Red Dog

Moving four spirited kelpies and 40 cast and crew to remote parts of Australia gave Stage and Screen Travel Services a special affinity with the new feature movie, Red Dog.

Our dedicated travel manager played a central role in the filming of this story about a cattle dog renowned for his travels through WA's Pilbara region.

ABOUT RED DOG

Based on the legendary 'Red Dog' and his wanderings across the Pilbara in the 1970s, Red Dog was filmed in the first half of 2010 by feature film producers Nelson Woss (Ned Kelly) and Julie Ryan (Ten Canoes). The Village Roadshow movie was directed by Kriv Stenders (Lucky Country), with the screenplay produced by Daniel Taplitz.

Filming spanned eight weeks in Adelaide with another six weeks on location in the Pilbara region. The movie is set to hit cinema screens in 2011.

THE CHALLENGE

Stage and Screen Travel Manager, Lyndal Hunt, took on the task of ensuring the film's precious canine cargo, cast and crew were in the right locations at the right time. This involved arranging all travel for inbound cast and crew (some of whom were travelling from the US and Europe), arranging visas for inbound passengers, and booking accommodation for the crew in Adelaide.

With her extensive experience in entertainment travel logistics and her understanding of the specialist services needed for this job, Lyndal had the capability to single-handedly manage every aspect of travel for Red Dog.

OUR PERFORMANCE

Stage and Screen pulled out all stops to deliver both core and specialist travel services throughout the filming of Red Dog. These included the following.

Special care of live cargo - Lyndal arranged for the four canine stars to be flown from Melbourne and Adelaide to Karratha (WA) to feature in the film. Drawing on her knowledge of pet transport companies, she helped organise flight permits and crates, and coordinated the pick-up and transfers for the animals. On their arrival in Perth, the dogs were also given a 'comfort stop' before they were flown to Karratha.

Negotiating on vehicle needs - Car hire was critical, as the bulk of filming took place in regional areas only accessible by vehicles. Film shoots were located on mine sites, where Lyndal was able to work through the process of confirming whether vehicles required safety equipment and sourcing a special tow bar needed for a car trailer!

Lyndal negotiated with car hire companies in Karratha to waiver their night driving conditions, as filming wasn't always conducted during daylight hours. She also negotiated successfully with the car hire company to secure a free-of-charge car upgrade.

Managing VIP travel - Red Dog's VIP lead actor was flown from Los Angeles (US) to Brisbane. Through Stage and Screen's preferred supplier agreements, Lyndal coordinated escort assistance from the airline, private inflight seating, limousine transfers, and meet and greet services. Preferred seating was also arranged for domestic flights within Australia, together with last on/ first off privileges.

Providing 24/7 assistance - Film production can involve long and odd hours, so Lyndal made herself available to the Red Dog team around the clock and on weekends. This helped support the success of the filming process by ensuring any travel issues could be quickly resolved.

Flexibility - With her experience in the fast-paced world of entertainment travel, Lyndal is no newcomer to its dynamic nature. She provided the flexibility to manage last-minute changes and logistical challenges with complete calm.

THE CREDITS

"Without Stage and Screen's help, I'd hate to think which part of the country we would still be sitting in! Lyndal Hunt was amazing in her understanding of what we needed, coordinating everyone's travel needs and taking special care of our key performers. Her astute negotiation with suppliers gave us so many extra benefits, and her travel logistics skills saved us time and headaches. I don't know what we would have done without Lyndal and the team at Stage, they're more than just our travel advisors, they're people we trust and depend on." 

- JULIE RYAN, PRODUCER, RED DOG