February 4, 2023 • 24 mins
This episode I am joined by Joanna Werner from 'Werner Productions' and we will be talking 'Crazy Fun Park' which you can catch up on now on the 'iview' app as it is a fantastic new series on the 'ABC.'
'Joanna Werner' is a three time 'Emmy' Nominated, 'AFI,' 'AACTA' and multi 'Logie' award winning producer.
'Nicholas Verso's' 'Crazy Fun Park' tells the story of 'Chester,' an introverted teen who makes the incredible discovery that his recently deceased best friend, 'Mapplethorpe,' is one of a group of ghoulish teens who haunt the abandoned fun park on the edge of town.
With lots of practical effects, young actors getting their start I am loved this this series as the creators don’t stupefying their audience which is why it has been a success with young adults who at times can be hard to engage with.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's in the news today, but it was actually on
TV Reload, the podcast last week that might welcome TV
Reload listeners. My name is Benjamin Norris, and this is
your podcast to get all the inside goss on the
popular TV shows you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably,
our TV sets are a major part of our home entertainment,
and very little is known about how our favorite shows
(00:20):
get made. Each episode, I find guests that want to
dive just that little bit deeper into the shows they're
currently making, so that you can hear all the exclusive
stories and gain access to the biggest names in television.
I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to
this podcast. I love hearing your feedback, so make sure
you leave a comment on your chosen podcast platform and
(00:41):
I will make sure you feel as included in the
production of the show as possible. This episode, I'm joined
by Joanna Werner. Joanna Werner is a three time Emmy
nominated AFI actor and multi Logie award winning producer, and
we will be talking Crazy Fun Park, which you can
catch up on now on the iView app as it's
a fantast plastic news series on the ABC Nicholas Verso's
(01:03):
Crazy Fun Park tells the story of Chester, an introverted
teen who makes the incredible discovery that he's recently deceased
best friend maple Thorn, is one of a group of
ghoulish teens who hold the abandoned fun park at the
edge of town. Sounds fun right, with lots of practical
effects young actors getting their start. I have loved this
series so far as the creators don't stupefy their audience,
(01:26):
which is why it's been a success with young adults.
Whober times can be really hard to engage with. Anyway,
I'm gonna bring Joanna into the podcast now. I hope
you enjoy this chat and check out this fun series
and support local content. Hi, Joanna, thanks for coming on
to TV Reload. Thanks for having we been you know,
I'm thrilled to be having this chat with you, as
(01:47):
so many of your peers have spoken so highly of
your work. Does that sound like a strange thing to hear?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
That sounds like a very lovely thing to hear.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Thank you well. I wanted to ask you about how
you got started, what made you want to get into television?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
It was certainly not something I thought was a possibility
growing up, it never occurred to me. I grew up
in a outside of a town of three hundred people.
My parents were certainly not in the industry, nor was
anyone I knew. But I always was a huge reader.
I loved it when mom and dad took us into
the city to see live shows, and was always, you know,
(02:22):
part of school productions and school Rockerstedford's and all those
sorts of things. But I I didn't have science in
year twelve, and I was going to do engineering, and
I just got to the end of view twelve and
I said, I can't bear it if that's what I
ended up having to do. I just got to be
something else. And so I did Media Studies at r MIT,
and after deferring for a year to work for the
(02:44):
Rockstedford in Sydney, where I did a trainee ship in
television and video production and worked on their TV special,
And then the first first semester at Media Studies at
ROT we did I think we did a term of
scriptwriting and then a term of producing and I just
I'll boom, that's what I want to do. That all
works for me.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
You know, Dance Academy is starting to make a lot
more sense. Now.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, yeah, I was doing ballet classes since I was
four years old at my little ballet Country Ballet school.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Well, I think it's really important. I was brought up
by an educator and it was so important for her
that we were readers, and I think that was really
important for us because it meant that we were quite creative.
I think it's kind of like an entry point into
using your creative talents.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Oh. Absolutely, I was still one of the key reasons
I have my career. I think I loved YA and
Zam Strauss, the creator of Dance Academy, and I bonded
over our love of Ya books and yeah, it's why
I really loved working in children and team television to
(03:51):
begin with and still do.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Now, was there a show that you connected to as
you were growing up? Well maybe that was because there
wasn't television. You know, there wasn't as much television for
young adults. I mean, what was there a show?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Now?
Speaker 1 (04:03):
I loved it.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I mean Degrassi was sort of the cornerstone. I remember
at high school, rather than have health taught to us,
they just let us watch episodes of Degrassi and it
was awesome. I know Sam and I bonded over My
So Called Life with Claire Danes, which was amazing. So
they're the sort of shows that stand out in my
memory is being really significant and important and helped shape
(04:24):
your worldview, which is why I think YA and Team
programming is really important because it can matter so much
to you at a really pivotal part of your life.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Absolutely. I mean, I thought the shows that I watched
in my teenage years were quite formative for me, and
I was quite addicted to them. It's interesting. My So
Called Life was my favorite TV show up until I
was twenty years of age, and I could still go
back and watch it. And even though I am not
that age. It's funny I start to relate to the
mother in that show, the mum, and I can see
(04:54):
the show on a different perspective.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Absolutely, I know that show still holds up. It's still
worth it worth a watch, now, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Well. I came across your work originally with Dance Academy,
and I just loved how accessible your storytelling is for
I guess i'd say a broader audience.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Yeah. I just think if you're given by a lot
of money to make something you want to make something
that as many people as possible are going to enjoy
and get something out of and it can matter to them.
I've just been so incredibly lucky in my career to
team up with incredible creators and writers that have really
(05:31):
appealed to my sensibilities as well. And I've been able
to work really collaborately, collaboratively with really amazing writers, and
we have been lucky enough to make shows that have
found really wide audiences and have made shows that do
matter to people. It's really important, and we've been so
(05:52):
thrilled with the way that a number of our shows
have been received.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Well, is it harder to create worlds for younger people?
I mean, what's the secret?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
That was where I started off. I worked for years
for Jonathan Shift Productions, doing back to back twenty six
half hour series each year, which sort of led to
H two O, which was the first show that I produced,
and then and then onto Dance Academy when I started
my own company. And so that's how I learned to
(06:21):
do it. And so that's sort of, you know, that's
the benchmark for me of how you do do it.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I mean, you need to engage younger audiences with issues
that they may face in a way that feels interesting
to them, and I think that sometimes can be quite
complicated and hard to do.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yeah, and you're just trying to create fabulous characters. I
don't see that there's a huge difference in whether you're
producing for teen audiences or adult audiences. You're trying to
make creating incredibly rich, diverse and interesting characters in interesting
settings that are going to appeal to your audience. So yes,
it's important to think of who your audience is when
(06:57):
you're making it. That that sort of falls away when
you're in the process of it. You're just trying to
make great stories for really interesting characters.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Well, Crazy Fun Park feels like a really unique show
that has really wide appeal. I mean I watched it
as a previous screening and entered it without really knowing
too much about it, which I often love to do
with this type of storytelling, and I was compelled. You know,
what was it about this story that really appealed to you?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I just thought it really had something to say as
well as being it's funny, it's scary, it's a really
enticing world, and it's creepy, but it also has this
thing to say. It's a really wonderful exploration of teen
boy relationships and your relationship with grief. And I thought
it had some really profound messages, but it's buried in
(07:43):
there so you don't feel like you're learning a life
lesson and you're watching it, you're just engrossed, hopefully, just
engrossed in the drama and in the characters. But it
does have something really important to say and can really
sort of sit with you and you can think about
it afterwards. Which are the shows that I really like.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
That's going to sound strange to you, and you probably
haven't even seen this, and people listening will be like,
what is Ben talking about? But it was kind of
like a blend of The Boy Who Could Fly for
Me mixed with Beetlejuice. I mean that's kind of what
I felt. I felt like a bit of a Tim
Burton feel to it. But I don't know if you
ever saw that film, Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
That is I love that reference. I'd never thought of
it that way, and Beetlejuice was absolutely a reference. But
The Boy Can Fly it was a classic. I've watched
that so many times growing up. I love that you've
made my day.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Well, that film, to me, it was interesting at the
time because they did handle grief. I mean, the protagonist
in that story had lost their father and that's kind
of where the story had started, and it was kind
of the first time I'd seen a film that was
made for young adults that was tackling hard to deal
with subject matter. You know.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, absolutely, And the grief of loss of a friend
that we're tackling in Crazy Fumpack is really profound. It
comes from a real place, a very real place for
the creator, Nick Verso, and you can fit that depth
and groundedness to it. It comes from a real place
of knowledge of that experience. Yes, I thought it was
(09:08):
a very special, very unique show, and I was very
lucky that Nick came to be with that Immediately.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
The protagonists in this story engage you as an audience,
and they make you feel like they're your real friends,
and I think that's so imperative to getting people to engage.
Did you love these too?
Speaker 2 (09:25):
These two boys, I absolutely love them, and I just
love their catch phrase friends for another Day, And when
it's used later on in the storyline door and given anyway, like,
it's really beautiful. Their friendship is just is just beautiful
and I love it. I think the casting of those
boys was really crucial and we knew that and I
(09:47):
feel we really got that right with Henry and Stacey
who play Chester and Maplethorpe. It's really beautiful that their friendship.
And yeah, I feel like I've made so many things
with a female audience in mind, we always want everybody
to watch it, but possibly skewed a bit more towards
a female audience. So it was really wonderful to make
something skewed towards a boy's audience. My oldest nephew is
(10:08):
the exact spot on age for this, and I hope
he loves it. My Little Boy is for and you
just realized they really their friendships are so beautiful, and
I was just really happy to have a show that
was really aimed at at a boy audience and shows
boys hugging each other and having loving relationships. I just
don't think you get that often anymore. And I really
(10:32):
loved that about it. Well.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Sadly, in life, I think we all experienced grief, and
that was something about this show that I thought was
handled really well. You know, was there an overall message
that you guys were trying to get across to your audience.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Many audiences and many messages, and I think and Nick
the creator of the show, would have his own viewpoint
on this as well. But for me, it was friendship
and that friendship can stay with you and that you're
able to keep that, keep that with you even if
you do lose somebody. And I've got lots of friends
now that sadly have lost parents or loss and grief
(11:10):
can come at any stage in your life. And I
loved that the message of positivity of keeping those friendships
and relationships in your heart and that they and they're
part of you was ripped something really beautiful.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
If young people are watching this, I think it might
be something they'll draw back to because it is handled
quite well throughout the whole series. I mean, I haven't
finished the last episode, so that's where I'm up to,
but I just think it's handled so well and in
a way that kids can understand why. I don't want
to say kids, I want to say young adults. You know,
I think you know the sets, the cinematography, and the
storytelling gave me early Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes as well.
(11:45):
Had you seen that show or was that any inspiration
to any of the content makers.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Oh yeah, definitely seen it, seen it and loved it. Yeah,
we had lots of references and Beetlejuice was definitely one
of them. Patty Reard and our production designer was tasked
with build us a fun park please inside this empty,
abandoned warehouse in Altona, and he delivered. It's you know,
he used CGI to enhance the tops the top of
(12:13):
the set, but everything is in there. And he did
the impossible and convince people to lend us their rides
and games to populate the world. But yeah, I think
I think he did a beautiful job.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
I think the basic sets and I'm not basic sets,
they're quite elaborate sets, but you know, just basic special
effects that's used throughout it phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Yeah. I mean we definitely embraced low fire and high fire.
We you know, we did everything we could within our budget.
And I think there's a you know, there's a level
of expectation now from an audience. They're very sophixedicated audience
they're watching. You know, it used to be that Harry
Potter CGI was the benchmarker. Now that's you know, that's
very outdated. So yeah, it's a sophisticated audience that we
(12:58):
have to cater for within a TV budget, and I
was thrilled with the results.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Do you think that you know, we've changed the way
in which we make television in the last few years,
particularly in Australia.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I just think we keep aiming to be better. I
think we keep aiming to keep those production values as
high as possible. So I think it's just a constant evolution.
I can't see a moment where you know, we took
a huge leap. We're just continuing to take progressive steps forward.
So it's just always that striving for better, to do
(13:28):
more with our budget, to keep those production values really high,
just so that your audience can get captivated with the
world and the stories that you're telling within that world.
So I think we're just constantly pushing ourselves to do
better and more.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I think one of your biggest skill sets is getting
these performances out of the young adults that you work with.
You know, how do you get such authentic performances out
out of young people who might you know, have this
as their first acting role.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
That's me being lucky enough to work with fabulous directors,
but also helping them to have a world, a production
world where that's supported. So at the moment where just
about start shooting the second season of Surviving Summer, which
is really exciting, our teen surf show for Netflix, and
we're working with a fantastic dramaturgue who's working really hard
(14:15):
with this young cast to really give them all the
skill set that they can have to bring the best
to their scenes. On Crazy Fump Up, a lot of
the cast, heaps of the cast were first timers. It
was a really diverse group, so it wasn't necessarily the
actors who were always going to have the agents or
have been the lead in school plays. We unearthed some
people who this is absolutely their first time and creating
(14:39):
an environment where they feel supported, where they feel brave
to take some risks, because you obviously feel very vulnerable
when you're on set being filmed and in front of
this huge crew who have all worked on heaps of
shows and this is your first time on set. So
it's just getting the right team together to create that
supportive environment is really important.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Did the kids laugh with Judae with Lucy? I mean,
I love Judith Lucy as an adult, and I think
she's so funny. How did she go down on set
with these with these kids?
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I reckon some of the cast didn't know who she
was because there that's not their target audience. And then
they found out who she was and then they were impressed.
But they to begin with, they were just impressed with
her on set because you know, she's hilarious. Who's this
older lady?
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Was she hilarious on set? Is she being very Judith Lucy?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Oh? I think she was? I think yeah, I think
everything that Judith Lucy says is hilarious. Had this fantastic
meeting where Nick Versus and I went to have lunch
with Jez to try to Cajola into doing the role,
and she told us she was already going to say yes,
but she would to take the meeting anyway, and she
was hilarious in that. No, she's a very talented performer.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
I'm obsessed, and she's fantastic in the show. So I
think it's a great gat you know.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Yeah, me too, me too.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
People who might be a little bit older, I think
we'll tap into this series. I mean, that's the other
thing about this show is that I think it is
for a broader audience. I think, you know, our adults
are going to enjoy this as much as kids anyway.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Oh totally, I think so, PG but write a butting
against M. So our sort of looking at how far
we could go with the scares or anything. It was
always let's go as far as we possibly can without
it tipping into M's. So we worked really closely with
the ABC and the ACTF to make sure that we
were just hitting that line but not going over. And
(16:23):
for me, I'm a bit of a wars so it
was at the maximum capacity of me scare wise anyway,
So it was prorometer.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I'm a boss as well. I feel like I'm getting woolzier,
if that's even a word. As I get older, I'm
so less inclined to want to watch things that are
too scary to me.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
They take away more than they give. I don't want
to have to be scared for weeks afterwards. But Nick
Verso is such an aficionado when it comes to horror
and the things that, Yeah, I just would never watch
any of the references that he was talking about.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Oh he's great, and you've worked with some amazing people
like Tony Airs and Emma Freeman. What do you enjoy
about collaborating with people like that?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Oh, just being in a room where everybody smarter than
you is the best place to be in your career.
That's how you learn. And that's sort of about what
I aspire to every time. And I have been lucky
to work with amazing people, and every time I am
lucky enough to work on a new show with a
new talent, you just learn so much from working with them,
(17:22):
and that's you know, you're here for the marathon, not
the sprint of a career. So that's how you kind
of hopefully have longevity of just continuing to learn from
the people around you.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
And there's sort of changing between you know, young adults
and making television for adults. And there's been some brilliant
shows that you've worked along the way. I think Secret
City is yours the news reader. Did you have to
put a different hat on when you are targeting different audiences?
Speaker 2 (17:45):
I had thought so to begin with. So I was
really nervous when I did Secret City because it was
the first time I'd worked on a grown up show,
and I had to stopped pulling in an adult show
because I realized it sounded to people like I was
making porn, but it was just a I'm not kids show.
But then I realized when we got through it, you're
just trying to do the best work you can. It's
the same cruise, you know, You're just on every show
that you're on, people are trying to do the best
(18:06):
work they possibly can. And probably the level of interrogation
of scripts can be more so at times from adult actors,
and so there's that extra pressure. But you're trying. You're
just with every show you're doing, you're trying to do
the best work you can and make them the most complex,
you know, stories, stories you can. So I don't think
(18:27):
there's a huge difference.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
No, Well, Secret City such a beautiful show to watch.
I mean, you know it was obviously about politicians, but
you know, all of the cinematography, everything about that show
was first class, which I think is brilliant because we're
now is telling stories in Australia that stack up and
look just as good as anything that you're going to
see on HBO or anywhere else from around the world.
It's quite amazing and you can feel very proud, I think,
(18:51):
to be making television that's just as good as anywhere
else in the world.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Oh yeah, that's certainly what we aspire to do with
Secret City. Our aim was to make Canberra sexy.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
But was it the new Reader as well? That was yours?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Yes, So the news Reader was when a film production's
first first full series. So I produced Secret City with Matchbox,
which was awesome, and then the Newsreader is is when
a film productions first adult show.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Not adult you know, I know what you mean, not porn,
not porn, yeah, not porn.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, which you know. It's just been such an amazing
show to be part of. Working with Emma again and
with Michael Lucas and Anatove again after Secret City and
Sam Reid, it's a all of our amazing cast. We've
just finished the second season and I can't wait for
people to see it.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I loved that show so much. I'm so glad there's
a second series because I couldn't get enough from the story.
It was so well done.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Yeah, no, I just I love that series so much,
and yeah, the second season is awesome. It's really I'm
really excited about it.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Well. I got on to Michael Lucas the next after
I watched the whole thing and was like, you have
to come on the podcast, you have to talk to
me about these characters. And it was wonderful to hear.
You know, he's passion for the news room.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
He's a news nerd, and that's how we connected because
I'm not as big a news nerd as he is,
but I'm still a bit of a nerd. And yeah,
his passion for deep diving into the era's news stories
is impressive.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
And can you tease us about something that's gonna like
what's the subject matter for season two? Men? We've got
the Russell Street bombings in the first series. Is there
an event like that that we will see in the
second series?
Speaker 2 (20:30):
There is? And I cannot see anything else.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
The secret it's really.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Yeah, Michael's got the scripts are fantastic. Emma's done an
amazing job with all six episodes, and our past are
really really incredible. And then seeing Anna at the moment
on the Last of Us and Sam in Interview of
the Vampire, just seeing the amazing stuff they're doing that's
getting a huge audience. It's so exciting to have them back.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
They're both becoming huge, Like I don't mind, how have
big their star managers to get but they have to
keep coming back and making more of the news reader.
We need them back for season three. So what about
Crazy Fun Park? Do you think we'll get to see
more of these characters?
Speaker 2 (21:12):
I would love to you always hope that's the goal
season two. Second seasons are such a gift. You really
you know what's working, you know what you want to
push a bit further. You've already made those huge decisions
of the casting, which contributes so much to the success
of a show, So some of those big gambles and
(21:33):
questions are taking out. So yeah, second seasons are really
fabulous to work on.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Well, something I ask everyone who joins the podcast is
what's something from behind the scenes, you know, something that
we wouldn't see as an audience, kind of like a
behind the scenes secret from well for this show, for
Crazy Fun Park, is there something that you can tell
us that happened a funny story and anecdote that happened
through the production of it.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Oh, I don't know if it'll be a funny story
because I'm just thinking of shot in COVID times and
this is probably what everybody talks about now because it's
quite you know, it's really it's really a weird situation
and a big extra hurdle when you're working on something
in COVID time. So we discovered our you know, a
(22:18):
very high number on the call sheet had COVID. We
managed to do one day without them, and then we
had to shut down for a week and nobody could
come to work, and I'm just so grateful that nobody
else got it at that stage, but we just couldn't
work with that person, and so it was such a
lesson of how incredibly important every person is and you
just can't shoot without them. So not a funny story,
(22:40):
but we did manage to get it, get around it,
and get back up shooting. But yeah, those COVID curveballs
just just kept coming at you. So it's anyone who
gets to who manages to finish making a show in
the last three years deserve medals.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
In my books, I read this story about Reese Witherspoon
and Jennifer Aniston. They were gone to make the second
series of Morning Wars, which is what it's called here
in Australia. I think it's got the Morning Show, I
think is what it's called in the States. But when
they were writing the second series, they were turning up
on set and someone would have COVID, so that storyline
kind of had to be moved away, and so they're looking.
(23:16):
They were like, we've got to come back into a
third series where we can have more than two people,
more than two actors on set, and the opportunity to
finish off all story arcs without having to, you know,
rewrite on the day.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Oh what it does to production and to the writers
and to the first A. D's yeah, it is amazing.
It's always a relief, and it's always it's always so
great to finish shooting a show, but particularly during COVID times.
Every day that you get in the can is just amazing,
and you're so grateful.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Now you can do an.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Hopefully touchwood that's behind us, and we can all enjoy
this lovely reprieve and maybe we all get shipped through
our shoots with no shutdowns.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Absolutely well. Claudia Carvin was on the podcast the other
day and I think that's what she like. She's made
three seasons of Bump and now is making the fourth one,
and she was like, I think this will be I
think this I hope this will be the first time
we get a series done without having to worry.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
About COVID but fingers crossed.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Well, can I just say it's been fantastic to talk
to you about this. I hope people that are listening
go and watch the show if they aren't already watching it.
Crazy Fun Pike is absolutely amazing, and I thank you
so much for telling us a little bit about how
you made it and what happened behind the scenes.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Thanks so much, Ben, I'm really really thrilled to be
on the show. And yeah, like you, I hope everyone
can check out Crazy Fun Park on ABC. I view
It's in the news today, but it was actually on
TV Reload, the podcast last week that might welcome TV
Reload listeners. My name is Benjamin Norris, and this is
your podcast to get all the inside goss on the
popular TV shows you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably,
our TV sets are a major part of our home entertainment,
and very little is known about how our favorite shows
(00:20):
get made. Each episode, I find guests that want to
dive just that little bit deeper into the shows they're
currently making, so that you can hear all the exclusive
stories and gain access to the biggest names in television.
I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to
this podcast. I love hearing your feedback, so make sure
you leave a comment on your chosen podcast platform and
(00:41):
I will make sure you feel as included in the
production of the show as possible. This episode, I'm joined
by Joanna Werner. Joanna Werner is a three time Emmy
nominated AFI actor and multi Logie award winning producer, and
we will be talking Crazy Fun Park, which you can
catch up on now on the iView app as it's
a fantast plastic news series on the ABC Nicholas Verso's
(01:03):
Crazy Fun Park tells the story of Chester, an introverted
teen who makes the incredible discovery that he's recently deceased
best friend maple Thorn, is one of a group of
ghoulish teens who hold the abandoned fun park at the
edge of town. Sounds fun right, with lots of practical
effects young actors getting their start. I have loved this
series so far as the creators don't stupefy their audience,
(01:26):
which is why it's been a success with young adults.
Whober times can be really hard to engage with. Anyway,
I'm gonna bring Joanna into the podcast now. I hope
you enjoy this chat and check out this fun series
and support local content. Hi, Joanna, thanks for coming on
to TV Reload. Thanks for having we been you know,
I'm thrilled to be having this chat with you, as
(01:47):
so many of your peers have spoken so highly of
your work. Does that sound like a strange thing to hear?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
That sounds like a very lovely thing to hear.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Thank you well. I wanted to ask you about how
you got started, what made you want to get into television?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
It was certainly not something I thought was a possibility
growing up, it never occurred to me. I grew up
in a outside of a town of three hundred people.
My parents were certainly not in the industry, nor was
anyone I knew. But I always was a huge reader.
I loved it when mom and dad took us into
the city to see live shows, and was always, you know,
(02:22):
part of school productions and school Rockerstedford's and all those
sorts of things. But I I didn't have science in
year twelve, and I was going to do engineering, and
I just got to the end of view twelve and
I said, I can't bear it if that's what I
ended up having to do. I just got to be
something else. And so I did Media Studies at r MIT,
and after deferring for a year to work for the
(02:44):
Rockstedford in Sydney, where I did a trainee ship in
television and video production and worked on their TV special,
And then the first first semester at Media Studies at
ROT we did I think we did a term of
scriptwriting and then a term of producing and I just
I'll boom, that's what I want to do. That all
works for me.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
You know, Dance Academy is starting to make a lot
more sense. Now.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, yeah, I was doing ballet classes since I was
four years old at my little ballet Country Ballet school.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Well, I think it's really important. I was brought up
by an educator and it was so important for her
that we were readers, and I think that was really
important for us because it meant that we were quite creative.
I think it's kind of like an entry point into
using your creative talents.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Oh. Absolutely, I was still one of the key reasons
I have my career. I think I loved YA and
Zam Strauss, the creator of Dance Academy, and I bonded
over our love of Ya books and yeah, it's why
I really loved working in children and team television to
(03:51):
begin with and still do.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Now, was there a show that you connected to as
you were growing up? Well maybe that was because there
wasn't television. You know, there wasn't as much television for
young adults. I mean, what was there a show?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Now?
Speaker 1 (04:03):
I loved it.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I mean Degrassi was sort of the cornerstone. I remember
at high school, rather than have health taught to us,
they just let us watch episodes of Degrassi and it
was awesome. I know Sam and I bonded over My
So Called Life with Claire Danes, which was amazing. So
they're the sort of shows that stand out in my
memory is being really significant and important and helped shape
(04:24):
your worldview, which is why I think YA and Team
programming is really important because it can matter so much
to you at a really pivotal part of your life.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Absolutely. I mean, I thought the shows that I watched
in my teenage years were quite formative for me, and
I was quite addicted to them. It's interesting. My So
Called Life was my favorite TV show up until I
was twenty years of age, and I could still go
back and watch it. And even though I am not
that age. It's funny I start to relate to the
mother in that show, the mum, and I can see
(04:54):
the show on a different perspective.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Absolutely, I know that show still holds up. It's still
worth it worth a watch, now, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Well. I came across your work originally with Dance Academy,
and I just loved how accessible your storytelling is for
I guess i'd say a broader audience.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Yeah. I just think if you're given by a lot
of money to make something you want to make something
that as many people as possible are going to enjoy
and get something out of and it can matter to them.
I've just been so incredibly lucky in my career to
team up with incredible creators and writers that have really
(05:31):
appealed to my sensibilities as well. And I've been able
to work really collaborately, collaboratively with really amazing writers, and
we have been lucky enough to make shows that have
found really wide audiences and have made shows that do
matter to people. It's really important, and we've been so
(05:52):
thrilled with the way that a number of our shows
have been received.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Well, is it harder to create worlds for younger people?
I mean, what's the secret?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
That was where I started off. I worked for years
for Jonathan Shift Productions, doing back to back twenty six
half hour series each year, which sort of led to
H two O, which was the first show that I produced,
and then and then onto Dance Academy when I started
my own company. And so that's how I learned to
(06:21):
do it. And so that's sort of, you know, that's
the benchmark for me of how you do do it.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I mean, you need to engage younger audiences with issues
that they may face in a way that feels interesting
to them, and I think that sometimes can be quite
complicated and hard to do.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yeah, and you're just trying to create fabulous characters. I
don't see that there's a huge difference in whether you're
producing for teen audiences or adult audiences. You're trying to
make creating incredibly rich, diverse and interesting characters in interesting
settings that are going to appeal to your audience. So yes,
it's important to think of who your audience is when
(06:57):
you're making it. That that sort of falls away when
you're in the process of it. You're just trying to
make great stories for really interesting characters.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Well, Crazy Fun Park feels like a really unique show
that has really wide appeal. I mean I watched it
as a previous screening and entered it without really knowing
too much about it, which I often love to do
with this type of storytelling, and I was compelled. You know,
what was it about this story that really appealed to you?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I just thought it really had something to say as
well as being it's funny, it's scary, it's a really
enticing world, and it's creepy, but it also has this
thing to say. It's a really wonderful exploration of teen
boy relationships and your relationship with grief. And I thought
it had some really profound messages, but it's buried in
(07:43):
there so you don't feel like you're learning a life
lesson and you're watching it, you're just engrossed, hopefully, just
engrossed in the drama and in the characters. But it
does have something really important to say and can really
sort of sit with you and you can think about
it afterwards. Which are the shows that I really like.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
That's going to sound strange to you, and you probably
haven't even seen this, and people listening will be like,
what is Ben talking about? But it was kind of
like a blend of The Boy Who Could Fly for
Me mixed with Beetlejuice. I mean that's kind of what
I felt. I felt like a bit of a Tim
Burton feel to it. But I don't know if you
ever saw that film, Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
That is I love that reference. I'd never thought of
it that way, and Beetlejuice was absolutely a reference. But
The Boy Can Fly it was a classic. I've watched
that so many times growing up. I love that you've
made my day.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Well, that film, to me, it was interesting at the
time because they did handle grief. I mean, the protagonist
in that story had lost their father and that's kind
of where the story had started, and it was kind
of the first time I'd seen a film that was
made for young adults that was tackling hard to deal
with subject matter. You know.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, absolutely, And the grief of loss of a friend
that we're tackling in Crazy Fumpack is really profound. It
comes from a real place, a very real place for
the creator, Nick Verso, and you can fit that depth
and groundedness to it. It comes from a real place
of knowledge of that experience. Yes, I thought it was
(09:08):
a very special, very unique show, and I was very
lucky that Nick came to be with that Immediately.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
The protagonists in this story engage you as an audience,
and they make you feel like they're your real friends,
and I think that's so imperative to getting people to engage.
Did you love these too?
Speaker 2 (09:25):
These two boys, I absolutely love them, and I just
love their catch phrase friends for another Day, And when
it's used later on in the storyline door and given anyway, like,
it's really beautiful. Their friendship is just is just beautiful
and I love it. I think the casting of those
boys was really crucial and we knew that and I
(09:47):
feel we really got that right with Henry and Stacey
who play Chester and Maplethorpe. It's really beautiful that their friendship.
And yeah, I feel like I've made so many things
with a female audience in mind, we always want everybody
to watch it, but possibly skewed a bit more towards
a female audience. So it was really wonderful to make
something skewed towards a boy's audience. My oldest nephew is
(10:08):
the exact spot on age for this, and I hope
he loves it. My Little Boy is for and you
just realized they really their friendships are so beautiful, and
I was just really happy to have a show that
was really aimed at at a boy audience and shows
boys hugging each other and having loving relationships. I just
don't think you get that often anymore. And I really
(10:32):
loved that about it. Well.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Sadly, in life, I think we all experienced grief, and
that was something about this show that I thought was
handled really well. You know, was there an overall message
that you guys were trying to get across to your audience.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Many audiences and many messages, and I think and Nick
the creator of the show, would have his own viewpoint
on this as well. But for me, it was friendship
and that friendship can stay with you and that you're
able to keep that, keep that with you even if
you do lose somebody. And I've got lots of friends
now that sadly have lost parents or loss and grief
(11:10):
can come at any stage in your life. And I
loved that the message of positivity of keeping those friendships
and relationships in your heart and that they and they're
part of you was ripped something really beautiful.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
If young people are watching this, I think it might
be something they'll draw back to because it is handled
quite well throughout the whole series. I mean, I haven't
finished the last episode, so that's where I'm up to,
but I just think it's handled so well and in
a way that kids can understand why. I don't want
to say kids, I want to say young adults. You know,
I think you know the sets, the cinematography, and the
storytelling gave me early Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes as well.
(11:45):
Had you seen that show or was that any inspiration
to any of the content makers.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Oh yeah, definitely seen it, seen it and loved it. Yeah,
we had lots of references and Beetlejuice was definitely one
of them. Patty Reard and our production designer was tasked
with build us a fun park please inside this empty,
abandoned warehouse in Altona, and he delivered. It's you know,
he used CGI to enhance the tops the top of
(12:13):
the set, but everything is in there. And he did
the impossible and convince people to lend us their rides
and games to populate the world. But yeah, I think
I think he did a beautiful job.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
I think the basic sets and I'm not basic sets,
they're quite elaborate sets, but you know, just basic special
effects that's used throughout it phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Yeah. I mean we definitely embraced low fire and high fire.
We you know, we did everything we could within our budget.
And I think there's a you know, there's a level
of expectation now from an audience. They're very sophixedicated audience
they're watching. You know, it used to be that Harry
Potter CGI was the benchmarker. Now that's you know, that's
very outdated. So yeah, it's a sophisticated audience that we
(12:58):
have to cater for within a TV budget, and I
was thrilled with the results.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Do you think that you know, we've changed the way
in which we make television in the last few years,
particularly in Australia.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I just think we keep aiming to be better. I
think we keep aiming to keep those production values as
high as possible. So I think it's just a constant evolution.
I can't see a moment where you know, we took
a huge leap. We're just continuing to take progressive steps forward.
So it's just always that striving for better, to do
(13:28):
more with our budget, to keep those production values really high,
just so that your audience can get captivated with the
world and the stories that you're telling within that world.
So I think we're just constantly pushing ourselves to do
better and more.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I think one of your biggest skill sets is getting
these performances out of the young adults that you work with.
You know, how do you get such authentic performances out
out of young people who might you know, have this
as their first acting role.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
That's me being lucky enough to work with fabulous directors,
but also helping them to have a world, a production
world where that's supported. So at the moment where just
about start shooting the second season of Surviving Summer, which
is really exciting, our teen surf show for Netflix, and
we're working with a fantastic dramaturgue who's working really hard
(14:15):
with this young cast to really give them all the
skill set that they can have to bring the best
to their scenes. On Crazy Fump Up, a lot of
the cast, heaps of the cast were first timers. It
was a really diverse group, so it wasn't necessarily the
actors who were always going to have the agents or
have been the lead in school plays. We unearthed some
people who this is absolutely their first time and creating
(14:39):
an environment where they feel supported, where they feel brave
to take some risks, because you obviously feel very vulnerable
when you're on set being filmed and in front of
this huge crew who have all worked on heaps of
shows and this is your first time on set. So
it's just getting the right team together to create that
supportive environment is really important.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Did the kids laugh with Judae with Lucy? I mean,
I love Judith Lucy as an adult, and I think
she's so funny. How did she go down on set
with these with these kids?
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I reckon some of the cast didn't know who she
was because there that's not their target audience. And then
they found out who she was and then they were impressed.
But they to begin with, they were just impressed with
her on set because you know, she's hilarious. Who's this
older lady?
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Was she hilarious on set? Is she being very Judith Lucy?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Oh? I think she was? I think yeah, I think
everything that Judith Lucy says is hilarious. Had this fantastic
meeting where Nick Versus and I went to have lunch
with Jez to try to Cajola into doing the role,
and she told us she was already going to say yes,
but she would to take the meeting anyway, and she
was hilarious in that. No, she's a very talented performer.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
I'm obsessed, and she's fantastic in the show. So I
think it's a great gat you know.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Yeah, me too, me too.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
People who might be a little bit older, I think
we'll tap into this series. I mean, that's the other
thing about this show is that I think it is
for a broader audience. I think, you know, our adults
are going to enjoy this as much as kids anyway.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Oh totally, I think so, PG but write a butting
against M. So our sort of looking at how far
we could go with the scares or anything. It was
always let's go as far as we possibly can without
it tipping into M's. So we worked really closely with
the ABC and the ACTF to make sure that we
were just hitting that line but not going over. And
(16:23):
for me, I'm a bit of a wars so it
was at the maximum capacity of me scare wise anyway,
So it was prorometer.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I'm a boss as well. I feel like I'm getting woolzier,
if that's even a word. As I get older, I'm
so less inclined to want to watch things that are
too scary to me.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
They take away more than they give. I don't want
to have to be scared for weeks afterwards. But Nick
Verso is such an aficionado when it comes to horror
and the things that, Yeah, I just would never watch
any of the references that he was talking about.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Oh he's great, and you've worked with some amazing people
like Tony Airs and Emma Freeman. What do you enjoy
about collaborating with people like that?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Oh, just being in a room where everybody smarter than
you is the best place to be in your career.
That's how you learn. And that's sort of about what
I aspire to every time. And I have been lucky
to work with amazing people, and every time I am
lucky enough to work on a new show with a
new talent, you just learn so much from working with them,
(17:22):
and that's you know, you're here for the marathon, not
the sprint of a career. So that's how you kind
of hopefully have longevity of just continuing to learn from
the people around you.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
And there's sort of changing between you know, young adults
and making television for adults. And there's been some brilliant
shows that you've worked along the way. I think Secret
City is yours the news reader. Did you have to
put a different hat on when you are targeting different audiences?
Speaker 2 (17:45):
I had thought so to begin with. So I was
really nervous when I did Secret City because it was
the first time I'd worked on a grown up show,
and I had to stopped pulling in an adult show
because I realized it sounded to people like I was
making porn, but it was just a I'm not kids show.
But then I realized when we got through it, you're
just trying to do the best work you can. It's
the same cruise, you know, You're just on every show
that you're on, people are trying to do the best
(18:06):
work they possibly can. And probably the level of interrogation
of scripts can be more so at times from adult actors,
and so there's that extra pressure. But you're trying. You're
just with every show you're doing, you're trying to do
the best work you can and make them the most complex,
you know, stories, stories you can. So I don't think
(18:27):
there's a huge difference.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
No, Well, Secret City such a beautiful show to watch.
I mean, you know it was obviously about politicians, but
you know, all of the cinematography, everything about that show
was first class, which I think is brilliant because we're
now is telling stories in Australia that stack up and
look just as good as anything that you're going to
see on HBO or anywhere else from around the world.
It's quite amazing and you can feel very proud, I think,
(18:51):
to be making television that's just as good as anywhere
else in the world.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Oh yeah, that's certainly what we aspire to do with
Secret City. Our aim was to make Canberra sexy.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
But was it the new Reader as well? That was yours?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Yes, So the news Reader was when a film production's
first first full series. So I produced Secret City with Matchbox,
which was awesome, and then the Newsreader is is when
a film productions first adult show.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Not adult you know, I know what you mean, not porn,
not porn, yeah, not porn.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, which you know. It's just been such an amazing
show to be part of. Working with Emma again and
with Michael Lucas and Anatove again after Secret City and
Sam Reid, it's a all of our amazing cast. We've
just finished the second season and I can't wait for
people to see it.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I loved that show so much. I'm so glad there's
a second series because I couldn't get enough from the story.
It was so well done.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Yeah, no, I just I love that series so much,
and yeah, the second season is awesome. It's really I'm
really excited about it.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Well. I got on to Michael Lucas the next after
I watched the whole thing and was like, you have
to come on the podcast, you have to talk to
me about these characters. And it was wonderful to hear.
You know, he's passion for the news room.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
He's a news nerd, and that's how we connected because
I'm not as big a news nerd as he is,
but I'm still a bit of a nerd. And yeah,
his passion for deep diving into the era's news stories
is impressive.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
And can you tease us about something that's gonna like
what's the subject matter for season two? Men? We've got
the Russell Street bombings in the first series. Is there
an event like that that we will see in the
second series?
Speaker 2 (20:30):
There is? And I cannot see anything else.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
The secret it's really.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Yeah, Michael's got the scripts are fantastic. Emma's done an
amazing job with all six episodes, and our past are
really really incredible. And then seeing Anna at the moment
on the Last of Us and Sam in Interview of
the Vampire, just seeing the amazing stuff they're doing that's
getting a huge audience. It's so exciting to have them back.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
They're both becoming huge, Like I don't mind, how have
big their star managers to get but they have to
keep coming back and making more of the news reader.
We need them back for season three. So what about
Crazy Fun Park? Do you think we'll get to see
more of these characters?
Speaker 2 (21:12):
I would love to you always hope that's the goal
season two. Second seasons are such a gift. You really
you know what's working, you know what you want to
push a bit further. You've already made those huge decisions
of the casting, which contributes so much to the success
of a show, So some of those big gambles and
(21:33):
questions are taking out. So yeah, second seasons are really
fabulous to work on.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Well, something I ask everyone who joins the podcast is
what's something from behind the scenes, you know, something that
we wouldn't see as an audience, kind of like a
behind the scenes secret from well for this show, for
Crazy Fun Park, is there something that you can tell
us that happened a funny story and anecdote that happened
through the production of it.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Oh, I don't know if it'll be a funny story
because I'm just thinking of shot in COVID times and
this is probably what everybody talks about now because it's
quite you know, it's really it's really a weird situation
and a big extra hurdle when you're working on something
in COVID time. So we discovered our you know, a
(22:18):
very high number on the call sheet had COVID. We
managed to do one day without them, and then we
had to shut down for a week and nobody could
come to work, and I'm just so grateful that nobody
else got it at that stage, but we just couldn't
work with that person, and so it was such a
lesson of how incredibly important every person is and you
just can't shoot without them. So not a funny story,
(22:40):
but we did manage to get it, get around it,
and get back up shooting. But yeah, those COVID curveballs
just just kept coming at you. So it's anyone who
gets to who manages to finish making a show in
the last three years deserve medals.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
In my books, I read this story about Reese Witherspoon
and Jennifer Aniston. They were gone to make the second
series of Morning Wars, which is what it's called here
in Australia. I think it's got the Morning Show, I
think is what it's called in the States. But when
they were writing the second series, they were turning up
on set and someone would have COVID, so that storyline
kind of had to be moved away, and so they're looking.
(23:16):
They were like, we've got to come back into a
third series where we can have more than two people,
more than two actors on set, and the opportunity to
finish off all story arcs without having to, you know,
rewrite on the day.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Oh what it does to production and to the writers
and to the first A. D's yeah, it is amazing.
It's always a relief, and it's always it's always so
great to finish shooting a show, but particularly during COVID times.
Every day that you get in the can is just amazing,
and you're so grateful.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Now you can do an.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Hopefully touchwood that's behind us, and we can all enjoy
this lovely reprieve and maybe we all get shipped through
our shoots with no shutdowns.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Absolutely well. Claudia Carvin was on the podcast the other
day and I think that's what she like. She's made
three seasons of Bump and now is making the fourth one,
and she was like, I think this will be I
think this I hope this will be the first time
we get a series done without having to worry.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
About COVID but fingers crossed.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Well, can I just say it's been fantastic to talk
to you about this. I hope people that are listening
go and watch the show if they aren't already watching it.
Crazy Fun Pike is absolutely amazing, and I thank you
so much for telling us a little bit about how
you made it and what happened behind the scenes.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Thanks so much, Ben, I'm really really thrilled to be
on the show. And yeah, like you, I hope everyone
can check out Crazy Fun Park on ABC. I view
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