Author: new_admin

In November 2019, Jon Sanders celebrated his 80th birthday by embarking on his 11th solo-circumnavigation of the world. Fireteller were invited to document the journey and installed several cameras, including a diary camera, on Jon Sander’s yacht, the Perie Banou II.

Sanders is a sailing legend and holds several Guinness Book of Records titles for accomplishments at sea. He is a household name in Australia and has been awarded various recognitions such as an Order of Australia and an Order of the British Empire. His voyages have captured the hearts of the world and he has appeared in much media coverage spanning his lifetime. He has a main street named after him in Perth.

The 80-year-old will circumnavigate the globe alone, facing the dangers of the open ocean including high swells, wild weather and even rogue pirates. His journey will take 10 months and have him visit remote ports around the globe. Sponsored by several companies including The Minderoo Foundation, the purpose of the journey is to collect samples of water to detect the concentration of micro plastics. Working closely with Curtin University, special pumps have been installed on Jon’s yacht that filter water samples. These samples, upon Jon’s return will be analysed by the team at Curtin for levels of micro-plastics in the water. Jon’s circumnavigation give scientists a rare chance to collect important data that will go far in ascertaining ways to combat micro-plastic pollution, a problem that is plaguing the world’s oceans.

Fireteller undertook the massive task of finding a way to install ‘big brother’ like cameras in different parts of Jon’s yacht. They created a system that allowed Jon to flick a switch and quickly record himself going about his daily activities. The project required a system that would allow quick filming in response to any unexpected moments that may occur. Fireteller had coverage of the galley inside the yacht, as well as forward and aft of the main mast outside the yacht. The camera placement allowed Fireteller to record Jon’s activities below deck and those above deck such as steering and handling the rigging. Three monitors and cables were generously donated by Atomos to assist the production. 

His first stop is the island of Mauritius. It was here that Fireteller met Jon and recorded his liaison with the Curtin Mauritius campus. He also met with the Oceanographic Society who are attempting to make a new plastic- type material out of sugar cane. Their mission is to help rid micro-plastics from the world. Fireteller caught Jon’s escapades on camera and edited it into a piece of social media content.

Jon will return in 10-12 months with what is sure to be incredible footage from many different places around the world. Fireteller looks forward to joining Jon on many more adventures and to sharing his journey with the world. 

You can follow Jon’s adventures at www.jonsanders.com

Branded content that Fireteller created for Signet Australia won big at the Brisbane Advertising Awards in 2019. A 7 part web series titled Rarified Air won Signet Australia the Client of the Year Award at the BADC. Signet was nominated for and won multiple awards on the night. 

Rarified Air follows professional air guitarists The Jinja Assassin and Lily Rocknroll as they fight for air guitar glory on the world stage. The pair travelled from Australia to Oulu in Finland to represent their home country at the World Championships and Fireteller were there every step of the way. What started out as a small ‘corporate video’ ballooned into an epic year long journey that spawned both the award winning Rarified Air web series as well as the 15-minute film version that became a Tropfest finalist sensation.

Rarified Air is a perfect example of branded content success. Signet is a packaging and supply company that provides high quality products to clients Australia-wide. However, they will be first to admit that although their products are first class, they don’t necessarily win any awards for being the most interesting (cardboard boxes and packing tape etc.). So Signet set out to make their products funny and engaging using branded video content. Signet are known for sponsoring quirky and humorous Aussie heroes like The Jinja Assassin (the 2nd best air-guitarist in Australia) and the Uluru Camel Cup. With this approach Signet were able to release a campaign on their social media that had a huge viewership and drew customers to their brand.

Fireteller followed The Jinja Assassin and Lily Rocknroll for several months between June 2018 and August 2019, including travelling to Oulu in Finland for the World Championships. Fireteller has worked closely with Signet for several years and engaged in many different video based projects.

Recently we were given the opportunity to donate our time and resources to helping a wonderful cause. Sustainable Salons is a social enterprise that helps its salon partners reduce their impact on the planet and invest in local communities. They do this by collecting ponytails from salons around Australia before they are disposed of and sent to landfill. Over the past four years, Sustainable Salons has collected enough ponytails to make 2,185 wigs and change as many lives. Hair can be recycled to create wigs for people suffering from diseases that cause hair loss, and in many other applications including helping to clean up oil spills. Sustainable Salon’s work around Australia has supported many local industries and aided in the reduction of wastes such as metal, plastics and paper.

With the help of Sustainable Salons in partnership with the Australian Alopecia Foundation Inc. and Mr Walker’s Wiggery, Fireteller created A Wig For Matilda. The documentary follows Matilda, an 11-year-old girl, who suffers from alopecia which makes her hair fall out. Matilda talks candidly in the documentary about the impact that Alopecia and hair loss had on her life and how an authentic wig could assist her to live a normal life. The Alopecia Foundation connected Matilda to Sustainable Salons and Rachel Walker, a local Perth hairdresser and wig maker, to help boost Matilda’s confidence with the donation of one of Rachel’s handmade wigs. Rachel spends countless hours sewing 50,000 individual human hairs to each wig she makes. Rachel’s commitment to helping hair loss sufferers brings joy to many.

The documentary follows Rachel and Matilda throughout the wig’s creation. We also hear from Paul Frasca from Sustainable Salons who provides some very interesting information about hair and the many advantages of recycling it. The doco culminates with Rachel presenting the completed wig to Matilda and the viewer witnesses first hand the incredible transformation it has on Matilda.

The film is a great example of branded content. At Fireteller we excel at creating branded video content that has a real impact with a brand’s customers. Branded content, unlike regular advertising, can help create a love mark with a brand. A branded video might not necessarily be about the business or company who funded it- it may tell the story of a customer, the impact their business has on the local community or it may not have anything to do with the business at all. Take our web-series Rarified Air and Tropfest finalist film The Jinja Assassin for example. This content told the story of an air-guitarist who travelled from Australia to Finland to compete in the World Air Guitar Championships. The video series was funded by Signet Australia, a packaging supplier of products like boxes and packing tape- a far cry from anything to do with air guitar. Branded content allows business to reach an audience that they might not usually be able to reach and to engage them through storytelling. 

We have also worked closely with Rachel Walker to create video social content for her salon Chill Couture. Chilli is an award winning salon in Perth that caters to people who want to indulge in creative hair styles. Fireteller have been working with Chilli Couture for many years and have captured many hair transformations. Social content is another great way to engage customers- ask us about how we can help you and your business.

The Jinja Assassin, a short film by Fireteller in collaboration with Signet, has been selected as one of sixteen finalists for Tropfest, the inaugural Australian short film competition. Tropfest is the largest short film festival in the world.

Directed by Will Faulkner (WA), Nathan Keene (WA) and Matt Henry (QLD), the film was created with the intent in landing a coveted spot in the festival. Films have to be made especially for Tropfest, and include a unique “TSI” or Tropfest Signature Item to prove they were made especially for the festival. The TSI this year was “candle” which Fireteller carefully curated with the use of a Chuck Norris candle-lit shrine in the film.

The comedy documentary film follows high school teacher Alex Roberts, aka The Jinja Assassin, who placed second at the 2018 Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland. The Tropfest film picks up after his success in 2018 and follows him on his journey to world domination at the 2019 World Air Guitar Championships.

Fireteller were originally commissioned by Signet Australia to film a small corporate video, but the project ballooned into an epic year long trek across Australia and the globe. Fireteller filmmakers Will Faulkner and Nathan Keene followed Signet and The Jinja Assassin on the adventure into the air guitar world.

“We had no idea this crazy world of air guitar existed before starting this project,” recalled Will Faulkner.

Alex Roberts said he had become more famous for playing air guitar than real guitar. “I played real guitar for nine years but got nowhere, now I’m on the world stage playing air”. Alex, the star of film, talks candidly on camera about his struggles with PTSD and how teaching drama to kids and air-guitar silliness helped him on his road to recovery. The film discusses a need for silliness, creativity and playfulness in every day life.

“The film is about more than just air guitar, it’s about how we can use silliness and ridiculousness to overcome personal tragedy and trauma,” Nathan Keene said.

The Jinja Assassin along with 15 other film finalists will be screened at Tropfest in Parramatta on February 9th.

Fireteller’s epic short film Little Boy Blue was nominated for six awards and took home two at the prestigious St Kilda Film Festival, an Academy Award qualifying festival. This comes off the back of winning the Audience Award at the Mardi Gras Film Festival in February.

The 30-minute short film follows a young girl, Eva, who discovers a boy held captive in a barn on a farm and helps him escape. The film discusses the moral dilemma that often exists between belonging and self-worth. It explores a middle ground where protagonist Eva must find belonging within herself before finding a true place in her world. The film was directed by Nathan Keene and written by Will Faulkner and Keene. Cinematography was by Ashley Baron, ACS and Sound Design by Justin Spasevski. Composer Darren Lim composed a touching but twisted score for the film. 

The film was shot in the rural outskirts of Tamworth in New South Wales. The production saw a large crew take to the country to film at numerous locations including a large American-style barn that was originally constructed as the set of Hollywood film Superman Returns. The film has a number of controversial scenes involving child actors and Fireteller worked closely with the Department of Child Protection to ensure all child actors were protected and safe at all times. It is a age-old saying that film crews should never work with children, animals, on location or at sunset. Fireteller did all of these simultaneously and although the shoot was gruelling and challenging, the end product is demonstrative of the commitment of the cast and crew.

The film won the Craft Award and Best Visual Effects and was nominated for Best Director, Best Young Actor, Best Original Score and Best Achievement in Sound Post Production. 

Little Boy Blue has since gone on the appear in over 33 international film festivals. Fireteller are currently working on the feature film version of the story.