Golfing Petes, Daniel Bowden, Wayne Tucks, and Film Crews

1. Read an article about the fires and high heat in Victoria.

It's scary stuff.

Hopefully things will cool down a bit.

The article says a cold wave is coming. Maybe that will bring some relief.

2. Looked at my weather app.

Melbourne is supposed to be cloudy and in the 70's (low 20's) on Monday.  But then it goes back to being hot and sunny Wednesday through Friday.

3. Started watching an episode of Scooter: Secret Agent.

4. Finished watching the episode and started watching another one.

5. Finished watching the episode.

Martin Sharpe, the actor who plays Scooter, reminds me of someone else. But I can't figure out who.

6. Found a 2007 Tropfest finalist film to watch.  It's called "Fore" and it's about golf.

My dad is really into golf.

Golf and Taylor Swift. Those are his big things.

7. Started watching the film.

The music at the beginning has such a short film feeling to it.

Why?

Have I heard it in other short films? Is it from a collection of stock music that directors of short films are welcome to use?

Or maybe it's original, but it sounds like something I've heard in another short film.

8. Didn't like the film in the beginning, but now it's starting to get interesting.

9. Saw from the credits, that the film DOES have an original score. It's by Geir Brillian.

Not only that, but the movie has a song at the end—with lyrics and everything. The credits list it as "Credit song". Does it not have a name?

10. Googled Pete's Golf Connection, because it was listed in the credit's thank you list.

So was Roman Polanski. That's kind of sweet. I guess the director is a Polanski fan.

I used to love Rosemary's Baby.  I think that might be the only Polanski film I've seen.

11. Figured that "Fore" was filmed at Pete's Golf Connection which is in Canberra.

12. Got idea that I have the wrong Pete's Golf place.

The thank you list also has Pete and Christine Kohlsdorf.  They're listed right under the Pete's golf. But from the Pete's Golf websites, I see that their Pete is Pete Makowski.

Should I assume the Kohlsdorfs are the ones that own the golf place?

13. Googled Pete Kohlsdorf golf, and ended up with a white pages listing. There's a Peter Kohlsdorf golf distributer.  Like Pete Makowski's golf business, Kohlsdorf's is in Canberra too.

14. Guessed that both Pete Kohlsdorf and Pete Makowski contributed to the film in some way.

15. Saw that I have TOTALLY messed up.

I went to the wrong website. I saw the Canberra golf place but accidentally clicked on the Google entry above it.

Pete Makowski's golf store is in Mineola, New York!

16. Here's the right website.

It's Pete's Golf Connection in Canberra.

And this one is owned by Pete Kohlsdorf.

17. Looked at prices for becoming a member at Pete's Golf Connection.

It's $790 for a full year, but only $690 if you're willing to give up golfing on Sundays.

18. Saw that you can also pay for things individually.

I'm trying to figure out if a driving range is a regular golf game. Or is it what they had in the movie—a thing where you just hit the ball over and over?

Well, anyway. That costs $13 for 50 balls, $16 for 75 balls, and $19 for 100 balls.  Then if you want a driver, iron, or junior club, you have to pay extra. I'm not sure what those things are. And I don't know if they're necessary or optional.

19. Consulted Lord Wiki about driving ranges. He explained that it's just practicing hitting balls. The golf game I'm thinking about is referred to as a golf course. I don't see that listed on Pete's Golf Connection as an a la carte type thing. So I guess you have to get a membership there to play on the golf course?

Ah! Never mind!

I found it.

There's a whole page about it with lots of choices. Weekends are $30 for 18 holes, and it's $26 on the weekday. If you want a shorter and cheaper game, you can play 9 holes.

20. Did the math. To make the full membership worth it, someone would need to play golf on at least twenty-seven days during the year.

I think my dad plays more than that, so it would be worth it for him. IF he lived in Australia. Having a membership in Canberra really wouldn't do him much good since he's living in Fort Worth.

21. Looked up another person on the "Fore" thanks list.

It's Leigh Hunter. He's a a golf coach, and his focus is woman and children.

Hunter says, If we get ladies and kids playing golf we'll get the dads back on course and I've seen it in my program.

That's quite clever. When someone is very focused on their hobby, they might neglect their family a bit. So, if you get the family involved, it's something they can do together.

It's very cool if it works.  It doesn't always, though. Sometimes people just can't get interested.

It's worth a try, though.

22. Thought that also sometimes people might not want their families involved.

Sometimes a hobby is a way to take a break from family. And that's fine...if it's not too often and obsessive.

23. Looked at another person on the thanks list.

Alex Cannell. He and a guy named Andrew Senti started an IT company called Sennell in 2009—two years after "Forte" was made.

I wonder what Cannell was doing back in 2007—and why did the director thank him?

Who is the director?

I should look into that.

24. Saw that the director is Duane Fogwell.

I bet he plays golf.

25. Saw that Fogwell has done a lot of editing. That seems to be his big thing.

He's worked on some major projects—The X-Factor, Masterchef, My Kitchen Rules, The Block, and other things.

His most recent show is BattleBots—a robot competition thing.

26. Thought it was sweet that Fore! is Fogwell's first film project—at least in terms of what's listed on IMDb.

27. Wondered about the cast.

There's a Simon Crean.

Isn't there a politician named Simon Crean?

28. Reminded by Lord Wiki that Simon Crean was the leader of the Labor Party from 2001-2003.

Did he do a cameo in a short golf film?  Or is it a coincidence?

29. Went to Simon Crean's filmography. It's the politician...unless there's been some mistake.

Crean is listed in being in Fore! and also listed as being a panelist on Q and A.

Being on Q and A is very much a politician thing.

Plus, the birthdays match.

30. Looked at the filmography of Daniel Bowden, the main star of "Fore".

He played Adam Ant in the INXS miniseries.

31. Saw that Bowden was already an established actor before "Fore".  He was one of the stars of the TV show Always Greener from 2001-2003.  This was around the same time that Crean was leader of the Labor Party.

32. Wondered if Duane Fogwell was friends with Bowden and Crean. Or was he friends with the friends of a friend of a friend who did him a favor?

33. Went to Daniel Bowden's acting page. It's on a website called StarNow. I think it's for actors who are looking for work.

The page is full of stuff—lists, photographs, videos, etc.

34. Started to watch a music video by Bowden called "Mr. Maybe". It features a person in a dog costume. That reminds me of Richie (Spencer McClaren) on The Secret Life of Us.

35. Saw that the video has some similarities with "Fore".

Both projects involve clones of Daniel Bowden.

36. Started to watch Bowden's showreel. The first line he has in it is G'Day Mates. That's an interesting choice. It makes me think he's trying to attract the international film community gods and is hoping they're fans of the stereotypical vision of Australia.

37. Saw Bowden on Rush—robbing a bank.

38. Had some emotions, because I'm now seeing Bowden with Chris (James Mason) on Neighbours.

You know what it's like for me when I see Neighbours stuff?  It's like going to the mall and running into the guy who dumped you.

Yeah. That's the thing. I feel dumped by Neighbours. I know I shouldn't take it personally, but I do.

It's like Neighbours said to us. Hi Americans! Welcome. Come aboard. Come live with us on Ramsey Street. Be our friend. Join our families. Then suddenly it's like, Never mind. We don't need you. Sayonara Suckers! Too bad you'll never know what happens with the Brad-Terese-Lauren triangle.

39. Hoped Coronation Street doesn't abandon me. I'm more attached to that than I ever was to Neighbours; so it would be even worse for me.

40. Decided I should return to watching the showreel.

41. Finished watching the showreel.

Bowden seems to be good at acting.

42. Learned that Daniel Bowden wears a size 10 in shoes.

It's fun learning trivial things like that. I do wonder why it's important, though. Do casting directors care about feet size?  Maybe they want to avoid really large or small feet? I'm thinking, though, that if filmmakers can hide pregnancies, they certainly could hide the wrong sized feet.

43. Saw that Daniel Bowden recently got a degree from RMIT—a Bachelors in Media and Communication.  A few years prior to that, he got a diploma in music from a school called MWT.

44. Saw that MWT is a school that provides diplomas in music, health services, and business.

I'm guessing it's kind of like a vocational school. It's an alternative to uni, perhaps?

It seems to me that Bowden skipped the regular-uni path during his younger years but then decided later to pursue it.

45. Looked at Bowden's list of accents he can do. It includes three flavors of USA accents; five UK's, Irish, Mexican, Maori, Canadian, Indian, and others.  That's impressive. I wonder if he's actually good at all of them.

46. Saw that in 2012, Bowden worked on a play called 37 Ways to Say I'm Gay.

The play is listed on a website for Australian plays that are available.  I think it's for groups looking for plays to perform.

 The play sounds good. The description says:

These are stories of coming out, 37 different ways. From prehistoric to futuristic, from America to Australia, from city to county and from comedy to drama, these are stories with heart. A young gay man's suicide is covered up, an 'are they or aren't they' boy band, a wedding ceremony that will end badly and a boy ready to confess his sexuality to his whole school... Two soldiers on the front line in World War II, a teen unable to tell his parents, an AIDS patient clinging to life and Alexander the Great just after his wedding... These are just a few of the coming out tales in this heartwarming collection

It sounds like an entertaining tearjerker kind of thing.

47. Went to the website of the playwright—Wayne Tunks.

The site talks when you scroll over the menu. It's cute, but loud—not a huge problem, though. I just lowered the volume.

Some problems are easy to fix.

48. Saw that Wayne Tucks is very prolific. He has a ton of plays—most of them gay themed, I believe.

37 Ways to Say I'm Gay is listed as being unproduced. I might have thought Daniel Bowden lied on his acting resume, except I spotted something on YouTube before.

There's a montage kind of thing. It might be promoting the play. I'm not sure.

49. Saw that Tunks has something called a pre-shoot teaser for the play. The description talks about making a film and he asks for funds.  So I guess he was trying to turn 37 Ways to Say I'm Gay into a Movie.  I think that's the project that Bowden was involved in.

50. Started to watch the teaser.

Is that Bowden in the beginning? I think it is, but I'm not positive.

51. Saw Stefan Dennis!!

He's in the video!

That's awesome.

51. Thought the video was fantastic and not just because of Stefan Dennis.

52. Looked at Trunk's list of plays. I assumed before that most were gay-themed. But now I see I'm wrong. It's a mix.

His plays look really good to me. I hope some become movies. Well, because it's not like I'm going to be able to see the plays in Australia anytime soon.

53. Figured maybe the plays could travel here.

The thing is, though, I rarely see plays. I'd much rather watch a TV show or movie.

54. Looked at Wayne Tunk's YouTube videos. He has cast video things. James Mason is in one of them—listed as one of the stars of the play Flame Trees.

55. Could not find Flame Trees on Tunk's website. It's hard going through all his plays. There are so many of them.

56. Started to watch the James Mason video.

He says Flame Trees is about bushfires.

57. Learned the play is about a woman who has been in prison for starting a bushfire. She returns home and has to deal with all the hatred directed at her.

It sounds SO good.

58. Looked up Wayne Tunks on IMDb.

I don't know if the Wayne Tunks I found is the same guy. There COULD be two Australian Wayne Tunks. I doubt it, though.

Plus, there's another Neighbours connection.  I seriously doubt there are two Australian Wayne Tunks who have connections to Neighbours actors.

Anyway, Wayne Tunks is listed as writer and director for a 1999 film called Tom's Funeral.  There's no length listed, so I'm not sure if it was a regular film or short film.

Jackie Woodburne from Neighbours was in it.

59. Looked at Wayne Tunk's blog that he has on his site. The last post is from January 2010, and he blogs about his New Years resolution of writing in his blog at least once a month.

That didn't work out.

Maybe people should make resolutions of things they DON'T want to happen.

60. Decided my New Years Resolution is to become addicted to an illegal drug.

Or I guess legal is okay.

I'm also going to exercise less, eat more trans fat, and try to get into as many huge family fights as possible.

61. Amused.

Late this afternoon, my blog post was still very short. The only thing I could think of doing was watch a short film. I doubted it would give me enough to write about.

How wrong I was.

62. Thought I was done with this post, but when I started proofreading, I realized I never looked into Geir Brillian, the guy who did music for "Fore".

63. Looked at Geir Brillian on IMDb. He did the scores for three short films and did sound mixing work for a few projects. I haven't really heard of any of them before.

64. Saw that I'm wrong.

Coffin Rock.  I've heard of that.

And actually I must have known that I heard of it before clicking on it. Because, otherwise, why would I have clicked on it?  It sounded vaguely familar so I checked it out.

Coffin Rock is the thriller with Lisa Chapelle—the one where she sleeps with a stranger for fertility reasons, and the stranger turns out to be not so nice.

65. Tried to see if Coffin Rock is on Hulu or Netflix, and guess what I ended up finding instead.

Fuller House!  It's the reboot of Full House.

I feel I should be cynical about all these reboots, but honestly, I love it.  It's like the past is coming back to us with a warm hug. Princess Leia, Han Solo, Uncle Jesse, Mulder, Scully, Topanga....

66. Remembered The Proudmans. They weren't gone very long. But still. It probably counts as a reboot. Or a comeback, at least.

67. Remembered that I'm supposed to be looking at Geir Brillian.

For Coffin Rock, he was the recording engineer and mixer

68. Wished that when I was young and loved films that I knew there were so many different jobs in the industry. I wish I had understood that you didn't have to luck out with a writer, director, or actor job in order to be part of it all.

I mean obviously I knew there was more to the crew than the director and writer.  How could anyone miss that long list of names that zooms by. It was probably more a case of overly high aspirations. What's the point of being part of a film if you're not one of the big guys?

Now, though, it all seems so awesome to me. I would love to be part of a film or television crew—a sound mixer; someone who helps with the set design; part of the special effects team. Anything like that. Though I'm not trained for any of it.

69. Felt the one job I wouldn't like is an assistant type thing—you know where you allow someone to treat you like dirt in hopes that one day you'll be in their place treating your assistant like dirt.

What I would want is to be part of a department—like Geir Brillian.  The music department of Coffin Rock had six people, and he was one of them.

On top of that, there's a whole sound department with sixteen people.

70. Thought that what I'd most want is to be part of the art department.

I know nothing about interior design, so someone else in the team would do that.

I would want to be the person who buys the character stuff—the one who decides what books the characters would have on the shelf; what kind of dishes they use; what notices are posted on their refrigerator.....

I think that would be the best film/television job ever.

71. Looked at the art department people for Coffin Rock. I'm trying to figure out who has the job I'm thinking about.  I think there might be three of them—

No, wait. Four.

There's a props buyer, a set dresser, an additional set decorator, and an additional scenic artist.

There's other jobs as well that might be connected.

72. Remembered to get back to Geir Brillian.

Here's a website about Brillian. He's Icelandic.

I have a little bit of a thing for Iceland. It's not huge like my Australia-thing.  It's just a minor kind of attraction.

I mean it's really small. I know very little about Iceland. I haven't done a bunch of research. I don't even know the leader.

I know they eat some kind of hotdog there, and there's that music group Of Monsters and Men. I love their "Lakehouse" song.

Then there's one more thing that I know. They brought QuizUp to the world...which I play way too much.

73. Decided it's not in my destiny to learn about Geir Brillian.

I keep getting distracted by a zillion different things.






How would our world change if we knew for sure there was life after death, and it was easy for our dearly-departed to talk to us via the Internet?   


The Dead are Online  a novel by Dina Roberts