On Sunday all of us working on Building 20 (and Linh) came in to shoot our projects.

I began the day by interviewing my dad. It took us a while to get started, first making sure the sound and vision were fine, and then getting comfortable enough to start talking.

I have heard all my dad’s stories before, but with a camera in front of him, his tone changed. I could see that the Russell Street Bombing was something that was still a frightening and heavy topic for him, even 30 years on. Whether it was being in the space where the bombing occurred, or because of the camera, this time when my dad talked about the bombing, it seemed like something that affected him for a long time.

I found that the most difficult part of my shoot was just trying to get my dad to stop saying umm, without upsetting the flow of his story.

After wrapping up the interview, my dad and I walked around the building. I filmed him coming in an out of doors, peering into old courtrooms, and walking around the courtyard. I’m not sure if this will be useable footage, as it did seem to be a bit forced.

Dad left to have lunch, and I continued to film around the building. This was the easiest part. I simply had set down the tripod, make sure it was level, and pan around a little bit. Hopefully I have some nice shots that do the beautiful old building justice (pun intended).