What Do The Critics Say?

"Here's a terrific genre movie splashed liberally with tension, scares and just enough humour to put us in the right frame of mind. Director Andrew Traucki throws us the bait and we bite. We know exactly what we are in for, and we are not disappointed. The cast does an excellent job with both Walshe-Howling and Naylor especially good. Rafael May's music and soundscape is fairly subtle (for the genre) adding greatly to the tension that Traucki ably generates. Much of tension comes from what we don't see, as our imagination starts working. It's a little ripper." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "A really effective film and there's no doubt that Andrew Traucki handles those action sequences excellently. Once that journey happens it is tremendously effective and, honestly, it's like you want to get out of that cinema. With Daniel Ardilley as cinematographer too, it's really nicely shot. " Margaret Pomeranz ABC AT THE MOVIES "Andrew Traucki has a thing for real-life survivor stories. His feature debut, Black Water, was about the hidden horrors lying beneath northern Australia's murky waters. The Reef is loosely based on an incident that happened off the Queensland coast in the '80s, but Traucki has given us a slightly different account. The group's terror at being forced to swim to a nearby island looks convincing." Marie-Christine Sourris QLD SUNDAY MAIL "Black Water showed that he could create suspense and terror on a small budget. Going from crocs in his first film to great whites in The Reef, Traucki obviously has an affinity for both dangerous Australian wildlife and true stories. Using techniques learnt on his first feature, Traucki worked with footage of real sharks instead of relying on a robotic or CGI-created shark. The Reef’s fishy villain always appears to be very real and this helps maintain the high levels of tension the film generates." Beth Wilson TRESPASS MAGAZINE

"With The Reef, Andrew Traucki gets his priorities right. Unlike most soft-headed American genre filmmakers, he knows that if we're going to watch four people menaced by a horrifying force for ninety minutes, then we have to care about them, and we do. The film is strongly characterised and superbly performed (with McLeod's Daughters alum Zoe Naylor a particular stand-out), which adds immeasurably to the plot's economic thrill-mongering. Though his resources are scarce Traucki grinds every ounce of suspense and emotion out of them, delivering a taut, inventive, low budget thriller of the first order." Erin Free FILMINK "The lengthy scenes in which the four frightened swimmers are menaced by a white pointer are chillingly well handled. Not since "JAWS" thrity five years ago has the horror of this sort of situation been as well captured on film. Shot partly on the Barrier Reef and partly near Port Lincoln in South Australia, the film scores high marks on the suspense meter." David Stratton ABC AT THE MOVIES "It's a thriller, a genre which Australians should make more often, given the plentiful natural threats in the Australian land and seascape. Andrew Traucki has already tackled the crocodile thriller with his 2007 film, Black Water. Now it's time for his shark thriller, and he has taken a true story as the starting point. It's short, sharp and to the point, and the careful, measured use of shark footage is exemplary." Andrew L Urban SUN-HERALD "The tropes of survival in a watery wilderness may be familiar from Open Water, Adrift and even Andrew Traucki’s own crocodile-themed debut Black Water. Traucki’s recipe is simple. Thanks to a complete absence of flashbacks and the merest hints at back story, his characters come stripped down to their flesh and bone, making it easy to identify with them, but difficult to reduce them to any recognisable cliché. when the shark is seen, Traucki avoids the reality-breaching artifice of animatronics or CGI, instead seamlessly compositing footage of actual white pointers into shots of his terrified cast afloat." Anton Bitel LITTLE WHITE LIES

The Inside Story Sharks and shark attacks are a huge part of the Australian culture and how the rest of the world perceives us. It’s not uncommon to hear of friends or relatives that arrive from overseas but are too scared to enter the ocean because they believe they’ll be taken by a shark. Mention sharks at a party and everyone will have a story or a take on them. Indeed if you can believe the website digitalk or search engine Google sharks are one of the most searched for terms in Google from within Australia. The animal is synonymous with this country and yet Australians have never made a feature film about them. The American’s took one of our true stories and turned it into a very successful film called "Open Water". For "Jaws" they came to Australia to get their shark footage, but here in Australia we’ve never made a feature film about one of our most notorious cultural ambassadors. Well that’s now going to change. "The Reef" is based on a true story. It is a thriller, horror film that captures the zeitgeist of the day: Reality is more compelling than fiction. "The Reef" is a low budget film. It is uniquely conceived as it allows for strong horror and suspense and yet by utilizing one main location and only four lead actors, it can be realised relatively inexpensively. Not much money but plenty of narrative drive and screams. The directorial style is driven by the same principles as the writing: that is, create good suspense and horror; keep it real, truth is stronger than fiction and ensure the audience find the main characters interesting and engaging. I believe the key to success at the low budget feature level is being inventive and making more out of less. The project’s limitations are one of its greatest strengths. Through the use of a clever scenario and by striving to make this as realistic a film as possible The Reef will stand out from the pack. Being about a subject that has wide appeal it will raise itself out of the realm of the local and onto the international arena. Terror I want to give the audience a tense, thrilling adrenalin ride. I strongly believe that the best way to achieve this is by using suggestion rather than revelation. The real fear in this story isn’t a menacing shark but wondering where that shark might be and will it attack? In other words like in life, the fear and tension in The Reef will come from the unknown and uncertainty, what you can’t see rather than what you can. What tourism ad for Australian doesn’t show shots of the Great Barrier Reef and its tropical islands. It is one of Australia’s most visual tourist magnets. This project appeals to me because of the drama, it is based on a true story and because it is set in a truly beautiful part of the world with plenty of visual appeal. At the beginning of the film the audience will see the beauty of the location. There will be striking aerial shots of tropical islands (stock shots if necessary). Beautiful images of colourful coral and exotic schools of vibrantly coloured fish will feature but as the film progresses the vastness and danger of the sea will be drawn out, paradise will be lost. The sea is a place that is both beautiful and yet at the same time capable of being menacing and deadly, a wonderful mix of the mysterious and the threatening, a place where humans clearly do not belong and should not dwell for too long. As well, the menacing face and size of our 'villain' is mesmerising and immediately compelling. In keeping with our overall style I intended to approach this material in a quasi-documentary way. Digital video, lots of coverage, returning to a remote point of view, the camera techniques that typify documentary production will be used to achieve our look. "The Reef" was shot on HD which means the image is in the digital realm. I intended to use this to my advantage especially by getting creative with the colour grading to which the subtle detail and colour of the watery environment lends itself perfectly. While our villain will be largely unseen under it’s watery cloak, it is important that in the end the audience do get to see the ‘monster’ and not feel cheated. It is extremely important to me that when the shark is finally revealed that it looks real and dangerous. There is nothing that destroys the suspension of disbelief more than an unrealistic model monster. I believe the best approach for a gripping confrontation between the deadly beast and our heroes is the use of real sharks. The making of Black Water (my first feature) has shown that using blue screen technology I can effectively place an actor in front of a live croc as well as a live croc into location footage. I adopted this same approach for the shark scenes in "The Reef". I believe the realism that the use of blue screen will bring to the production will greatly add to the integrity of "The Reef" and its power as a thriller. Thrillers rely heavily on the use of soundtrack to get their audience on the edge of their seats. I respect this tradition and want to ensure that my soundtrack is a major player in the suspense and terror I create. Keeping to my strategy of truth is more powerful than fiction the sound focus will be to achieve a sense of documentary realism without overt theatrics. This suggests a soundtrack that is not full of overt musical themes but rather one that works on a more unconscious level. That aside, The Reef’s sonic dimension will be full of unsettling textures punctuated by eruptions of discordant wrenching tension. A clever and detailed soundscape was not only an absolutely essential ingredient but it also psychologically lifts the feeling of scale and space and raised the perceived production values of the film. Most low budget films with their emphasis on character are carried by the cast’s performance. "The Reef" is no exception. The first twenty-five minutes of The Reef has been used to introduce the characters and build them into people the audience like and can identify with. It builds the details that make these characters tick in a realistic, everyday, almost mundane way. After the boat sinks the film really focuses on our heroes and how they handle their survival situation. The casting of "The Reef" was extremely important after all it is really a four hander. I wanted the acting to feel spontaneous, solid and grounded. The actors had to be real people. The audience’s engagement will be putting themselves in the characters’ shoes and asking themselves, what would I do? How would I cope? My job was to do clever, strong casting and then let the actors own their character. Working hard and auditioning extensively I feel confident that once again I discovered a great cast that were capable of truly making my characters come to life. One of Australia’s most accomplished actors, Damian Walshe-Howling (Luke)has an impressive list of film and television credits. Damian gained critical notoriety with his performance in Series 1 of ‘Underbelly’, Australia’s highest ever-rating television program. Damian’s accolades include winning an AFI Award in 2008 for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Drama for "Underbelly", along with a previous AFI Award nomination for his performance in "The Secret Life Of Us". His extensive list of film & television credits include "Macbeth", "He Died With A Falafel In His Hand", "Ned Kelly", "The Clearing", "Rescue Special Ops", "Satisfaction", "Wilfred", "All Saints", "Blue Heelers", "Halifax F.P.", "Stingers", "East West 101" and "Whatever Happened To That Guy?" "The Reef" is Damian's first lead feature film role. Gyton Grantley (Matt) is best known to date for his portrayal of Carl Williams in the highly acclaimed television show "Underbelly". Gyton has also recently appeared in the feature "Balibo", based on the true story of the five journalists killed in 1975 in East Timor and "Beneath Hill 60" as well as the TV shows "30 Seconds" and "Bargain Cost". His previous TV credits include "Prime Mover", "All Saints", "Home & Away". Film credits include "A Mans’ Gotta Do", "Under The Radar", "Danny Deckchair", "Blurred and "Swimming Upstream." Gyton received a Silver Logie in 2009 for Most Outstanding Actor for his role in "Underbelly". Zoe Naylor (Kate) is perhaps best known in Australia for her role as co-host on the 7 Networks Gladiators and for her role as Regan McLeod in McLeod’s Daughters, the long running and much-loved 9 Network drama. She has appeared in countless productions including the lead role; Jane Durant, in the critically acclaimed New Zealand drama "Orange Roughies" along with the American productions "Evil Never Dies", "Fearless The Product" and the Australian feature film "The Book Of Revelation." Zoe has also appeared in theatre productions. Zoe also has extensive experience presenting, reporting and producing for television including co-hosting "Gladiators", "The NRL Footy Show", "MTV Australia", "A Current Affair" and Channel 9 News. Adrienne Pickering (Suzie) graduated from Queensland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) in 2003, where her credits included "La Ronde", "St. Kilda Tales", "Romeo and Juliet", "Cabaret" and "Edmond". In film, she has appeared in "The Clinic", "Knowing", "Shutter", "Final Call", "Candy" and "Pug". Her television credits include "Sea Patrol", "Home and Away", "Out Of The Blue", "Rogue Nation", "Headland" and "All Saints". In 2004 she was awarded Best Female Actor in the Warner Roadshow Studios New Filmmakers Awards for her role in "She Was Quiet". She co-stars in ABC TV's "Rake" playing Missy: a very, very well paid prostitute. Kieran Darcy-Smith (Warren) has been active both in front of and behind the camera since graduating from drama school in Sydney in 1995. He co-founded Blue-Tongue Films in 1996 (partners include director Nash Edgerton and actor Joel Edgerton) and under the Blue-Tongue banner has written, directed, scored and starred in a number of award-winning, internationally acclaimed short films and music videos. Kieran’s feature film roles include "The Square", "September", "The Cave", "Two Hands" and "Animal Kingdom". Television roles include "McLeod’s Daughters", "Blue Heelers", "All Saints", "Water Rats", "Wildside" and the upcoming ABC series "My Place". Kieran has also collaborated with some of Australia’s top mainstream and independent music artists including Alex Lloyd, Kasey Chambers, You Am I, Amiel, Shane Nicholson and Troy Cassar-Daley. What's It All About?

Kate, her brother Matt and his girlfriend Suzie fly to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to meet up with Kate’s ex-lover Luke. Luke delivers boats round the world for a living. He’s offered to take the three friends sailing and snorkeling for a week around the Great Barrier Reef on a boat he has to deliver to Indonesia. On the water Kate and Luke’s relationship starts to reignite but it’s fraught with old feelings and a need to resolve their differences. Dawn, a day out from port, Suddenly the boat flips and starts to sink. Frantically Luke helps rescue everyone. On top of the hull they see that the keel has been ripped away. Surveying the situation Luke decides their best chance for survival is to swim for a nearby island. Warren refuses to swim. Having worked on fishing boats, he knows what the water holds and is too scared. Luke, Suzie, Kate and Matt set out to swim to a nearby island.

The Verdict "Those who saw the 2008 chilling thriller "Black Water" will have an advantage over those going to see "The Reef". They already know what director/writer Andrew Traucki can dish-up when it comes to scaring the 'beejeebers' out on audience. High on my personal list of 'how not to die scenarios' are three that send a shiver down my spine. #1 is death by crocodile. Imagine the shock of being suddenly grabbed by the massive jaws of a twenty foot, 1.3 tonne salt water croc. The struggle to free yourself as it drags you into its muddy domain before thrashing you from side to side in a death roll. #2 is death by Annaconda, the giant snake found in tropical South America. It too grows to twenty foot. It weighs around 100 kg. It kills by constriction. Every time you breath out, its huge coils tighten further. In the end you can no longer breath, at which point it starts swallowing you, head first. #3 is death by shark attack. Not just any old shark, but the one we all fear the most: the Great White Shark. A pleasant summers day. You head for the local beach. The sparking blue waters looks so inviting. Time for a dip. You swim for a while and then float on your back. Life is wonderful, until you find yourself being driven helplessly across the surface of the water. At a speed of 40kph, weighing 2 tonne and 4 1/2 -5 metres in length, a Great White can snap you in half before chomping your frail body into bite sized pieces. Having already zoomed in on our fear of crocs, Andrew Traucki now targets the fear evoked by great white's, in a very effective (considering the budget), well constructed, fear evoking tale of four friends who choose to swim to a nearby island after their boat is holed and overturned in northern Queensland. Entertaining? Sure is! Scary? Yep. 3 1/2 STARS." The Production Team Directed by Andrew Traucki Written by Andrew Traucki Script editor James Michael Vernon Produced by Michael Robertson & Andrew Traucki Original Music by Rafael May Cinematography by Daniel Ardilley Film Editing by Peter Crombie Casting by Anousha Zarkesh Production Design by Adam Head Art Direction by Adam Head Rated M [AUST] Run Time 88 minutes Copyright ©2011 - Lightning Entertainment and Screen Australia - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2011 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian & International Copyright, Trademark Laws & Intellectual Property Rights.