DYLAN Tilbury doesn’t need a big budget, fancy lighting or big-name actors to make his dream films – in fact, he doesn’t even need a proper script.
The independent Fremantle director and high school teacher simply gives his cast a rough character outline – and lets the magic unfold.
Keeping it real and raw, he draws on – or rather “steals”, as he confesses – the methods of British director Mike Leigh, admired for his ‘kitchen-sink realist style’ and tradition of improvisation in classics, such as Naked, Happy-Go-Lucky and Academy Award nominated Secrets & Lies.
“With my feature films Lonely and Hotel, I wanted to throw back to the old way of telling a story, where it’s just people sitting down and imparting their tale as opposed to all the visual language we see today,” Tilbury said.
“So I give my actors the basics for their roles and it’s up to them to construct their characters, and make their own decisions. The script for Lonely was only about six pages and Hotel was even less – this way the actors draw upon their personal experiences and give much more convincing performances.”
Tilbury’s latest project Hotel, shot during weekends in Perth, comprises 10 characters delivering self-reflective monologues.
“I definitely like exploring the darker side of society and the psychology of characters; really getting into their heads,” he said.
Tilbury plans to release Hotel at the end of the year.
His next work is a horror focusing on two serial killers.