Closer Productions Explained
Closer Productions is a film and television production company founded by filmmakers Sophie Hyde and Bryan Mason in Adelaide, South Australia, in January 2004. It is known for award-winning feature films such as 52 Tuesdays (2013) and Animals (2019), as well as television series and documentary films.
History
Closer Productions was founded by Hyde and Mason, who are personal as well as professional partners, having both graduated from Flinders University in 1997.[1] They began Closer Productions in 2004[2] and produced their first work under the Closer banner in 2005.
Writer Matthew Cormack joined the pair soon afterwards, and Matthew Bate came in 2010;[3] both of them are Flinders graduates too.[1] Previously, Bate had his own company, Plexus Films, but after working on separate projects after winning FilmLab funding, with Bate having his short film The Mystery of Flying Kicks, he and the Closer team decided to amalgamate.[2]
Closer Productions was registered as a private company on 28 January 2010.[4] Producer Rebecca Summerton (also a Flinders graduate[1]) joined the company shortly after the merger.[2]
Description
The company is located in the inner Adelaide suburb of Glenside, sharing the historic former administration building of Glenside Hospital with Adelaide Studios, which are managed by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC).
The company is self-described as a "collective of film-makers"., in addition to the four directors, Hyde, Mason (editor, DOP, producer, director), Cormack (writer, sales/delivery), Summerton (producer[5]), and Bate (writer, director), other members of the team include editor, designer, and visual effects creator Raynor Pettge, emerging director and screenwriter Matt Vesely,(another Flinders graduate[1]) and director Maya Newell (Gayby Baby, In My Blood It Runs).[6]
Closer Services creates promotional films for industry clients and projects documenting various aspects of arts and architecture,[7] including for clients such as the Adelaide Festival and the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA).[2] They created a series of videos for the 2020 Tarnanthi exhibition at AGSA, which included profiles of Ernabella Arts, Iwantja Arts and Tjala Arts.[8]
Grants and mentoring
In September 2020, Closer Productions and the Adelaide Film Festival announced a "new grants program aiming to broaden accessibility to the Australian filmmaking industry for artists from underrepresented communities". Four selected emerging filmmakers would be awarded as well as the opportunity to participate in three workshops with the Closer Productions team.[9] [10]
Selected filmography
Feature fiction
Television series
Short films and documentaries
- Beyond Beliefs: Muslims & Non-Muslims in Australia (2007)
- Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure (2011), documentary/comedy/drama, written and directed by Matthew Bate
- Life in Movement (2011), a documentary about choreographer Tanja Liedtke
- Sam Klemke's Time Machine (2015), feature-length documentary, written and directed by Matthew Bate
- My Best Friend is Stuck on the Ceiling (2015), s short comic film written and directed by Matt Vesely.[13]
- A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl (2017), written and directed by, and starring Tilda Cobham-Hervey
- In My Blood It Runs (2019), feature-length documentary, directed by Maya Newell and others[14]
Awards
- Life in Movement won the best work award at the 2011 Ruby Awards,[15] the 2011 Foxtel Australian Documentary Prize[16] and AACTA nominations for direction and for best feature documentary.[15] [17] It was also nominated for the AACTA Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Direction in a Documentary, and the Australian Film Critics Association Awards Best Documentary.[18]
- 52 Tuesdays – 10 wins and 20 nominations[19]
- Fucking Adelaide (2017) – Screen Producers Australia (SPA) Awards 2018: Winner, Online Series Production of the Year[20] APDG Award for Costume Design for a Web Series 2018: Nominee (Renate Henschke); Adobe Award for Production Design for a Web Series 2018: Nominee (Amy Baker)[21]
Further reading
Notes and References
- Web site: Flinders 50 Creatives Exhibition Program . Issuu. Flinders University . 9 May 2016 . 15 August 2024.
- Web site: Closer Productions . The Adelaide Review. David . Knight . 26 September 2013 . 15 February 2021.
- Web site: The Broadsheet. Creative Couples: Sophie Hyde and Bryan Mason. 10 July 2018. Daniela. Frangos. 14 February 2021.
- Web site: Current details for ABN 44 141 586 343 . ABN Lookup . 1 November 2014 . 14 February 2021.
- Web site: Rebecca Summerton appointed to SAFC Board . SAFC . 8 January 2020 . 15 August 2024.
- Web site: Closer Productions. Info. 14 February 2021.
- Web site: Closer Services . Closer Productions . 15 February 2021.
- Web site: Tarnanthi 2020 Videos . AGSA – The Art Gallery of South Australia . 15 February 2021.
- Web site: Closer Productions and Adelaide Film Festival announce grants for underrepresented filmmakers . CityMag . 28 September 2020. Johnny . Von Einem . 15 February 2021.
- Web site: Closer Productions & Adelaide Film Festival announce grants for underrepresented voices. Glam Adelaide . 28 September 2020 . 15 February 2021.
- Web site: Fucking Adelaide. Closer Productions. 14 February 2021.
- Web site: ABC iview. F*!#ing Adelaide. 14 February 2021.
- Web site: My Best Friend Is Stuck on the Ceiling. Closer Productions. 14 February 2021.
- Web site: Closer Productions. In My Blood It Runs. 10 May 2021.
- News: Choreographer's tale tops awards. AdelaideNow. 10 September 2011. 14 September 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120908190546/http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/choreographers-tale-tops-awards/story-e6frees3-1226133421789. 8 September 2012.
- Web site: Animals. Sundance Institute. 14 February 2021. 17 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201117012000/https://www.sundance.org/projects/animals-11d062ff-9b57-4d18-8b9c-6f786f83f95f. dead.
- News: The Advertiser. Sophie’s independent streak. SA Weekend. Penelope. Debelle. 6 July 2018. 14 February 2021.
- Web site: Life in Movement: Awards. IMDb. 15 February 2021.
- Web site: 52 Tuesdays: Awards. IMDB. 14 February 2021.
- Web site: Guesswork Television, Bunya Productions top SPA Awards. if.com.au. Jackie . Keast. 23 November 2018. 14 February 2021.
- Web site: 2018 APDG Awards Winners. ADPG. 14 February 2021.