.
``I've just come back from diving in a shark tank at Melbourne Aquarium because some idiot thought it would be a good idea to get (producer) Andrew Wight and I in there for a shoot,'' he says.
``We tried this gag where we took out our regulators so the photographer could have pictures without them in our mouths and then I couldn't get it back in.
``I went into a mild panic because of course the photographer is comfortably behind glass while we're three metres under the water with sharks swimming around us.
``I thought this is going to be a terrible headline `director dead in Melbourne aquarium'.''
Thankfully a Hollywood tragedy was averted and Grierson says it reminded him `why I haven't dived since we finished the shoot a year ago'. The shoot he's talking about is Sanctum, the $30 million underwater, 3D, action adventure film shot on the Gold Coast at Warner Roadshow Studios and executive produced by film legend James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar, Aliens). The film is loosely based on the real-life experience of producer and writer Andrew Wight and sees a group of explorers trapped in an underwater cave system when a freak storm collapses the entrance.
Burleigh Heads local Grierson was handpicked by Cameron to direct the film after the Oscar-winner saw his 2006 debut Kokoda, also filmed on the Gold Coast.
``Al wasn't afraid of challenge,'' says Cameron.
``To step into this film after having gone from a $3 million dollars for Kokada . . .for him to throw himself into this project that's an order of magnitude bigger in almost every way.
``He likes challenges, I like challenges. We were fated to work together.''
That's big praise from arguably one of the most successful filmmaker's of our time, but Grierson says he didn't let it affect him . . .much.
``Everyone asks me about the relationship with James and if I felt under pressure and the truth is I didn't really, it was just the stress of making picture and the moving parts,'' he says.
``Obviously James had high expectations otherwise he wouldn't be involved.''
Those “moving parts” Grierson speaks of include building an artificial cave system, choreographing dangerous stunts, mastering the Cameron-Pace Fusion Camera system used on Avatar and handling a $30 million budget. It's not surprising that his work day usually ended at 4am during the shoot.
``It was a very challenging film,'' he says.
``The water and the light were the two biggest challenges.
``Everyone's been focussing on the 3D, but there's no easy way to do a film like this.
``It's the great Australian tradition of Aussie low budget filmmaking in that they have to work outside the box and find low budget options.
``Nicholas McCallum, our production designer, had a huge impact.
``As you can imagine doing, a picture like this, the engineering elements are just really impressive and with the special effects guys . . .in the waterfall scene for example, they had to fuse 200, 000 litres of water a minute through there and they had to build a small apartment to do it.''
But beyond the 3D visuals and impressive special-effects, Sanctum is packing some serious substance. As the explorers become increasingly desperate to survive, they are plunged into some tough ethical situations that are more than a little difficult for the audience to watch.
``That's kind of really the whole point of the movie - I wanted to ask some moral questions and have people ask themselves what they would do in that situation,'' says Grierson.
``There's no right choice because every action has a negative consequence, there's an accountability and responsibility for your own actions which is one of the core things running through it.
``I hope there are white knuckle elements, fear and shocks to get the audience to go on that journey with the father and son which leads to that poignant moment at the end.''
Stayed peeled for `The depths of Sanctum’ parts II and III.
``I've just come back from diving in a shark tank at Melbourne Aquarium because some idiot thought it would be a good idea to get (producer) Andrew Wight and I in there for a shoot,'' he says.
``We tried this gag where we took out our regulators so the photographer could have pictures without them in our mouths and then I couldn't get it back in.
``I went into a mild panic because of course the photographer is comfortably behind glass while we're three metres under the water with sharks swimming around us.
``I thought this is going to be a terrible headline `director dead in Melbourne aquarium'.''
Thankfully a Hollywood tragedy was averted and Grierson says it reminded him `why I haven't dived since we finished the shoot a year ago'. The shoot he's talking about is Sanctum, the $30 million underwater, 3D, action adventure film shot on the Gold Coast at Warner Roadshow Studios and executive produced by film legend James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar, Aliens). The film is loosely based on the real-life experience of producer and writer Andrew Wight and sees a group of explorers trapped in an underwater cave system when a freak storm collapses the entrance.
Burleigh Heads local Grierson was handpicked by Cameron to direct the film after the Oscar-winner saw his 2006 debut Kokoda, also filmed on the Gold Coast.
``Al wasn't afraid of challenge,'' says Cameron.
``To step into this film after having gone from a $3 million dollars for Kokada . . .for him to throw himself into this project that's an order of magnitude bigger in almost every way.
``He likes challenges, I like challenges. We were fated to work together.''
That's big praise from arguably one of the most successful filmmaker's of our time, but Grierson says he didn't let it affect him . . .much.``Everyone asks me about the relationship with James and if I felt under pressure and the truth is I didn't really, it was just the stress of making picture and the moving parts,'' he says.
``Obviously James had high expectations otherwise he wouldn't be involved.''
Those “moving parts” Grierson speaks of include building an artificial cave system, choreographing dangerous stunts, mastering the Cameron-Pace Fusion Camera system used on Avatar and handling a $30 million budget. It's not surprising that his work day usually ended at 4am during the shoot.
``It was a very challenging film,'' he says.
``The water and the light were the two biggest challenges.
``Everyone's been focussing on the 3D, but there's no easy way to do a film like this.
``It's the great Australian tradition of Aussie low budget filmmaking in that they have to work outside the box and find low budget options.
``Nicholas McCallum, our production designer, had a huge impact.
``As you can imagine doing, a picture like this, the engineering elements are just really impressive and with the special effects guys . . .in the waterfall scene for example, they had to fuse 200, 000 litres of water a minute through there and they had to build a small apartment to do it.''
But beyond the 3D visuals and impressive special-effects, Sanctum is packing some serious substance. As the explorers become increasingly desperate to survive, they are plunged into some tough ethical situations that are more than a little difficult for the audience to watch.``That's kind of really the whole point of the movie - I wanted to ask some moral questions and have people ask themselves what they would do in that situation,'' says Grierson.
``There's no right choice because every action has a negative consequence, there's an accountability and responsibility for your own actions which is one of the core things running through it.
``I hope there are white knuckle elements, fear and shocks to get the audience to go on that journey with the father and son which leads to that poignant moment at the end.''
Stayed peeled for `The depths of Sanctum’ parts II and III.
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