My main role as part of DIFF was as a member of the Features Programme team. This role saw me choosing the best films that not only highlighted the brilliance that debut films have to offer, but also serve as a perfect encapsulation of the diverse rangefilmmakers we love. Having been the only one on the programming team that had seen all of the films, I felt as though my input was essential. I wanted to choose a variety of films made by a diverse group of filmmakers. This was a big personal goal for me as part of the programming team. It was a challenge trying to acquire the rights for these titles, but it was ultimately very rewarding. Organising and then seeing a DCP of Tony Scott’s The Hunger on the big screen, in a real theatre was a genuine joy. It was also great fun negotiating with film distributors, trying to get films for the cheapest price possible. Feeling like a Wall Street trader, negotiating the price of Elaine May’s A New Leaf was always a great way to spend an early Friday morning.

I was keen to acquire The Hunger because I am an absolute sucker for Tony Scott films and I felt as though The Hunger was perhaps his most underrated work. It is a truly gnarly film, that I knew would play well to a theatre of film lovers. I was also incredibly keen on getting Elaine May’s A New Leaf to play as part of the festival. The film’s addition to the programme was a relatively late decision, but I’m so glad we went ahead with it and were able to shine a light on a terrifically funny film, from one the absolute greatest comedians of all time. Bedevil was also such a thrill to screen. Ronin Films were an absolute pleasure to deal with, and made the process super simple. I really wanted Bedevil to be a part of the fest, as I feel it is perhaps the finest Australian film of the 1990s, but yet a severely underrated film.

I feel as though our efforts on the programming team allowed the programme to become something really special. All the feedback I received from the people who watched the films was incredibly positive and I like to think we introduced a small group of people to a selection of really exciting, underrated films. I feel as though the programme allowed the festival to be something really special and serve as a phenomenal celebration of debut films.

TRIVIA NIGHT

I was also an integral part of the our most significant fund-raising event in the lead up to the festival – the DIFF Trivia Night. From the beginning of the studio, I think everyone was pretty set on a fund-raising event. It soon became clear that a trivia night was the best option, because let’s be real, who doesn’t love a bit of pub trivia!? I happily volunteered to create the entire quiz and hesitantly accepted a co-hosting role, but once I got that mic in my hand, oh boy, I couldn’t get enough of the spotlight. I created eight rounds of ten questions each, with a fun ponderous puzzle to workout in between rounds. The turn out was incredible with roughly 60 people in attendance. This was an unbelievable relief given the deflation amongst the group that would occur any time we checked the low ticket sales! We also raised an impressive amount of money as a result. The feedback was great and everyone seemed to really respond well to the trivia. Most importantly however, I think the trivia night was a phenomenal opportunity for free publicity and was integral in attracting the group of people that came to our opening night.

There were numerous noteworthy shortcomings and imperfections that arose before, during, and after the highly anticipated ‘Debut International Film Festival’ (DIFF). As the team of twenty dedicated students embarked on the journey of preparing for this momentous film festival, they were driven by the inspiring quote that had been shared among them, “Everyone remembers their first time.” However, despite their best efforts, certain areas fell short of expectations, leaving room for improvement and valuable lessons to be learned.

One significant shortcoming that emerged during the festival was the number of attendees who graced the opening night. While the turnout was indeed greater than anticipated, there was still a lingering feeling that it could have been even more successful. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge the immense support received from the students’ friends and family, who wholeheartedly showed up to lend their encouragement. Their presence undoubtedly bolstered the team’s spirits and contributed to the overall positive atmosphere surrounding the event. As Ranvaud (1985) mentions that a key function of the film festival has always been its ties to tourism, as the festival attracts both local audiences and tourists and visitors who are drawn to the city for the opportunity to see and experience films in a way that is not available elsewhere. Following this, our festival should have attempted to attract local audiences more to increase our attendance by having our brand relating more to the city of Melbourne and what attracts tourists to the area. 

Among the imperfections that emerged, one notable area was the lack of collaboration with other media stations. In retrospect, it became evident that reaching out to personal contacts, journalists, and media partners could have significantly enhanced the festival’s visibility. As Rambousková, (2015) mentions that establishing cooperation with prominent media outlets not only would have ensured widespread media coverage but also served as an effective means of promoting the festival to a larger audience. This oversight highlighted the importance of forging strategic alliances and leveraging existing networks to maximise the event’s exposure and success.

Another point of imperfection surfaced as the festival approached its opening night. The team encountered a great deal of stress during the final stages of preparation and throughout the event itself. While working diligently on-site, it became apparent that the sales of festival merchandise were lacking, resulting in a surplus of unsold stock. This unforeseen circumstance not only posed a financial setback but also highlighted the need for a more effective sales strategy and market research. Moreover, the lack of captivating decorations in the foyer detracted from the desired festive ambiance. This aspect, although seemingly minor, had the potential to greatly enhance the overall experience for attendees, creating a more immersive and memorable atmosphere. By addressing the areas of improvement highlighted, such as attendee turnout, collaboration with media outlets, sales and marketing, and event aesthetics, future iterations of the festival can undoubtedly achieve greater success. The dedication and resilience of the student team, whose first time in producing a film festival, coupled with a comprehensive improvement plan, will undoubtedly pave the way for an unforgettable and triumphant festival in the years to come. 

‘The Power of the cut’ boasts an impressive array of captivating and awe-inspiring projects, all crafted by the talented students within the esteemed finished media studio. Within this creative space, students were tasked with producing narrative films, documentaries, and commercials, each project offering its own unique artistic expression and creative vision. Amongst the diverse range of works, two standout pieces, ‘Every Little Line’ by Tallulah Gunn and ‘The Return’ by Boyu Chen, have particularly caught my attention.

These narrative works have shown great experimentation towards genre, colour, sound design, transitions, shots and many more. Though the narrative videos do not have much dialogue, they still manage to produce such an emotional short film and tell a great story with the use of film theory and camera work. For example, with just showing shots of the hands of the main subject, Tallulah Gunn is able to show us how the character goes through the stages of grief from the death of a loved one. 

I had also found interest in the commercials they have produced. Similar to just sticking with narrative, the commercial has no dialogue at all. Similarly devoid of dialogue, these commercials rely on the strategic use of texts and logos to convey their intended messages effectively. It’s fascinating to witness how these commercials transform into powerful marketing tools, akin to promotional videos for online festivals. It is creative in narrative hence being able to tell a story to the audience in just a few seconds, which is what every successful commercial/promotional video has achieved.

‘The Power of the cut’ boasts an impressive array of captivating and awe-inspiring projects, all crafted by the talented students within the esteemed finished media studio. Within this creative space, students were tasked with producing narrative films, documentaries, and commercials, each project offering its own unique artistic expression and creative vision. Amongst the diverse range of works, two standout pieces, ‘Every Little Line’ by Tallulah Gunn and ‘The Return’ by Boyu Chen, have particularly captivated my attention.

References: 

1. Bohdana Rambousková, “How to Successfully Promote Your Festival” in Setting Up a Human Rights Film FestivalLinks to an external site., vol. 2, Human Rights Film Network, Prague, 2015.
2. “A Festival for Every Occasion: Niche Programming, Event Culture, and Vertically Integrated Film FestivalsLinks to an external site.” in Kirsten Stevens, Australian Film Festivals: Audience, Place, and Exhibition Culture, Palgrave Macmillan US, New York, 2016.
3. Tallulah Gunn, 2023, ‘Every Little Line’, ‘Chez Riley’, ‘Google Kingdom’ https://www.mediafactory.org.au/2023-the-power-of-the-cut/2023/05/16/tallulah-gunn/ 
4. Boyu Chen,2023, ‘The Return’, Commercial and Documentary https://www.mediafactory.org.au/2023-the-power-of-the-cut/2023/05/16/boyu-chen/

My duty at DIFF was to edit and produce teasers, trailers, Tiktok content and be in charge of posting on our Tiktok page (@debutfilmfestival) . I used premiere pro to edit the videos and find sounds from trending music on Tiktok. The videos were used on our website, at the foyer of The Capitol Theater and social media pages like Instagram and Tiktok.  I focused on promoting our film festival online to gain more attraction, generate buzz and build anticipation to engage with our target audience. Some teasers and trailers that were used were used to help announce the feature films we were showing, the film festival’s showing schedule, the short films and announcements for the film festival’s important dates like opening of film submissions, tickets going on sale, promoting merch and location reveal. I created the teasers and trailers from as long as a 5 minute video to as short at 30 second videos. I had also created some quick short videos to follow trending sounds and memes on Tiktok, also creating unique captions and using hashtags to attract more viewers.  I also followed content creators on Tiktok that follow our demographic, for example, influencers in Melbourne and film lovers/creators. 

Tiktok Page Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@debutfilmfestival 

My main role in the setup and production of DIFF was to help program and acquire feature debut films to show at our festival. I brainstormed and researched many different first films by prominent directors from all over the world. Prior to this studio I had never really put much thought into what goes into acquiring a film to show publicly at a paid event, so it was interesting learning who to email and how to email them in order to get the best results for yourselves. I also loaned my own copy of ‘Barking Dogs Never Bite’ so it was able to be shown at the theatre.

Along with helping acquire feature films for the festival, I also watched a few of the short film submissions to help out with the amazingly high number of submissions we got, which was a very cool experience seeing such high-quality shorts come from independent and brand-new film makers from all over the world, and I am glad the ones I liked were able to be shown to a crowd of people.

Towards the end, once the programming had been decided I helped adjust the festival’s Timetable to allow enough time for each film and short, which was challenging at times trying to find where we could squeeze out some extra time to allow enough time to show the Short films we wanted to.

During my time working on the Debut International Film Festival (DIFF), I took on the position of Technical Director.

As a member of the direction / production team, my responsibilities comprised all duties associated with the technical operation of the festival.

Furthermore, a large component of my position revolved around the organisation and coordination of a large number of key administrative and logistical tasks.

Thought the completion of important documents including but not limited to:

• Event Schedule

• Staff Roster

• Risk Assessment / WHS

• Production Handbook

• Volunteer Application System

• Videography Plan

• Communications / Incident Log

I was ultimately able to plan the daily operations of the festival in addition to coordinating the team through a large number of tasks.

This position proved extremely demanding, particularly as it involved a significant amount of interdepartmental communication in order to organise certain elements (e.g. staff availabilities for the staff schedule).

In reviewing the combined efforts of the direction / production department, I must highlight and commend the continual commitment demonstrated by all team members who made every effort to ensure the Debut International Film Festival operated to its highest capacity.

Upon reflection, the primary fault I can find with the direction / production department was simply a lack of resource sharing and interdepartmental communication.

In the future, the entire team might possibly benefit from implementing department heads who can report on a weekly basis to the direction team.

If weekly achievements and or issues were continually reported, this might possibly highlight areas for concern, in addition to areas that might possibly benefit from additional support.

Yet, in returning to the commendable efforts of the direction / production team, I can’t help but acknowledge the continual commitment performed by those individuals.

Ultimately, the combined efforts of the festival’s direction / production team proved to be pivotal in establishing and maintaining daily festival operations.

My main role for the debut international film festival is the art director, and I was in charing of the merchandise for the festival. my first plan for the merchandise was mugs, keychains and stickers, but according to the surveys, we did on Instagram and considering the practicality.
For example, people can customize any mugs they want through online shops, at the same time when we were in the early stage of planning the film festival we didn’t have an accurate count of ticket sales, so it was hard for us to guarantee we can sale these mugs to the public, same as the key rings. as a result we decide to remove these two options from our list.

Our final list of merchandise includes stickers, postcards, bookmarks and stickers

For the postcards, we picked some of the well known scenes from our feature movies as our design. one of The challenges of making postcards is hard to select a good scene that people would like to buy as a postcard, scenes may look good just by themselves, but the visual effects on the postcards are not as good as I expected. the other issue is that It’s a matter of image quality and size. the quality of the movies that were made back in 20 years ago is not as good as it used to be. The portrait will likely become blurred after being placed in the same proportion as the size of a postcard. There is also an image that is from the hunger’ was effect by it because The original film had a larger width so I had to cut it into shorter sizes, but the good thing is the result was good, the postcards are looking fine.

We used Adobe Illustrator as our tool to make the stickers. similar to the postcards, We selected well known scenes from five of the feature film that we going to play in our film festival. we used Illustrator to transfer it into line drawings. At the same time, we also arranged two different sizes so that the public can have more options. We chose “Everyone remembers their first time” as our slogan on the stickers, which also connects to our mission, and the idea of the debut, The feedback that I received at the film festival is that many people like this sticker very much.

I also use Illustrator for bookmarks. I selected 4 screenshots that can be used as bookmarks from each short film that has been selected by our program team and sorted them into different groups according to the movie category. Because I wanted to reference the film elements in our logo, I made the bookmark into a film style in which the representation of our logo is actually movie films and added the abbreviation of our film festival to advertise our film festival.

In order to gain submissions all around the world for our short films program, we had to send out to all emerging filmmakers using the platform film freeway. This platform was in many ways easy but also a struggle to manage but as day by day passes its very fun to get used to. Film freeway gives us the ability to advertise a film festival from scratch for free to the world of film lovers all around the world. Its easy system helped us create an event description, awards and prizes, rules and term, website advertisements alongside with our social medias and even an easy understanding system that can be used to track deadlines and provide entry fees into the festival for submissions.

With the help of film freeway and our call for submissions which included our reasoning for running this film festival:

It was a delightful opportunity and outcome to see almost 50 submissions come through coming from a non-for-profit and first time film festival running out of $0- budget which surprised the whole team into motivation to advertise and judge these submissions with the help through social media and posters all around the campus and the CBD.

With our call for submissions, we wanted to show our audience what our true intentions were with the festival. Our call for submissions included our location, our agenda and what we were all about (Debuts) which was abruptly right to the point in a sharp sophisticated and professional way. With the help of our mission statement which cemented our point of view of inspiring filmmakers new and experienced, we grew an audience online with this website.

Writing up a press release wasn’t familiar to me before joining the DIFF copywriting team, so naturally, I had my doubts when given the job. Soon, it all came together with help from the programming and production team, who ensured that the film programme was set in stone, as well as the venues for hire before releasing any details.

Prior to writing up the piece itself, fellow DIFF copywriter Maya and I were tasked with writing up a list of media outlets and their contact details in preparation for sending out the final piece. Our studio leader Cerise Howard was of great help, sourcing emails of her personal contacts who may be interested in our festival. Finding appropriate contacts proved to be a more difficult task than we expected and were met with generic publication emails or enquiry forms. Fortunately, we managed to put together a generous list of contacts linked to film culture at Melbourne radio stations and publications. We also compiled a list of the RMIT Media Program staff, mostly Cinema Studies tutors whose classes we’d previously taken, as well as MIFF contacts, thanks to Cerise.

Lachlan of the programming team wrote up a final plan of the event, which was a great reference for writing the order of the program, venues, when and where food and drinks were available, and any other important event details. I hadn’t seen any of the films in the program beforehand, so initially wasn’t too sure how to begin writing about them. For our Opening Night screening of The Hunger (1983), I figured that name-dropping the star-studded cast and noting the film’s themes of erotica and vampirism would attract the right audience – and news of our event made its way to Rochelle at ArtsHub, who published an article on DIFF. Hooray – we’ve got media coverage! As for the other films, DIFF programmer Peter was of great help, knowing about the films and their content. Maya added her magic touch by weaving our mission through the piece, and once tickets went on sale, off the press release went! We received a handful of kind replies with a few sad declines to our DIFF invitation, but Rochelle’s article was a great success from the media release.

Media Release

ArtsHub Article on DIFF

One of my duties at this festival is managing awards and certificates for short films. With the existence of competition, of course the winner is something that must exist. And in the process 44 directors have put together their best first works by first registering themselves in the film freeway, an application that really helps DIFF in promoting their shows. From the start, it was announced that there would be winners, namely Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Directing, and Best of the Fest, as well as an Audience award based on voting results. But because of unforeseen circumstances we ended up cancelling the Audience Award.

The selection standard also experienced a fairly tight selection, out of a total of 44 films, we as a program had to sort, select, and assess using a score sheet until 10 finalists emerged. With a note that one film must be judged by more than one person so as not to cause bias. After the 10 films have been successfully selected, the 4 films with the most qualified quality to receive the 4 awards will be selected according to their respective titles.

At the end of the event, all the winners have been announced and with the help of a certificate from the design team, I as the program team sent a soft copy to the respective directors.

Some of the designs from Tarsila (Design Team).

The first task for the graphic design team was to create a logo. We brainstormed some ideas and decided we wanted to incorporate a sun, as a symbol for the ‘Dawn’ of the directors career, as well as incorporate film reels in order to show that this is a film related event. We all created our own designs to present to the class, and in the end mine and Jacklyn’s were the most liked.

The class liked my sun design on the left, and the colours on the right, so i combined the two to create our final DIFF logo:

From then on we all based our graphic design on the logo and began posting on socials, making posters and adding to the website. My main role began as the Instagram manager and designer however, i ended up becoming one of the main graphic designers for things outside of social media as well. The following images are from the DIFF Instagram account:

When creating posts for the instagram i always referred back to the logo and our key visuals in order to create a cohesive and recognisable look for the festival. I wanted the feed to be eye-catching and easy to navigate, so that new audiences could quickly find out who we were and what we were about. While still working on the instagram, i began helping our classmates who needed graphic design work done such as the sponsorship packages, the banners for websites/ other social accounts, the certificates for award winners, etc.

I also created the designs to be displayed on the venue screens along with posters to be put up around the venues or surrounding streets. I made sure that these designs matched the design of the booklet so that everything looked cohesive on the days of the events. It was great to see these up at the opening night and i was very proud with how they turned out.

Overall i had a blast doing the graphic design work for DIFF, i didn’t have much experience with it but i dove right into it and learned so much. The entire course was a great opportunity and i feel as though i got so much valuable and real world experience from it.