Christmas Lights Press Kit

Premieres Wednesday 24 December at 8:05pm on ABC2Thursday 25 December 2008 at 10:05pm on ABC1visit the showcase page

Key CreditsWriter/Director/Associate Producer – Lizzie FisherProducer – Rachelle BakarichDirector of Photography/Associate Producer – Jimmy FoggoEditor – Rob ButteryExecutive Producer – Penny RobinsDuration – 22 minutesWebsite - www.filmaust.com.au/christmaslightsPhotography by Jimmy Foggo © Jimmy Foggo.Christmas Lights is produced in association with Screen Australia.For interviews and further information contact:Adrienne O’Connor, (07) 3377 5175 / 0413 023 762, o’connor.adrienne@abc.net.auFor images please visit http://abc.net.au/tvpublicity 2

SynopsesOne lineEver wondered what drives people to spend up to eleven months of the year and thousands ofdollars on Christmas lights?One paragraphEver wondered what drives people to spend up to eleven months of the year and thousandsof dollars on Christmas lights? Meet the Watsons, the Greenways and the Overtons, some ofAustralia’s most passionate Christmas enthusiasts, and discover the meaning and motivationbehind their curious and creative passion.One pageEver wondered what drives people to spend up to eleven months of the year and thousandsof dollars on Christmas lights? Meet the Watsons, the Greenways and the Overtons, some ofAustralia’s most passionate Christmas enthusiasts, and discover the meaning and motivationbehind their curious and creative passion.Made by first-time director Lizzie Fisher, Christmas Lights introduces the characters behind someof Sydney’s most spectacular lighting displays, looking at the labour and motivation behind whatfor each family has become an obsession.For Jack and Milvia Watson—who for eight years have replicated the landmarks of Sydney intheir suburban front yard—the journey is particularly personal. Milvia’s social life is restrictedby a medical condition and she delights in the thousands of people who visit her home eachChristmas to see the spectacular display.Peter and Lynne Greenway began stringing Christmas lights 18 years ago in a move Peter admitshas taken over his life, with a whopping 52,000 lights now adorning their “gingerbread house”and towering eucalypts nearby.His passion is shared by Lauraine and Peter Overton, who spend eight weeks each yearpreparing their display, which transforms their home into a Christmas wonderland complete withresident Santa Claus, motorised reindeer and snow machine. Peter makes all his decorations in aworkshop at home.But for each of these hardworking families, the motivation is the same: the joy they receive fromgiving something back to the community and the delight on the faces of the children who entertheir Christmas gardens.For interviews and further information contact:Adrienne O’Connor, (07) 3377 5175 / 0413 023 762, o’connor.adrienne@abc.net.auFor images please visit http://abc.net.au/tvpublicity 3

Production StoryFor first-time director Lizzie Fisher, the idea of making afilm about the obsession people have with Christmas lightsfollowed years of wondering exactly what drove them tospend months adorning their homes.“I go up to Brisbane every year to spend Christmas with myfamily and just near my aunt’s house is a street that has a fewmajor displays of Christmas lights,” she says.“Mum and I have an unspoken tradition of going for a walkon Christmas Eve to check them out. A couple of yearsago one of the houses had a little gathering outside so westopped to say hello and met this fantastic character, whotold us with great passion how he spent four months of theyear putting his display together.“It was something that seemed quite eccentric to me as anoutsider. As we were walking away, I said to Mum, ‘Wow thatwould make a great documentary!’ ”The idea came to fruition in early 2007 when Fisher won a staff development grant while workingfor Film Australia, now Screen Australia.The grant gave her $5000, plus in-kind services such as the use of an edit suite, to make a shortdocumentary, along with an experienced mentor in Screen Australia executive producer Penny Robins.With the assistance of her colleague Rachelle Bakarich, who came on board as the producer,Fisher set about finding her characters, though researching in March proved a challenge.“It was completely the wrong time of the year!” she laughs. “Fortunately there is a lot ofinformation on the internet. There are various competitions throughout Australia so we lookedat who had won those. Several media websites recommend streets that have the best displaysand luckily, because they want people to come and see their houses, many families post theiraddresses on a range of websites.”After tracking down a number of houses well known for their displays, Fisher and Bakarich wroteeach household a letter explaining their desire to make a film. In some cases, they left notes inthe letterboxes of an entire street.They met the dozen or so households who replied, poring over their photographs and listening totheir stories, before narrowing the field to three.“Some were more reserved than others, but ultimately they just love what they do and they wantto show it off. They’re all really passionate about Christmas and it’s a really big part of their lives.”For interviews and further information contact:Adrienne O’Connor, (07) 3377 5175 / 0413 023 762, o’connor.adrienne@abc.net.auFor images please visit http://abc.net.au/tvpublicity 4

With director of photography, Jimmy Foggo, Fisher beganfilming in October, interviewing first, then capturing thevision required to tell the story.“We were out there almost every night in December to getall the crowd shots and the fun that happens once the lightsare switched on, then we went back in January to capturethem taking their displays down. They all told us how sadit makes them taking everything down every year and howempty and naked their houses look.”Despite the best efforts of the families to convince the filmmakers that their own homes couldbenefit from the addition of a Christmas display, Fisher remains unswayed. But she doesunderstand why for some it becomes such as passion.“This film was about meeting the characters behind the lights. We wanted to understand whythese people do what they do and I think we’ve done that. They all have hundreds of peoplecoming to see their houses every night in December and ultimately they all just do it for thecommunity. They love it so much because it brings so much joy to people. Many of them alsoraise money for charity.”For interviews and further information contact:Adrienne O’Connor, (07) 3377 5175 / 0413 023 762, o’connor.adrienne@abc.net.auFor images please visit http://abc.net.au/tvpublicity 5

The CharactersJack and Milvia Watson, Matraville NSWEach year, Jack and Milvia Watson create an impressive Christmas displayfeaturing detailed replicas of Sydney landmarks, including CentrepointTower, Luna Park, Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.The couple began eight years ago with a few moving figurines theybought at a garage sale and their passion rapidly flourished. Theystart work in February, with the bulk of construction taking placebetween September and November.Milvia is the mastermind behind the designs, while Jack, a sheet-metal worker, builds the display.All the features of their display are handmade by Jack, who constructs his pieces for splendourand safety. The couple is assisted by their four sons and grandchildren.Throughout December, people queue at the couple’s gate to wait for the lights to come on at8pm. On Friday nights, a line-dancing group in sparkly shirts dances on the lawn to Christmastunes, and there are visits by a professional Santa Claus.Peter and Lynne Greenway, Belrose NSWPeter and Lynne began decorating their home with three sets of lights18 years ago and now have more than 52,000, growing every year. Theyaim to create a beautiful picture rather than “garish statues”.Peter starts putting his display together in October and spends abouta month checking each globe. He switches on the lights on the firstweekend of December.A passionate advocate of Christmas lights, Peter encourages everyone to create their owndisplays and passes unused lights to his neighbours.Throughout December, Peter, Lynne and their neighbours eat dinner on their lawns to enjoythe lights. On busy nights, Peter dresses as Santa Claus, brandishing a 120-year-old bell as heentertains visiting children and passing cars.Peter and Lauraine Overton, Quakers Hill NSWPeter and Lauraine have created a winter wonderland across theirrooftop and front yard, from which Santa Claus holds court as snow fallsfrom a snow machine over a beautifully constructed Christmas village.The family’s efforts are primarily driven by Peter, who spends months inhis shed from October making everything used in the display.Peter loves Christmas and has done ever since he was a child. Hebegan his own display 13 years ago and it has grown ever since.On the weekends preceding Christmas, family members dress in costume and spend theirevenings entertaining neighbours. There are visits from the Salvation Army band, a neighbourhoodSanta Claus and local church carollers.For interviews and further information contact:Adrienne O’Connor, (07) 3377 5175 / 0413 023 762, o’connor.adrienne@abc.net.auFor images please visit http://abc.net.au/tvpublicity 6

About the Writer/Director/Associate producer – Lizzie FisherChristmas Lights is Lizzie Fisher’s first documentary and provided a huge learning curve for theyoung filmmaker. While working at Film Australia in 2007, Lizzie received a $5000 grant throughthe Film Australia Filmmaker Development Program, awarded to one staff member or a smallteam of staff each year to make a 10-minute documentary.Lizzie graduated from Charles Sturt University in 2005, where she studied a Bachelor of Arts inCommunications (Theatre Media). She has worked in various capacities throughout the industry,including at Film Australia and the ABC.Lizzie is currently in the process of starting up a production company with partner Jimmy Foggo.They are developing a short drama called, In The Dog House, and several music videos.About the Producer – Rachelle BakarichRachelle Bakarich has worked in the film industry for five years and makes her debut as aproducer with Christmas Lights. Rachelle started working at Film Australia in 2004 and hasworked in finance and as a production accountant on more than 20 Film Australia films.An interest in filmmaking led Rachelle to shift her focus to production coordination on projectsincluding Mawson - Life and Death in Antarctica and National Treasures 2.Rachelle also has worked with Heiress Films on numerous projects, and has assisted on theacclaimed Screen Australia and ABC Television documentary Life at 3 and Hotspell for SBS Television.About the Director of Photography/Associate Producer – Jimmy FoggoJimmy Foggo started his career as an editor at Crackerjack Productions, working on Australiantelevision shows including Comedy Inc, Australia’s Brainiest Kid, Pardon the Interruption and SoFresh, which he later went on to produce, along with Nerds FC.He is currently employed as the Digital Media Producer at FremantleMedia Australia. As part ofthis role, he has produced hundreds of hours of original online content, for numerous high profileAustralian series including The Biggest Loser, The Farmer Wants a Wife, Australian Idol, So YouThink You Can Dance and Neighbours. Most recently Jimmy co-created, series produced and fielddirected the successful online series the MySpace Road Tour.Jimmy is currently in the process of starting up a production company with partner Lizzie Fisher.For interviews and further information contact:Adrienne O’Connor, (07) 3377 5175 / 0413 023 762, o’connor.adrienne@abc.net.auFor images please visit http://abc.net.au/tvpublicity 7