There is a huge gap in the TV industry now that Neighbours has finished production after 37 years. Neighbours was a show you could start watching as a kid, and then grow up to work on it, just like executive producer Jason Herbison did after he wrote in with some storyline suggestions while still in high school.
Neighbours enjoyed his ideas so much, that producers brought him on board when he finished school. After Jason Herbison became the show’s executive producer in 2013, his journey inspired him to keep looking for fresh talent, especially when it came to female directors.
“Without taking anything away from the experienced male directors who kept Neighbours running for as long as they did, we recognised that there was an imbalance,” Herbison told Mediaweek. “Training up more female directors was long overdue and I’m so glad we got the chance to do that.”
For some, that meant going from acting to directing. Kate Kendall played Lauren Carpenter for four years before training as a director, and during Covid, she also filled in as a producer who helped oversee the new protocols for filming. It’s directing, however, that has proved to be her dream job.
“The directing bug was always innate in me, but because of the history of the Nunawading studio we filmed in, I developed a massive curiosity about how everything melded together,” Kendall told Mediaweek.
Actor-turned-director Kate Kendall (above and top)
“Two of the directors I adored, Tony Osicka and Jovita O’Shaughnessy, took me under their wings. I would be acting, and they would flip me an occasional scene to direct. Then I started going out on location and watching everything from a director’s perspective.
“When my character went on hiatus, I just kept going back there every day, walking around with a manila folder looking busy. Eventually, they gave me an episode to direct, and then a whole block. Neighbours was a great place to ask silly questions because people always gave me honest answers and supported me.”
Kendall continued: “My advice to anyone wanting to direct is, be prepared to be terrified, be prepared to fail, and get up when you fall over. Fear can be an overwhelming responsibility, especially when every person is looking at you for the answer.
“Jovita O’Shaughnessy also gave me the best advice because she said you’re an actor, so pretend you’re a director. And when you don’t know, pretend again. That really resonated with me and I will forever be grateful to her.”
Neighbours director Grace Feng
Grace Feng Fang Juan, who is known in the industry as Grace Feng, came to Australia from China to study film and TV at RMIT. After making the web series Girl Interpreted, which was inspired by her own career as a professional Chinese interpreter, Feng got a director’s placement on Neighbours.
“I knew Neighbours was an institution and pop culture phenomenon, so it was a privilege to be accepted into that family,” Feng explained. “Everyone went above and beyond to make me feel welcome and supported, and I greatly appreciated that.
“Their ability to work at such a fast speed was truly incredible to me. Everyone is so experienced at their game, but the ability to do that on an ongoing basis amazed me, because it is such a physically demanding gig.
“I did one round with director Chris Adshead where I followed him everywhere. I had to pick up my own walking speed to keep up, then we’d wrap early and Chris would say he was off to play tennis! I couldn’t figure out how he had the energy.
“I also worked with Scott Major [another actor who has moved behind the scenes], and one of the things I picked up from him was a positive attitude, because everyone around you feels it too. Scott and Chris also taught me how to handle tough situations, where maybe you have to step away and re-set. Having that level of preparedness, but then having the freedom to let it go, was a real eye-opener.”
Emerald Chan, who signed with an agency to model and then found herself being asked to play Neighbours bad girl Sadie, found it inspiring to discover so many women working behind the scenes.
Chan told Mediaweek: “It was very empowering to have a little girl gang there. I was terrified on my first day, but we did drama classes with Eve Morey [the Gold Logie nominated actress who played Sonya] and that was absolutely incredible. They built up our confidence and that definitely helped me.
“Given I had no plans to be an actress, it has been great to learn that maybe I could go into directing or some other position. It shows how diverse the industry can be, and I will be forever grateful to Neighbours, because it’s genuinely made me think about my future.”
Kate Kendall directing a scene in Neighbours
• Neighbours Episode 8877 directed by Grace Cheng screens Monday 11 July at 7pm on 10Peach and will be available on 10play.
• Neighbours: End of the road also goes behind the scenes Monday 11 July at 9.35pm on ABC and iview.
See also:
Brian Walsh reveals: Free TVs and Daily Mirror saved second Neighbours axing