Everything falls into place.

Garnet Mae (left)         Photo: Jess Husband

By Carissa Pritchard

All I’ve heard about the Director of Reservoir Cats is his incredibly impressive name – Garnet Mae. This kind of name either a) drives you to create a life of relative greatness, or b) crushes you under the weight of expectation.

Following directly in the footsteps of a man who lived up to his, I ask Garnet what Tarantino would think of this project. “I think he’d like the concept of changing the sex around. Already you can see how different it will be; just in the way the actresses read their lines. Things take on a different context when women say them. Like the first scene, when they’re discussing Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’.”

What is Garnet’s goal? “I’d like to get a charity screening at the State Theatre and even a theatrical release. But right now my biggest challenge is getting a camera with no cash. But it’s always the hardest on the lead up to the first day. Everything falls into place after that. Oh and I’ve got to find a location too.”

I must admit, whilst initially buoyed by Producer, Peter Furst’s inspiring interview, I’m now slightly apprehensive. I consider myself spontaneous, within the adult concept of “planned spontaneity” (I do whatever I like between one and four pm on a Sunday). But in Garnet’s case, if things go wrong, there’s forty people put out. Have the “Just do it” generation taken it all too far? After all, the slogan was intended to sell shoes, not be taken seriously.

Case in point: Project Greenlight amateur director, Pete Jones, had Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Harvey Weinstein and a million dollars to make a movie. It bombed horrifically, albeit hilariously via the HBO documentary of the same name. How can two guys with no money and worse – no detailed plan, possibly succeed?

I arrive at Garnet’s Bondi apartment to interview the cast. Tall, slim, with shoulder length hair, he wears a pink check shirt and jeans. Although he speaks in a soft, gentle tone, he exudes a bold inner strength. I ask each woman, “What it’s like working with Garnet?” They gush in an assortment of adjectives; “he’s easy going, kind, supportive, makes you feel comfortable, great energy, lets you explore, takes on your ideas...” But what I discover about Garnet, is not revealed through his words or theirs, but his choices.

He’s selected an incredible mix of diverse, talented and intelligent women. This reminds me that filmmaking is not about cameras and catering; it’s about telling a story. Tarantino’s films are great because he has a gift for selecting who tells his story. Garnet hasn’t made the obvious choice – a group of copycats, he’s created new characters. Reservoir Cats is no longer “just a remake” of Reservoir Dogs; it’s set to become its own story. Perhaps his confidence comes from knowing he just might live up to his name.

I sit down to plan how I will fit daily trips to the set, plus extra hours composing a Blog into my current schedule of full time study, raising my two year-old, going to the gym, eating, sleeping… Before I even begin, I know logically, I Just Can’t Do It. But this time, instead of stopping before I even start, I decide to ditch the plan. Everything will fall into place. After all, Garnet found a camera and a location.