Movie review – “Making Venus” (2004) ****

Excellent doco – one of the best making-of docos I’ve ever seen - about the production of a $100,000 Aussie comedy, The Venus Factory, which ended up being remade twice and costing over one million dollars. The stars of the film are the two neophyte producers, Jason and Julien, whose naivety, ignorance and cockiness made them something of cult heroes. But watching this on repeated viewings, you realise at least they’re honest, open and tenacious – and the directors Glenn Fraser and Denis Whitburn don’t do themselves any favours. Sure maybe they’re not as big idiots as the producers but Fraser seems to have made a crap, over-ambitious film on an inadequate budget and Whitburn’s comments speak for themselves. Both directors should consider themselves lucky they have the producers to act as a get-out-of-free credibility card for both. Required viewing for every self-funded aspirational filmmaker.