Fast forward to this week, and 6 Festivals will hit cinemas before becoming available on streaming service Paramount+ in late August as Australia's first commissioned film for the service.

It tells the story of three best friends as they bucket-list six music festivals over six months, whilst coming to terms with a cancer diagnosis.

The name Macario De Souza rang a bell in my brain but I couldn't put my finger on it until I was left to ponder on the hour-long drive south on a Wednesday afternoon last December.

He's the guy who made Bra Boys and Fighting Fear, he also featured as himself in the television docu-series The Crew, and now he's driving the force behind 6 Festivals (writer and director).

"Music festivals have had a profound impact on my life," De Souza had said.

"Having myself performed on festival stages in Australia and around the world as artist Kid Mac, I feel I am in a very unique position to make a film that is authentically representative of our youth and music culture."

The film was shot across 24 days over 18 months thanks to bushfires, the pandemic and severe weather events.

"There are great benefits of ultimately delaying," said executive producer Michael Wren.

"The cast got to know each other very well, they stayed dedicated throughout - a kind of team spirit - and we had a lot more time to plan and think through how to do it in the circumstances."

The movie stars Yasmin Honeychurch (Disney's Back of the Net) as Summer, Rory Potter (The Dressmaker) as James, professional surfer Rasmus King as Maxie, plus model and recording artist Guyala Bayles who plays Marley.

It also includes live scenes from Wollongong's Yours and Owls Festival (among other festivals) as well as featuring musicians like Hockey Dad, Kid Pharaoh and Charbel.

I arrive at Linnaeus Farm around 4pm to find the cast and crew milling around outside eating pre-packaged catered food - they've finally stopped for lunch I'm told.

The venue's set amongst rolling green hills and manicured gardens, and would be used for several scenes around "the artist showcase" where character Marley helps Summer get a kick start in the music business.

"You can shadow Mac and Andrew, but don't get in the way," I'm told by a producer who showed me to a barn where the next scene was being shot.

Multiple monitors and camera equipment are set up around the barn to film multiple angles in one go.

Though the set-up looks impressive, I'm later told the film is being made on a small budget with a small crew of 38 (blockbusters can have 400 crew or more).

"He's a ballsy director," said First Assistant Director Andrew McInally of De Souza's determination.

McInally said it's hard to make a feature on a shoe-string budget let alone filming at live festivals around the country during a pandemic.

There's one scene in the film where Potter's character gets up on stage with the Dune Rats at Queensland's Big Pineapple Festival, with the crowd none-the-wiser it was a staged set-up.

Inside the barn I sit behind De Souza, sweating in the summer heat and watching as they set up the cameras. First they use an iPhone, then they correct the angles of the expensive gear: "and action".

I watch several rehearsals of the scene involving Honeychurch, Bayles and photographer Michelle Grace Hunder. Hunder was tasked with taking behind-the-scenes photos for publicity later on but also ended up on screen.

De Souza told me it could take nine or 10 takes to get a scene right, "especially if it's an emotional scene", but fading light and an incoming storm meant this one needed to be done as soon as possible for continuity.

Time seems to go very slowly on a movie set, the barn scene script probably only ran for a few minutes but they were filming it for at least an hour if not more.

I left the sweaty barn and headed to the "artist house" where I found Hockey Dad, Phil Jamieson (of Grinspoon), B-wise and several emerging musicians brought in for the next scene - the "artist showcase party".

"I got here at 1pm and I've already finished the new Warren Ellis book," Jamieson said.

"I said to Mac the other day 'when do you think it'll wrap' and he said '8pm'. I'm like, yeah that's more like midnight in movie-world."

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Jamieson admitted he hadn't done a lot of film (although he did feature in American Idiot: The Musical) but regardless, he nailed his speech to camera in two takes (something hurried by the storm).

Next I find Billy Fleming and Zach Stephenson of Hockey Dad.

Fleming is lying on a sofa reading a book while Stephenson plays his guitar - Jamieson later joining in.

"We kind of had no idea what we were coming into, just rocked up today," Stephenson told me.

"We have done one music video which was like one director ... and like five crew and we thought that was very professional and crazy. But [we've never done] anything on this scale."

As I chat with the surf rock duo a gnarly dark storm cloud with lightning begins rolling quickly towards the property, prompting chatter about how they'll pull off a party by the pool for the next scene.

I leave the boys to their beers and head back inside to chat with the other musicians killing time.

Watching music videos on television are B-wise and his friend BLESSED (who created original songs for the soundtrack and had a small role on screen), Anna Therese, Charbel, Champion The Boy and Kid Pharaoh.

The last four artists perform part of an original song for the "artist showcase party", which all felt was a valuable opportunity to boost their careers.

Finally someone comes and tells us they're ready to shoot the next scene so call for all musicians and extras (locally sourced from Shoalhaven Heads).

I'm more than happy to jump on in as an extra while Jamieson gives his encouraging speech to the actors - and you can definitely see the side of my head for a whole four seconds in the final cut.

What made it to screen doesn't reveal the scramble behind the scene to film it amidst rain threatening the outdoor venue due to so much electrical equipment.

I spoke with De Souza again the day before cinematic release and he said he felt relieved and proud to finally have the film complete.

It debuted at the Sydney Film Festival in June ending with a standing ovation, a "pretty emotional moment" for the director.

"I'm more nervous now of 'will it find its audience?' I'm really proud of the film it's just a matter of we need the world to know it exists."