Fledgling Kiwi filmmaker Paul Murphy's debut feature, Second-Hand Wedding, was released on Thursday and he is bracing himself for the inevitable comparisons with his famous father.
"I put a yellow Mini in it so there's bound to be comparisons," he says with a chuckle.
Paul's dad is veteran filmmaker Geoff Murphy who has directed everything from Hollywood sequels to documentaries after making his name with groundbreaking New Zealand 70s movies Utu, The Quiet Earth and much-loved Goodbye Pork Pie which saw two larrikins drive straight into Kiwi hearts in a little yellow Mini.
Murphy Junior says the yellow Mini that appears in Second-Hand Wedding was something of a "happy accident" as the script originally called for a red version.
"But when we found the yellow one I thought it would be fun to put it in the movie and pay homage to my dad."
It also tickles him that the station-wagon Mini in his movie is a more 'middle-aged' version of the Pork Pie vehicle. The difference also provides a nice analogy for the differences in the two movies.
While Goodbye Pork Pie was a celebration of two male outsiders thumbing their noses at the world, Second-Hand Wedding stars Geraldine Brophy and is a humble, heartfelt celebration of family values.
Forty-five-year-old Paul Murphy has served a long apprenticeship to get to the stage of directing his first feature film. For 15 years he worked on various sets in the art department, lighting and as a key grip until 2004/2005, when he made the leap into the director's chair taking on TV commercials, a kids' series and six episodes of Sensing Murder.
It was creative impatience and the desire to get on and make a film without waiting for Creative New Zealand funding that made him take on a producer role for the film.
"I don't really subscribe to the idea that you should only make movies with a message or ones that you are really passionate about," he says.
"It is not deep and meaningful, it's a nice story about some real people that I wanted to share. I hope people are entertained and they like it."
Written by Kiwi scriptwriter Nick Ward (Stick Men), Second-Hand Wedding is set in small-town New Zealand and steeped in Kiwiana from the garage sale props to a cameo appearance by singer John Rowles. Murphy is full of praise for Rowles.
"He was really in his element when he sang. I reckon he could sing while he ate his dinner. We only did three takes and each one was great. The applause and response of the extras in the movie is real. It was a good moment in time."
Filming was a real family affair. Producer Kerry Robins is Paul Murphy's uncle, Kerry's mother Pat Robins served as script supervisor and Paul's daughter Ella played a small role. Nick Ward's mother provided props as well as inspiration and his father Brian was technical advisor for the Model-T Fords used in the film.
Despite the cosy set, and Paul following his father into the film industry, Murphy says he doesn't want his own children (he has four, aged from 7 to 18 years) to follow suit.
"I'd support them if they wanted to but I'd prefer it if they didn't," he admits. He says film sets are very insular and unlike the real world, and there is no job security, with gaps between projects common. He has worked on orchards, at a freezing works and as a builder and believes the blue-collar jobs have made him a better filmmaker.
While he doesn't want his kids to go into the business, Murphy is confident and content with his own career choices, saying the director role came easily to him.
"When you work on a set you think about how you would do things or talk to your mates about it. It was great to have the ultimate creative role and make all the calls."
And what does Dad think of the yellow Mini homage and his son's debut movie? "He was supportive and positive which is nice because everyone wants their parents to endorse them," he says.
But it wasn't all rosy accolades from Murphy senior, who told his son he shouldn't call the movie a comedy. "I think he was expecting a laugh riot but this is a more gentle comedy about the situations that real people can find themselves in. He said it's not a comedy, it's sentimental."
After facing his father's feedback, Murphy is looking forward to seeing how the New Zealand public responds to his movie. Then he'll take it to Cannes to see if it can get on the festival circuit or picked up by international distributors.
Ultimately, he hopes Second-Hand Wedding will lead to other directing jobs. He also has six more feature films of his own in various stages of development. And with a western, a horror-thriller and a period drama in the line-up, it looks like he could have a career as versatile as his father's.
5:00AM Saturday May 17, 2008
By Shannon Huse
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