Drop the Pilot
Presentations of week nine saw all of our ideas for Behind Bars come together, through visual or conceptual comparisons from existing film and TV series or entirely new ideas. A group’s presentation that particularly stood out to me was on Character, as they offered a visual reference for casting options and a diagram linking the core characters together by their relationship to one another.
The proposal for Shaz and Paddy to be cast as Jamie Lee-Curtis and Michelle Yeoh was a brilliant idea, leading to conversation surrounding Paddy’s (Michelle Yeoh) culture and shame in pursuing a relationship with Shaz (Jamie Lee-Curtis) due to a fear of disownment from her family / community if she were to leave her husband for a woman. Harper from Heartbreak High cast as Mercedes was another great choice, and helped me in writing Mercedes’ lines by having a reference for her speaking style and demeanour, giving a point of difference between city slicker Josh and the locals of fictional town Barrel.
World was a tough concept to pitch, but that group did brilliantly and gave me an even clearer idea of the inner workings of Barrel. The minor details were what impressed me the most, from the meeting spot for the local eshays, to the second bar for the haughty middle-upper class folk.
Real People, Reel Lives exhibition
Having attended the screening of final short films from the Real People, Reel Lives studio, I was really impressed by the variety in interview-style documentaries across the studio. The screening opened with Jessie Rowe’s short film ‘Vallon,’ which follows the owner of a flower farm, who loves growing and arranging flowers. My impression of Vallon is that it was shot as a ‘day-in-the-life,’ featuring early morning shots that were soon followed by some gorgeous evening shots. One that stood out to me in particular, was Jo picking flowers in her greenhouse at what I assume was dusk, washed over in soft purple hues. These shots were coupled with a voiceover of farmer Jo, who gave some thoughtful answers to the interviewer’s questions. We also got to see the face behind the voice, and she seemed more than happy to talk about her work and passion for flower arrangements.
Another mini-documentary from the studio that stood out to me was Rollin’ With It by Jennifer Lee, Emma Kennedy and Chloe Stelling, which follows a local roller skater Rib, who loves the colour green and all things roller skating. Rib felt like someone out of an ’80s or ’90s magazine, and you can tell that the filmmakers of the project noticed this, giving a retro feel to the film with a super 8mm layover of Rib skating at a park in the inner-north of Melbourne. The B-roll was well-thought out and reflected the topic of discussion, giving context to Rib’s answers and feelings of belittlement as a woman in the skating scene.
Vallon and Rollin’ With It are both incredible student films and I can picture both being in a shorts programme in a film festival.