Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows Luc Vu (Anh Do) and his little sister Anne (Lisa Saggers) sitting beside a football field as Anne questions her brother about his interest in Rugby League football. Luc’s friends ‘the boys’ arrive for footy practice and Luc, with support from Anne and the prompts written on his hand, embarks on a pre-practice motivational speech. A montage of the training session completes the clip, which is accompanied by a popular song by The Hoodoo Gurus.

Educational value points

• This clip presents a non-stereotypical, multicultural picture of members of a Rugby League team, which reflects the demographics of south-western Sydney. This area is home to Indigenous Australians, Vietnamese, Pacific Islanders and, more recently, Arabic-speaking immigrants. The sense of alienation that some of these young men have experienced in the past is used by Luc Vu to motivate the team as well as to enhance the boys’ self-esteem.

• Film genres make use of specific codes and conventions to indicate the type of narrative texts they are. An understanding of these conventions allows audiences to determine easily what kind of film they are watching. Footy Legends (2006) includes elements of several film genres – the sports film, the 'geek’ film, the feel-good film and light comedy. Unlike so many of the more serious sports films, this clip is infused with a sense of friendship and fun.

• This clip shows how camera angles and shots can be used to indicate place and relationships. The clip starts with an establishing shot, placing the characters at the football field, and then moves into a mid shot to display Luc and Anne’s close relationship. Mid shots of members of the team (reaction shots) are then used to humorous effect as the team members listen to Luc Vu’s motivational speech.

• The second half of the clip uses the technique of montage to create visual excitement and movement for the football practice. The editing together of a number of shots compresses the passage of time and increases the sense of action and movement. The soundtrack also emphasises the movement and pleasure of the practice, as do the overlaid sound effects of grunting, yelling, the ball hitting bodies, car horns and laughter.

• Music is often used in films to provoke an emotional response and to enhance the visuals. Here, the tune matches the energy of the footy practice while the lyrics highlight notions of identity and belonging. The song 'What’s my Scene?’ by Australian band The Hoodoo Gurus, an enormous hit on its release in 1987, was re-written by the band in 2003 to create a successful new National Rugby League theme, 'What’s My Team?’

• This clip is set in the south-western suburbs of Sydney, an area often identified with socioeconomic disadvantage, crime and ethnic alienation. Footy Legends director Khoa Do wanted to challenge this notion: 'We were doing a feel-good film set in western Sydney and that never happens’. Local councils, Rugby League clubs, sports stars and some well-known actors supported the low-budget film and Khoa’s interpretation of south-western Sydney (http://smh.com.au).

• Khoa Do (1979–) the co-writer and director of Footy Legends arrived in Australia as a Vietnamese refugee at the age of two. He grew up in Sydney’s south-western suburbs, where he set his three films Delivery Day (2000), The Finished People (2003) and Footy Legends (2006). A graduate of Sydney University, a teacher and a filmmaker, he was named Young Australian of the Year in 2005 for services to drama and his work with young people in Sydney’s south-west.

• Anh Do (1977–) is a writer, actor and stand-up comedian who arrived in Australia with his family as a Vietnamese refugee in the early 1980s. He co-produced the critically acclaimed The Finished People (2003) with his brother Khoa Do and co-wrote Footy Legends (2006) with Khoa and Khoa’s wife Suzanne Do. Anh Do has appeared in the Australian television programs Thank God You’re Here, Fat Pizza, Sea Change and All Saints.

We see a girl and her older brother sitting side by side on a grassy verge. The girl is holding a turtle.
Anne Why do you play footy for, anyway?
Luc ’Cause it’s fun. ‘Cause when you play, people like you.
Anne You want to hold Britney?
Luc Britney? Haha. Hello, Britney.

Other boys start to arrive.
Boy 1 Hey, sexy! You in the footy jersey. Can I have your number?
Luc The boys!
Boy 2 Yeah, you can win a ute.
Boy 1 My uncle’s got a ute.
Boy 2 Your uncle’s got a bomb.
Luc Hey, listen, guys. Do you remember eight years ago we played Birong, and everyone thought we’d lost the game? Do you remember that, guys? Everyone thought – everyone.
Anne But not you.
Luc But not us, guys. We won, eh. Remember that? And what about when we played Allo’s guys? Everyone thought we were dead for sure, everyone!
Anne But not youse.
Luc Not us guys. We smashed ‘em, eh. Hey?
Anne Yeah!
Luc What about the Year 11 formal, huh? We thought no girls would dance with us, remember?
Anne Really?
Luc Yeah. No, they did.
Boy 1 Except for Terry.
Terry Shut up.
Luc Terry, throw me the ball, man. I’ll show you some magic.

’What’s My Scene’ by Hoodoo Gurus plays as the boys complete their training session.
Luc Stacks on!
Others Stacks on!
Boy Ow, that’s my back! Get off!