| DEVELOPING McLEOD'S DAUGHTERS |
McLeod’s Daughters began as a successful and high-rating
1996 telemovie on the Nine Network. An ambitious concept,
the series had been on the Network’s development
slate before finally being green-lighted in November
2000. Producer/creator Posie Graeme-Evans developed
the original concept for McLeod’s
Daughters. Posie says a photograph depicting “blue
skies and quintessentially Aussie girls’ faces
with big wide grins under the broad brim of a classic
RM Williams hat” inspired her. Anecdotes by country
friends and Posie’s love of South Australian landscapes,
as depicted in Sir Hans Heysen paintings, also contributed
to the McLeod’s Daughters concept.
While the series was being developed, Kingsford, the
property featured in the original telemovie, was put
on the market. The Nine Network seized the opportunity
to purchase the property in 1999 knowing that being
able to film on a working farm would be fundamental
to the success of the series. Although the location
remains the same, the characters in McLeod’s Daughters
have been developed considerably and will be played
by a dynamic cast of new actors, chosen after an exhaustive
casting process.
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“We’ve got a well balanced cast,”
said Posie, who is enthusiastic to be putting exciting
new actors together with veteran Australian stars. “Some
of the most respected actors in Australia today will
work on the series including Sonia Todd, John Jarratt,
Chris Haywood and Marshall Napier”. These actors
will be joined by fresh faces including the two leads,
Lisa Chappell and Bridie Carter. “Most of our
newcomers have been to drama school, they’ve all
got credits, but they are new faces in front of the
camera.”
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The core cast consists of five female leads, with women
carrying the heart of each story throughout the series.
Posie believes McLeod’s Daughters reflects much
of the truth of what’s happening in Australia.
“The timing was right for this type of show –
a rural-based series which showcases an all female cast
and tells stories that reflect the lives and desires
of contemporary Australian women,” said Posie.Script
producer Susan Bower joined McLeod’s Daughters
in September 2000 and commenced six weeks of story-lining
with a team of writers and a host of farmers who were
consulted for accuracy.
Six months before shooting began, Susan visited a property
near Murrurundi, NSW where she met rural women from
diverse backgrounds who live and work in country communities
– both in town and on the land.
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The core cast have also had the opportunity to research
“in the field” and each spent two weeks
horse riding on a property in Bowral, NSW. A number
of the cast then had the opportunity to drove cattle
on a working cattle property in northern South Australia
with horse master Bill Willoughby before joining Bill
and his team for the final weeks of intensive rehearsal
in pre–production. McLeod’s Daughters is
the first prime-time drama series to be filmed entirely
in South Australia. The series, which began filming
in April, is a co-production between Millennium Television
and Nine Films and Television, produced with the assistance
of the South Australian Film Corporation.“An ongoing
drama series is the best thing for any production city,”
said Blaxland. “It provides continuity of employment
for a lot of people and a training ground that can develop
career paths and skills. ”The producers are equally
pleased to be working in South Australia. “I don’t
know another city in Australia where we could do what
we do and still be so close to the city,” said
Graeme-Evans. Nine Network Director of Drama Kris Noble
is confident of the success of the 22-part series. “With
the creative talent of Posie Graeme-Evans at the helm,
the backdrop of the Australian bush and a strong female
cast, we have great faith that this series will emulate
and build on the success of the original telemovie,”
he said.
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McLeod’s Daughters is filmed on location at Kingsford,
a 135-acre (55ha) property on the outskirts of Gawler,
one hour north of Adelaide, which Posie Graeme-Evans
refers to as “our very own backlot”.
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Although originally part of a 30,000–acre (12,245ha)
property, Kingsford has been used in recent years by
the South Australian Government as a wheat research
station. The Nine Network purchased the property in
1999. The historical house was built from Edinburgh
sandstone, transported to Australia as ship ballast.
It took over 30 years to build and was finished in 1856.
The producers of McLeod’s Daughters are thrilled
to have a location “where you can make a country
series and live in the city,” said Andrew Blaxland.
“The proximity of the landscape and the property
to the city of Adelaide means we don’t have to
take crew away from home and put them up in hotels.
”Production Designer Tony Cronin (Shine, Innocence)
says the position of the property is perfect for filming.
“It is isolated among the hills and gives a clear
360 degree view. ”Although Kingsford was a grand
property in its day, it is now quite run down –
a look that was important for the production design
of the series, as the McLeod family has no money for
maintenance. “The character is something you would
spend a million dollars trying to recreate. The old
buildings have warm orange colours in the stone from
years of dust and red dirt,” Cronin said.
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The interior scenes set at Drovers Run are all filmed
inside the house. Not only does this add to the authenticity
of the production, it is also convenient, as the large
rooms and high ceilings are ideal for filming. Additional
buildings on the property are used for Meg’s cottage
and Becky’s quarters. The property also includes
a machinery shed, shearing shed, stock yards and several
paddocks. Kingsford was a working farm in its day. “Everything
on the site was purpose-built for farming and adds an
authenticity which would be hard to emulate on a set,”
said Cronin. The yards and paddocks at Kingsford house
the stock needed to create McLeod’s Daughters.
The property has 150 sheep, 100 cattle, 15 horses, working
dogs and a team of stockmen headed by master animal
wrangler Bill Willoughby. Bill is resident at Kingsford
with brother Jim and two other stockmen. The wranglers
maintain the stock, double for stunts and teach the
actors farming skills including riding, shearing, drenching
and mustering. “We know every aspect of station
life,” said Willoughby, who has worked in films
for over 20 years.
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He worked on the telemovie of McLeod’s Daughters
in 1996 and plays an important role in authenticating
the animal sequences in the series. He says that keeping
the stock on the property at Kingsford works well and
helps the horses “to look like farm horses.”
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The actors had little riding experience when rehearsals
began, but Bill is happy with their progress, noting
that Lisa Chappell and Bridie Carter are doing particularly
well for the short time he has had to work with them.
He is also impressed with the way Lisa has thrown herself
into the character of Claire, moving about the property
and working with the stock like a “rough and tumble
country girl. ”McLeod’s Daughters is shot
on Super 16mm film, and is the first Australian drama
series to be delivered in HDTV format. The show uses
three cameras, two on main unit and a third on second
unit.The cinematography for McLeod’s Daughters
is vast and the composition is beautiful. Director of
Photography, Roger Dowling has masterfully created the
illusion that the series is shot on a 200,000-hectare
property in the Australian bush, instead of on a heritage
estate, the size of a hobby farm, just one hour north
of Adelaide.
