Closer Productions

Film production company in Adelaide, South Australia

Closer Productions
Company typePrivate company
IndustryFilm, television
Founded2004; 20 years ago (2004)
FounderSophie Hyde & Bryan Mason
HeadquartersAdelaide, South Australia
ProductsFilm and television production
Websitecloserproductions.com.au

Closer Productions is a film and television production company founded by filmmakers Sophie Hyde and Bryan Mason in Adelaide, South Australia, in January 2004. It is known for award-winning feature films such as 52 Tuesdays (2013) and Animals (2019), as well as television series and documentary films.

History

Closer Productions was founded by Hyde and Mason, who are personal as well as professional partners,[1] having both graduated from Flinders University in 1997.[2] They began Closer Productions in 2004[3] and produced their first work under the Closer banner in 2005.[1]

Writer Matthew Cormack joined the pair soon afterwards, and Matthew Bate came in 2010;[1] both of them are Flinders graduates too.[2] Previously, Bate had his own company, Plexus Films, but after working on separate projects after winning FilmLab funding, with Bate having his short film The Mystery of Flying Kicks, he and the Closer team decided to amalgamate.[3]

Closer Productions was registered as a private company on 28 January 2010.[4] Producer Rebecca Summerton (also a Flinders graduate[2]) joined the company shortly after the merger.[3]

Description

The company is located in the inner Adelaide suburb of Glenside, sharing the historic former administration building of Glenside Hospital with Adelaide Studios, which are managed by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC).[5]

The company is self-described as a "collective of film-makers". As of 2021[update], in addition to the four directors, Hyde, Mason (editor, DOP, producer, director[6]), Cormack (writer, sales/delivery[7]), Summerton (producer[8]), and Bate (writer, director[9]), other members of the team include editor, designer, and visual effects creator Raynor Pettge,[10] emerging director and screenwriter Matt Vesely,[11][5](another Flinders graduate[2]) and director Maya Newell (Gayby Baby, In My Blood It Runs).[12][5]

Closer Services creates promotional films for industry clients and projects documenting various aspects of arts and architecture,[13] including for clients such as the Adelaide Festival and the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA).[3] They created a series of videos for the 2020 Tarnanthi exhibition at AGSA, which included profiles of Ernabella Arts, Iwantja Arts and Tjala Arts.[14]

Grants and mentoring

In September 2020, Closer Productions and the Adelaide Film Festival announced a "new grants program aiming to broaden accessibility to the Australian filmmaking industry for artists from underrepresented communities". Four selected emerging filmmakers would be awarded A$5,000 as well as the opportunity to participate in three workshops with the Closer Productions team.[15][16]

Selected filmography

Feature fiction

Television series

Short films and documentaries

  • Beyond Beliefs: Muslims & Non-Muslims in Australia (2007)[20]
  • Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure (2011), documentary/comedy/drama, written and directed by Matthew Bate[21]
  • Life in Movement (2011), a documentary about choreographer Tanja Liedtke
  • Sam Klemke's Time Machine (2015), feature-length documentary, written and directed by Matthew Bate[22]
  • My Best Friend is Stuck on the Ceiling (2015), s short comic film written and directed by Matt Vesely.[23][24]
  • A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl (2017), written and directed by, and starring Tilda Cobham-Hervey[25]
  • In My Blood It Runs (2019), feature-length documentary, directed by Maya Newell and others[26]

Awards

  • 2011: Life in Movement, winner, Best Work at the 2011 Ruby Awards[27]
  • 2011: Life in Movement, winner, Foxtel Australian Documentary Prize[28]
  • 2011, Life in Movement, nominated, AACTA Awards, Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Direction in a Documentary[27][29]
  • 2011: Life in Movement, Australian Film Critics Association Awards, Best Documentary[30]
  • 2013/4: 52 Tuesdays – multiple wins and nominations
  • 2018: Fucking Adelaide, winner, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) Award for Online Series Production of the Year[31][32]
  • 2018: Fucking Adelaide, nominated, APDG Award for Costume Design for a Web Series (Renate Henschke)[33]
  • 2018: Fucking Adelaide, nominated, Adobe Award for Production Design for a Web Series (Amy Baker)[33]

References

  1. ^ a b c Frangos, Daniela (10 July 2018). "Creative Couples: Sophie Hyde and Bryan Mason". The Broadsheet. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Flinders 50 Creatives Exhibition Program". Flinders University. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2024 – via Issuu.
  3. ^ a b c d Knight, David (26 September 2013). "Closer Productions". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Current details for ABN 44 141 586 343". ABN Lookup. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Info". Closer Productions. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  6. ^ Bryan Mason at IMDb
  7. ^ Matthew Cormack at IMDb
  8. ^ "Rebecca Summerton appointed to SAFC Board". SAFC. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  9. ^ Matthew Bate at IMDb
  10. ^ Raynor Pettge at IMDb
  11. ^ Matt Vesely at IMDb
  12. ^ Maya Newell at IMDb
  13. ^ "Closer Services". Closer Productions. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Tarnanthi 2020 Videos". AGSA – The Art Gallery of South Australia. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  15. ^ Von Einem, Johnny (28 September 2020). "Closer Productions and Adelaide Film Festival announce grants for underrepresented filmmakers". CityMag. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Closer Productions & Adelaide Film Festival announce grants for underrepresented voices". Glam Adelaide. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Fucking Adelaide". Closer Productions. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  18. ^ Fucking Adelaide at IMDb
  19. ^ "F*!#ing Adelaide". ABC iview. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  20. ^ Beyond Beliefs: Muslims & Non-Muslims in Australia at IMDb
  21. ^ Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure at IMDb
  22. ^ Sam Klemke's Time Machine at IMDb
  23. ^ My Best Friend Is Stuck on the Ceiling at IMDb
  24. ^ "My Best Friend Is Stuck on the Ceiling". Closer Productions. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  25. ^ Closer Productions at IMDb
  26. ^ "In My Blood It Runs". Closer Productions. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  27. ^ a b "Choreographer's tale tops awards". AdelaideNow. 10 September 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  28. ^ "Animals". Sundance Institute. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  29. ^ Debelle, Penelope (6 July 2018). "Sophie's independent streak". SA Weekend. The Advertiser. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  30. ^ "Life in Movement: Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  31. ^ Keast, Jackie (23 November 2018). "Guesswork Television, Bunya Productions top SPA Awards". IF Magazine. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  32. ^ Knox, David (23 November 2018). "Screen Producers Awards 2018: winners". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  33. ^ a b "2018 APDG Awards Winners". ADPG. Retrieved 14 February 2021.

Further reading

  • Groves, Don (14 July 2020). "Closer Productions navigates its way through the pandemic with 'Aftertaste'". IF Magazine. Interview with Rebecca Summerton, Bryan Mason, Sophie Hyde and Matthew Bate.
  • Official website