Sam Neill, Judy Davis and Gillian Armstrong on fold-up chairs on location at Michelago

My Brilliant Career (1979) directed by Gillian Armstrong

The filming schedule for My Brilliant Career entailed a 45-minute drive from the motel accommodation to a homestead in Michelago, a ten-and-three-quarter hour union regulated workday, a six-day week with Sundays off, and each day's shooting taking up about eight hours. For the producer and director the days merged into late nights with rushes to watch, and logistical and artistic planning for the weeks ahead. This serendipitous shot captures the transitionary stage where actors Sam Neill and Judy Davis are assuming their characters and director Gillian Armstrong is describing her vision for the shoot.