[00:00:00] You've tuned into Radio Northern Beaches. We live stream on rnb.org.au across the northern beaches of New South Wales, Australia and all over the world. You can also catch us local on 88.7 and 90.3 FM. Our podcasts are available at your convenience at rnb.org.au or rnbpodcast.com.au
[00:00:28] Don't forget to check out our social media, Facebook and Instagram which you can access from our website rnb.org.au. So you and your friends don't miss any episodes, don't forget to follow and share. Now here's our latest podcast. Today we're stepping behind the scenes of a powerful new Australian Cinerambic achievement. It's a story of resilience, faith and the human
[00:00:54] spirit that has resonated for thousands of years, now brought to life with a distinctly modern local vision. I'm thrilled to be joined in the studio by two of the key architects behind the film 18 The Book of Job. First we have the film producer Jason Blakelock who helped navigate the massive undertaking of bringing this biblical epic to the screen and alongside him is the man responsible
[00:01:17] for the film's atmospheric soundscape composer Anthony McDermott. Before we dive into the how and why of this production, here's a little taste of what the audience can experience from this film. When everything you've built, your family, your wealth and your health is stripped away in an instant, what remains? 18 The Book of Job isn't just a retelling of the ancient text, it's a visceral,
[00:01:42] cynical, cineuramic exploration of why behind suffering. Filmed with a raw Australian intensity, it asks the questions we're often too afraid to voice, set against a haunting musical score that captures the very breadth of the desert. Welcome fellas. Welcome, thank you. Thank you for having us. Now I'm quite excited because I didn't know much about this film. I'm a Christian myself but you don't need to be a Christian to watch this film and find out about the message in it. So first up what I'd
[00:02:12] like to do is ask you about how the film came about, how you decided to make it, who you made it with, who got involved and we'll go from there. Scissors, paper rock to see who goes first. I think Jason needs to talk on this one because he is the ultimate producer and that's definitely his bag. So over to you on that one Jason. And I thank you very much for giving me that compliment Anthony but you will say better things than me. So we can't make this a mutual appreciation society.
[00:02:41] Well you already have guys. What say we just interact with each other and we get to the plot? So who came up with the idea? Okay so I had one of the most unusual moments of my life. I was actually sitting in my bedroom staring at the blank white wall after having read the book of Job and noticed that it read like a film script which it does. You've got each character at the heading and then
[00:03:08] you've got in one point very clearly stating Eliphaz now shouting. I thought that just sounds like it's been written as a film script and I was staring at the wall daydreaming thinking wouldn't this make an amazing movie? And I kid you not I felt the heavens opened or wasn't that dramatic but I definitely felt an impression of the sense of you must do this. And it was such a strong impression it compelled me to
[00:03:35] literally go out and do it. I literally felt like I'd been given a mission. And so I gather that after reading this particular text that it had a specific message that also gave you that idea not only that it was written like a movie but that the actual feel and the meaning of the text had something to do with it as well. So now you've only given us 20 minutes for this interview Christine so I'll reserve
[00:04:01] that answer to maybe a longer interview perhaps. Okay fair enough. And there's a backstory to Jason starting this. He's always had a fascination and prior to this adventure he was he had made a Bible movie app where he had religiously dare we say it documented every book of the Bible as a watchable movie with the primitive resources he used at the time. So he has form in this space but
[00:04:30] he hadn't to this point created a live reconstruction rather than using stock film and stock audio and stock voiceover. And so you could you can still see that app and a lot of it's gone viral beyond your imagination. And I think that was a bit of the momentum for him. He loves film and he loves making particularly in conjunction with his faith. He loves making art and that's that's to me the most
[00:04:55] inspiring thing is his um his partner in crime. So you had something to work off when you started it you had some some idea of how it all worked and the concepts and so forth. So where did you go from there? So I'm actually I'm just going to go back for a moment if you'll indulge me. Not a problem. I was in my 20s living literally on the street bed surfing like couch surfing or sort of sleeping semi-rough
[00:05:21] on drugs alcoholic and I hadn't eaten for three days literally. And a dear old friend of my father's came down this lovely woman Subaru she came down and met me at Bondi Beach as I was wandering around dressed in black with a shaved head and said Jason you look pretty hungry can I get you a sandwich? And I was mad I was off my head and she sat me down on the beach and she said Jason how much of the Bible do you remember? Now I'd grown up as a Christian I'd read the Bible cover to cover by the time I was 12
[00:05:50] I'd probably read it four or five times. I could not remember one name from the Bible in my drug addicted backslidden state and and I was literally quite mad at that time but that one moment brought such clarity it in an instant brought me to my senses and began my journey out of that hell but it also made me aware of how important the Bible is and what a life raft it is when you're in darkness.
[00:06:15] That's the foundation for this film. Wow that's amazing. And then leap forward to a point in his life where he's got a formulated idea and he decides that he wants to buy an electric piano. He has no idea what electric piano to buy but he looks on whatever the platform is probably can't even talk about the name of that platform on this show but anyway and I get this message from a local guy wanting to
[00:06:40] buy a piano that I had and he turned this this Jason turned up I didn't know him from a bar of soap about four or five years ago. I'd just lost both of my parents. I was suffering incredible anxiety with work and with all sorts of other things deep in the dark of a dare we say it biblical depression and this person walks in with like a breath of fresh air and walks out with his with my piano under under his
[00:07:04] arm. I'm now very jealous he has that piano by the way and and then he contacted me completely out of the blue completely this is like being struck by lightning and invited me to participate in scoring his movie. I didn't realize how underdeveloped that movie was at the time but I'm pleased that it wasn't that developed and he gave me full unconditional editorial control over the music which was something
[00:07:29] that I just didn't believe I was ever going to get and he took me from a state of lost in the wilderness confused anxious to sitting at a piano with a bible next to me. Can you imagine the mission accomplished that sign that came up on his window when he had this this man in despair you know working through a bible and playing the piano and um and it's from that we just we've established a lifelong
[00:07:56] relationship in the space of all of about five or four or five years it's it's astounding to be honest with you. As they say God works in mysterious ways and it's never the way you expect. So as I said I don't know much about this movie so you've got quite a lot of music in it and the scores are... There there are a multitude of things. The music is designed to keep the pulse of the plot
[00:08:21] moving forward. Jason might give you a backstory on the way it was originally filmed by a brilliant theatre director. The performances are really solid and the whole movie stands on the acting performances. They are incredible. They're profound. So there was a lot to work with but the object of any scoring process I've subsequently learned is not to get in a way of the good acting. It's just to give it momentum or bring it back to zero. Silence is a very useful tool to use when there's a really
[00:08:49] poignant moment on the screen. So it's really important. I love doing a trailer. That's the one where you you get a big burst of excitement and you get three minutes to just go crazy. But at the same time there are moments in there where we did we agonize. We I can remember the afternoon when we scored it with about a hundred pieces to choose from. We literally put them into spot and we walked out and we shook each other on the hand and it was one of the most satisfying afternoons but it was
[00:09:16] one of those moments where you have to live through it to realize the suffering we had to try and peace that. It was a jigsaw. It was a huge jigsaw that we did that day. But the important thing about the music for me was to not get in the way of these incredible performances which I think I don't know if Jason might might be about to mention it but we're actually going to open at the Colorado Cinema in a in about a month's time which will be really exciting for us because we're both northern beaches boys but we're both born and bred on the northern beaches so we're very excited to be
[00:09:45] premiering it at the Collaroy Cinema. Such a landmark. We love the Collaroy's. I always love the Collaroy Cinema. I mean it's just one of the most iconic locations from Manly to Pittwater. I mean it's such a beautiful location. It's such a like staple so I just love that we can just put a showing on there and invite people in. And it's still available as a live theatre. It's the only one left. In 1938 it was built and it's the only one left on the beaches on the whole area which is fantastic.
[00:10:15] So and I think that will be on Wednesday the 20th at 6pm. We'll talk a little bit more about that. So tell me about the actors. They're Australian actors? We've got an incredible cast. So Daniel Woodinson runs the Salt and Light Theatre Company up on the central coast. He's the director of the film and he brought an amazing cast. The standout obviously Josh Adamson who played Job. So Josh is
[00:10:41] an incredible Australian now living over in Hollywood doing amazing things but the passion that he brought. I was astonished that these actors all learnt their chapters long script with a month and a half into production. They were astonishing. I had always assumed wrongly I learnt that they would use teleprompters. They didn't. They learnt the scripts off by heart. We're talking
[00:11:06] about four, five, six chapters each. So you've got Job's wife Jessica Marchie. She did an amazing job. There's some incredible scenes that unfortunately didn't make it but just her grief that she brings to having lost everything was really significant. So we loved her. And then we got Shane Emmett. It was Eliphaz again played an incredible role and really brought his own flavour to it. And they're
[00:11:32] just amazing guys. Bildad. We got Elihu and Zophar. Ben Brock for Zophar. Tim Lim. And then amazing our friend who played Roberto. Roberto Zinka. How could I miss Roberto? What a talent. Roberto's gone on to do some amazing things. So they're all actors in their own right playing in the Hollywood space and doing amazing films. So love them all. And they did an incredible job. And Daniel Whitteson
[00:11:58] brought that theatrical talent to them. It's like Shakespearean opera. It really is. It's like watching Shakespeare. It's in that sort of zone. So when you go to see the film, what you're watching is a book come to life in the same way the Shakespearean films have been brought to life. So it's not a car chase adventure. It's not a bombs going off. But there is a whirlwind that turns up. And, you know, it really gives God a time to speak, which is quite significant. You don't hear God speak much in films.
[00:12:28] Okay. So you actually get a God voice within that film. God, we don't want to give that. We don't want to be a spoiler alert, but God does make an appearance. Oh, wow. He does. And Neil Mulder did an incredible job playing Job's God. Job playing Job's God. Neil Mulder. September. We had different voices to play God. We tried three or four different actors and they were all very competent actors, but none of them. The voice didn't work. Yeah.
[00:12:56] And it's not a deep booming thing that we were looking for because you can do that in, you know, effects. It was more just having that connection of, I wanted someone where you could feel the strength of God's love. There's an awe in God's love that really is very hard to put your finger on. I didn't want just a voice. And Neil Mulder actually brings this voice that takes you to another place. I watched him perform that. He had about four or five goes at this monologue, which is probably
[00:13:24] maybe 10 minutes long. And on each occasion, it reminded me of a graphic designer just trying to get the essence out of what the thing is that he's betraying. And is God angry? I remember the confusion on his face. Is God calming? Is God soothing? And he really drew the essence
[00:13:46] out of love, basically. And the end result is somewhere between, you know, a command with a humble command. We picked him up on the way in to play God. And that's a big role to play. I mean, there's not many people can fill those. I mean, he had to put his headphones on and listen to nothing the whole way. And he didn't want distraction before he gave this, gave his monologue in the studio. Oh, so he did quite a lot of preparation on the way in.
[00:14:13] Oh, massively. No, he felt, he really felt it was a bit of a calling. He really felt he was called to do the role and gave it everything. It was quite incredible. Once again, he knew his monologue off by heart. So this was an astounding, and that's just worth emphasizing that this is, this is the, there's nothing here that's not in the Bible. Every spoken word is an excerpt, is the Bible. There's a two and a half hour version and a 90 minute version, which is the version we're playing at the Coleroy Cinema. They both are
[00:14:43] extracted precisely from the Bible. So the acting and everything is a portrayal of exactly the language used in the Bible, which is pretty unheard of in, in the modern world. Very much so. Everybody wants to put their own interpretation onto it. And that frustrates me something fierce because some of those interpretations are way off. So it's great to hear that it's been portrayed as it should be. Really looking forward to seeing it. So tell
[00:15:08] me about directing it and how that felt and the logistics of getting that done. So Excelsior Productions is a production company that has come out of Excelsior University. That is their inaugural film production. So they're a Christian college in Sydney, the first Christian university actually right now. They're an amazing college. They gave their premises as a
[00:15:34] studio and all of their students as volunteers and interns and paid staff. And it was an incredible mix of students and professionals and alumni. And everyone got together and created this incredible wall to wall force, four stage site, which was a basically a green screen. And then I think it was about four tons of sand were brought into this big hall and just, and then a big, you know,
[00:16:01] bushy area was created. And the whole set was created as a green screen. And, and the film was shot in that location. So it was shot with wall to wall green screens and quite an incredible undertaking. And that's, that was a, I think it was a seven day shoot and we got it all done. Well, that was great of them to make themselves available and their premises and, and get all that done just for your film. Well, they funded the film. Ah, well. Had a vested interest in making sure. It had to be good then. It was easy to keep an eye on it.
[00:16:31] Very. Screens and clipboards and people doing what they had to do. There was a minion of ants doing from makeup because Job, particularly when things turn a little sour for poor old Job, the makeup artists went to town and that was, Jason will probably say, but if it did, if it took less
[00:16:58] than two hours to put that makeup on, I'd be surprised. And these are multitude of warts and oozing, passing blood and that kind of thing. Well, the kids are going to love that. But it was a, there was such a well-oiled machine. And of course, Jason, I've never seen him in a suit since he walked around like, um, like a lawyer. Okay. So it was kind of funny because on day one, I thought, I thought you could like, look, let's be honest. I've never done this before. I'm a complete rookie. So I thought I could just rock
[00:17:24] up and, you know, say g'day and then leave. And I had a very good mentor say, mate, you're about to work harder than you've ever worked in your life on day one. By day two, I knew exactly what he was talking about. I think it turned into 60, 70 hour weeks and it was just, it was crazy and what an experience. But you know, I'm very thankful for the journey. So would it be fair to say that that, that experience, they, that particular university, those students would never have experienced had you not done that then?
[00:17:53] Absolutely. This was such a gift to all of the students, all of the alumni that were able to take part, even the actors to, to go into a feature film. We just don't make that many of them here in Sydney at this level. Yes, there are the big ticket productions, but at that student level, there's not a lot of feature films that actually get made and especially in the Christian space there, you can count, you know, count them on one hand, how many have been made in the last 10 years is very, very rare. So it was a real treat.
[00:18:23] Very valuable experience for them. That's wonderful. Okay. So we're heading into the 20th of May, 2026 at 6pm at Coleroy and you are going to be there. So who else is going to be there that the listeners and the people that are attending can come and meet and ask you about the film afterwards? Yeah, well, Steven Spielberg hasn't responded yet. Dan. So sorry about that. But look, we're looking, looking like the cast and crew as many of the
[00:18:52] cast and crew that have put their hand up to come along. So we'll get to see some of the cinematographers, the cameramen, the director, Danny Witteson will be there and some of the actors will make a showing if they're not in Hollywood doing bigger and brighter things. So a lot of the cast and crew. And I know that God doesn't pay for his own ticket, but there's a pretty good chance that God will be in the house at the same time. Oh, well, there you go. And there's a double
[00:19:17] meaning on that one. But no, that's great. So the people of the Northern Beaches and anyone outside the Northern Beaches that wants to come in and see this film on the big screen, first time on the big screen, first time ever anywhere, can come in and actually meet these people. Yeah, absolutely. Yep. We'll do some nice little giveaways. We've got some great little giveaways for the night as well. So it'll be a lot of fun and quite a unique experience. I also hear that you've got a photo wall happening. We do, yes.
[00:19:46] Tell us about the photo wall. So we've actually managed to put together a lovely gift for everyone that turns up, which is a, it's actually a QR code book of the movie. So you've got your old traditional Bible. This will be unlike anything you've ever experienced. It's actually the book of Job and each page actually has a QR code where you can actually watch each chapter as a word for word movie, which is really fun. So everyone that comes is going to get one.
[00:20:13] And it's a, it's a first release of that book as well, which is quite an incredible little piece. Because Jason's been working hard at making this have a wide appeal for the, for the local cinema and also for the multitude of Christian colleges across the US and in Australia that might be interested in studying the book. It's a very convenient way of getting the words
[00:20:36] acted to you. So it comes with a secondary purpose that, which is as a study mechanism. And I should mention too, that the book of Job is a very confronting book. It's good. People should be aware that it's, it's got a lot to get through. Life really does suck sometimes. And Job really suffered as a consequence of that. And it's that which is so uplifting about the book. And it's hard
[00:21:03] to believe it was written. Jason, when would it have been written? I reckon it's actually the first, arguably the first story ever put down in, in the historical record. So, you know, the, the history states that Job is the first, literally the first book that humanity ever experienced, which is quite profound. Yeah. And it asks questions about, you know, why do young children die? Why do we have to face that?
[00:21:28] We have, we have Job, you know, with his fist to the sky asking, why has this come to me? Why are we suffering here? Why can't life be heaven? And these are really confronting issues for the Bible to deal with in book number. Yeah. 18. Book number 18. They're confronting issues. And they're still relevant today. We have to face it all. Everyone has to face it in their life. And it's, that's what I think is the beauty of the book. Here I am coming out of my own suffering, dealing with a book where
[00:21:58] these issues come up. And the 90 minute version, I must say, is very good to get through. I never really understood the book until it was chopped down to 90 minutes. We can get the most out of it. And it's a really, you do walk out understanding that the questions that we face now have been around for thousands of years. Can I, can I just throw in, I'm so glad you said that because I've been working on this script for years and I too did not actually understand the book until I saw the finished film. Isn't that
[00:22:27] interesting? It is. Yeah. Again, interpretation. It brings it to life because you're actually watching the characters and you will be challenged. And I'd love to hear your comment after the film, how many have given the advice of Job's friends? Because I know for a fact, I've given the same advice as Job's friends, which we now know was wrong. Even after watching the film, I've almost felt the advice come up my throat and almost leave my mouth
[00:22:56] until I remembered, hold on a second, in the book of Job, that was exactly the same advice that Job's friends gave that God said was not the right advice. It's such a challenge to listen to how God actually deals with suffering. Well, I tell you what, you've really got my curiosity piqued and I'll bet you anything our listeners are just sort of going, wow, we better check this one out because I'm as curious
[00:23:22] as hell now. So thank you very much, Anthony McDermott and Jason Blakelock for coming in and talking to us about the book of Job, which again, you will have the actors and the people involved at a collier theatre on the 20th of May at 6pm. Thank you for your support. Thank you for having us here and long live community radio. And God bless. Thank you. Australia, the lucky country. We've got meat pies. We've got the world's best beer. And most importantly,
[00:23:51] top of the list, we've got Radio Northern Beaches 88.7, 90.3. Now hitting the entire world on www.rmb.org.au.