Part A

I have always been fascinated with people, their diversity and inner world. The way people’s brains work, the way people with different tempers get, process and give away information fascinates and excites me. The way people’s lives entangle and connect throughout the history is one of my favourite topics of books and movies. For example, my all time favourite movie “Cloud Atlas” and book “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo explore the topic of delicate yet momentous connections between people’s fates. And, although such faithful links seem to happen all the time, we barely ever notice it. A book, a movie, or a piece of art can widen our horizon and let us see the big picture from a distant observer’s perspective. I keep finding ways to enjoy this perspective as much as possible.

I chose this studio because I saw it as an opportunity for me to learn more about local people, their lives, and stories. To get connected with a piece of history that I would have never otherwise discover. To explore and learn. Although in my future career I aspire to work on the big scale professional production in a world of TV and cinema, I felt like this studio can teach me to notice the little things that make up the big picture. To investigate and put together a story of a person, a place, or even an object, because, to quote The White Stripes, “every single one’s got a story to tell”. And I think it is very important to keep those stories, as they give a soul and a heart to “big scale” history.

Not to mention, this studio is a great opportunity for me to improve my filming and editing skills. Although I have had quite a lot of practice during my previous courses, there is always room to grow, learn and improve.

All in all, I am very hopeful and excite to start my research and put together a little piece of history.

Part B

The most powerful and inspiring non-fiction documentary I have ever seen is definitely an Australian movie called “That Sugar Film”. It’s not just extremely well made and highly informative, but also eye-opening.

In this documentary,  filmmaker Damon Gameau explores the effects of refined sugar on a human body by making an experiment on himself. Under the careful watch of nutritionists and doctors, Damon changes his normal ‘no refined sugar’ diet to a diet consisting of products that are marketed and perceived as healthy. Cereals, protein bars, yoghurts, juice, etc. are all low in fat and are seen by consumers as healthy, nutritious food. However, as Damon came to find out, all of that “healthy” food is packed with refined sugar, and it is revealed that an average Australian’s everyday intake of sugar is 200 grams or 40 (!!!) teaspoons. For the sake of the experiment, Damon set a goal to consume this amount of sugar on a daily basis for 60 days, while not eating any junk food or sweets.

Spoiler alert: it did not go well. After just 2 months of only eating “healthy” food (while working out as much as he did before), Damon gained 8 kg, developed liver and blood disease, grew fatigued and moody, and his waistline increased 10 centimeters. All of these terrifying changes were caught on film as they developed. In his journey, Damon also explains a lot about the origins of sugar and interviews other people who were affected.

For me, this movie was life-changing. I never realised before just how much sugar there is in ‘healthy’ food that I used to eat on a daily basis. And I didn’t think it even mattered. This film compelled me to try and quit eating refined sugar at all, and I have to say I was shocked by the results. I’ve always been in rather poor health, constantly suffering from nausea, fatigue, and headaches, not to mention constant mood swings.  After just the first two weeks of the sugar-free diet, half my symptoms were gone, and the other half got times better. My skin cleared and I lost a few kilograms without even trying. I would never guess that the solution to my health problems would be a documentary.

I admire that movie for many reasons: its eye-opening topic, of course, but also its boldness. This documentary contains a lot of deeply disturbing images, tells people something they don’t want to hear, and the main character puts himself through an experiment that has many people question its morality. But most importantly, it goes against giant corporations that made their fortune by feeding people sugar and lying about it. I honestly don’t even know how they managed to produce this film, considering it openly speaks against many specifically named companies. I deeply admire such bravery and perseverance that, I am sure, was needed to complete this film. For my own work, what I want to take from ‘That Sugar Film’ is honesty and bravery to tell it. I won’t necessarily look for such radical topics, but if I ever find one, I want to be able to spread it as it is.

Part C