From working in an old Blockbuster video store to directing his own feature films, Pakenham filmmaker Glenn Triggs has always loved everything about movies. Gazette journalist MATTHEW SIMS spoke to the director, writer and editor about the upcoming release of his new film Ancestry Road and why it acts as a love letter to his late mother and a look at the power of love and the possibility of an afterlife.
The click and whir of an old video camera as you hit record.
The familiar sound of inserting a VCR into a VHS.
The sounds of people settling in to watch a movie on the big screen.
These are some of Glenn Triggs’ favourite sounds.
The Pakenham-based filmmaker is finalising plans for the release of his newest film Ancestry Road, slated for release late in the year or early next year.
However, this isn’t the only project in his field of view.
The father of three has two scripts in the works, one set around video stores in the 1980s and one set around the Gippsland area in the 1840s.
Triggs said his love for making movies started at a young age.
“At the start of high school, my friend got a video camera,“ he said.
“I remember that igniting all these ideas in my head, we could make a ninja movie, we could make a volcano movie.
“I fell in love with filmmaking.“
Triggs said they shot and edited a movie together most weekends.
“We made little horror movies,“ he said.
“We made hundreds of videos.
“We filmed everything we could think of.“
Triggs then went on to learn about video production at Box Hill Secondary College before his first feature film No One was selected for the Top Arts awards.
“I really enjoyed making something longer,“ he said.
“That was sort of the first taste of it.“
Triggs then studied film and television at the Victorian College of the Arts before creating his own film company – Dark Epic Films.
“I remember thinking in the back of the car in Grade 6 I want to make films that are dark and epic,“ he said.
Triggs has then gone on to direct more than 40 short films and eight features under the banner of Dark Epic Films
“The movies that I love are those that affect me emotionally,“ he said.
“I want to make something that gets to people.
“I really want them to be moved.“
Triggs said he believed he had achieved his goal with his new movie Ancestry Road, which was inspired by the loss of his mum Gayle two years ago.
“My mum was always there,“ he said.
“My mum loved every aspect of being a mum.
“She was happy to support me no matter what it was.“
Filmed in Tasmania and based in Scotland, the film plot follows a father who builds a special road for his daughter after she regularly goes missing on their farm.
However, deceased family members start turning up in their cars for a visit.
Triggs said the script poured out of him after his mother’s passing, as a way to raise questions about the afterlife and the power of love.
“It essentially made it easier to write the film,“ he said.
“When you do lose things, you think, how can what I thought was forever end?
“I don’t think that what is forever ends.
“I think there is something more to what we’re all experiencing.“
Triggs said the shoot was made more enjoyable by the camaraderie on set and the peace and quiet of the Oatlands village.
“It made every day of production very relaxing,“ he said.
Triggs said while he loved every aspect of filmmaking, editing was often his favourite part.
“It sort of becomes a video game,“ he said.
“I can edit for 12 hours straight.
“Editing’s definitely heaps and heaps of fun.“
With the introduction of streaming and the demanding nature of running and organising filmmaking, Triggs said making movies had lost some of its lustre.
“It’s been polluted by the way things are made,“ he said.
“It’s become more a business now than a hobby.“
Triggs also while cinemas would never disappear entirely, they may go the same way as vinyl records – dwindling in popularity before experiencing a comeback for film enthusiasts.
“I don’t think cinemas will be around in six years,“ he said.
“I never thought video stores could go away.
“It just won’t be as popular as it once was.“
Triggs said the nature of watching movies at home and having movies arrive on demand within weeks of being released at cinemas had altered how we see and value our entertainment.
“We’ve been spoilt with it,“ he said.
“We’ve got too much choice and we don’t have to earn it.
“We’re losing things and gaining things at the same time.“
With three children, Triggs said every day was a rollercoaster of balancing priorities.
“I didn’t finish one job, but as long as I’m progressing, I’m happy,“ he said.
“I jump around a lot.“
However, Triggs said he has tried to never take his time with his children or doing what he loves for granted.
“The first child you have is such a magical experience,“ he said.
“You feel like you’re turning the pages in a book that’s already happened.
“I think I’ve always been appreciative of everything and childlike.
“I never wished time away.“
Triggs said he was looking forward to what the rest of his career and life seeing his kids grow up had in store for him.
“I think it really absolutely doesn’t matter as long as I’ve got to spend time with my kids,“ he said.
“You don’t notice it until it’s gone.“
