Central TAFE Advanced Diploma of Screen student Rob Livings is one step closer to Hollywood after scoring a “Dollar Baby Deal” to turn the Stephen King short story Cain Rose Up into a short film.
The Dollar Baby Deal was instigated by the world-famous author in an effort to ‘give something back’ to aspiring film makers by allowing them to make films of his short stories for the cost of one dollar.
Rob will be adding his name to an esteemed list of directors who have taken advantage of the deal when he creates his film, which he plans to stamp as uniquely Australian.
“Cain Rose Up is the story of a boy who has been pushed too far by the pressures of school. I’ve always been interested in stories on people who are pushed to the edge, through stress, bullying or frustration, as I find them great character study pieces” he said.
“The key thing I would like to do with this film is to make it significantly Australian by exaggerating the accents, and ensuring the school life is how it would be in Australia, rather than how it is portrayed in the story. I think this will contrast nicely with other films of Stephen King’s work.”
It took the Carramar based student more than two years, and dozens of emails, to land the once in a lifetime opportunity.
“I was given the name of a contact who I emailed on a weekly basis for about two months before going online to find other avenues. Finally, after several dead ends, I tracked down Stephen King’s assistant and got the contract.”
It’s a dream come true for Rob who has wanted to make movies since he was a kid.
“The excitement that I would get from running into a video store was significantly more than the rest of my family,” he said.
“It wasn’t until I was about 14 that I realised I could look at working in the Film and Television industry as a career. I chose Central TAFE because of its reputation in the industry and am currently in my third year and focusing on Producing.”
“In the future I would like to be directing family films, both overseas and in Australia, but for now I’m enjoying working in a variety of genres, especially documentaries, in any role that’s available.”
“I don’t see this contract as a win, I simply see it as an opportunity to show people in Australia and overseas what I can do with the material of a successful author. What I would love to come from it is the opportunity to adapt my favourite Stephen King novel, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.”
Since its launch in 1977 there have been 57 authorised Dollar Baby Deals with some directors going on to make box office hits such as The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Production budgets for the films have ranged from a few hundred dollars to upward of $60,000 and they have been shot on everything from home video to professional 35mm film.
Central TAFE’s Advanced Diploma of Screen provides the practical skills and knowledge to work in the production and post production of film and television programs. Students develop skills in direction, cinematography, production design, animation, script writing and producing. They acquire these skills by working on the job as teams producing Super16mm films and XDCam documentaries.