Experiencing Interruptions?

(Working) Holiday

In this comedy pilot, shot in a mockumentary style, we follow a group of European backpackers staying in a small hostel in Melbourne, Australia. The show captures the predictable hijinks of a group of young people living together without perceived responsibility, but more importantly it focuses on the very real mundaneness that many young travellers experience, and the very real problems that they face: money issues, boredom, heartbreak, frequent goodbyes, chronic hangovers and insufferably poor Wi-Fi.

  • Paul Westbrook
    Director
  • Paul Westbrook
    Writer
  • Rachael J. Low
    Producer
  • Paul Westbrook
    Key Cast
  • Bella Merrington
    Key Cast
  • Scott Luke
    Key Cast
  • Fagyn Gwyther-McCuskey
    Key Cast
  • Demi Bartram
    Key Cast
  • Thomas Bowman
    Key Cast
  • Paul Di Pietro
    Key Cast
  • Natasha Broadstock
    Key Cast
  • Cassten Roberts (DOP & Camera Operator)
    Crew
  • Rachael J. Low (1st AD)
    Crew
  • Sarah Cabanilla (Production Design)
    Crew
  • James Seymour (Sound Recordist)
    Crew
  • Rosie Carberry (Hair & Makeup)
    Crew
  • Benjamin Lee (Camera Assistant)
    Crew
  • Cassten Roberts (Colorist)
    Post Production
  • Harrison Mullan (Editor)
    Post Production
  • James Seymour (Sound Design)
    Post Production
  • Project Type:
    Other
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama, Mockumentary
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 9, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    91 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital (Sony FS700: 25mm-70mm)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Melbourne Martini Awards
    Melbourne
    Australia
    December 1, 2015
    Best Sound Recording (James Seymour) & Best Actor (Scott Luke)
Distribution Information
  • C31 Melbourne & Geelong
    Country: Australia
    Rights: Free TV
  • C44 Adelaide
    Country: Australia
    Rights: Free TV
Director Biography - Paul Westbrook

Paul is originally from London, where he trained in Classical Acting at The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama.

After taking a break from acting and travelling around Australia as a backpacker, Paul decided to document his plethora of anecdotes, encounters and often unbelievable experiences into "(Working) Holiday".

Having always had a passion for working with actors on a deeply personal and technical level, Paul gained his first directing credit from the project and hasn't looked back since.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Why do we laugh? Why do we cry?
A hugely open question, but when it comes to watching characters on stage or screen the answer is simple - we laugh and cry because what we are seeing is based on truth - our own truth which is reflected in the characters we grow to love.
My absolute passion and drive as a director is to connect with an audience on an immensely personal level, cutting through the superficial masks of everyday social constructs and strum on the heartstrings of the viewer to remind them of the basic psychological and physiological call and response mechanisms that make us human.
I believe the job of the director is by no means far from the job of the actor, summarised beautifully by a director I worked with at Drama School:
'Acting is not a mirror of life. It is an intensification of life that the audience come to see. The actor must go where the audience is too scared to go. When you buy a ticket, you buy a piece of the actor's heart, you do not go to see someone pretend. In life we try to make it better - in acting it has to hurt.'