Poster: 
Vimeo:
Reflection:
In Last Laps Triumphs and Tragedies, the goal was to engage audiences by exploring Holden’s massive significance as a cultural icon in Australia. Through the use of archival footage and interviews, the documentary aims to evoke nostalgia and pride amongst viewers who have a connection to the brand. By incorporating personal stories and race highlights, the film illustrates the rise and fall of Holden and its impacts on Australian car culture and its people.
I felt that the studio’s key concern centres on storytelling and cultural memory, which is crucial to this documentary’s narratives. By presenting Holden as more than just a car manufacturer, but as a symbol of Australian identity. As a result of this, we hope that the film deeply connects with its audience. This aligns with the discussions in Jay Ruby’s “The Ethics of Image Making,” where the importance of ethical representation and the filmmakers responsibility to their subjects and audience are emphasised. Ruby contends that filmmakers must navigate the intricate balance between artistic expression and ethical obligations, which resonates with our aim to portray a nuanced view of Holden’s legacy and connection to Australians.
Studio Exhibition Experience
From the studio exhibition, by trying to observe the audience’s reaction, (most of which are not in our target audience) it seemed that they somewhat connected with the themes of loss and nostalgia. This reaffirmed the effectiveness of combining archival material with footage of our own with Phil’s personal story riddled throughout. Despite introducing the documentary by myself (which was a bit nerve racking) my group was very appreciative and very sorry for missing it. Overall, considering a lack of our target audience amongst viewers at the exhibition I believe it went very well.
Success and Challenges
I believe the most successful aspect of Last Laps was our ability to convey the emotional and cultural significance of Holden. By effectively curating the archival footage along with heartfelt interviews allowed us to create a compelling narrative that resonates with our audience’s memories and experiences. I believe it is backed by our group posting it to Youtube where it has accumulated five thousand views in about a week. Many comments come from within our audience and reminiscing about Holden and their ‘glory days’
Conversely, the most problematic aspect may have been the challenge of balancing technical details with emotional storytelling. When interviewing Phil, he could go off topic or speak in too much detail at times which would ultimately confuse viewers. Having to curate through this interview to find the most cohesive group of answers for the proof of concept. Another very problematic aspect during the filming stage was the fact that on the day of filming the car wouldn’t start. This meant that no moving shots of the car were included that were filmed by us which is something we really wanted to include. Despite these challenges I feel that we made a very polished final video.
Improvements and Extensions
If provided with the opportunity to continue developing this film, a key area I’d want to improve would be to deepen the exploration of the personal stories tied with Holden. We had many more people to interview, including people that have raced Holdens at Bathurst, Holden factory workers who worked there for over 50 years and many other connections to Holden. Gathering these interviews would enhance the emotional depth of this narrative and broaden the spectrum in which one would feel connected to Holden. Furthemore, I’d also like to examine the socio-economic impact of Holden closure on local communities which would broaden the scope of the documentary, aligning with the ethical imperatives of making documentaries. as discussed by Ruby Jay in the “Ethics of Image Making.”
Additionally, by refining the pacing and streamlining technical explanations while emphasising human stories could enhance viewer engagement and the general flow of the documentary.
Lessons for the future
One pivotal lesson I learnt during this studio is the significance of emotional storytelling in non-fiction media forms. Tying narratives to the lived experiences of individuals helps foster deeper connections with audiences, a principle that I will endeavour to apply to many of my future projects. This aligns with Jan Chapman’s ‘Documentary in Practice’ which underscores the importance of understanding the practical challenges of storytelling while remaining sensitive to the experiences of those portrayed.
Takeaway of Collaboration
Collaborating with Lloyd, Lachie and Sascha on Last Laps was a great experience. This project highlighted the value of effective communication and teamwork and each group member was very easy and fun to work with. My biggest bakeaway about collaboration because of this project is that everyone needs to feel as though they are being heard. By giving everyone a voice and discussing the decisions we make, our group ran very smoothly and often compounded ideas to make them better. As outlined by Bill Nicholsn in ‘Introduction to Documentary, understanding the complexities of documentary filmmaking can often benefit from diverse voices contributing to unified vision.
Conclusion
Creating Last Laps Triumphs and Tragedies was such a fun project to make and work on. It helped me really understand crucial aspects of non-fiction storytelling. Being able to work on one of my biggest interests with like minded people made for a really fun, smooth process which resulted in a polished and engaging final product.
References:
- Ruby, J. (2005). “The Ethics of Image Making; or, They’re Going to Put Me in the Movies. They’re Going to Make a Big Star Out of Me…” in Rosenthal, A., & Corner, J. (Eds.), New Challenges for Documentary. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 212-215.
- Chapman, J. (2007). Documentary in Practice. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Nichols, B. (2017). Introduction to Documentary, Third Edition. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.