1 day till shoot!!!

Hello friends,

That's Melrose HQ -- and that's a few of our champion crew.

Tomorrow it starts. Unbelievable. I feel ready and raring to go. Everyone's here and there's a real sense of occasion. Away shoots create a unique atmosphere: The crew's away from home, and it's kind of an adventure because the majority have never been to Mildura. There's something special about living all together as it enhances the experience.

On our final day of preparation I'm heading off to our first week locations with Greg (DOP) this morning. Calms me to walk through the shots several times. Our preferred style is to not to shoot a lot of coverage (extra shots to help cover scene). We've made cinematic choices that best suit our story. This can be difficult to stick to once you're on set, but it's so crucial we do. We want everything about Summer Coda to be special, so that there's a reason to go see it at the cinema. Our uniqueness will come down to our choices on set. We're fans of films that look and feel different to what you can see any other night on TV. Summer Coda has been designed for the cinema screen.

Speaking of which, our distributors Sharmill Films and Jump Street Films have been phenomenal. So fortunate to be shooting with our distribution plan in mind. I love to talk about festivals and release dates -- and I've enjoyed being educated on all things publicity. Big shout out to Natalie, Jamie and our tireless Unit Publicist Tanja too.

After scouting locations one final time I'm going to spend the afternoon with Rachael and Alex. Speaking of tireless, these guys have been working HARD. Their eagerness and energy is intoxicating and it has made the last week just so enjoyable for me.

Thank-you very much for reading my little pre-production diaries. Tomorrow we'll be filming! It's an absolute dream come true. I may not be able to keep up the dailies, but I'll certainly be letting you know regularly what's going down on set. CAN NOT WAIT!

Much love,

Ricky : )