Robert Marchand

Robert is a graduate of the Australian Film & TV School and has worked in the industry for 25 years as a director, writer and teacher.

He began as a script consultant on the AFI Award winning film Malcolm and went on to win Three AFI Awards in the same year for his films Danny and The Cellist.

Rob was co-writer and director on the popular mini-series Fields of Fire (I & II) and won another AFI Award for his direction on Come in Spinner. The mini-series also received a New York Film & TV Festival Silver Award.

'He went on to direct the BBC's Boys From the Bush and Kangaroo Palace receiving an AFI Award nomination for Best Miniseries. He also won a bronze medal for direction of Drainman at the New York Film Festival.

Rob directed The Potato Factory - receiving a Silver Logie nomination - and other telemovies including Singapore Sling and Marriage Acts.

He is Australia's foremost expert in British director, Mike Leigh's method of work and has conducted workshops in the U.S.A, New Zealand and Australia. He has been an improvisation director (using Leigh's process) on several films including Newcastle, Monkey Puzzle, Cedar Boys, Playing for Charlie, Bernadette and The Rivers Secret.

He has been a mentor and educator to first-time Indigenous filmmakers and a mentor and script adviser on the emerging writers program for Tropfest. In addition, Rob has been a script assessor for the N.S.W Film and Television Office.

He is currently doing his PHD on character based improvisation process at Flinders University Drama Centre.

Robert's Philosophy

The best-known practitioner of character-based improvisation process is the British director Mike Leigh. Over a 30 year career, Mike Leigh has been responsible for a remarkable output of films and television plays including Happy Go Lucky, Vera Drake, Career Girls, Secrets and Lies, Naked and Meantime.

Mike Leigh's approach to his films is very much his own. Starting without a script, he spends time with each actor alone, creating a unique character for each one. The actor is sent out to research the background, class, work situation, home life and any other relevant aspect to this character.

This process makes for films that are idiosyncratic, funny and heartfelt, grounded in the reality of everyday English life. The performances generally exist on a level of detail and intensity not often found in film and the characters stay in the mind as if you had met them first hand.

Robert will work on this model of work with students.