Behind the Lens: Austin vs Australia pt. I

If there’s anything I talk about most frequently, it’s about my adventures from down under. When I was 20 years old, I left California and embark on an adventure I never thought I would take. I moved to Sydney, Australia.

At the time, I was working for Apple and knew I could request a transfer to another location. So I opted for something bigger than just another local store. I was tired of the repetition I was stuck in and needed to feel a spark of creativity. I knew that moving somewhere that was unfamiliar, somewhere I didn’t know anyone, and somewhere I couldn’t easily get bailed out of, would be the best option for me to grow and learn.

I created a blog for my travels.
www.austinvsaustralia.tumblr.com

While I was there, I had intended on applying to Chapman University into their Dodge College film production program. Long story short, my house was broken into while I was at work, and my computer, among many other things, were stolen before I could finish the application process.

So what does that have to do with today?

Fast forward 2 years later. I’m ready to give it another shot.

I’ve been working on this for a while now. And now we’re well on our way shooting.
I decided to make a 2 minute movie trailer covering my move to Australia, meeting people, finding a place to live, getting robbed, and backpacking. Seems like a lot to cover ya?

This has been an extremely challenging project, but already the footage I’m reviewing looks great. And I most definitely could not do it without the help of so many people.

I wanted to take a moment to list the people who have been so involved and helpful in the making of this project.

Michael Maughan as Austin Hughes
Kelsey Carter as Tessa
Zander Denador as George
Natalie Delsindico as Christine
JD Reyerson as Apple boss
Christine Stewart helping with sound bites and Australian slang

As well as all the help and support from Jacqueline Welham, Elizabeth Whitten, and Colin Sprague.

I’m trying to include as much from my travels as possible, but with the minimal time, the lack of Australian accents, and fitting around schedules, I’ve had to combine stories and alter it for the sake of telling a fluid story.

So far, we’ve filmed jumping on board a train that lead us way out of our intended destination, awkwardly standing outside of my original Apple Store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, waking up at 6 in the morning for a scene of packing his bags, a massive hike for backpacking, and an Aussie house party with a good old bag of goon.

There’s still so much to do, and still so many roles to cast, but this may be the biggest solo project I’ve done in a while that wasn’t for a client or a job. It’s not easy, but it will be well worth the effort. With or without acceptance into Chapman.

More to come…