Q & A with This Is Not My Life director Peter Salmon
Peter Salmon
Peter Salmon is one of the directors on This Is Not My Life. He's also worked on Being Eve, Go Girls, Power Rangers, Outrageous Fortune - and written episodes of The WotWots.
1) Tell us a little about how you got involved in this
project
Gavin and Rachel gave me the script to the first episode
of 'This Is Not My Life' while I was directing series 1 of Go Girls
back in 2008. I sat down and read the script that night and
absolutely loved it. The story and world is so intriguing to me,
and what a challenge! When I saw the writers the next day the first
thing I said to them was, "This is awesome! A futuristic world
filled with action and suspense! But wait! How on earth can we make
this for such a low budget?!"
2)What was it about this show which attracted you to get
involved?
To be honest, I was completely drawn to ALL aspects of
this show. The story, the themes, the characters, the mystery, the
action. The intrigue of the simple domestic scenes, the paranoia -
who can be trusted? Who can help our hero? I also instantly fell in
love with the world of Waimoana, a 'perfect' town of 'happy' people
and in the middle of this perfection a man who doesn't belong. For
a director, to have all these elements in a show like this, is a
dream come true. I couldn't wait to help bring this incredibly
well-thought-out world to life.
3) What was the shooting of this show like?
It was pretty grueling actually, especially as there were
only two directors (most TV dramas have 4 or 5!) But Rob and I were
lucky to be surrounded by such an amazing crew that every day went
above and beyond the call of duty to really make something
special.
4) What were the challenges of this show?
Creating and keeping the integrity of the world of Waimoana was
probably the biggest challenge. It meant we couldn't shoot anywhere
we liked. For example, under the guidance of Tracy Collins, our
awesome designer, we were working under a precise colour palette
for the show, certain colours were not allowed. And there was
always a specific look we needed with all the buildings,
landscaping and sets we shot at. It would often mean there was a
really great angle to shoot in one direction only, but if you
turned around, you'd instantly be on the North Shore! This went for
all aspects of the design - cars, costumes, technology, etc
5)With a production like this and the filming schedule, was
there any room for fun?
You always have to have fun!! The shoot was very hard and very
serious, but there were moments we definitely found time to joke
around and keep things light. You have to laugh, otherwise you go
crazy!
6) How did This Is Not My Life differ from other projects
youve been involved in?
Often as a TV director I would be brought on to a project (i.e. Go
Girls, Outrageous Fortune, Power Rangers etc) and the look and feel
of the show would be already established, so it would be an
exercise to fit into that mould. But because 'This is not my life'
was the first series and both Rob and I were there from the
beginning of production, we were really able to put our own stamp
on it. From the way the camera moved (or in some cases didn't) to
what the PeCs (futuristic phones) would look like and how they
would operate. Working on this show was very creative and
inspiring.
7) What was it like filming with the next generation of
cameras RED cameras?
Really fantastic, and at times - infuriating! The RED camera has
such a wonderful unique look which really suits this show, but
because they are relatively new technology they weren't without
their quirks! I remember one day, first thing in the morning we
were shooting quite a emotional scene, so I decided to rehearse
very briefly to save the actors energy, and we started shooting
straight away. On the first take Charles and Tandi gave stellar
performances but half way through the scene both cameras (we mostly
shot with two cameras) decided to crash at the same time and turn
themselves off!
8) What were the cast like to work with?
The cast was a total dream team. Charles is one of the most well
prepared actors I have ever worked with, he's amazing. It was also
great working with Tandi again (last time was years ago on Being
Eve), Miriama and Steve were super, and all the guest cast are such
strong performers. We were really lucky getting the cast we did.
They were all behind the project 100%.
9) Is there any part of Waimoana that you would like to
have as part of your own life?
I really like the cars! In fact, to save money for the shoot, Rob
Sarkies and I traded in the director's car and shared one of the
tiny Waimoana eco cars during filming, so we were scooting about
town in our very own Waimoana mobile! Very nerdy, but very, very
cool!
10) Was there anything from the Waimoana world that you
tried (or succeeded) to take home from the set?
I have my very own PeC! It was the prototype phone for what was
used in the show. It's really just a piece of perspex but it holds
lots of fun memories for me.
11) Whats next for you?
I've just finished a book of illustrations called the New
York Snippets (available from my website
www.floatingboy.co.nz - what a plug!) Also a new
short film ('The Box') that was part of the NZ film festival, and
very soon I start directing a few episodes on the US TV show Power
Rangers.
