SAE Magazine 13-2

132 Production & Know How // Adaptation process Rodney’s love of this story was paramount and I had grown to love the story equally. David pared the narrative back to its constituent elements and the story of ‘taboo love’ came to the fore. The only problem was that David did not seem to share the same conception of human relations that Rodney and I did. David was a trained gestalt psychologist and business advisor. He was immune tothekindofdysfunctionallovethatseemedtocome so naturally to Rodney and I. As mentioned, I was an unashamed Freudian and Rodney eschewed all preconceived psychological templates. We literally drove each other mad. Rodney changed both story and form like the perennial improviser he was. Da- vid insisted that the tracks were laid and we should remain on target whilst trying to establish if Rodney and I were telling the same story. Mean- while, I was trying to lock the story into an expan- sive directorial vision. Our funding for the script edit was fast running pa David’s patient capac to help us and I was tryin to balance the influen es of both these advisor We were all frustrated an pulling in three different d rections. I could see Rodney’s point wanting a deeply intellige andinventivefilmicworkth would challenge Australia film. During this phase, Au tralian film was in the doldr and in terms of internation we viewed was exciting us script was sealed up in a s will one day see their inv but the way forward now director who shares our vi for the story, which we able. The structural work expectation and reality is tragic foreboding and dee However the screenplay managed to convince Ro next draft alone. He agree The film promi a classic Au and modern Dr Rodney Hall: Australian novelist and poet. Photo:RossBird,2007

SAE Magazine 13-2

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