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Reverence of film over TV is weird: Waters

Laura WatersOne week from wrapping up the shoot for Chris Lilley’s new show Angry Boys, Princess Pictures director Laura Waters says she doesn’t understand the priority that the entertainment industry places on film over TV

“Maybe [Lilley] will make a film one day, but it’s kind of a mystery to me why there’s always this pressure about making a film,” Waters told Encore.

Princess Pictures will release its first feature next month, the romantic comedy I Love You Too (directed by Daina Reid and written by Peter Helliard), and although Lilley’s success might also translate successfully to the big screen, the transition is not a priority for the team.

According to Waters, reaching an audience is more important that the medium that is being used to tell a story.

“There’s this very weird reverence for film over TV. I don’t think that one is more supreme than the other. They’re both brilliant in their own way and,” added Waters.

Angry Boys will wrap up production next week in Melbourne. Shot in a mockumentary style, like Lilley’s previous efforts We Can Be Heroes and Summer Heights High, the series explores what it means to be a 21st century boy “by putting the male of the species under the microscope”.

“I wouldn’t even compare Chris’s shows to each other. We’re still executing, so maybe I could add more once we’ve edited, but at this stage all I can say is that we’re pushing ourselves – including, and especially, Chris – way beyond where we pushed ourselves before,” explained Waters.

Angry Boys will be the first ABC/BBC/HBO program, and the complexities of a three-way co-production involving such major international partners have been greater than expected.

“Difficult is a massive understatement.  I spent more time with my lawyer than with my husband last year.

“The main advantage is that they’re all brilliant broadcasters, and they all feel  invested in the series and will therefore promote it on their networks and help us reach an audience when we put it to air,” explained Waters.

The producer added that both international partners have given Princess Pictures and Lilley an “overwhelming creative respect”.

The series is expected to air in 2011, almost four years after Summer Heights High, but Waters said they don’t worry about how long it’s taking, or if the absence will make the audience hungry for another Lilley program.

“We just work on making the absolutely best series that we possibly can, and we try hard not to worry about how long it’s taking,” she said.

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