Mutt

This is a tale about a loyal, hard working dog called Mutt and his owner Mac - a disgruntled Farmer who barely manages to eke out a living from selling the milk of his one dairy cow, Matilda. Our three characters are unwittingly dependent on each other for survival, but each has their own all-consuming obsessions...Mutt’s all-consuming obsession is to chase his rubber ball; the only trouble being nobody wants to throw it for him. Mac is too busy obsessing over the minuscule amounts of money that the sale of the milk brings in. Matilda on the other hand, only wants to eat the lush green grass. Life on the farm is tough, and the cow’s milk is what Mac and Mutt’s existence hinges upon, but when the milk supply suddenly dries up things goes from bad to worse. Mutt decides that since Mac will never ‘play ball’ with him he might try Matilda the cow instead. This leads to disaster, Matilda is out of action, the ball is gone and Mac is denied his milk. Has Mutt's obsession driven the characters to the very edge of their own destruction? Or will his passion for play win through in the end?

The film encapsulates the harsh, dry Australian rural landscape with decrepit old farm equipment lying useless and rusted surrounded by old parched trees. The farm building is weathered and precarious – much like our farmer Mac. The skies contain constantly moving clouds and reflect the hot midday sun and stormy sunsets. Other than the tiny fertile patch of grass at the top of the hill, the ground is dry and baron as evidenced by the constant plumes of dust raised by Mutt as he runs and skids. All shot in 16:9 HD to fully appreciate the wide expanse of the environments. A considerable amount of contrast was introduced to the lighting and slightly reduced in post-production for cinematic interpretation.