San Francisco based crypto trader Brendan Brandon (Arj Barker) loses everything when his investments collapse but an opportunity presents itself when his missing uncle (Roy Billing) gifts him the family’s macadamia nut farm in the small Australian town of Cobweb. Faced with a unexpected legal caveat and some evil New Zealander gas frackers, Brendan soon realises that a quick sale of the old farm might not be as easy as he’d hoped.
Leading up to The Nut Farm‘s release in theatres on March 14, Nick L’Barrow had the opportunity to chat with the film’s director and co-writer, Scott Corfield, about his 80s comedy inspirations for the film’s tone, working with Arj Barker, and the films tough journey to the big screen!
Nick: It’s a pleasure to meet you, Scott! I watched the film yesterday afternoon, and it truly felt like the perfect Sunday afternoon anecdote coming into a Monday because it’s so fun and light hearted.
Scott Corfield: Weirdly enough, that’s exactly what we [Scott and writer/actor Arj Barker] were talking about when we were planning this film. One of those films that people can watch with a Sunday afternoon sort of vibe, that’s for children too and not too over the top. Just easy watching and a bit of fun really!
Nick: It really felt like that! And I appreciate you taking the time to chat about the film today. I’m curious to find out how you initially became involved with The Nut Farm. As a fan of Arj Barker’s stand up, this definitely fits his comedic sensibilities. But you had done a pretty heavy drama in Don’t Tell before this. So what was that transition like for you in to the world of comedy?
Scott Corfield: Don’t Tell was a really hard film to make, and get funded, and be in that headspace of the lead character, and do the research. I mean, it’s nothing compared to what some who’s gone through that level of abuse is like. But after, you know, doing that film for three or four years, I decided I need to do something a little lighter, and just have a bit of fun.
So, The Nut Farm was just a little film that I was trying to get up and going while I had a whole bunch of other bigger projects in development. And it turned out that it was one of the hardest films ever to get up! It was just insanely difficult, and harder than even Don’t Tell.
Nick: How so?!
Scott Corfield: Surprisingly enough, it was distributors and funding bodies. Although Australian cinema history is peppered with great comedies, which we’re most known for, people were really reluctant to do comedies and back them from a distributor level and a funding level. Everyone seemed to feel that they’re too risky to take on. And so, I had such difficulty trying to get this up.
I think Aussies love their comedies. We have a very unique sense of humour and I think you’ve gotta play to your strengths. Everyone I know and love, love joking around. So, naturally it would seem that a film like this would be perfect for the cinema!
Then we had COVID, and our film ended up falling over, you know, two or three times. So, in the end, I had to cut our budget by probably a third of what I think was probably needed. I had to use every trick in the book that I have learned over years of filmmaking – cheating shots, reducing crews, and all sorts of little things here and there, to get it up and running.
But it’s been a great journey and working with Arj [Barker] has been fantastic. Like you said, he’s a legendary Australian comedian and it was such a joy to work with him. It surely was fun.
Nick: I think another one of the reasons that this film deserves to be seen at a cinema is the 80s/90s adventure film aesthetic you have! From the cinematography, the lighting, and especially the set design of the bunker – it looked like so many of the films I grew up watching. What was the process of bringing that style and aesthetic to the film?
Scott Corfield: Yeah, you’re exactly right! That’s exactly what I was going after. I grew up watching things like The Goonies and E.T. I still remember the cinema seats I was sitting in when I saw those great films. It’s just so burned into my brand.
And I love the comedies from that time. I love Bill Murray comedies, even National Lampoon’s and all sorts of stuff. It just seemed like a time where film was a lot more fun and easy to watch, and a bit, kind of, quirky. A bit of escapism. That’s where that came from.
And, you know, I love big characters. I think they can reveal a fair about us as a culture. When you’re looking at people like Zoron [Jonno Roberts], it’s crazy and over the top. But there’s a whole lot of truth in people like that. I used to have a boss who was every bit as flamboyant and crazy as that, but so wildly dangerous as well!
Nick: That leads into my next question, because through the character of Zoron, the film explores themes like the environment and anti-fracking, but there is also a prevalent theme of community in this story. What do you think makes comedy such a good vessel to explore these sorts of themes?
Scott Corfield: You know, I really care for the environment, and I thought the anti-fracking message in an important one. I don’t think we still do enough to protect the environment, you know? We treat it like a pin cushion as far as the fracking world goes, and I think it’s certainly time we moved on from fossil fuels. And I do get that it’s a complex debate I think that should’ve started a long time ago, not just now.
But, I think a very good way to put that in a film, is to bury it in something that’s watchable. I mean, you’re not preaching, you’re not smacking people over the head with a club. I credit the idea to Michael Moore. I saw an interview with him, and the interviewer said, “You seem to be softening in your old age?” And he said, “No, no. I’m getting more angry. But I realised that to get audiences to listen, I’ve got to sprinkle it with sugar.”
So, we just kept throwing sugar on this thing until we thought it was watchable!
Nick: Speaking of quotes, I wanted to get your take on a something I heard from William H. Macy recently, who was talking about how the actor shouldn’t try to be funny, or make the scene funny. It’s the sincerity and seriousness from the actor in that situation that makes the comedy funny. So, I’m curious to know if that translates into directing? Obviously, The Nut Farm is quite intentionally funny and quirky, but do you approach the material with that same sincerity, or is about always going for the joke and the laugh?
Scott Corfield: Well, I come from a bit of an acting background, and some study in that area. So as a director, I’m all about performance. That’s the thing I love, and I love working with actors.
I think you can’t play a joke to try and make it funny. You have to ground everything in reality. And it has to be truthful to the character. Even if it’s Zoron and his milk obsession. He has to completely commit to the absurdity of the situation, and then the comedy comes out of that.
You can push a little bit to try and get a bit more out of it. But I think if you just try for jokes, they’re not going to come in to land. I think you just have to trust the material and believe and deliver it with sincerity.
Thank you to Scott Corfield for his time, and to Bonsai Films and NixCO PR for organising the interview. The Nut Farm is in cinemas March 14.
