Ask the Director Director Gregor Jordan has received hundreds of email questions and comments through our "Ask the director" page. Obviously Gregor doesn't have time to answer every question, but he did manage to sit down and answer some of the most popular and interesting ones. Danielle Bush asks: Some of the scenery in the film is spectacular. In which areas was Ned Kelly filmed? Gregor: The whole film was shot within an hour's drive of Melbourne, mostly in the You Yang ranges. Unfortunately the real Kelly country doesn't look all that like it did in the 1870s. Adelle asks: Obviously there are many different versions of the Ned Kelly story. How did you decide what went into the movie where there were conflicting stories about what really happened? What was the most difficult decision you had to make concerning what did, or did not go into the film? Gregor: Many things affect the script of a movie. It was based on a book (Robert Drewe's Our Sunshine) and so that was a big inspiration and research from history was obviously important. But I had only two hours to say what I needed to say and so stuff needed to be left out. Most of the decisions about what went in was based on my and the writer's understanding of the character. We always tried to be inside Ned's head as much as possible and if we were in doubt about his actions we asked ourselves, "What would Ned do in this situation?" Heather Kennedy asks: Which scene was the most difficult to direct? Gregor: The hardest scene to direct was probably the Glenrowan Inn interior scenes. Almost every shot involved some kind of special effect and involved multiple cameras with lots of actors and extras in a relatively small space. Megan asks: Do you have any regrets about what ended up on the cutting room floor? Was there a great scene you just couldn't fit in? Gregor: The script was really cut down to its absolute bare bones and so there was very little that ended not being used. Tom Perry asks: How did you cope with the pressures of making a film that has such expectations not only from historians and Ned Kelly fans but also average movie goers looking for an entertaining film? Gregor: Truth is stranger than fiction but it's also a lot harder to film. Not being able to take massive liberties with the truth is definitely limiting to your ability to make a story flow, especially one that covers as many years as this one does. The expectation in Australia was something I was always aware of but didn't plague my thoughts too much. I realised that no matter what I did there would be disagreement and so I had to just do what I thought was right. I made the kind of film that I would like to see if I was paying money to go and see it. Jennifer asks: What unique qualities of the lead actors persuaded you that they could succeed in their roles? Which actor do you think is the most like the role they play? Gregor: Casting is about looking at who's around and trying to fit who you want with who's available. Heath was obviously the most important actor in terms of casting because without a good Ned the film wasn't worth making. I think he's probably the most like his character in a lot of ways, physically anyway. Christine Phillips asks: How historically accurate is the film, in your view? Gregor: There have been some liberties taken with historical accuracy but not gratuitous ones in my view. Mostly the inaccuracies are about condensing time or trying to combine characters in order to give some sort of narrative flow. There was an element of guesswork involving certain plot points and then some invention to give the story a cinematic feel. It is surprising though how much of the film is accurate. Vanessa Tredrea (and plenty of others) ask: What made you choose Orlando Bloom for the role of Joe Byrne, given he was relatively unknown at the time? Gregor: Orlando did the best audition. We looked all over the world for that role and Orlando walked in and nailed his audition and got the job. Simple as that. Sezza asks: How did working on Ned Kelly differ from the other productions you have worked on? Gregor: A period film is a lot trickier. Shooting a road movie set in the 1870s is hard. You can't shoot power lines or bitumen roads or even wire fences. Everything has to be created. It was a huge job for the art department and locations. Sai Quinton asks: Why did you chose to end the film with Ned's capture, not showing his subsequent trial and execution? Gregor: I felt that when Ned was captured the story was over. His trial and execution were almost formalities. Also I wanted an audience to walk out of the movie feeling wistful rather than totally depressed. Director Gregor Jordan with Ned's guns   Heath Ledger on set with director Gregor Jordan   Orlando Bloom on set with director Gregor Jordan