Recognising Our Homegrown Talent
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Branden Wittchen
| Director | Writer | Producer |
North Lakes local, Branden Wittchen, graduated from Griffith Film School in 2017 and his career since has mostly consisted of directing music videos for such clients as Tia Gostelow (Triple J Unearthed High and Qld Music Award Winner) and Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson (Australian Idol). He is also a multi-award winning filmmaker who wrote and directed short films starring renowned Australian character actors Gyton Grantley (The Dressmaker, Underbelly, House Husbands) and Roy Billing (Jack Irish, The Dish, Underbelly).
His latest production, Remus and Ron, tells the story of how Remus, a 35-year-old eccentric and awkward man, ended up in the back of a Police car, arrested for murder. Remus reflects on his childhood and reminisces on how he turned out so different from his identical twin brother Ron, despite being inflicted the same bizarre and abusive upbringing. Exploring themes of nurture vs nature and twisting the stereotypes of a conventional serial thriller, Remus and Ron is a dark and disturbing look at how one twin could be so evil and the other so caring.
The twins will be played by a single actor opposite himself on screen. The three stages of Remus and Ron’s lives (childhood, teens, and adulthood) will be portrayed by three different actors as the twins at each stage. Thus, three actors will play the six characters.
This is an opportunity for the cast to show off their acting skills but also, this short will be a big step up in the crew’s future career as feature filmmakers. Despite having multiple award winning short film credits, the crew are currently in a grey zone of too inexperienced to receive Government funding but without funding can’t gain that needed experience.
Remus And Ron Teaser and Crowdfunding Pitch from Branden Wittchen on Vimeo
Follow – www.facebook.com/RemusAndRonShortFilm
Crowd fund campaign – www.indiegogo.com/projects/remus-and-ron-short-film#/
Meet: Zak Streeter
My name is Zak Streeter, I’m fifteen years old and I’m in Grade Ten at North Lakes State College.
My love of sport began at three years of age, when my parents started me in Taekwondo at Factor 10. I was there for five years and became a Cho Dan Bo at eight years old. Since that I’ve tried swimming, soccer, tennis and competed at a State level at school for athletics.
My love of CrossFit began about eighteen months ago at CrossFit 786 with coach Ozzie. It wasn’t long after we had moved back to the Northside and I began my coaching with Michael at Unbound Athletic and CrossFit Speed, that I decided my goal was to make the CrossFit Games 2018. I trained consistently in that time, slowly building up my strength and focusing on my weaknesses. A few months prior to the CrossFit Open I also started working with Brendan, a lifting coach at CrossFit Geebung to purely focus on my technique.
In preparation, I competed at two competitions at CrossFit Speed. One being a paired competition, which we came 4th. The other, which consisted of a team of three, including myself, placed 2nd. I have also been working with BoxFit apparel as a brand ambassador, partaking in numerous modeling shoots.
Fast forward to the CrossFit Open 2018. I needed to place in the top two hundred worldwide to make the Online Qualifier (Regionals). I did five workouts over five weeks and place 80th worldwide, securing a spot in the Online Qualifier.
The Online Qualifier consisted of four workouts over four days to be performed at my own box, judged by Michael, filmed and uploaded with my times. To make to CrossFit Games 2018, I needed to place top twenty worldwide. Overall I ended up placing 64th, obviously not the result I was hoping for but nevertheless extremely happy with my result leaving me hungrier to achieve my goal in 2019.
TEAM UTOPIA
Having gone through the necessary evolution and experimentation all the best bands go through, singer, songwriter and guitarist Dan Nebe can now proudly say, “Will you please welcome the Band – Team Utopia – lead guitarist Mick Bristow from The Pretty Fingers, bass player Amanda Emblem, notorious from her roles in Diva Demolition and Legless, and drummer Sue Kennet (ex-Never The Sane).”
Team Utopia was born in the mind and heart of Redcliffe native, Nebe, back in 2011 and has seen some impressive musicians pass through its ranks to this point, not least legendary guitarist Bob Spencer (ex-Finch, Skyhooks, Angels), who played with the band for much of last year, before receiving an offer to join Rose Tattoo he could hardly refuse. Spencer featured on Team Utopia’s last two singles, including the first single, Strips Off My Soul, to be lifted off their forthcoming debut EP, I Never Said I Was Peter Pan, currently being recorded and mixed in Sydney’s Damien Gerard Studios with engineer/producer extraordinaire Russell Pilling, whose CV includes records by Radio Birdman, The Church, Jon Stevens and The Cruel Sea. The EP is due for release online through Brisbane-based Wild Weather Records.
“Having Amanda and Sue, a female rhythm section,” Nebe admits proudly, “is just amazing. They just rock! The three of us just work so well together and lock in tight. Having Bob in there was great – we had to lift our game, and that was the best part of that experience, and having him agree to play on the EP was fantastic. But Mick Bristow is amazing. We’ve been great mates for a long time. Bob has a certain presence on stage, but Mick goes to the next level and he’s taken us to the next level as well.”
One of the songs on that forthcoming EP is the current single, Calling Out To The Masses, a song about our need to stick by each other to try and facilitate change in this increasingly chaotic world. That’s something Team Utopia have tried to do in their own small way on a local level with their commitment to the annual Redcliffe-based funds and awareness-raising benefit concert, Rockin’ 4 The Homeless, over the past five years.
Over the past few years, as well as sharing stages with acts as diverse as America’s Richie Ramone – yes, drummer with New York’s legendary Ramones! – and New Zealand’s Bonjah, Team Utopia have played alongside local heroes The Radiators and Mental As Anything among many, as well as festivals like the Mitchell Creek Rock’n’Blues. At this year’s Rockin’ 4 The Homeless, they shared the stage with Diana Anaid and The Hoodoo Gurus, along with many other acts.
Earlier this year, Team Utopia had the very pleasurable honour to perform at this year’s four-day Way Out West Festival in Winton, alongside The Living End, Jessica Mauboy, Russell Morris, The Black Sorrows and fellow Brisbanites Sheppard, all part of the celebrations at the rebirth of the Waltzing Matilda Centre at the Winton Hotel.
Head on down to Thirsty Chiefs, on Saturday, October 13 from 4pm to watch Team Utopia perform along with Upsize and The Gastons for high octane arvo/night of ROCK!
