Ray Argall
b. May 31, 1957, Box Hill District Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

BIOGRAPHY:   A graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School, Ray Argall has enjoyed a colourful and productive presence in filmmaking spanning more than four decades, working as a director, producer, DOP, editor and writer on features, short dramas and documentaries.

He established a reputation as one of Australia's most innovative cinematographers through his work on features such as Wrong World, The Prisoner of St Petersberg and more recently Look Both Ways.

Ray's first feature, Return Home, received the 1990 AFI Award for best director, the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Director and Best Film; and screened at Berlin, Edinburgh, Seattle and a retrospective in Cannes. He was a set-up director for the award winning ABC drama series SeaChange and MDA; and produced numerous music videos for Midnight Oil, Split Enz, Crowded House, and Hoodoo Gurus among others.

Ray was President of the Australian Directors Guild (ADG) from 2006 to 2015 where he represented Australian filmmakers in many forums, and presented discussions on the Australian industry and its filmmakers at festivals around the world.

In 2016 Ray launched a business restoring archival films, starting with his own back catalogue and expanding to the work of other filmmakers including Winter’s Harvest (Brian McKenzie 1979), Lost (Jo Kennedy 1999), Me and Daphne (David Hay, Martha Ansara 1977) and the re-release of Australian Made Redux (Richard Lowenstein 1987).

To keep body and soul alive, Ray plays ice hockey with a local Sydney team, and referees for IHNSW in junior and senior mixed and women’s leagues.

	1976

CRITICAL OVERVIEW:   One starts with the question, why? Why would you choose this life? It’s been exciting, fun, creatively rewarding and exhilarating at times; but it’s also been cruel, bitchy and heart-breaking at others. Perhaps this is part and parcel of being a filmmaker in Australia?

I never thought about filmmaking as a career. Filmmakers today are more focused, even ruthless in their career strategy. Understandably as it’s a matter of survival, and so much importance is placed on ‘building’ the right career path. Perhaps if I’d hopped on the first plane to the US after the success and media attention for my first feature and personally chased those deals with Miramax, signed up with those agents, managers and lawyers – perhaps I would’ve made that leap? But as a new parent, nothing was further from my mind – and somewhat naively I thought that recognition internationally (through festivals and sales) would help build a solid career in Australia. Well yes it does, but not consistently over time, and certainly not if you choose to stay here.

Filmmaking is both deceptively simple, and extremely complex. You need to know a little about a lot, and it really helps if you know a lot about a lot. I don’t believe that cinema is about what’s written on the page, nor is it an intellectual pursuit. Not for me anyway. It’s about the creation of something greater out of the pictures, sounds and ideas you bring together on screen. It’s a strange mix between taking those core ideas, doing all that thorough painstaking preparation and planning; then throwing it all up in the air where your intuition and instinct has to work with whatever it becomes; which in turn gets thrown in the air again in post production. Truly great cinema can be etherial and spacious (Bresson, Ozu, two of my favorite films are – Pickpocket and Two Lane Blacktop) and it can be totally frenetic and explosive (Carpenter, Lucas, Coppola, anything by Sam Raimi). It can be pretentiously arty, and awfully silly – and yet still be rewarding. It’s such a broad canvas we work with. And if I was stuck on a desert island with only one film to watch? ... I think Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure might do the trick.

See also REFLECTIONS OF THE MELBOURNE INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING SCENE

FILMOGRAPHY:

FEATURES

SCR: Screenplay
DIR: Director
PROD: producer
DOP: Cinematographer
ED: Editor

2017 MIDNIGHT OIL - 1984 Produced with Rachel Argall (SCR, DIR, DOP, ED)

2004 LOOK BOTH WAYS (Dir: Sarah Watt, Prod: Bridget Ikin) (DOP)
2005 AFI award for Best Film (among others).
2005 Film critics circle of Australia Award for Best Film (among others).
Nominated for Best Non-European Film at the 2005 European Film Awards.

1992 BODY MELT (Dir: Phillip Brophy Prod: Rod Bishop) (DOP)

1991 EIGHT BALL Co-production with ABC TV (co-SCR, DIR)

1991 STAN & GEORGE'S NEW LIFE (Dir: Brian McKenzie Prod: Margot McDonald) (DOP)

1989 RETURN HOME (SCR, DIR, PROD)
1990 AFI award for Best Director.
1990 Film critics circle of Australia Award for Best Director.
1990 Film critics circle of Australia Award for Best Film.
2002 Remastered for the Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection (NFSA)

1988 CASTANET CLUB'S BIG NIGHT OUT (Dir: Neil Armfield Prod: Glenys Rowe) (DOP)

	shooting The Prisoner of St. Petersburg 1988

1988 THE PRISONER OF ST. PETERSBERG (Dir: Ian Pringle Prod: Daniel Scharf) (DOP)
Gold Award 1989 ACS Awards (Victoria)

1987 TENDER HOOKS. (Dir: Mary Callaghan Prod: Chris Oliver) (DOP)
Silver Award 1988 ACS Awards (Victoria)

1986 WITH LOVE TO THE PERSON NEXT TO ME (Dir: Brian McKenzie Prd: John Cruthers) (DOP, ED)
Kodak Cinematography Award 1988 St Kilda Festival

1986 SALT, SALIVA, SPERM AND SWEAT - (Dir: Phillip Brophy Prod: Rod Bishop) (DOP)

1984 WRONG WORLD - (Dir: Ian Pringle Prod: Bryce Menzies) (DOP, ED)
Nomination Best Cinematography 1985 AFI Awards,

1982 THE PLAINS OF HEAVEN – (Dir: Ian Pringle Prod: John Cruthers) (DOP, ED)

1978 WRONSKY - (Dir: Ian Pringle Prod: John Cruthers) (DOP)

	shooting "2 People per sq km"  (The Models) 1980

TV DRAMA

2003 MDA Series 2. (DIR)

2002 MDA Series 1. Establishing/Setup Director. (DIR) (ABC TV and Screentime)

1999 BONDI BANQUET - (DIR) (SBSI and Robyn Kershaw Productions)

1997-98 SEACHANGE - Establishing/Setup Director. (DIR) (ABC and Artist Services)

1997 99.9 RAW FM - (co-SCR, DIR) Episode 7. ("A Raw Nerve”) (ABC and Generation Films)

DOCUMENTARY AND LONGFORM MUSIC PROGRAMMES

2014 ROCKWIZ AT BLUESFEST, BEHIND THE SCENES WITH HENRY WAGONS 1hr special for Renegade Films/SBS (DIR, DOP, ED)

2014 THE MAKING OF MIDNIGHT OIL - short presentation film for touring exhibition Manly Art Gallery and Museum (ALL)

2013 ROCK DES ANTIPODES Ep 1 Newly Weds (Pilot) (ALL)

	on set "Read About It" (Midnight Oil) clip 1984

2010-11 STORIES OF ME - Paul Kelly. (CamOp) (Dir: Ian Darling, Shark Island Films)

2010-11 JACK THOMPSON Live at the Gearin (ED) (Prod: Glenys Rowe)

2010 MEOW MEOW live at SOH (CamOp) (Dir: Aden Young)

2006 ONE OUT OF THE BAG – Feature music concert film of the SPLIT ENZ reunion tour. (PROD, DIR, DOP, ED)

2005 THE LAKE SCHOOL 2004 – DVD of the Celtic music camp held in Koroit (ALL)

2002-03 UNDER ONE ROOF – Ep 2 The Puckeridge family. (SCR, DIR) (for Film Australia, National Interest Program)

2000-03 DESPERATE MAN BLUES –(Dir: Ed Gillan) (DOP, Post supervisor)

2001 24 HEURES À SYDNEY - Production co-ordination (French Production)

2000 LES ENFANTS DE MAD MAX - Production co-ordination (French Production)

1994 PAT AND EDDIES GREYHOUND RACING FAMILY – (Feature Documentary) (ED) Dir: Brian McKenzie. Prod: Daniel Scharf (nomination editing AFI awards 1996)

1992 A PLACE TO BELONG - D: Brian McKenzie. Prod: Daniel Scharf (DOP, ED)

1989 PEOPLE WHO STILL USE MILK BOTTLES (D: Brian McKenzie P: John Cruthers) (DOP)

1987 AUSTRALIAN MADE – (DIR/DOP Second Unit)

1987 THE SPIRIT SHOW – Concert film Black Sorrows (DIR, DOP, PROD)

	on set "Message to my Girl"  (Split Enz) 1983

1985-86 POP MOVIE - (DIR, co-SCR, co-PROD; co-DOP, co-ED) (TV Series 6 x half hour for ABC TV)

1984 RED SAILS IN THE SUNSET - Concert film Midnight Oil (DIR, DOP, PROD)

1984 RIGHT THERE ON MY TV - Concert film Skyhooks (DIR, DOP, PROD)

1983 TRACK RECORD - Concert film Joan Armatrading (DIR, DOP, PROD)

1983 SKYHOOKS - LIVE IN THE 80's - (DIR, DOP, ED, PROD)

1982 SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE CAPITOL, Concert film Midnight Oil (DIR, DP, ED, PROD)

1981 STAYING NUMBER ONE - (DIR, DOP, ED, PROD)

1981 THE MODELS - (DIR, DOP, ED, PROD)

1980 - 81 Sound editor at ABC TV, Natural History and TV drama.

1980-87 Around 40 MUSIC VIDEOS for artists including: Midnight Oil, Crowded House,
Hoodoo Gurus, Split Enz, Hunters and Collectors, Cold Chisel, Men at Work.

SHORT DRAMAS, ANIMATION, ONLINE

	Julie, Julie 1982

ONE DAY I WOKE UP AND I WAS ANGRY (2012, 10 mins) (Dir: Lucinda Clutterbuck)
(French/Australian Co-production) (PROD,ED)

LES CONTES DES ANIMAUX (2003, 42 mins) (Dir: Lucinda Clutterbuck) (PROD, ED)

WALNUT & HONEYSUCKLE (2001; 5 mins) (Dir: Lucinda Clutterbuck) (ED)

LIVING WITH HAPPINESS (2001, 5 mins) (Dir: Sarah Watt) (ED)

LOST (1999; 13 mins) (Dir: Jo Kennedy) (DOP, co-ED)

ASHPUTTLE (1998; (Dir: Nag Vladermisky, Susie Allender) (ED)

	Shooting Dogfood (1978)

THE BRIDGE (1997; (Dir: Jo Kennedy) (DOP)

THE WEB Series two (1995; 7 x 5 mins) (Animated series) (Series dir: Lucinda Clutterbuck) (ED)

SMALL TREASURES (1994; animated short) (Dir: Sarah Watt) (ED)

THE WEB Series one (1992-93; 6 x 5 mins) (Animated series) (Series dir: Lucinda Clutterbuck) (ED)

CAMERA NATURA (1986; 32 mins) (Dir: Ross Gibson Prod: John Cruthers) (DOP)

NO DANCE (1984; 22 mins) (Dir: Philip Brophy Prod: Rod Bishop) (DOP)

THE INVERTED KISS (1983) (Dir: John Nicholl) (DOP)

JULIE, JULIE (1982; 24 mins) (DIR, WR, ED)

DOGFOOD (1978; 20 mins) (DIR, WR, DOP, ED)

PARNASSUS (1976; 35 mins) (DIR, WR, PROD, DOP, ED)

COMA (1976; 7 mins) (DIR, WR, PROD, DOP, ED)

MORNING RITE (1975; 15 mins) (DIR, WR, PROD, DOP, ED)

AWARDS

RETURN HOME

Berlin Festival 1990 Panorama; Seatlle, Edinburgh, Cannes Forum (retrospective)
1990 AFI award for Best Director.
1990 Film critics circle of Australia Award for Best Director.
1990 Film critics circle of Australia Award for Best Film.
2002 Remastered for the Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection (NFSA)

	Return Home 1990

THE PRISONER OF ST. PETERSBERG

Gold Award 1989 ACS Awards (Victoria)

TENDER HOOKS

Silver Award 1988 ACS Awards (Victoria)

WITH LOVE TO THE PERSON NEXT TO ME

Kodak Cinematography Award 1988 St Kilda Festival

WRONG WORLD

Nomination Best Cinematography 1985 AFI Awards

THE BRIDGE

Nominated for cinematography AFI awards 1998

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Movietime - 8 January 2010 - Summer Trash & Treasure: Ray Argall on 'Two-Lane Blacktop'

National Film and Sound Archive - Return Home (1990)

Return Home (1990) curator's notes on ASO - Australia's audio and visual heritage online

Look Both Ways: Interview with Sarah Watt and Andrew S. Gilbert, Senses of Cinema

Peter Galvin: Return Home; 100 Greatest films of Australian Cinema, edited by Scott Hocking

Brian McFarlane and Geoff Mayer; New Australian Cinema

Cinema Papers 78; Scott Murray; Report and Interview Return Home; 1990

Filmnews; Vol 20, No. 7; August 1990; Home Truths; Peter Kemp

The Movie Show; Margaret Pomeranz, David Stratton; IV and review Return Home (5 stars from each of them!)

The Oxford Companion to Australian Film; edited by Brian McFarlane, Geoff Mayer, Ina Bertrand.

"'Round the Block": Back to the Suburb in Return Home", in Beasts of Suburbia (Ed)

Chris Heeley (Melbourne University Press, 1994), pp. 111 - 126.

SOME FURTHER VIDEO LINKS:

Ray Argall's website

MANDY WALKER

Contact Ray Argall

Back to Melbourne independent filmmakers index page