Part 1.

As soon as I saw the studio booklet for this semester, I knew I wanted to be a part of Long Live Australian Cinema. It took me a week or two, but I fought my way into the course. I’ve had the daunting ambition to be a filmmaker since I first got cast in an unforgiving role as an astronaut in a school art project. From this project on, I became entrenched in the idea of not only being a filmmaker in my own right, but contributing to the greater Australian cinematic landscape. To be among so many incredible Australian filmmakers like Kitty Green, David Michôd and George Miller – that is the dream.

Upon realising that Australian cinema was not remotely as prosperous or as distinct an art form as those of Europe, or America, was what drew me to this course. The need to create and draw audiences to Australian films that are nuanced and reflective of our cultural values was outlined as an aim of this studio and I truly resonated with that. Additionally, I’ve always been interested in the creative production of films, but this studio offers insights on the behind-the-scenes mechanics that bring these films to life. Learning about distribution and marketing strategies specific to the Australian industry is a goal of mine.

As for the technical components of this studio, I am always compelled by the opportunity to create a piece of media under the guidance of an experienced tutor. I look forward to building on my cinematography skills in particular during this course, as that is an area I would like to develop for the professional world. Lastly, of course, this studio seeks to examine the patterns behind classical and contemporary Australian cinema and I look forward to being enlightened by films I have yet to see.

Part 2.

a.) The making of a documentary

During a Thursday studio session, we had the opportunity to create a short interview in groups focusing on any topic we would like. After much discussion, my group landed on the cheery theme of death. Our project, titled Afterlife: An Interview with the Living, featured myself, Jazz, and Clem as we sat down to interview one another about how we thought we would die and what we would like to happen following our death. It was a quirky, introspective project that gave us all a chance to broach these dire questions and take part in some taboo areas of discussion.

As with any project using mildly unfamiliar equipment, we came across challenges. We had some technical difficulties, especially with our audio. Although we attempted to use a set of wireless lapel microphones to capture clear sound, we ran into issues with them not recording properly and improvised with iPhones to capture the audio. Despite the lower quality, this was a practical solution that helped us to capture content in the hasty means we needed. In post-production, I spent a fair amount of time removing unwanted noises (including child screeches). An additional challenge came with lighting. We had experimented with different setups, and in some areas, the lighting turned out to be too harsh, creating intense shadows or overexposure. Luckily, the lighting wound up having a spooky effect in the final product.

Like many films I have been a part of so far in my degree, there comes a time when the awkwardness of being vulnerable on camera is beseeched by the need to create an interesting piece of work. While it was unusually confronting to playback the recordings of us all chirping about causes of death, the result of this conflict between darkness and light was incredibly amusing. I think it is so important to take these leaps wen creating work. And although this documentary was merely an exercise, I found it to be an interesting lesson in how far you can experiment with humour and offensiveness.

b.) David Easteal’s visit to our studio

Although I enjoy putting on the display of being headstrong about my opinions on film, I secretly cherish an event or piece of media that completely reshapes my perspectives on the art form. In class, we had the privilege of having David Easteal, the writer, director and editor of The Plains (2022), visit our class. His insights on filmmaking were so strangely and absolutely captivating. This experience beckoned me to reflect on my approach to cinema. Easteal’s minimalist style, which focuses on the quiet dramas of everyday life, was a significant contrast to the high-stakes style of cinema I’m usually drawn to viewing and creating.

The Plains takes place entirely within a car, following a lawyer named Andrew as he drives to and from work over the course of a year. The film is part documentary, part drama, and explores the subtle piques of tension and unfolding theatre in routine aspects of this man’s life. Easteal’s emphasis on long takes and muffled interactions between Andrew and the people around him left me bewildered by its simplicity. His approach was so different from the complex, colourful styles I normally gravitate toward, in which each scene is intricately planned out, dolled up and edited to a crisp.

As I listened to Easteal talk about his process, it became more and more clear to me that the quirky, introspective style I thought I was sculpting in my own portfolio was nowhere near the edge of experimental. Truly, I see my current work aligning now more with the commercial, Hollywood-influenced scriptures. My work may be creative, but it often remains within the confines of what’s to be expected in mainstream cinema. The minimalism that Easteal spoke of guided me to realise how I have yet to explore any kind of slow, unplanned storytelling. I have never thought of constructing something that genuinely challenges viewers to focus on the subtleties of everyday life. Work that seeks to push the boundaries of audience expectations and truly follows through. Hearing about Easteal’s admiration for filmmakers like Abbas Kiarostami and Chantal Akerman, whose work defies traditional Hollywood expectations led me to think about films that avoid the American lens. I’m looking forward to exploring more films with these cinematic philosophies that aren’t confined to blockbuster conventions.

Part 3.

Link to my video essay: https://vimeo.com/1068056449/a09e399a89?share=copy

References: Long Live Australian Cinema – Assignment 1 References