Where Are All The Queers? ♥
The Queer nightlife scene has long been where LGBTIQ+ people are free to express themselves authentically, feel accepted and meet new people, with different communities calling each venue home. After dark is when people flock to Flippy’s Queer bar for vino and trivia, the drag queens at Sircut start getting dolled up, and the hypnotic, hazy dancefloor at Miscellania comes to life. Capturing the stories of the communities built out of these spaces, Where are all the Queers? explores where Queer people in Melbourne go on a night out, and what makes these spaces so important.
In the process of making this documentary I have had the opportunity to refine my skills as a producer by learning more about funding and distribution, working with a variety of participants and understanding what it takes to create a strong impact documentary. We did have some issues along the way and we faced with the major set back of not being able to interview the owners of Flippy’s as we had hoped to. However, this process taught us so much about collaboration and problem solving as a result. I’m happy with our final project and I feel glad we can take this away at the end of semester, whether we chose to pursue the project further or not.
While making this documentary, I’ve learned the importance of being much more intentional and specific with my edits. Things like cutting shots while all movement has stopped or following through with the velocity of objects weren’t things I would have considered beforehand. I also learnt the importance of communicating each member’s vision to each other in order to ensure a cohesive vision that everyone agrees with.
Working on this project taught me that taking the necessary time in pre-production to complete multiple test shoots, trial different equipment and lighting setups, and create highly detailed shot lists is as valuable to non-fiction productions as it is to narrative ones. The limited two shoot days we had with Flippy’s were exceptionally streamlined, targeted and effective as I knew exactly what coverage we needed to get at a minimum, and lighting and gear for each set-up was entirely pre-planned and tested. This highly organised approach meant that we were still able to shoot certain spur of the moment actions on the fly without losing our overall focus, resulting in us capturing some really beautiful, tender moments with the Flippy’s community. Overall, I discovered that the secret to being an adaptable, dependable and creative DOP for documentary works is to put significant energy into planning before shoots, which was made easy working with such wonderful group members.
The Process of Producing ‘Where are all the Queers?’ and What I Got Out of It:
In the process of producing this teaser for ‘Where are all the Queers?’, I learnt what an impact documentary is, the different documentary modes used by impact documentary filmmakers, how to pitch an impact documentary, how to develop an impact campaign, and how to produce a teaser for a documentary. This production was also a great opportunity to engage with and support the local LGBTIQ+ community.
This production was my first experience as a director. I learnt how to manage the creative aspects of producing a film from pre-production to post-production. I worked alongside a producer, editor, and director of photography to bring the concept for ‘Where are all the Queers?’ to life. As there is in any collaborative project, there were occasional creative disagreements amongst our team that we communicated and problem-solved our way through. During filming, I also refined my skills as a sound recordist, simultaneously recording sound and directing.
Beyond the scope of this course, my group wishes to continue producing ‘Where are all the Queers?’ so that we can add it to our professional portfolios and continue growing our skills as filmmakers.