Denise Carter tackles her fear of sharks to chat to the director and star of new Aussie film The Reef.

Not since 1975’s smash movie hit Jaws will people have been so scared to go swimming in the ocean as when they see independent moviemaker Andrew Traucki’s The Reef, out today.

It’s not Andrew’s first bash at a creature feature. He’s known for his movie Black Water about a crocodile.

His mark as a director is to inject realism into his thrillers.

"The realism in the film (Black Water) made it stand out in the crowd," Andrew says. "You should feel like it could happen to you or me.

"There is no artifice."

It’s exactly how an audience member feels watching The Reef.

The story is based on the true tale of a trio whose boat capsized off the coast of Townsville and who were stalked by a shark in 1983.

It’s a story that wouldn’t leave Andrew’s mind, so he simply had to write it down.

In the movie, Andrew has increased the characters to five and the shark from a tiger shark to a white pointer.

The outcome, nevertheless, is the same.

The film hangs on the decision the characters have to make early on in the piece when their boat has capsized.

Should they stay with the possibly sinking boat for help signalled from an old-fashioned EPERB or should they make a swim for it to an island they cannot see over the horizon.

Australian actress Adrienne Pickering, who hails from Warwick in the Darling Downs of south-east Queensland, doesn’t even know now what she would do faced with a similar situation.

"I could try to make a rational decision," Adrienne says from New York, which she has made her base.

"But when we were discussing the characters, we saw that it’s quite a different story when you’re put in that situation.

"You become gripped with fear.

"I think I would never leave the boat, but it’s hard to say.

"Luke (played by Damian Walshe-Howling) is the stoic and rational one with a strong sense of what it takes to survive so, maybe, I might go with someone strong, but it would be hard to jump in that water."

In the mode of Kate Winslet in Titanic, this is Adrienne’s water feature, once done, never visited again should such a script land in her lap.

"I’d think twice, certainly more searchingly," Adrienne says, laughing.

The movie certainly was an ordeal for the cast and crew to make with long hours (up to 10 each day) in the waters of Hervey and Bowen bays.

For Adrienne, who plays Suzy, a rather bewildered character who is totally out of her depth, the main issue was her fair skin and the long hours she had to spend in the sun.

For director Andrew Traucki, it was the logistics of shooting with cameras on boogie boards, no mean feat, and the day-to-day effort of keeping the script intact.

"It was very hard," Andrew says.

"They say don’t work with children, animals and water.

"Well, I had two of those.

"I should have just thrown a few children in," he laughs.

"Everything just floats away. With the script, the paper dissolved.

"We had to print it on plastic. It was incredibly difficult, 10 hours per day for four and a half weeks."

Andrew wrote the script, placing extra strain on himself as a director and producer, but says writing while being chief-in-charge has its advantages.

The film opens with an airport scene, obviously shot in a regional airport that could be anywhere in Queensland, even Cairns.

Small wonder tourism bosses aren’t too pleased. Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Rob Giason has said it will damage tourism.

Nevertheless, the event the tale is based on actually happened.

So, what’s next for the lover of survival stories and teacher of film?

"A sci-fi western storm."

We can hardly wait.

>> The Reef opened at cinemas nationwide today.

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