FINAL REFLECTION
ON THE SCREENING + MY HOPES
For my film, I tried to create an upbeat, and inspirational tone to really support Diana’s storytelling and advice for young, female creatives. I felt it important to centre Diana’s narrative around impact, and how such projects can benefit not only viewers, but also greater communities and oneself – something Diana passionately spoke about. In doing so, I also hoped to communicate how female filmmakers like Diana, are often drawn to stories of social issues and change, and how they bring their unique perspectives to such projects (French, 2019). From the colour palette, to the music, I wanted to convey and encapsulate Diana’s determination and optimism around supporting female creatives in the industry, and crafting narratives of change. Hence, during our celebratory screening to the class, I hope viewers were engaged in Diana’s advice, and also felt invigorated to reflect on how they can incorporate impact into their next creative project. As Diana reminds us, exploring issues that align with your own morals and values can be an incredibly fulfilling and exciting learning experience. Not only that, but I hope that watching my film was fun and engaging, as I tried to also include playful elements (such as graphics) to keep viewers interested.
ON IMPROVEMENTS AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
If I had the opportunity, there are definitely elements of my profile I’d like to improve upon. If the time constraints were different, I would have loved to develop my profile’s narrative even further; and have a specific focus on Diana’s work as an Impact Producer and what this entails. As a relatively recent role, the work of an Impact Producer is sometimes quite specific and I feel, extremely interesting. Although Diana and I only spoke briefly about this in our interview, I think it would have been great to expand upon this, and discuss what her role included for her various impact projects, such as how she toured with ‘The Show Must Go On’ (2019) to create specific audience reach.
Moreover, I would have liked to refine my graphics and experiment more with the visual aesthetic of my profile. Although I think my final film was cohesive and worked well, I do think I could have better utilised the footage from Diana’s projects in a more dynamic and interesting manner. Since her projects are all closely connected to her passion of impact, reworking how I included them in my film could have potentially enhanced the narrative I was aiming to create around Diana’s career.
REFLECTIONS: OUR STUDIO
Maybe She’s Right – by Sonja Veljanovski
I loved Sonja’s final piece and thought it was an extremely engaging, thought provoking profile. Sonja’s use of music, text, and footage from her interviewee’s projects was brilliantly cohesive, and created an amazing tone that I think supported her Claudia’s story and personality well. I particularly found the cold opening, and how it seamlessly transitioned into the interview immediately captivating. Moreover, I liked that the profile explored how women’s issues intersect across industries, and Claudia’s insights into the systemic problems women face were really great to hear. Lastly, I thought Sonja’s ending to the profile was lovely, and encapsulated Claudia’s passion for bringing female creatives together.
Sue Brooks: Looking for Change – by Gabrielle Stanway
I thought Gabrielle’s profile had an amazing creative concept, and was a really engaging viewing experience. I liked how she utilised a fictitious story for her opening, and had the character addressing the camera directly. It felt personal, and explored the concerns many young women have about entering the screen industry in an interesting way. Such an opening also enabled me to immerse myself in the interview with Sue Brooks in a unique way – it became inherently inspirational and uplifting. I also thought Gabrielle used scenes from Brook’s projects in a compelling manner, and I found myself wanting to watch all the films included afterwards!
ON ANOTHER STUDIO – MAKING SENSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Engaging with the studio, ‘Making Sense of Social Media’ was a really interesting experience. Since social media is so ingrained in our everyday lives for most people, the vast range of issues explored by different groups were captivating. Particularly, I enjoyed looking at ‘Influencers Illuminated’, and felt it provided a thought-provoking exploration on the rise and impact of Social Media Influencers. Since, as the group notes, there is a lack of academic resources on ‘Influencers’, I thought their investigation and educational Instagram account on the issue was highly effective and insightful. Their posts provide accessible information that truly urge you to reflect on how ‘Influencers’ actually ‘influence’ your own life, and explore relevant topics of comparison, self-doubt and authenticity when it comes to Social Media.
References:
French L, 2019, ‘Women documentary filmmakers as transnational “advocate change agents”’, Cultura y representaciones sociales, vol. 7, no. 17, pp. 15-29, viewed 1 June 2021, < http://www.revistas.unam.mx/index.php/inter/article/view/67536/62717#B9 >