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In the Canberra suburbs, a unique movie shoot is under way this week. Charity impresario Goran “Tiny” Srejic is directing his first feature film, The Choice, and his house in Melba has become a film set. A Christmas scene is being shot on the top floor, makeup is on the second level and the basement has become a fake hospital room for another scene. Tiny and his wife Elaine are also accommodating and feeding the cast and crew. That’s 60 meals a day. This is Tiny’s dream – to not only make movies, but generate income for charity. The Choice is about a hard-working young dad who is diagnosed with a rare brain tumour. The doctors have discovered, however, it gets smaller at night. He’s given a choice: be put in an induced coma for 25 years and then live out the rest of his life peacefully, or die, untreated, within a decade. What would you do? Tiny says, in what he believes is a world first, the movie will not be sold to a distributor , but instead auctioned off to the highest bidder. and the proceeds go to charity. “And then, whoever buys the rights, does the distribution. It could be Seven, it could be Ten, it could be Netflix, Foxtel, any of those,” he said. They started shooting in Canberra nine days ago. Locations have included local parklands, The Green Shed and the Hall cemetery. “Normally, a feature film would take 45 to 60 days to shoot with a big crew and a big budget. We’re doing this on a very small budget and in 15 days. And we’re on track,” Tiny said. And the former operator of The Green Shed has no qualms about having no technical training, saying the film was a collaborative effort. “Let’s say there’s 100 decisions a director has to make, I might make 50 and between the whole crew they chip in and help me make the rest,” he said. Lincoln Elliott, a 25-year-old NIDA musical theatre graduate, plays the lead of dad John. “It’s going really well. It’s fast,” he said. “We’ve been doing script changes every night when we come up with new ideas, which has been great and Tiny’s been really open to adding scenes to make a better movie for everybody.” Kristy Wordsworth, 29, plays John’s wife in her first lead one. And four actors play the role of their daughter who is pivotal to the choice, Sydney actress Jessica King, 26, is the older Kate. READ MORE: Kristy said it was the most emotional movie she had been involved in. “The biggest challenge I’ve found, because obviously you don’t film it in sequential order, is flipping emotions day to day or sometimes within a day,” she said. “The team’s been great, Tiny’s amazing and it’s been a really collaborative experience”. Canberra academic Marjorie Dennequin, 38, also has a role as a doctor in the film. “It’s good to teach but I’m eclectic person and I like to try other things,” she said, of acting.
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In the Canberra suburbs, a unique movie shoot is under way this week.
Charity impresario Goran “Tiny” Srejic is directing his first feature film, The Choice, and his house in Melba has become a film set.
A Christmas scene is being shot on the top floor, makeup is on the second level and the basement has become a fake hospital room for another scene. Tiny and his wife Elaine are also accommodating and feeding the cast and crew. That’s 60 meals a day.
This is Tiny’s dream – to not only make movies, but generate income for charity.
The movie’s lead actor Lincoln Elliott in make-up, also at Tiny’s house. Picture: Matt Loxton
The Choice is about a hard-working young dad who is diagnosed with a rare brain tumour. The doctors have discovered, however, it gets smaller at night. He’s given a choice: be put in an induced coma for 25 years and then live out the rest of his life peacefully, or die, untreated, within a decade. What would you do?
Tiny says, in what he believes is a world first, the movie will not be sold to a distributor , but instead auctioned off to the highest bidder. and the proceeds go to charity.
“And then, whoever buys the rights, does the distribution. It could be Seven, it could be Ten, it could be Netflix, Foxtel, any of those,” he said.
Kristy Wordsworth, who plays Lil in the movie, says it is her most emotional role yet. Picture: Matt Loxton
They started shooting in Canberra nine days ago. Locations have included local parklands, The Green Shed and the Hall cemetery.
“Normally, a feature film would take 45 to 60 days to shoot with a big crew and a big budget. We’re doing this on a very small budget and in 15 days. And we’re on track,” Tiny said.
And the former operator of The Green Shed has no qualms about having no technical training, saying the film was a collaborative effort.
“Let’s say there’s 100 decisions a director has to make, I might make 50 and between the whole crew they chip in and help me make the rest,” he said.
Lincoln Elliott, a 25-year-old NIDA musical theatre graduate, plays the lead of dad John.
Director Tiny Srejic and actress Jessica King at his home in Melba filming The Choice. Picture: Matt Loxton
“It’s going really well. It’s fast,” he said.
“We’ve been doing script changes every night when we come up with new ideas, which has been great and Tiny’s been really open to adding scenes to make a better movie for everybody.”
Kristy Wordsworth, 29, plays John’s wife in her first lead one. And four actors play the role of their daughter who is pivotal to the choice, Sydney actress Jessica King, 26, is the older Kate.
Kristy said it was the most emotional movie she had been involved in.
“The biggest challenge I’ve found, because obviously you don’t film it in sequential order, is flipping emotions day to day or sometimes within a day,” she said.
The crew was filming a Christmas scene at Tiny’s house in Melba on Thursday. Picture: Matt Loxton
“The team’s been great, Tiny’s amazing and it’s been a really collaborative experience”.
Canberra academic Marjorie Dennequin, 38, also has a role as a doctor in the film.
“It’s good to teach but I’m eclectic person and I like to try other things,” she said, of acting.
