Andrew Traucki Talks Croc Classic BLACK WATER!
Umbrella Entertainment have just released Andrew Traucki & David Nerlich’s 2007 creature-feature come survivalist thriller BLACK WATER on Blu-ray and we caught up Traucki to discuss the film that landed him the title Australia’s “creature-feature guy“.
What came first: the true story of the 2003 crocodile attack, or your desire to create this sort of survival film?
I was really trying to look for something that I could get made [immediately] rather than spend three years trying to get made. When I came up with an idea that was small and compact – and it happened to be this kind of genre – that’s what I went for. We all know that this is the sort of genre, [the sort of] horror or thriller, where you can make the smaller movie without having to have star power. The genre itself is the star. I actually got inspired by the film OPEN WATER and I thought, “Well, that’s been done with sharks. I wonder what other big animal there is…” And away I went!
How was having a real crocodile on set?
Very random! Obviously they’re wild creatures. As anyone in wildlife photography and filmmaking knows, [crocodiles are] very random. You’re not really in control; you have to be patient. We’re lucky we had the expertise of our wonderful zoologist, Adam Britton, who helped us understand the animals and manipulate them to a certain degree. On the whole, it was a lot of being patient and [editing] footage until you got something you really could use.
Why do you think the survival thriller/creature feature subgenre is so prevailing?
I think it’s ingrained in our genes. Being eaten by a large animal was one of the main concerns of our ancestors. It’s still bizarre in the day-to-day that we’re so sophisticated that we can send people off to space but still [fear being] eaten by a large animal. It really talks to our primitive instincts and fascinates us in the sense that it’s so primal.
Do you see yourself being able to create films of other horror subgenres, or other genres entirely, in the future?
I’d love to. I’ve got a black comedy that I think is hilarious. [But] it takes a certain cast to get it made and I’m not known as the guy who does hilarious black comedy, so I can’t seem to get the finance. Being very practical, again, of course I’ve got many other ideas [for] “creature features”. It seems I’m the go-to for that sort of film so I might be stuck here forever! [Laughs].
It’s just that typical thing, isn’t it? That [even] if you make a feature it’s, “Oh no, [now] you can’t work in the TV industry!” People go for what was done before, because it gives them some sense of security, without appreciating that creative people can do all sorts of things.
Would you instead consider self-producing your own films?
I have done one by myself – a found footage film called THE JUNGLE. But you know, found footage [films] either pop and go mad, like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, or go nowhere. With that film I’m happy – proud of it, but [whenever] you go off [to make a movie], you always need somebody to bring money to the table. And that’s half the struggle of making any film – getting the money. So I did get up and make my [own] film, but it was a very small film because that’s all I could raise, whereas these films [BLACK WATER, THE REEF, etc.] got bigger budgets.
So what’s next on the filmmaking agenda for you?
Well, I have really been pigeonholed in this area! So actually, right now, I’m in pre-production on a sequel for THE REEF, which is my shark film – there’s another big animal! – and so I’m in Brisbane right now getting ready to shoot that.
