Pepper is one of multiple stories I created when I was a teenager as a bedtime story for my little sister. Over 12 years, those stories grew and developed, and by the time I commenced my Masters of Media and Production at UTS in Sydney, Australia, I knew I wanted to bring one of those stories to life. I decided to choose Pepper so I shortened the story to become a feasible university project.
Although the essence of the film is to entertain children through slapstick comedy and outrageous adventure, the themes within the film create a more serious undertone. Abuse imprints itself onto people in many ways especially within children. The retaliation shown by Pepper in the film is not only a direct result of that abuse but coincides with a message to the audience of “reaping what you sow”. We trust our children into the hands of those who sometimes abuse that trust. What comedy does so well is it allows the audience the ability to laugh at what we shouldn’t be laughing at, whilst also express a truth that may otherwise be hard to portray.
I had a vision for this story ever since I conceptualised the idea many years ago but it wasn’t until I visited the Australian country town of Young in springtime when I was convinced I had found a location magical enough to create Pepper. As I was growing up watching Peter Jackson’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, I came to learn that if an audience can’t buy into the world of the story then you’ve failed before you’ve even begun. Therefore executing the location and the time period was crucial. I drew upon Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” as inspiration for capturing the vast landscapes and colouring the film to the time period. I found my years as an actor also played a crucial role in working with young inexperienced actors. I was not only able to direct them but also guide them through every step of the way including character building. After completing the film I also realised how pivotal the 2months of rehearsals prior to shooting became as we were able to capture an immense amount of footage within only 3.5 days of shooting.
I discovered that directing this project through both its production and post-production stages was not only about managing a range of different people and skill sets, but also being flexible enough to allow the story to evolve from a script to a film. Through this process I have come across some extremely talented individuals which if given the chance, would love to work with again in the future.
My main hopes for the film are to deliver a story that will entertain, excite, take an audience on an adventure and teach a lesson. My job as a director is to breathe life into a narrative using film so there would be no greater accomplishment than to achieve that in the eyes of an audience.
