First Saturday
Justin Kurzel
First Saturday was a call to arms for Australians to do their part around fire safety by dedicating the first Saturday of each season to preparing for severe weather. It was also a celebration of the unflinching courage and service of firefighters.
Following the 2020 fires, and featuring real RFS members, this work couldn’t have been a more timely reminder.
The camera placed viewers inside the cabin of a fire truck as it approached a blaze. The fires were recreated on private property, with the SFX team lighting controlled spot fires along a path and up trees. Industrial fans redirected the smoke into place, and as the sun set, an unmistakable and unsettling sense of an inferno emerged.
Agency: CHE Proximity
Production: Revolver
Director: Justin Kurzel
Producers: Serena Paull & Ian Iveson
BTS Photographer: Jimmy Truong
Director Justin Kurzel said of his approach:
“The film needed to grab a viewer with its truth and immersive reality. It needed to be visceral, emotionally raw, and confronting.
Creating an authentic world inside that cabin was paramount to the success of the idea, so real RFS members were cast alongside actors, filming in locations previously devastated by fires.”
Authenticity was the cornerstone of the work, as its success hinged on the fire feeling real and impactful.
“On one hand we were trying to get the ordinary person to see and experience the bravery of a firefighter’s job. On the other hand, we were showing how you don’t have to be in that truck to be part of the battle.”
“It was pretty extraordinary to work with actual firefighters from RFS NSW. For them to reflect on their brave and committed actions last summer, and give such open and committed performances, was a real privilege to direct.”
