“Once you’re in, you’re in. There is no way out!”

Is that the premise of this independent Australian action film or a comment on the fate of film makers that dive into making their own independent feature? Writer-Director Kit McDee gives us the low down on making his first feature film The Hunters Club.Over the last 4 years Kit McDee has been working on The Hunters Club, an action film full of fights, gun battles and car chases. Over the 4 years of Writing, Planning, Production and now Post, the actual shooting was squeezed into an intense 3 weeks of production.

Kit is an editor by trade and has a history of both acting and stunt work, this has given the director a strong insight into the requirements and opportunities an action film presents. A lot of planning and effort has been put into getting the most out of the script and the action.

Take a look at the trailer for The Hunters Club:

Action on a budget

With a very modest budget it was key to bring together a motivated and creative team. It was also important to make full use of the assets available to them and to not get hung up on what they didn’t have. Kit was keen to keep the camera moving as often as possible but to not over do it and end up with the shaky cam look of many modern action films. To this effect they made use of Steadicams, Segways, car mounts, hand-held rigs and more. Kit was keen to keep it controlled with a vibe more akin to action movies of the 80’s & 90’s.

Stunt people and a stunt coordinator were on board to bring together the films fight sequences and car chases. One of which features a long board Vs car chase.

Kit’s lessons from the film making experience:

• Don’t be afraid to be crap, it’s better to do it than be afraid of not succeeding.
• Give it a go, you can only get better.
• The first release of your film is a very important thing that can affect weather it is eligible or desirable for festivals, so think about what will work best for you.
• Surround your self with good people, they will make you be the best film maker you can be.

Interview with Director Kit McDee:

For more information take a look at The Hunters Club Facebook page here.

You can find the films website here

And if you have any questions for Director Kit McDee, leave them in the comments below or on our Facebook page and we will hit Kit up for some more information! 🙂