Creation (directed by Jon Amiel)

From dancing penguins to sailing the high seas during the Napoleonic Wars, Australian-based screenwriter John Collee brings a young Charles Darwin to life in his latest project Creation. I had a chat to Collee a few weeks back about this, that and the other thing, and have put together a neat little yarn on his work with Creation here. However, Collee also told me some crazy stories about collaborations with Guillermo del Toro and Steven Spielberg, and forth coming projects, which I will tie together in another story over the next few days. Stay tuned baboons.

When Scottish-born screenwriter John Collee, the writer behind Oscar-winning films such as Happy Feet and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, sat down to write a biopic of Charles Darwin, he hit a wall. He did not want to portray the English naturalist, who came up with the theories of evolution and natural selection, as just another `boring scientist'. So he turned to the writings of Darwin's great, great grandson Randal Keynes, who presented the scientist in a unique light.

``The Darwin you get on screen is always the guy with the beard and he has always been portrayed as this sober and rather boring intellectual,'' says Collee.
``Whereas the Darwin that comes out in the descriptions by Randal (Keynes) is of this charming, young dad.
``You get this really human perspective which is also taken from all of his kids who wrote stories about him.
``A guy you thought you knew through his science actually comes across as this fabulous family man.''

For Collee, who has lived in Sydney for over decade with his wife and children, this is someone to whom he could relate. He used Keynes biography of Darwin, Annie's Box, as the basis for the screenplay Creation, a new film directed by Jon Amiel. Starring Paul Bettany as Darwin and Jennifer Connelly as his wife Emma, Creation follows Darwin in the lead up to publishing On The Origin Of Species, where he struggles to find a balance between his revolutionary theories and the relationship with his religious wife, whose faith contradicts his work. The couple are also battling to come to terms with the death of their 10-year-old daughter Annie, who had scarlet fever. Despite having seen and achieved many things, Collee says he choose to focus on this chapter of Darwin's life because it `represented something about the modern condition'.

``I like writing films about ideas and there are powerful ideas in this and they crystalise around a tragic event; the death of child,'' says Collee.
``They (Darwin and Emma) were very much in love, they had 10 kids, they were very inter-dependent on each other, but she was completely Christian and he was a scientist.
``The miraculous thing about their relationship was that it worked and that they were able to live so closely together.
``So it's about the resolution of science and religion, and how they find an alternative to the language of religion and of science, with love.''

Having worked with Bettany before on Master and Commander, Collee says although he tried not to write the role for him specifically, but he kept coming to mind due to his `uncanny resemblance' to a young Darwin.

``He came to mind more and more as I wrote the script but I try not to write with someone in mind because of the nature of the business,'' he says.
``But young Darwin looked very much like Paul Bettany and when we were writing Master and Commander Weir had a young Darwin as the model for `the Doctor' and I kept getting the memory of Paul as that character.
``There were lots of things that made me keep going back to him.
``And Paul gave Jennifer the script to read and she then wanted to play Emma.
``Because they're married in real life they bring that context to the roles too.''

VIA Collee Gets Creative

A decade or so ago it would have been absolutely unheard of to see timber lining the external walls of a modern architect's latest creation. After all, wood was a material that had been replaced many moons ago and was only found on rotting barns... right?

Like absolutely everything in construction, materials have the habit of forming a full circle. Timber was once the only material used, before technology allowed bricks and all sorts of other alternatives to replace it. Now, contemporary builders are turning to wood again with many under the impression that it releases an ultra-stylish appearance. Additionally, there is also the matter of sustainability and in a bid to stay on the green side, it goes without saying that timber performs much better than bricks and other products.

Therefore, wood is in fashion. It might not be found on your latest set of Wimpy houses, but take to any contemporary street and you'll see plenty of it. If you're looking to replicate the effects of the material, read on and find out what considerations need to be made to make the most of timber and create another wood-cladded sensation...

Which type of wood will you be using?

This question could be rephrased; 'how much is your budget?'. A lot of the time, you won't have much say in the type of wood that you opt for and money really does talk when it comes to choosing a timber.

Fortunately, there are plenty of varieties out there that have been deemed suitable to be used on outside walls. One might not be surprised to read that the likes of oak and chestnut are some of the most expensive options, but naturally provide the highest-quality finish. Down the scale we have cedar and larch, which are classed as softwoods but have the durability factor which makes them the market favourites. Then, at the bottom of the ladder we have pine and as well as holding the most basic appearance, this has the uncanny knack of deteriorating the quickest.

This means there is plenty of food for thought. While you might love the appearance of pine (and trust us, you'll probably be in the minority), you've also got to realise that it will come under a lot of stress and need replacing at shorter intervals than initially more expensive options.

How will the wood be implemented?

We don't need to tell you how many advanced cladding techniques there are now available, you just need to take a look around here and see all of the different materials and styles that can now be adopted.

As such, the world is your oyster when it comes to laying out your timber. It goes without saying that horizontal and vertical layouts are the most common, although don't be fooled into thinking that this is your limit. Some will opt for a diagonal approach, while others will overlap the timbers to create an embezzled effect.

Another misconception revolves around the size of the material. Even if you're buying the whole lot of timber in fixed sizes, don't be under the impression that you have to stick to them. They can be broken down into smaller pieces, although naturally this will involve increased labour costs for the fixing stage.

Who will fix the material?

It would be fair to say that installing a cladded wall is somewhat different to building a brand new one out of bricks. You might think it looks easy - but we'd urge you to stop in your tracks. Wood is a material that can go drastically wrong; it can change shape, become affected by moisture amongst a whole host of other defects.

This means that during the installation phase, the adequate provisions have to be made. The battens in which the cladding is fixed to can’t be spaced too far apart, as this could result in the timber bending. In other areas, a weatherproof membrane is a necessity, while openings must be left between each element of cladding to allow for any seasonal movement.

The above paragraph really is the tip of the iceberg and it's not the sort of handbook you want to be taking to your own construction site. If any of the above sounds confusing, it's time to ditch the DIY job and take to the Yellow Pages.

What is the finished article going to look like?

And finally, what everyone has been waiting for - what is the cladded timber going to look like by the time it is in use as a fully functioning wall?

If you happen to have used an expensive hardwood, there's every chance that you'll be looking to keep things as natural as possible and you might not even have to take out your paintbrush to preserve the material.

However, as soon as the timber gets softer, it might be time to change the approach. Not only will you want to purchase some sort of product to tailor the appearance to your liking, but you'll also probably need a wood stain to protect your wood.

The preservation of cladding becomes even more important if your property sits in an exposed location, without much natural protection. With regular masonry walls your main worry is penetrating damp, but when it comes to cladding you've also got to work to ensure that you're not regularly tearing down the wall coverings every few years just because the timber wasn't preserved adequately.

And there we have it - the four considerations whilst putting together your modern wood-cladded dwelling. While it might seem a lot to take in, a lot of homeowners forget that one of the major benefits of cladding is that it can easily be changed. Admittedly, it’s still a relatively big job, but if you do want to freshen things up from time to time and can afford to purchase new timber, it’s undoubtedly possible and can provide a completely different image to your home.

VIA «Old is the New New: Making Wood Work for Your Contemporary Pad»