Finding My, Er, Wings
Making the film clip for UnConquered Sun is, without doubt, two of the best days I’ve had in my creative life so far.
I just loved every bit of it. Not only were Director Paul Stefanadis and Producer Irene Pannas the essence of flexibility and good cheer throughout the entire shoot – there wasn’t a cross word or a tantrum from anyone (not even me!!) – but there were plenty of laughs too, which there really has to be when you’re waltzing down a public beach at midday in a voluminous black tulle dress. Hilariously, people gathered around the spectacle not just because it was, er, interesting … but because they thought we were filming an episode of Home and Away, the famous Australian soap also shot at Palm Beach. I could have sworn I heard someone call out “onya Roo!!”.
Oddly enough, I felt insanely comfortable in that dress and half-joked that I might go down to the supermarket in it (am I alone in thinking that corsets are comfy?). But the whole thing really was like a fairy party for adults – with plenty of sheer hard work thrown in. Of course, the preparation for something like this is phenomenal and begins months beforehand – including the usual dress, hair and cosmetic dramas that descend like a series of tornadoes on most women before any public event (oh yes, girls, you know what I’m talking about). It was slightly daunting – a bit like jumping off a cliff. But you really can’t pull out halfway down, can you? As a wise woman once said to me, “best to find your wings, dear”.
Rebecca Ribbons, who styled my gorgeous moody faery outfit and Yvette Elias, who created the very flattering makeup, were golden in the way they pulled my look together. But what was truly magical – and a first-time experience for me as a performer – was the instant love I had for the camera. I promise you, I could have stayed there, chained to a rock, for months – no problem – and it was such a joy to discover this extraordinary creative outlet at a time when the conventional wisdom decrees I could – and perhaps even should – be letting such things go. As that wise woman might have said had she thought of it, “nonsense dear!!!”
I had a real sense of walking into moments of time that day – syncing with the light, the wind, the arc of the sun and Paul’s vision to create exactly what he wanted. It was such a great experience – and Paul’s generosity and cleverness as a director were essential. Some of the best shots we got were toward the end of the day, as the sun started racing elusively on to the twilight and we were forced to race with it to get the footage we wanted on the rocks overlooking the ocean at the southern end of the beach. It was all so unplanned and the result was beautiful.
But the very best bit of all? My gorgeous son picking me up in a dinghy on the inky waters of Church Point to take us both to my Mum’s house on Scotland Island. I walked up that rickety old jetty under starlight in full makeup, my black dress flowing like a night breeze to surprise her – and believe me, she was surprised lol. Doesn’t every small girl tell her Mum she wants to be a fairy princess when she grows up? Showing my son her joy was a silver moment for me both as a parent and as a daughter – a moment that made whole adventure indescribably worthwhile. That’s the most precious thing about creativity – it’s a way of making your dreams come true.