I believe our project screening successfully translated well to the big screen of The Capitol theatre. Our group during production focused on making sure our film had a high level of professionalism, akin to something you would see on TV or steaming services. Our careful filming and colour grading/editing ensured this and I believe it was because of this our project was able to communicate our chosen social justice issue effectively. The professionalism of the film made the issue presented easier to follow for those who may have been unaware of the issues previously and enabled a sense of “reputation” to be held within our film. I believe that the higher quality the film the more likely the audience is to listen and pay attention to your message. The interview with out student also enabled the audience to develop a connection with not only him but other students like him so that they could develop a sense of sympathy and feel for those who struggle with these issues. I believe our film contributed to the overall studio with the other great documentaries shown by creating a diverse and unique set of social justice issues explored through the fresh eyes of the student youth body. I believe that all the films utilised their screen time as a tool to highlight the changes that needed to be made to better support those or the issues which are most vulnerable in our society.
If we were to continue working on our piece I would like to refill the student interview and the b-roll however this time we would also use the student for the b-roll as well as the interview. Although our interview was satisfactory I do believe it lacked some storytelling elements and often our interviewee would go on tangents making the editing process quite painstaking. I would also extend the film and include an interview with a Doctor or Psychologist with research and experience in the field of international student mental health. I believe the stats he could have provided as well as our own with more research time would have enabled us to paint a better picture of how big the issue really is and how desperately it needs to be better addressed by policy makers and universities.
We received a lot of feedback about our project needing better b-roll and a gripping narrative so I think our group would focus on reworking the filming and script/story to better reflect this feedback so that the film perhaps had a better narrative flow overall.
Rewilding was a documentary created in our studio which covered the issues of plastic pollution in our oceans. The film communicates their social impact through their interview with Narayana Quatermain who suggest ways in which we could help clean up the ocean and do our part. He suggested things like beach clean ups and being mindful of how they handle and use their plastic waste. The film also used archival footage of dirty water ways and oceans to further highlight how bad the issue has gotten across the globe creating a sense of collective guilt amongst audience viewers. They also provided a call to action by linking to the Sea Shepherd organisation further encouraging audience members to participate in helping clean our oceans.
Where are all the Queers? is also a film produced in our studio which highlights the need and importance of Queer safe nightlife places in the city of Melbourne. I really enjoyed the visual imagery of the nightlife places used in WAATQ? The colors and night lights produced a vibrant yet warm and cozy feeling inside the bar. Although I am not LGBTQIA+ myself by watching this film they effectively showed me a side of Melbourne nightlife I did not know existed. Moreover, they strongly displayed how important it is for these places to remain a safe space for these vulnerable communities to be themselves without fear of prejudice. The personal stories within the film further helped this film drive their social issue home and enabled people outside of the community to resonate and connect with their stories. Overall this was my favorite film from our studio and I cannot wait to see what they do next.
Decadence was a film showed on the first night of the exhibition from the Visual Blueprint studio. To me this film was breathtaking. For a film produced by a group of students I was blown away. The story, the cinematography and the sound design was well thought through and was seen in how well made the film was. The film creatively and beautifully explored the ideas of young creatives and obsession. The narrative and film work intertwined the story of the young creative with scenes of fantasy in my eyes. The symbolism within each shot such as the rose was my favourite part and I believe they perfectly utilised their film to respond to their studios prompt about utilisting a film as a visual blueprint for your narrative.