MARTIN COPPING TALKS THE DUNES

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

You had both written and directed before, but fair to say not anything on the scale of a feature-film such as this. Was this a different storm to steer through?

Yes it’s fair to say that this was a much larger undertaking. I hadn’t written and directed anything over about ten pages before. Obviously there is a lot more time involvement. But I also had other things to consider with this as I had different goals for the film. Generally with shorts, your end goal might be to run the festival circuit with the film and hopefully pick up some awards. But with 'The Dunes', my goal was always to get a distribution deal and I am pleased to say that I have done that. We sold it to Stan the streaming service and Channel 9 network TV in Australia, and are out to international buyers at present.

I like that the film doesn't spell everything out, though that can invite misinterpretation. Do you feel audiences understood what you were going for?

I would say fifty-fifty. A lot people did interpret the story correctly, however the were some audience members that didn’t quite get it. I’m confident that if you’re following the story then all the answers to understand it are there. I do think that todays audiences are a lot more easily distracted with all the short form content that comes out. I think it’s getting harder and harder for people to sit in a cinema for the length of a feature film with out the compulsion to reach for their cell phone and scroll socials or check messages, that being said I think that places greater responsibility on the film maker to make their content as engaging as possible. 'The Dunes' is a slow burn in the first act and a half of the film and I knew that would be risky. I’m not here to please everyone, just to be honest with the story I’m trying to tell.

You and Tim Phillips, who felt perfect for the role, play off of each other so naturally. Did you write it with him in mind?

I didn’t initially write the story for Tim but as the story began to reveal itself on page I began to realize the he was the perfect choice for the character of Knighty. Tim and I have been friends for a long time and we’ve collaborated on numerous projects together. I think he’s a excellent actor. I hadn’t seen him play a dark character like this before but I knew he would nail the role. And he did!

Did you always intend on playing Nicholas Rice yourself?

I always intended to place the Nicholas character. That being said I’m always cautious when actors who are directing are going to cast themselves as principle characters, that being said some of my favorite filmmakers tackle numerous roles is their projects. Stallone and Eastwood, to name a few. With 'The Dunes', it was more a case of budget limitations. The more roles I took on, the less the budget would be. It was partly an exercise in resourcefulness.

The film is set in a fictional town. But where did you actually shoot it?

The opening sequence of the film were shot in Los Angeles but the bulk was shot in Australia on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. "The Dunes" is actually the name of a golf course in that area where my dad and I used to play.

I'm aware you lost your dad, Robin Copping, earlier this year. Born in 1934, he also worked in the film industry?

Yes dad passes away recently. I feel incredible blessed that I had the opportunity to grow up around his passionate and colorful group of friends. Dad rubbed shoulders with many of Australias greatest industry professionals and after his death the consensus was that he was such a lovely man. And he was. I loved him dearly. He was my best friend and he taught me everything I could’ve hoped for.

The past comes back to haunt Nicholas Rice, and today is the day you, Martin, will also find the past being brought back up once again. Sorry. Your first credited role was that of “baby in hospital”. How old could you have been in that debut?

(Laughs) I was about three weeks old, it was in the Aussie cult classic 'Patrick'. A family friend was a line producer on the film and I think I was having a check-up at the hospital they were shooting in. So they chucked me in front of the lens.

You would, two decades or so later, resurface as Orky in 'Ocean Girl'. At what point did you know you wanted to act?

Well in between those two jobs and all the way through primary and high school I was a commercial actor. I did roughly thirty television commercials and five years of drama school before getting the job on 'Ocean Girl'. Then I went to art school for a year for painting and drawing. But I was more compelled to perform. Yes, it’s all I ever really wanted to do.

Are you writing another film?

I’m working on a few actually.