Title: THE BIRDHOUSE

Written, directed and edited by Miska Mandic
Produced by Cordelia Moss.

Year of completion: 2006
Country of origin: Australia
Genre: Experimental, Drama, Musical
Duration: 11:30 min
Shooting format: 16 mm (Arri SR3)
Format for presentation: Digibeta, DVCam
Ratio: 16:9; Image: Colour

One line synopsis

The Birdhouse delves into the dark and tragic yet sometimes obscurely comic depths of one woman’s mind.

One paragraph synopsis

On a country drive to a social dinner with her husband, Elinor finds the subtext of each dry conversation to be a bottomless pool of information with which to shower her fantasies of tragedy, of escape, of catharsis. Fleeing from this domestic quicksand, Elinor falls deeper and deeper into her own mind as she fantasises, ponders and rationalises within the surreal dreamscape of her thoughts.

Cast list

Fiona Morris - AUDREY EVANS
Darren Hawkins - MR EVANS
Edwina Meade - THE MAID
Arabella Macpherson - THE WOMAN

Kevin Bava - BUTLER
Mariam Gedevani - MAID
James Smith - BUTLER
Trischelle Roberts - MAID
James St John Cox - BUTLER
Carmelinda Marigliano -MAID

Crew List

Miska Mandic - DIRECTOR
Cordelia Moss - PRODUCER

Rob Morton - DOP

Evangeline Aguas - PRODUCTION MANAGER
Meredith Ferguson - PRODUCTION MANAGER

James St John Cox - 1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Gabriel Van Aalst -1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Richard Narramore - STEADYCAM OPERATOR
Scott Dolan - CAMERA ASSISTANT
Alexis Tarren - CAMERA ASSISTANT
Nic Versluis - LIGHTING OPERATOR
Peter Marsden - LIGHTING OPERATOR
Ted Crosby - GRIP

Pip Shapiera - JIB OPERATOR
Jith Sen - JIB ASSISTANT

Leonie Savvides & Miska Mandic - PRODUCTION DESIGN
Rachel Zeilic - PROD. DESIGN ASSISTANT
Jessica Dudgeon - COSTUME DESIGNER
Sue-Ann San - COSTUME ASSISTANT/STYLIST
Mailer Daemon - SOUND DESIGN

Carmelinda Marigliano - CHEOREOGRAPHER
Samuel Icklow - STORY CONSULTANT / TITLES CREATOR / LIFE PARTNER
Paul Dinning - CONTINUITY / STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY
Samantha Lim - STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY

Elise Dorahy-Hill - SOUND RECORDIST
Guy Rudder - ASSISTANT SOUND RECORDIST
Fergus Jensen - BOOM OPERATOR
Tom Baker - BOOM OPERATOR

Joanne Bentley - MAKE-UP/HAIR ARTIST
Deb Miller - MAKE-UP/HAIR ARTIST

Music

TARTS AND FLOWERS
Music from the Little Audrey Noveltoon: Tarts and Flowers by Bill Tytlia. Musical Arrangement by Winston Sharples, RCA Sound System, Certificate No. 04690, UM. & M.TV Corporate & Famous Studios Productions (1950), Care of archive.org.