Tracy Bolton’s journey into filmmaking has been anything but conventional.

With a background in community theatre and professional acting, including appearances alongside some of Australia’s best-known screen performers, Bolton eventually found herself stepping behind the camera.

What began as a screenwriting exercise became Edith, a 20-minute short, before an unexpected expansion transformed Descent into her first feature film.

Descent follows Alex (played by Ashlee McKenna), who, after a traumatic accident, discovers an abduction in a remote cabin. As she investigates, her own past and blurred memories make her an unreliable witness.

Written, produced and directed by Bolton without formal filmmaking, Descent was made over three years with a dedicated cast and crew across Western Australia’s Peel region.

Cinema Australia caught up with Bolton to discuss the film, its origins and the lessons learned along the way.

“Although I have no formal training, the three years spent making Descent, from 2022 to 2025, was like a Screen Production degree in itself!”

Interview by Matthew Eeles

Your first acting credit was as an extra in Brendan Docherty’s short film The Big Day in 2019. What’s your background in acting?

Ah yes my IMDb needs an update! Yes, that was great! My son and I got to be brain-eating zombie extras on The Big Day and – in time honoured tradition – were paid in pizzas! But my first screen credit was actually in 2016 on Ben Elton’s feature film Three Summers! 

Filmed in the Peel region of WA and featuring a host of Aussie icons, including Michael Caton, John Waters and Magda Szubanski, a call went out for extras and I jumped at the chance! I was lucky enough to be invited back regularly, over the 5 weeks of filming, to perform stand-in duties for the lead Rebecca Breeds (Kangaroo Island) and body double for Jacqueline McKenzie (Palm Beach). I even got to work opposite the lead Robert Sheehan. (Klaus from The Umbrella Academy). 

It was pretty nerve wracking for a first timer with no formal training to be on a movie set opposite internationally known actors and to perform scenes in front of writer, director Ben Elton of Blackadder fame! Having all the cameras trained on my every move. Hearing “Action!” and knowing I had to walk into shot (with only my shoulder showing!) trying not to trip over electrical cords, sit down in a van, take a cup of coffee from Robert Sheehan, all the while reciting lines to him from a script hastily shoved into my hands at the last minute! Working with a professional crew and Hollywood actors was such a steep learning curve but was invaluable on set experience. 

Prior to that I’d gained extensive acting experience in community theatre roles here and in the UK, performing in up to three productions a year, which meant 9 months of the year spent in rehearsals but nothing really prepares you for those 12 plus hour days on a film set and the thoroughly exhausting mantra of ‘hurry up and wait!’.  

After gaining that initial on-set experience ten years ago, I joined an acting agency and began working professionally as an actor and beyond my wildest expectations I’ve been cast in various TV and online ad campaigns, for the WA Health Department and Road Safety Commission, been booked as an extra in ABC TV sponsored productions, such as Itch S1 & S2 – and the biggest honour of my life – spending two days filming The Twelve S.3 –  the only extra in a small room with Sir Sam Neil at the ABC studios in Perth! 

Working with Sam was totally unforgettable. I remember everything about him; the first time he walked towards me and smiled his well known twinkly smile, his acting techniques, calm persona, his steadiness, patience and professionalism but above all – his mischievous humour. At the end of the second day of shooting the same scene Sam comically made up a different name for me each time I opened the door for him. I obviously had to keep a straight face as we were on camera but little things like that stood out and since we lost this iconic legend of cinema, so many people have similar memories of him and of his quiet, humble nature and generosity.  

When and why did you decide to make the leap into filmmaking as a writer and director?

By accident really! At the end of 2019 I wrote the beginnings of a screenplay for a screenwriting course I’d hoped to attend. I’d always had an interest in narrative fiction and film since studying and graduating with an English Literature and American Studies joint honours degree at Canterbury Christ Church University, in the UK. I majored in the literature and film component of the American Studies course and only chose American Studies because I failed to get on the RFTV (Radio, Film & TV) course. I remember my tutor Ken Fox (the one who turned me down) praising me and giving me good marks for my film assignments and mentioning that it was probably because I was also an English Lit student that I generally turned in better written work than his RFTV students! But it was all analytical and not practical or skills based film production. So I had zero experience of taking the written word from the page to the screen. But I was willing to give it a shot. So I wrote, produced and directed Edith, a 20 minute short, about a chance meeting between two strangers in a launderette, both facing difficult life circumstances and how they positively affect each others’ lives.

It was shot with the help of friends; just two crew; camera operator and sound, and actors I’d been on stage with for years, Beryl Francis and her real life husband Ian Butcher, my older lead couple, who I knew very well which made them exceptionally easy to direct. I cast Ashlee McKenna as my younger lead female in Edith and went on to cast her as my lead in Descent.  

Deciding to make Descent a feature was also an accident. I was aiming for a 40 minute short but when my script editor correctly formatted the script he said “You realise it’s at 60 minutes?”. I’d been distracting myself from the pandemic and personal health issues by tapping away on my laptop (in a tent at one point to avoid a Covid infected family member!) and hadn’t realised I’d exceeded the ‘short film’ category! From there I went on to write another 20 minutes to further develop the plot and a certain character! No spoilers!

What’s the extent of your filmmaking training?

No formal training but If I’ve gained any skills over the years it’s probably either from doing or observing. 

As an actor, learning lines/rehearsing/getting up on stage/becoming a character has, I think to some extent, informed my ability to write characters and to direct actors in scenes. Although theatre is entirely different to film, I’ve had the opportunity to be on both sides which I believe has served me well both as an actor and a filmmaker. 

Being on the set of Three Summers in those early days, I had nothing to do but observe the professionals working. I spent a lot of time waiting patiently as a stand-in (a job I didn’t even know existed until that point!) impressed at how the different departments worked rapidly and silently together without getting in each other’s way. I observed all the technical aspects (without fully understanding them) and saw how the A.D.s would professionally manage extras and well known actors with exactly the same ease and courtesy, bridging that gap between the director, the various departments and the cast.    

I didn’t exactly get a chance to try out any of those professional skills I’d observed, on Edith, with my cast of 8 and 3 crew (including myself) as I made cheese sandwiches in the laundromat car park but by the time I was in pre-production on Descent it was a different story. By then I’d had six years on-set film experience and I found myself using everything I’d learned and observed on Three Summers and other film sets as a blueprint for how I wanted to run my shoots and the production as a whole. The harder part however was actually the pre-production responsibilities, of which I had little experience, beyond knowing the AD sends call sheets out the night before the shoot! 

In the weeks and months leading up to our shoot days I found myself, by necessity, making shooting schedules, arranging permits, insurances, catering, booking and budgeting for multiple locations, casting actors, doing production design, costumes, organising props, the list goes on. Thankfully a friend, Alana Campbell, came on board as my production assistant (later as co-producer) sharing the responsibilities that piled up as we got closer to shooting days and without her I doubt the shoots would have run as smoothly. 

My husband Carl, myself and Alana ran the shoot days, acquiring, organising and transporting equipment, art design/props, set design at the locations, catering, transport to set and accommodation for cast/crew when needed. The biggest headache was finding venues to hire on certain days and at times where unexpected sounds would not disrupt filming. Invariably something would occur; lawnmowers, fire alarms, dogs barking, rain, wind, traffic sounds…so that was a challenge! But I thrive when things are challenging or require problem solving skills. I once hitched a trailer to my car (or Carl did!) and spontaneously took a ladder to set, thinking of a particular shot we might need and it came in very handy! We got the shot! 

So although I have no formal training, the three years spent making Descent, from 2022 to 2025, was like a Screen Production degree in itself! One of the newly graduated film students remarked that she learnt more in one weekend on Descent than during her whole film degree! I’m sure she was just being kind and she probably just learnt what not to do! But it gives an idea of how intense and steep the learning curve was for all of us! Over that time we had a cast and crew of around 30, most of whom seriously committed to Descent over two winter seasons, kept the faith and supported and trusted my vision. As a first time director/producer of a feature film I’m sure I made tons of mistakes but to their credit the cast and crew kept coming back and I’m so grateful for that! 

Luca Vines was our DOP in the final stages of our shoot and offered to be our colourist, which was brilliant! But ultimately it was due to the expert mentoring and support of Peter Renzullo of Scudley Films that I was able to handle the many challenges involved in making Descent. Not only did Peter step in as our cinematographer when we were in a tight spot early on (having lost our first DOP) he guided me throughout the entire post production period, providing a complete editing service including sound design and original soundtrack. Peter can trouble shoot any issue that arises, has the innate ability to work calmly under pressure and somehow at the same time be the best companion and counsellor a director/producer could ever have. I’m pretty sure that’s not even in his job description but that’s just who Peter is and I count him as one of my most valued friends.  

What inspired the story of Descent?

Descent was initially inspired by a photograph of my son Sam at the top of a steep hill near Churchman’s Brook, Bedfordale, looking out over a misty escarpment. The photo was taken just after we’d been rockclimbing as a family and from there I started to imagine writing a thriller screenplay with rockclimbing as part of the plot.

Setting is really important to me and having been in quite a few films that take place in fairly contained environments, in a suburban home for instance, I liked the idea of at least some of the film taking place outdoors in nature. I wanted something adventurous and for the rockclimbing to act as a catalyst for one of my main characters, Alex West, who suffers a panic attack at the very beginning of the movie whilst clinging to the rock. From that point on this character has to endure and find a way to overcome her fears, caused by a past traumatic incident in her life. Having suffered from panic attacks myself I know how debilitating it can be to suddenly be immobilised by fear, so it features quite heavily in the script and drives some of the action. Descent becomes not just a physical concept in the film; abseiling down a rockface, but also a psychological one, descent into anxiety, fear, deviance, madness & mayhem and from there characters began to form. 

It’s very much a character-driven narrative with overlapping narrative arcs (some of which drop away as others come to the fore) to try to keep the audience guessing. I probably watch more psychological thrillers on streaming channels than anything else and love the twists you don’t see coming. Hitchcock is obviously the master of suspense. I’ve grown up on Dial M for Murder, Psycho, Vertigo, The Birds and Marnie. Hitchcock’s female characters are always complex; fragile and flawed in some ways, devious or secretive in others and events unfold not always of their doing but from some wrong turn they make, or some kind of ‘descent’. Similarly I wanted to create complex female characters in Descent, possibly memorable ones even.

Your two leads, Ashlee McKenna and Pyper Stancer, are terrific in the film. How did their casting come about, and what made them right for these roles, in your opinion?

Thanks! Following on from the last question that’s great to hear!

As mentioned earlier I previously cast Ashlee McKenna in my short film Edith and thought she’d be perfect to play Alex West. I literally broke all the screenplay rules and wrote the character for her! The same vulnerability Ashlee portrayed in Edith I imagined her bringing to the role of Alex West. I felt she had the sensitivity to authentically embody a person suffering from a panic attack and trauma and added to that she was a rockclimber! Unfortunately although she’d had to give up climbing she assured me she could carry out the role with some limitations. When I first met Ashlee she was just starting out but now has a number of shorts and feature films to her name but I believe the role of Alex West was her first lead feature film screen role and I think she did an amazing job!

I’m sure Pyper Stancer won’t mind me saying but it was her butterfly top and style of make-up in one particular photo she sent me during the casting process that got her the role of Harper Eastman, that AND her obvious talent of course! I actually envisaged her playing criminal psychology student Harper from that point on and the look very much moulded Harper’s character. I built Harper’s character around this particular butterfly top partly because I’m very style oriented; production design wise, costumes, set design and H&MU but mostly because the aesthetic reminded me of a very famous film and its movie poster! (Silence of The Lambs) I think I had as much fun building the world Harper lives in, the mindset she has, her look, her motivations and actions as Pyper had playing her! Pyper matched or exceeded all my expectations in her own creation of Harper, bringing a complexity and curiosity to the role that exactly related to Harper’s distorted thought patterns and behaviour, not an easy task at times with huge chunks of dialogue and some very precarious settings. Pyper takes direction very easily and is incredibly versatile and brave in her acting choices. I often compare Pyper to Hollywood actor Emma Stone and I think she has a great career ahead of her!

Kat Ludley also found herself in precarious settings and situations and stepped up to the challenge uncomplainingly. A true professional and understated actor with the ability to respond authentically to any situation, she provided the catalyst for events to unfold.

You also act in the film. How did you balance so many roles?

It wasn’t always easy. My priority was to focus on directing so I made a point of not having too many lines and to hone in on my character’s emotional reactions and action sequences. Pyper Stancer and I share some scenes and in those moments I directed her between takes, either from my mark, or popping over to check certain camera angles (one was a low angle that I was especially keen on, to add tension at a pivotal moment) and then hopping back onto my mark. Peter Renzullo had a multi-cam set up and I didn’t want to mess it up by not being in focus! Another hack was that I always scheduled my scenes for the end of the day. That way if any scenes were pushed back to another day it could always be mine (I think that only happened once) and I could reschedule myself and one or two other actors more easily than a huge group of supporting actors! 

A year after we wrapped principal photography and completed the first picture edit, I decided to extend the movie to a full length feature, wrote 20 minutes of extra film in a weekend and scheduled 4 shoot days at various locations around Mandurah for all the pick-up shots. Two were Airbnbs we’d filmed at the winter before and luckily they hadn’t changed much! Not only did I add extra scenes to further develop my characters’ back stories but I added a new ending which involved myself, my screen husband Justin Markham, who played Criminal Psychology lecturer Dr. Richard Emerson, and one other character! I was able to extend my own role as Ava Emerson because by then most of the film was edited, only a few cast and a skeleton crew were needed the day I was on set and there was much less pressure on me as a production manager and director.

There are quite a few scenes in the film where the actors are required to be quite physical with each other. Can you talk about the challenges of shooting those more physical scenes?

Yes at one point there’s a fight scene, where a punch is thrown. One of our film school graduates, Sophie Elwell (our Sound Recordist), choreographed that particular scene as she had experience in that area. She broke down the movements, almost like a dance, ensuring the two people in the scene knew where and when to step forward or back and the rest was down to camera angles. In any other scenes, we always discussed every detail of the scene, what props, if any, were being used and if any contact was made with a person, or surface of any kind, the appropriate pressure or landing. Any tightness or uncomfortableness of any prop or contact with a person was always checked and double-checked before, between and after takes. The same went for any emotionally draining scenes. Breaks and recovery time were as important as the preparation time for the actor before the scene. I put myself in one particularly physical scene towards the end because I wouldn’t have asked anyone else to do it. I was also a stunt double in a scene where someone falls. My aim was to eliminate any risk to the cast, so risk-taking assessments were an important part of the process. From the tech side, at one point we needed to get a bird’s eye view into a toilet cubicle (not as bad as it sounds!) and I was the one at the top of the ladder (yep the ladder I mentioned earlier) holding the camera. That’s not to say that my cast and crew were not keen to be adventurous in their roles but I didn’t want them to be in any real danger.   

Speaking of physical scenes, there are two that involve rock climbing. How did you ensure the safety of the cast and crew during those scenes?

Going back to an earlier question on what inspired the story of Descent, I only attempted the rockclimbing aspects of the film because both my husband and son are experienced rockclimbers. My husband Carl (Executive Producer on Descent) is a qualified senior school teacher in Physical Education, working for many years in schools and Outdoor Education centres in both the UK and WA. His professional training and coaching qualifications, include sailing, canoeing, windsurfing and of course rockclimbing, abseiling and vertical rescue. He’s also Wilderness First Aid certified which was handy when we filmed at a popular climbing spot on private land in the Australian bush and needed to be extra vigilant regarding wildlife. 

As with Outdoor Education lessons, Carl gave safety briefings and tuition on equipment and technique to those taking part in the climbing scenes. Everyone was specifically given a spot on the wall (ready for “Action!”) and one or two of the cast used a ladder (whilst in harness obviously) to climb back up to their spot in between takes, before the cameras rolled. So there were a few hacks to keep everyone safe, including using my husband as a belayer in shot at the beginning and later out of shot, backing up the belayer on screen. As mentioned previously Ashlee Mckenna is also an experienced rockclimber and is seen belaying Kat Ludley later in the movie. 

It made sense for my son Sam to be an actor in Descent which meant he was able to belay our actors in shot and is actually the person abseiling down the rockface at the beginning of the movie to the Colourmind soundtrack! Sam plays Ben, an activity/climbing instructor in Descent and in real life has worked extensively in Outdoor Education Camps as an activity instructor and during his uni years at Treetops Adventure, Dwellingup as a High Ropes course instructor where he learnt all the essential rope and rescue techniques. Sam has also worked on many TV series and film sets, so he knows the drill both on screen and off! 

What was the biggest lesson you learned throughout the making of Descent?

The biggest lesson I learnt and am still learning is that your commitment to your film doesn’t end the day you shout “It’s a wrap!”, or at the end of the arduous post production period, or even at the red carpet premiere when everyone is dressed up and loving the thrill of seeing themselves, or their work, on the big screen. No, it’s an ongoing commitment and it can be mentally and physically exhausting if you don’t learn to pace yourself. For all of us independent filmmakers it has to be a labour of love to stay the course when there may not be any financial reward involved, or guarantee that your film will even be seen by a wider audience. After three years of constantly focusing on Descent I was quite burnt out last year and had to step away for a bit and return to normal family life. But my daughter Sophie (who appears as Taylor in Descent) and I are both keen writers, so the lure of the laptop is ever present and we continually encourage each other’s writing. Sophie currently has one of the highest rated short stories on Reddit’s online site r/nosleep with Youtubers lining up to narrate her story for their accounts. So even in the quiet moments when there’s no active filmmaking or promoting it’s impossible to take a break, in our home, from creating new characters and stories. It’s addictive!    

Now that you have your first feature film under your belt, how keen are you to jump into your next film?

I probably won’t ‘jump’, maybe meander, hahah! But yes I am keen. I’d be making films all day, every day if money was no object! As mentioned I’m always writing, have a few screenplays in various stages of development and a finished first draft of a new feature film, a romantic comedy, working title Next Exit. My protagonist Dan is a ‘Colin From Accounts’ type character and he’s been a lot of fun to write! So watch this space!    

My new challenge, under my Paper Daisy Productions banner, is to learn how to balance marketing and distribution of one movie whilst also committing to developing another. I’d love to get Descent onto a streaming channel and I’m also looking at who my production team will be on Next Exit. Film producing is definitely the most involved role in filmmaking in my opinion!

I’m also hoping to increase filmmaking opportunities in the Mandurah and Peel region (my home for the past 15 years) through my Screen Mandurah Actors, Writers, Filmmakers group. During the filming of Descent I found the local council here and the council facilities to be very accommodating to filmmakers and would love to see more interest and investment in Mandurah as a ‘film-friendly’ location. After originally premiering Descent at Luna Leederville in 2025, I held another red carpet screening at Reading Cinemas, Mandurah earlier this year. The staff were brilliant, especially Louis! So I’d certainly recommend Mandurah to filmmakers for film shoot locations and screenings. Collaborating and networking with other filmmakers is always high on my agenda, so to any filmmakers out there, keep an eye out for Screen Mandurah’s next networking event! 

Meanwhile Descent has just had a special screening to raise funds for Telethon7 2026 at The Backlot in Perth, a venue I love! It was a great night with a highly engaged crowd who delved into the themes and storycraft behindDescent. It reminded me of why we make films in the first place – to get an audience’s interest and participation in our story and our characters – and it was tremendously fulfilling.  

Keep an eye on cinemaaustralia.com.au for future Descent screening updates.

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