The Tailings: behind the scenes

Director Stevie Cruz-Martin talks about her process behind the new dramatic web series The Tailings.

Set in Tasmania, The Tailings is a new 6 x 10 minute drama series that follows Jas, a young girl searching for answers behind her father’s suspicious death. For director Stevie Cruz-Martin, her approach was to not view the project as a web series but as a short feature.

With recent drama productions such as The Gloaming and The Kettering Incident setting a precedent for Tasmanian film noir, Cruz-Martin was conscious she wanted to try something different.

“I kinda like to say that it’s more of a relationship drama with a dose of mystery and I knew I didn’t want to necessarily use filmmaking techniques to categorise that mystery.”

In this behind the scenes video, Cruz-Martin explains how she came to work with experienced writer-turned-producer Liz Doran, the importance of music and sound design, directing first-time actors and why she loves using hand-held camera work.

The Tailings is released online on SBS On Demand on 2 April 2021.