Filmmaker Focus : the Continuity King – Michael Wray

I met Michael Wray in 2014 when we were looking for a continuity person for a short sci-fi film I produced, Grandfather Paradox. Up to that point I had a hazy idea of what continuity did, and had found out the hard way on my first narrative film a few years prior, what a disaster it was when you didn’t have one. I don’t know who I was expecting to rock up on set – perhaps some sober clock watching accountant type with thick glasses, and a stern demeanour.  Certainly I wasn’t expecting the bright eyed, enthusiastic, charming, hardworking guy that turned up. We had a ball of a time making that film, which went on to win a swag of awards, including finalist at the Sci-Fi Film Festival that year. Michael Wray is part of the reason that happened. Never underestimate the impact of great crew on a project. 

Since then I’ve had Michael Wray on nearly every production I’ve made or been involved in. He’s my lucky charm. And clearly I’m not alone on that front. Michael Wray’s resume reads like a street map of the best visual content coming out of the indie film industry in NSW. He’s been in the industry for well over a decade, and has become one of the most in demand people for all things in the realm of script supervisor and continuity on a project. Recent projects he’s worked on, include Deadhouse Dark, Unsound, and Ellie and Abbie – all released this year. 

I managed to catchup with a very busy Michael Wray for this interview, where he gave me some insights into his role and the industry at large. 

1] How did you get into Continuity?

MW: I’ve always had a love of film & always wanted to work in the film industry. I studied film at Macquarie University from 2004 – 2007, then after graduating I tried my hand at a few different things (mostly writing & directing) but then I sort of found “my groove” in Continuity. It was the one job on set that ticked a lot of boxes for me in terms of experience & personality.

2] How would you describe your approach to work? what does your role involve, from pre-production to post-production?

MW: Essentially there’s two elements to my job. Firstly I’m “the Editor’s eyes on set”, which means making sure things match up for the edit (dialogue correct, props in the right place, double checking costume etc) & being the Director’s shadow. Secondly, I’m keeping track of coverage for the Production, which means writing reports ever day detailing the day’s work. In pre-production I go through the script with a fine-toothed comb, do a timing estimate & a full breakdown itemising all characters, props, costumes, story logic etc, then during filming I’m writing detailed notes & reports for Production.

3] How many films and visual projects have you worked on?

MW: I’m currently shooting my 33rd feature, and I’ve done 18 series/TV jobs & 108 shorts.

4] You’ve become the go-to-continuity guy of the indie scene. What’s your secret?

MW: I don’t know that I’d call myself the ‘go-to’ guy, but I appreciate the compliment! Honestly it’s just good old fashioned grit – I’m always hunting for work. It’s important to never get complacent & think “I’ve done a lot now, so work should just fall into my lap”. Not only is this an arrogant attitude, but if there’s one thing the last few months of this COVID drought has taught me, it’s to be appreciative of everything because it can all go away.

5] Tell us about some of the most interesting projects you’ve worked on? What did you like about them? 

MW: This is kind of like asking a parent to name their favourite children! I love every project I’ve worked on, but some recent standouts were Book Week, a movie I filmed in the Blue Mountains, Locusts, filmed in Broken Hill, Reaching Distance, which was entirely filmed on a bus in a sound stage with rear projection screens, Dead House Dark, which was a horror mini series & was one of those perfect projects where the material was fun & every crew member was a good friend. But every project is different, & one of the great things about this line of work is that you never know what the work will throw at you. One week youvmight be filming a feature set in a cafe filmed on 35mm film; the next job you might be shooting a short, in the snow, on an iPhone. The diversity & adventure are terrific! 

6] What’s the best part of your job?

MW: I not only get to be right in the thick of the action on set – next to the Director & interacting with every department – but I also feel like I make a tangible difference to the project. I can watch a movie & say “That thing is like that because I said something on set & prevented a problem”.

7] What’s the hardest part of your role?

MW: It can be insanely stressful & tiring at times. Making a mistake is always a hard thing, but you have to be professional & own up to it if it happens. You also have to try to think a few steps ahead at times – “a stitch in time saves nine”.

8] What misconceptions do people have about your role?

MW: People seem to think that our perspective of the set is like Sherlock, with numbers & stuff flying all over our brain. It’s not. I think the key to the job is simply discipline – having a good system for note taking & sticking to it.

9] We’re in challenging times –i.e. Coronavirus, old platforms struggling in the streaming age, etc – How do you see the future of the Australian film & TV industry ? 

MW: I think a potential problem at the moment is ‘cancel culture’, which I despise. Although it’s most likely a fad, it is a mentality that has taken root a little in some young filmmaker’s minds & has the potential to affect their future output (I have in fact been on set with students from AFTRS who say things like “I’m glad Summer Heights High got banned from Netflix, it’s racist & should never have been made.”). The fact that artists & cinephiles could support capricious censorship like this is a little disturbing. I think a few things need to be said on it: 

a] Freedom of speech goes both ways. Diversity in film is an extremely important thing. You don’t have to like everything, but that diversity means being an adult & accepting the things you dislike.

b] Not everyone shares your values. And you don’t get to dictate the media others consume. 

c] You can avoid a controversial movie with ignorance, but you shouldn’t protest it in ignorance. If you say “I won’t watch this movie because from what I’ve heard about it, it might upset me” that’s totally within your rights as a viewer. However, the second you say “I’ve heard this movie is dodgy, so let’s protest it & get it banned” you have to do your due diligence & actually see it, because the second you actively protest you’re complicit in potentially ruining a person’s career or hurting a company’s reputation. 

d] This one is for the young filmmakers out there – you wouldn’t like it if it happened to you. Here’s a hypothetical. You graduate from AFTRS at age 24 with a feature script. Your friends & family chip in money & your parents get a second mortgage to help fund it. It gets made & screens at one festival, where Netflix comes to you & says “Love it! We’ll pay you $3 million for it!”. You think “Great! I can pay people back; my parents keep their house & my career is started.” Suddenly, some dickhead on Twitter – who hasn’t seen the movie – goes “I’ve heard this is dodgy” & drums up a media storm & gathers 100,000 signatures to get it banned.” Netflix comes to you & goes “We can’t have this negative publicity. Deal’s off.” Cut to a few months later – your parents have lost their home, you’re a pariah amongst friends & family & you can’t get work because your name has been dragged through the mud because the media knows you as the director of “that dodgy movie”. 

10] Is there anything about our industry you’d like to see done differently? 

MW: Maybe more help for students. The eradication of Metro Screen a few years ago was a big loss for the emerging sector – those people moving from “studying” to “professional”. That step sometimes requires specific shepherding, & I’d like to see more being done to actively help that. 

11] What’s the most challenging thing you’ve ever done outside of film?

MW: I do card magic, & there’s a move called a slipshift that I’ve been practicing for a few months now. It’s insanely difficult, but I’m making very slow progress.

12] What are three things people don’t know about you? 

MW: I have a huge collection of film books, I own a blue Quaker Parrot named Dewey, & I despise hummus. 

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