Rubber Ducky, you’re the one
Ninety-five per cent of the film, which boasts a full-female cast and all local crew, is fighting, and the women are doing all their own stunts.
Natasha Kaminsky has always looked up to women in film, especially those who have taken charge of their own destiny.
“Margot Robbie is one of my biggest inspirations. She has created so much opportunity for herself,” Kaminsky told The AJN while discussing her new short film, Rubber Ducky.
Kaminsky also names superstars Gal Gadot and Scarlett Johansson as big influencers. Their strength and independence, both on and off screen, are a large part of what spurred Kaminsky to create Rubber Ducky.
Kaminsky always thought she’d end up in musical theatre. It was her days at Bialik that made her fall in love with music. But it was a scholarship to study performing arts in New York that really cemented her future career.
“I was a singer first. I always thought that I’d be in musical theatre. But when I moved to New York, it was very film focused. I fell in love with it and started acting,” Kaminsky recalled.
Kaminsky is acting in and producing Rubber Ducky, a film about a young mum who goes to retrieve her child’s rubber ducky which was confiscated by the school teacher, who refuses to return it, saying she’d have to return all confiscated items if she hands back the rubber ducky. Things then descend into the type of chaos that Kaminsky describes as a “comedic, full-on fight sequence.”
Writer and director Alex A-W said Rubber Ducky is about every teacher’s worst nightmare – the Tiger Mum.
“So much so, an alternative title for this film could be ‘Crouching Tiger Mummy Hidden Dragon’,” he told Film Ink.
According to Kaminsky, 95 per cent of the film, which boasts a full-female cast and all local crew, is fighting, and the women are doing all their own stunts.
Referring to the journey as challenging and tiring, Kaminsky explains that the cast train up to eight times a week, including martial arts lessons with Lisa Kyriacou, the best female fighter in the country. They also do Pilates and gym workouts to make sure their fitness is at peak levels. “It’s all very demanding. We’ll be shooting 10-hour days as well so we need the energy and fitness to sustain everything that’s required of us,” Kaminsky said.
“The whole project started because I wanted to challenge myself as an actor, and I was really keen on doing an action film and doing my own stunts. I really wanted to experiment and see if I could actually do it.”
On set, the cast is guided by a stunt coordinator and Australian legend Graham Jahne, whose work includes Halo and Ghost Rider.
For Kaminsky, it was important that the production be female-led, not only because of the strong females she admires, but also to promote change in the film industry.
“Action is heavily dominated by men, which isn’t a bad thing. But it’s also fun to see women kick each other’s asses,” she laughed. “I find it comforting also when you see yourself represented and reflected on screen.”
The team are hoping to have finished production by October before putting Rubber Ducky through the festival circuit.
Follow Rubber Ducky’s journey on Instagram: @rubber_ducky_movie
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