In my studio Real People, Reel Lives, one work that stood out to me was Beyond the Curl, by Clair Seoud, Georgia Di Paola, and Larissa Hass. I particularly loved their interviewee, Ella Rowe, a woman who owns a hair salon dedicated to taking care of Afro-textured, curly hair. Her story is empowering, and one that I hadn’t really considered before. Majority of hair salons in Australia specialise in Western standards of beauty, and as a biracial woman coming from a family with afros and curly hair, she wanted to break boundaries in the beauty industry. Ella speaks incredibly clearly, and all her statements include the question in her answer, which is proof of great production work by the filmmakers. Her story arc is extremely insightful and detailed for only a five-minute documentary; it is very impressive of the filmmakers to ask all the correct questions that the audience needs to understand the narrative, as well as editing Ella’s answers into a cohesive story that makes complete sense. A key idea in the studio was to be true to a participant’s story and not manipulate it to suit your own desires, which can be a difficult task in a five-minute production. However, Clair, Georgia, and Larissa did a fantastic job of staying true to Ella’s story. Plus, their b-roll and archival footage is beautiful and presented in an engaging and aesthetic way that matches the chill atmosphere they created.

Another work that stood out to me in my studio was Wired Ambitions, by Abbey Smith, Mark Cassarino, and Sophy Jin. Their opening was absolutely stunning and immediately engaging, which was a key idea addressed by the studio. The opening music with b-roll footage that changed along with the beat was very impressive, and I wanted to know more before their interviewee even began speaking. Furthermore, another big idea we learnt in the studio was framing, and having a clear purpose for what is in every shot. The b-roll in this film was framed beautifully, and every shot adds something to the story. They obviously had a lot of things to shoot in b-roll in the warehouse as there seemed to be a lot going on, most of which the audience doesn’t see in their everyday lives. The filmmakers did a great job of showing the audience individual things to not overwhelm us; for example, they showed us shots of people working on different cars, different parts, tools, equipment, etc. I enjoyed this because the b-roll could have been very complicated, but they simplified it, made it look clean and polished, and presented it in ways that made sense to the story (such as showing the specific equipment when their interviewee talked about them). Moreover, they framed their interview very well, with a relevant and engaging but not distracting background, as we have discussed in the studio. Abbey, Mark, and Sophy’s film demonstrates amazing camera techniques and fantastic production work.

Now focusing on a different studio, I believe a key idea in Uncomfortable Filmmaking was to focus on the emotions and atmosphere they were trying to evoke rather than establishing a clear narrative. I’ve come to this conclusion after watching all their films. As obviously suggested in the name, they were trying to make the audience feel uncomfortable using camera and editing techniques rather than relying on a plot. One work that stuck with me was Daydream directed by Coco Italiano. This film features a girl in nature as she transitions from a peaceful daydream like sequence to a creepy nightmare. It reminded me strongly of Picnic at Hanging Rock, with the setting, costume, and also with everything in the beginning being seeming peaceful but you feel tense waiting for something bad to happen. It’s very dreamy, but in a creepy sort of way. I loved the way editing was used to enhance the discomfort; for example, the music editing was very impressive in the way is seamlessly transitions from dreamy and sweet to eerie and then to scary. The editing of the transitions was so subtle and blended perfectly, so that the audience gradually realised the difference in atmosphere, which enhanced the sense of foreboding. The occasional muffled voices saying “wake up” or “behind you” were fantastic in the way they made me very uncomfortable and creeped out. I also really enjoyed how some clips are used in both the daydream and nightmare sequences, but with different editing to change the emotions attached to them. This film was successful in manipulating the audience’s emotions from start to end and demonstrated that this can be done even without a plot.

Another work from Uncomfortable Filmmaking that stuck with me was Unreliable Narrator, directed by Chloe Roussy. Using both production and editing techniques, this film definitely made me feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Once again, the plot isn’t super clear, but I gathered that was intentional as it allows the audience’s emotions to be manipulated which tells a story in itself. Regardless, the main narrative is about two friends who were once extremely close but are being torn apart gradually by conflict. The very first shot was held for longer much longer than what would be normal or comfortable, which immediately evokes tension before anything about the story is revealed. One technique that I noticed throughout the entire film was the use of a fuzzy, blurry, or unclear screen. The footage would be edited to be out of focus or delayed, which is unsettling and really cool. Audio is also used effectively to establish tension. The filmmakers have overlapped music with dialogue at some points making all audio unclear, which combined with the fuzzy images, has a very disorientating effect. Sounds also appear and cut out very abruptly which is unsettling. I also enjoy their use of sound effects, such as ringing noises, static, heartbeats, and diegetic noises from the environment (particularly in the fantastic escalator sequences). This film successfully demonstrates impressive production and editing techniques that evoke tension and discomfort in the audience.