I hope our screenings engaged the audience using filmmaking techniques to entertain and draw in viewers, while also communicating concerns of the studio such as social issues, the impact of documentary films on peoples’ understanding of the world and promoting campaigns to the audience which they will hopefully be able to engage with. A key concern of the studio was using documentaries to create change, and our films promoted change in peoples’ behaviour and the way they think about a range of different social issues.
If we continued this project and made it into a full film I would obviously have liked to keep trying to get footage of different animals and not just pigeons/birds, with a larger budget and crew and more time to work with we could have travelled further and tried a lot more different techniques to combat weather and filming conditions. Another thing I would have liked to potentially change was the editing, as we were all happy with how it turned out but we didn’t have much time to play with different edits and be more creative with that side of the project- I personally would have liked to have been more involved with creative audio editing because my job was sound for the project, but in the end there were just too many time constraints.
My favourite of the films from our studio were ‘Where are all the queers’ and ‘Leftovers to landfill’ as they both provided really interesting insights into how small changes in our behaviour can make a positive change, but covering very different topics (Supporting queer venues VS fighting food waste). What I liked specifically is that without seeming too ‘preachy’ they communicated exactly what changes someone could make to help with the issues they discussed. I also think the other films our studio made were good at this but these two were the ones that I was most drawn to personally.
Another studio I have engaged with is the ‘and Scene’ media festival, I was really interested in this because last semester we organised our screenings in our studios ourselves and everyone collaboratively was given jobs to do. I enjoyed helping organise the screenings so was curious what a whole studio surrounding that would be like, and the examples of organisation and planning posted by students in this studio such as discord channels and run sheets were quite impressive and gave me ideas of how to better organise my own larger projects in the future. I think a key idea this studio communicated was the amount of work behind the scenes goes into running a big project such as this smoothly.

A5 pt2 Studio Review

A5 pt2 Studio Review – Lachlan Bahr

A5 pt2 Studio Review

Assignment 5.2: Studio Review

Over the past few weeks, my team and I have been working on a documentary, Roofless Realities, about the challenges of renting and mental health for international students in Melbourne. This journey is full of challenges, but every difficulty also brings opportunities to learn and grow. Through in-depth interviews and research, we shed light on the difficulties international students face in renting and the lack of mental health support.

To engage audiences and effectively convey the documentary’s core concerns, we have considered various screening and communication strategies. These include participating in local and international film festivals, partnering with universities and colleges, utilizing online platforms and social media for promotion, hosting expert panels and Q&A sessions, and collaborating with NGOs and student organizations. These methods can help us expand our reach and connect with more people in need.

If the opportunity arises to continue with this project, we plan to include more detailed personal narratives covering the stories of international students from diverse backgrounds to provide a fuller perspective and emotional resonance. In addition, we will include interviews with mental health experts, housing experts, and policymakers to add depth and suggest solutions. We will also develop interactive elements such as resource websites and support networks to facilitate ongoing support and interaction. Through these platforms, audiences can access more information and resources, and communicate and share experiences with others who have had similar experiences.

In our studio work, there are two excellent pieces that provide concrete insights into key ideas we explore.

The first is “Leftovers Landfill,” which explores the environmental impact of household food waste through Seth’s journey. The video uses skilled interview techniques, appropriate graphics, and well-aligned B-roll footage to make the content engaging and educational. Seth’s interactions with food producers, consumers, and waste disposal organizations during interviews reveal the different roles in the food waste cycle. Through the presentation of multiple angles, the audience is fully aware of the complexity of food waste and inspires them to take action.

The second is “REWILDING,” which explores the issue of plastic pollution in the ocean through the actions of free diver Narayana.  Through interviews, archival footage, and underwater shots, the work showcases Narayana’s deep connection to the ocean and his responsibility to clean it up.  The B-roll used in the video is very appealing, the underwater footage is impressive, and the plastic montage with tonal changes and different news clips leaves a strong impression.  These shooting techniques provided us with new inspiration, particularly in effectively using visual effects and colour changes to enhance storytelling.

While engaging with other studio websites, I found that the completed media works convey several key ideas. For example, “10 Kilos Heavier” explores the negative effects of social media on young people’s mental health through the experiences of its main character, Indie. Indie describes her recovery from anorexia and reflects on the role social media played in it. This sharing of personal experiences allows viewers to feel the powerful influence of social media in shaping young people’s self-perceptions and behaviours. This first-person narration makes the work more compelling and persuasive.

Another noteworthy work is “Decadence,” which explores an artist’s questioning and reflection on her muse while suffering from a creative bottleneck. Through the artist’s paintings, the audience can intuitively feel her emotional fluctuations and psychological states. The work delves into the artistic creation process, revealing the artist’s struggle with perfection and moral dilemmas. The unique and thought-provoking photography provides us with new perspectives and inspiration.

In summary, by reflecting on these aspects and incorporating them into our work, we can enhance the impact and reach of our documentary. This project is not just a piece of work, but a journey documenting our collective efforts and struggles.

A5 pt2 Studio Review link

Leftovers to Landfill.

In presenting our documentary on food waste, our primary aim is to deeply engage the audience by illustrating the tangible impacts of food waste and the innovative solutions being developed by individuals and communities. We hope that through personal stories and practical examples, viewers will gain a comprehensive understanding of the scale of the problem and feel inspired to take actionable steps in their own lives. Here are some ways we tried to achieve this:

Personal Stories to Foster Connection: By featuring personal narratives from individuals like Chris, and Mia, we create a human connection that resonates with viewers. Their diverse approaches to tackling food waste demonstrate that everyone can play a part, regardless of their resources or background.

Visual and Emotional Impact: We used compelling visuals to capture attention and evoke emotional responses. Seeing the transformation of potential waste into valuable products and the community efforts in moving towards more sustainable living highlights the innovative and collaborative spirit needed to address this issue.

Educational Elements: We aim to educate the audience about practical steps they can take to reduce food waste in their own lives. By breaking down complex processes into simple, relatable actions, we hope to empower viewers with the knowledge and confidence to make a difference.

Future development and improvements: If we were to continue the project I would like to focus on our storytelling and overall structure more. A lot of the feedback we received was based around wanting to see and know more about the people in the documentary. With a five-minute trailer, we aren’t able to showcase that, however, in long form, the overall piece would benefit from more background information on the interviewees as this allows the viewer a peek into their personal lives and makes them feel more connected. While we would speak to experts such as Chris there would be more of an emphasis on people like Mia and Seth, who are considered everyday people. We also might consider looking for different/ other interviewees. This would provide a more comprehensive view of the food waste issue, we could include additional perspectives such as those of policymakers, environmental scientists, and consumers from different demographics. This would help to illustrate the broader societal impact and the multifaceted nature of the problem.

We would also do screenings and promote the documentary on social media. To maximize reach and impact, we would develop a targeted screening and outreach strategy. This could involve collaborating with environmental organizations, schools, and community groups to host screenings and discussions, as well as submitting the documentary to film festivals to reach a wider audience. As a part of the project, we could do fundraising to start up community gardens, food banks, and other community resources to give back and strengthen our ties with our local community.

Where are all the Queers?

When it comes to the project “Where are all the Queers?” it uses colors and lighting to make it stand out but it also has a sense of authenticity. I like how they used colorful lighting for Nunzio’s interview, however, it seems to clash with the b-roll used which was more warm/ homely tones/vibes. I’m not sure if this was purposeful to show the different sides of queer nightlife or was simply due to low/bad lighting within the bar. Authenticity is seen throughout the production, it starts with the crew who describe themselves as Queer. They take on exploring the Queer nightlife scene, where LGBTQIA+ members have gone to express themselves authentically. With the creators having a background that relates to the project allows them to more accurately showcase the queer scene and bring their own experiences and insights into the project.

Concrete Jungle  

As addressed in earlier weeks having a unique perspective in your documentary can help hold viewers’ attention. I feel like the concept of “Concrete Jungle” is an incredibly interesting one. I specifically like the idea of looking at it from the bird’s point of view, this takes a different approach to wildlife documentary. While the idea is interesting the trailer does not retain viewers attention as well. The B-roll feels very similar and repetitive it would have been nice to have more variety and the sound can be a bit off-putting at times. There are points where there is silence, and it does not feel intentional, also at points the music can be too loud compared to the voiceover. I think “Concrete Jungle” has a solid idea but could benefit from incorporating some creative shots into their project, such as POV shots, this would really bring the viewer into the world of birds.

1. In week 13, Our impact documentary was screened at the capitol. Different film producers can see our screening. The audience can give us feedback according to our impact documentary. I would like to engage our audience by discussing the issue in the impact documentary and raising social awareness. We used a lot of first-hand experience with our interviewee to create a more personalised issue for the audience. Our target audience for this documentary is mainly international students and policymakers. We want to inspire policymakers to arrange policies, such as having apartments, especially for international students or building more affordable student accommodation. 
2. If I can keep working on my media piece. I would like to improve my interview skills. Having a complete storyline and interviewing more professional international student services helps my impact documentary. For the narrative part, the story arc of our documentary is not enough to create tension as a trailer. Music and Color grading is one of the most successful parts of our documentary. I think it enhances the overall atmosphere. The interview part occupied a large part of our documentary. If I could improve our documentary, I would reduce some interview parts and add some emotional scenes of the international students. A narrative storyline is also essential for an impact documentary to succeed. Building a more complete storyline and interviewing more professional international student services. Casting is a significant issue for all drama-doc makers. By having an actor in our documentary, we can produce more creative shots in it.  
3. In ‘Leftovers to Landfill’. They talk about household food waste in the impact documentary. Interviewing the three separate individuals/companies in the food waste cycle. First of all, they are the producers of products, consumers, and climate activists. They have a complete storyline and interview on the food waste cycle. The audience can listen to three different perspectives on the issue. The Second documentary that I watched was ‘Where Are All The Queers?’. In their impact documentary, they focus on interviewing the local LGBTQ+ community. Filming a documentary on LGBTQ+ topics is needed to do lots of research as it needs to respect the community. It encourages the Melbourne community to gain more knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community and Flippy’s Queer Bar. Both of the documentaries successfully raise social awareness.
4. THE POLITICS OF CHAOS is a 4-minute documentary that shows how misinformation became a significant player in the political debate, drastically changing the election outcome. The documentary used many scenes in black and white sketch style. The overall documentary is different from other documentaries, It even edits the part of the interview into black and white to underscore the gravity and seriousness of the documentary’s themes, making the message more severe and impactful. The main interviewee in the documentary is Dr Binoy Kampark, He talked about a US political issue in 2016 and how misinformation led to Trump’s victory in the presidential election. It leads the audience to rethink the true and false information on social media or the internet. Encouraging the audience to use fact-checking tools to evaluate the credibility of the information. I was impressed by their editing skill, It is a new method to produce a documentary in this way.

Studio Reflection

As the semester comes to an end, we produced an impact documentary film, called “Roofless Realities” in the studio class. The film conveys the critical housing issues faced by international students in Melbourne, and the subsequent mental health crisis. The goal was to resonate with the international students in Melbourne, providing a mirror to their struggles, validating their experiences, and giving them a platform to be heard. For universities administrators and policymakers, the documentary serves as a reminder of the pressing need for change in rental, urging them to take effective actions to address this issue.

The film was screened in week 13 at capitol, I’m expecting the screening could engage some certain target audience, including international students and universities administrators. Before the film is played, we could do a little speech to the audience about what the film is about and why we made this film. After the film, we can do a post-screening discussions and Q&A sessions to facilitate direct dialogue between the audience and us. This effective interaction heightens the awareness while encouraging a collaborative brainstorming of potential solutions. The ultimate goal of making this film is to provoke concrete actions, I hope the film could inspire university administrators and policy makers to implement practical solutions, such as providing available housing to international students with affordable pricing or reducing the rental price for international students. In conclusion, we hope our documentary could make a huge impact by raising the awareness and provoking actions for the international students’ community.

To keep further developing on the film, I would improve the skills of storytelling in the film since our interview with Manu, the international student, didn’t go well, his response was not continuous, resulting the lack of narrative structure in the film. Thus, the film doesn’t have much tension and impact on the audience as his clips feel fragmented. If I were to further work on the film, aiming to make a bigger impact on the audience, I would rearrange another interview, eyeing on coaching the interviewee to provide responses with a clear narrative structure that fosters emotional connection with the audience. To expand the documentary, I would explore the housing issues faced by international students worldwide. The increasing number of students studying abroad has led to a shortage of housing resources in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and throughout Europe. This housing crisis has become a global problem affecting many international students. I hope the film can raise awareness and inspire action to address this issue.

I watched the short documentary, “Rewilding”, from our studio, and I like they are trying to spread the main message, protecting the ocean environment from plastic pollution. In my opinion, they have done a great job of conveying their message by incorporating lots of b-roll footage of plastic pollution in the ocean, also putting the statistics and facts and the website link into the film. This allows the audience to grasp the urgency of improving the marine environment, achieving the goal of making an impact on the viewers. Another documentary I watched is “Where Are All the Queers?”. The film successfully illustrates the interviewee’s story with a clear narrative structure, enabling viewers to understand the perspectives and experiences of LGBTIQ+ people. Consequently, the film can inspire people to open more lesbian bars, expanding lesbian communities in Melbourne. In conclusion, every impact documentary film from our studio has reflected the key idea, making impact and provoking practical actions on viewers.

I watched the film, “Izabella’s editing series”, which there are three different genres of film. I think the studio is exploring different editing skillsets when filming different genres of film. For example, the first video is a documentary called “Second Home”, conveying a performing arts student experiencing the change of home lifestyle while living away from her home. The editing has simple cuts between interview shots and b-roll footage, while playing background music. This editing style could simply convey the interviewee’s story. On the other hand, the second commercial video, “The Cookie Cart Melbourne”, features extensive motion graphics, animation, and numerous transitions in the editing. This dynamic editing style can effectively capture the viewer’s attention and encourage them to purchase the product. The last narrative film, “To Every You,” presents the essence of love across different universes. The editing style focuses on the rhythm to switch between clips from different universes, especially building to a climax that incorporates a match cut at the end of the pinky promise. This technique effectively conveys the film’s main message: love exists indefinitely, even across different universes. The key idea of this studio draws my attention as I’m interested in the potential of editing, same footage, but with different editing style could result in completely different meaning to the viewers. Thus, I would like to participate in the studio class in the future.