We were fortunate enough to play our small part in the filming of RUNT, the heartfelt and hilarious contemporary Australian family film based on the best-selling and critically acclaimed novel by Craig Silvey. It tells the story of eleven-year-old Annie Shearer (Lily LaTorre) and her best friend, an adopted stray dog called Runt, as they try to save their family farm in the country town of Upson Downs.
RAC Arena transformed into a movie set, serving as a stand-in for London in some of the film’s pivotal scenes, including those at Krumpets Dog Show. All the dog show competitors received their own very spacious dressing rooms, with one reportedly bigger than that of human co-star Jai Courtney!
Producer Jamie Hilton answered a few questions about why RAC Arena was selected and the filming process:
Why was RAC Arena selected for the shoot?
RAC Arena was the only choice in Perth to sell the scale of Krumpets. It needed to feel epic. The RAC Arena was booked to the brim but the team there really wanted to help us and so they squeeze us in enough time to shoot our race sequences. We had to then shoot our backstage sequences at the ABC studios and cheat the two together. Runt had a very large number of locations but our two big stadium days were definitely a highlight, it’s always a kick to rent a location that large. It really did give the end of Runt the scale and majesty we desired to raise the stakes and create an epic finale at the Krumpets Dog show in London.
How did you fill the Arena with extras?
We had a few hundred extras for our close up and crowd reaction shots but all of our crowds are CGI characters that were built by the team at Spectrum Films. They shot actual extras dressed by our wardrobe team, every extra was captured doing a range of movements, with various reactions and then they were redressed and did it again. The VFX team then built a 3D stadium with a 3D crowd and replaced the background of the RAC with the 3D assets they built. This was particularly complex when we had lots happening in the foreground, like dogs racing with moving cameras but the team at Spectrum did a brilliant job.
Did you just use the Arena bowl or other parts of the building?
We used the backstage areas and foyers for extras costume, we shot in a hallway and used a lot of the dressing rooms for actors and canine talent. We had a holding area for dogs, an area outside where they could do their business and took over the entire staff car park and loading dock for two large catering stations to feed our 500 crew and extras. They were big days.
To celebrate we are giving away 5 family passes to experience RUNT thanks to Event Cinemas, on the big screen from September 19. To enter fill out the form here!
