LAST LAPS : Triumphs & Tragedies Poster
LAST LAPS : Triumphs and Tragedies Proof Of Concept Video
800-1000 Word Reflection:
- A) consider in what ways you hope your final work engages its audience and communicates a key concern of the studio? Draw upon your experiences from attending the studio exhibition.
Our group’s final work will hopefully engage with our audiences through relatable storytelling and world-building around the topic of our film. As our documentary topic is an Australian story about the personal relationships and connections that people in Australia have to Holden cars and the brand, we are able to portray impactful journeys and events that Australians have with this iconic car brand. By communicating and connecting with the course theme of ‘outlining and proposing a documentary correctly’ we were able to understand the importance of correctly presenting a story that is worth being told. In week 3’s reading, Cheryl Dune discusses the importance of “events” and how they are central to what makes a great story. With Dune expressing how “events you can have at the core of something” we were able to implement this idea into the workings of our own documentary story. By using the Australian car brand Holden, we could use that as the core connection to our film’s stories and themes. Branching them out to connect to a variety of “events” as Dune continues to emphasise that “events are really the best stories, events that people can and can’t relate to”. In which is what we hope can engage back to with our audiences by having relatable moments to capture audience engagement. We hope to engage with audiences who have had connections to the Holden car brand via work, family, or general interest but also connect to new audiences that will understand the reasonings behind the connection to Holden from hearing the events that are told within our documentary.
- B) outline the singular most successful and singular most problematic aspect of your process/finished work
The most successful aspect of our documentary was being able to have an easily accessible and personal connection to one of the main interviewees and the topic of our documentary. Using Phil Priest as the main interviewee for our proof-of-concept video, it allowed us to easily plan film days and locations with the connection of him being my dad. He allowed us to take out his Holden XU1 Torana to film, as well as giving us access to countless amounts of archival footage and racing documentation of the car to be used for our documentary. With him being my dad, it created a more natural and calmer environment for him to be interviewed in, as it created an atmosphere of him essentially talking to his son and friends about the history of his beloved car. Therefore, allowing for great footage to be captured for both the interview and B-roll for the film as well as for piecing together in the editing stages.
Whereas for the most problematic aspect of our film was actually on the first shooting day of production when our interviewee was sick with COVID-19 and the XU1 Torana did not start. This resulted in us having to distance ourselves from Phil (Interviewee) and try to improvise a new shot list for the filming of the car. After Phil spent all day attempting to fix the car to no avail, we instead had to gather a multitude of different shot varieties that would be able to be used in the editing process instead of what was originally planned. This proved to be extremely difficult in the editing stages, as due to the uncontrollable setbacks we weren’t able to create the originally intended proof of concept we intended.
- C) imagine you are going to keep working on that media piece, what would be the core things you would want to improve and extend and why?
If production were to continue on this media piece, one of the core things I would like to improve on would be who else would be significant and integral enough to include in the full-length documentary. Highlighted in Jane Chapman’s reading on ‘Documentary in Practice’ where Jane illustrates the significance of figuring out the essential people to be included in a documentary. Stating that “If a story is to sustain the interest of viewers… the selection of an individual or family becomes all the more challenging and a critical element in the success of the production.” This understanding would help indicate what aspects of a person should be considered in being crucial to the telling of the story and how they can be used to help and improve the overall story rather than hinder it. Chapman also stresses that research into the individual’s entire life should be done to fully understand them, although “there can be a focus on one episode, aspect, or part of the person’s life” by only grabbing in-depth, essential information in order to tell the story correctly. Therefore, by including another or multiple significant/important interviewees, I believe our documentary would be greatly improved by more in-depth personal stories that would further our film, granting further audience engagement and story quality.
- D) Outline one key thing you’ve learnt from your studio experience that you will take into your future thinking and practice
One key thing that I’ve learned from my studio experience comes from Alan Rosenthal and Ned Eckhardt’s reading in week 2 of Proposal and Outline. Which they specify “the central purpose of your proposal is to convince someone” which has highlighted the importance of pitching and presenting media products. As before this studio, I wasn’t very familiar with the process of how to build a proof-of-concept package and the steps to take in creating one that highlights the film’s idea, concept, style, audience appeal, tension, drama, etc. Learning from this studio, I believe I can factor in ‘Content and organisation’ discussed in Eckhardt and Rosenthal’s reading as well as topics and processes worked on in class to produce further media products and influence my future thinking and practice.
- E) What’s one key takeaway about working collaboratively?
One key takeaway from working collaboratively in this course is to be able to understand exactly what our film will be as a group. By planning excessively through pre-production as much research and content to build a clear image for all group members before production. This would be done to avoid any confusion or unwanted direction of the film during the final stages of production to ensure each member is happy with the final result. Thus, clear and concise planning and communication amongst group members is my key takeaway from working collaboratively on this project.
References:
‘Documentarian Cheryl Dune on what makes a great story’ – The Drum, by Kyle O’Brien, August 16, 2017.
https://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/08/16/documentarian-cheryl-dunye-what-makes-great-story
‘Documentary In Practice’ – Jane Chapman, 2007
Documentary In Practice Jane Chapman 2007.pdf
‘Writing, Directing and Producing Documentary Films and Digital Videos’ – Southern Illinois University Press, Alan Rosenthal and Ned Eckhardt, 2015.