The Trigger Point documentary mini-series is now available to purchase on DVD courtesy of ABC Shops. It’s *very* good. Buy it now!

Aussie poster is out. You know if you squint just so, you might see a familiar name in the credits…

Our documentary series Trigger Point begins tonight at 9:30pm on ABC1, and was flagged by Fairfax newspapers as their ‘Pick of the Week’. Take a look – review below.

“TRIGGER POINT
New series
★★★★
Sunday 1 June, 9.30pm, ABC1
Veteran Fairfax crime reporter John Silvester fronts this excellent two-part documentary examining the issue of police shootings in Victoria. When these stories hit the headlines the focus is – understandably – very much on the victims and their families. What we tend not to see, either in the news or in fiction, is an account of how these incidents affect the men and women pulling the trigger. That’s what this doco sets out to address, along with an intelligent backgrounder on how and why firearms became part of the everyday uniform of Australian police. Silvester’s access is impressive. We don’t just get interviews with a dozen key players (members of the notorious armed robbery squad, the officers associated with the Walsh Street shootings, family members, all the way up to Victorian police chief Ken Lay). There’s also a quantity of disturbing, moving and enlightening archival police footage of crime scenes and investigations. (And a warning: some of it is horribly explicit.) It’s a visceral reminder of the reality of these incidents. Most compelling, though, are simply the accounts from the officers involved who talk frankly about how terrified they are when confronted with an armed villain, how that fear affects your judgment, and the awful and enduring emotional fallout when you realise you’ve taken someone’s life. Popular culture encourages us to believe that police officers are somehow superhuman, a special breed. One of the most powerful aspects of this story is the reminder that, like us, they are simply frail human beings. This episode deals with a number of stories we’re all familiar with, either from the newspapers or the Underbelly sagas. And as Silvester points out, while there’s always concern about police shooting and killing people, the general public isn’t all that fussed when the victims are hardened criminals. Next week we look in detail at the shooting of Melbourne teenager Tyler Cassidy in a suburban skate park: something that didn’t just horrify the public, but devastated the officers involved”.

– Melinda Houston – Fairfax June 1 2014

Here’s one of mine. Airs tomorrow night on ABC1 at 8:30pm followed by a Q&A style session on ABC2 with Tom Tilley. Check it out – important issues raised here too.
Listen to the music here

The long awaited trailer for James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge 3D has been released! Check it out below.

Did you catch the article on the history of ‘Saving Mr Banks’ by Karl Quinn in Fairfax papers today? I scored the original documentary The Shadow of Mary Poppins which inspired the Hollywood film starring Emma Thompson as Pamela Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney.

Ian Collie, who is quoted in the article, produced our original documentary (which was inspired by Valerie Lawson’s biography of Pamela) and also produced the new film. Quite a connection. There might be more to this story shortly. Stay tuned…

Went to the Melbourne cast & crew screening of James Cameron’s ‘Deepsea Challenge‘ in 3D this weekend with my fellow co-composers Ricky Edwards and Amy Bastow. Great to finally see it on the big screen too.

Hi everyone. Dingo – Wild Dog at War is screening this Sunday at 7:30pm on ABC1. Great timeslot. I did this one late last year. Didge playing by the criminally underrated Kristan Baker (There you go K-man!)

Here’s the synopsis from the Essential Media and Entertainment website:
“The Australian bush is at war… ‘DINGO’ follows farmer and canine advocate Dave Graham as he hunts for solutions to the dilemma surrounding Australia’s native canine the Dingo. A secretive and stealthy predator, Dingoes are responsible for devastating livestock losses. Farmers, in defense of their livelihoods, have long retaliated with culling. It’s a battle for survival, and it’s escalating. But is the Dingo really a villain? New research shows the Dingo may play a pivotal role in protecting Australian ecosystems. Sadly, this research also shows that the pure Dingo is on the brink of extinction. Featuring stunning behavioral photography and a wide cast of passionate stakeholders, this one-hour natural history documentary will attempt to untangle one of the most complex and emotional debates facing the Australian landscape today.”

The next 2 episodes of Mako Mermaids have some of my favourite music cues of the series! There are some big signature tunes and motifs in there too that keep reappearing as the series progresses. Moon Pools, tridents, Mako Island for Ep13 (today) and a bunch of tension and slapstick for Ep14. Great fun to write.

Tune in today at 4pm on Network Ten Australia.
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Well, it’s arrived 🙂 The 3-part BBC documentary series The Polar Bear Family & Me I scored last year has made it to our shores.

Screening from this Sunday 6th October on Network Ten at the family friendly hour of 6:30pm, it’s worth a look.