Abstract
Maras examines the work of Warwick Thornton, a trained writer, cinematographer and director, with deep roots to Indigenous communities in Central Australia. The chapter examines key themes in his approach: including the impact of cinematography on his thinking about performance, scripting with sound and the role of the Indigenous filmmaker today. In the interview that forms the second part of the chapter, Thornton elaborates on his stylistic choices, his relationship to writing, Indigenous communities and reflects on his working methods in Samson and Delilah, as well as his earlier short films.
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Notes
- 1.
The Stolen Generations refers to generations of Indigenous children in Australia forcibly removed from families from the late 1800s up to the 1970s.
References
Boukabou, Ruby. 2007. ‘Warwick and Kath.’ Inside Film 103 (October). Accessed 26 October 2015. http://samsonanddelilah.com.au/uploads/IF.pdf
Clague, Pauline. (2013) ‘The Five Beats of Indigenous Storytelling.’ Lumina 11. Accessed 26 October 2015. http://www.aftrs.edu.au/media/books/lumina/lumina11r-ch3-1/index.html
Davies, Therese. (2009) ‘Love and Social Marginality in Samson and Delilah.’ Senses of Cinema 51 (July). Accessed 29 November 2015. http://sensesofcinema.com/2009/feature-articles/samson-and-delilah/
Gallasch, Keith. 2009. ‘The Seeing Ear, the Hearing Eye.’ Realtime 90 (April/May): 23. Accessed 29 November 2015. http://www.realtimearts.net/article/issue90/9404
Janke, Terri. 2009. Pathways & Protocols: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Working with Indigenous People, Culture and Concepts. Accessed 29 September 2016 https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/about-us/doing-business-with-us/indigenous-content/indigenous-protocols
Michaels, Eric. 1989. For A Cultural Future: Francis Jupurrurla Makes TV at Yuendumu. Sydney: Art & Text.
Millard, Kathryn. 2011. ‘The Screenplay as Prototype.’ In Analysing the screenplay, edited by Jill Nelmes, 142–157. London: Routledge.
Thornton, Warwick. 2009a. Interview by Fenelle Kenerbone, Sunday Arts, ABC1, 10th May. Accessed 9 February 2015. http://www.abc.net.au/tv/sundayarts/txt/s2567721.htm
Thornton, Warwick. 2009b. ‘The Making of Samson & Delilah.’ Interview by Keith Gallasch. Realtime 90 (April/May): 24. Accessed 14 January 2015. http://www.realtimearts.net/article/issue90/9405
Thornton, Warwick. 2009c. ‘Warwick Thornton discusses Samson and Delilah with the WSWS.’ Interview by Richard Phillips. World Socialist Web Site, May 14. Accessed 14 January 2015. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2009/05/inte-m14.html
Thornton, Warwick. 2009d. ‘Interview with Warwick Thornton.’ Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Accessed 14 January 2015. http://generator.acmi.net.au/gallery/media/interview-warwick-thornton
Thornton, Warwick. 2010. ‘An Interview with Warwick Thornton.’ Interview by Will Owen. Aboriginal Art & Culture: An American Eye, 12th October. Accessed 14 January 2015. https://aboriginalartandculture.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/an-interview-with-warwick-thornton/
Thornton, Warwick, and Kath Shelper. 2012. ‘A Distinctive Voice.’ Interview by Rachael Turk. Lumina 1: 35–44.
Film References
The Darkside. 2013. Dir: Warwick Thornton, Australia, 94 mins.
Green Bush. 2005. Wr: Warwick Thornton, Dir: Warwick Thornton, Australia, 13 mins.
Mimi. 2002. Wr: Warwick Thornton, Dir: Warwick Thornton, Australia, 13 mins.
Nana. 2007. Wr: Warwick Thornton, Dir: Warwick Thornton, Australia, 6 mins.
Payback. 1996. Wr: Warwick Thornton, Dir: Warwick Thornton, Australia, 12 mins.
Radiance. 1998. Wr: Louis Nowra, Dir: Rachel Perkins, Australia, 83 mins.
Samson and Delilah. 2009. Wr: Warwick Thornton, Dir: Warwick Thornton, Australia, 101 mins.
The Sapphires. 2012. Wr: Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson, Dir: Wayne Blair, Australia, 103 mins.
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Maras, S. (2016). Ethics, Style and Story in Indigenous Screenwriting: Warwick Thornton in Interview. In: Maras, S. (eds) Ethics in Screenwriting. Palgrave Studies in Screenwriting. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54493-3_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54493-3_3
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