1. In what ways do you hope your screened work engaged its audience and communicated a key concern of the studio?
Leftovers to Landfill (2024) was formally screened at the And Scene Festival. Our intention was to engage a target audience with our social cause; food waste reduction in the youth demographic. Through the poetic, participatory, and reflexive mode, we attempted to resonate with Naarm youth.
We succeeded in gathering quality interest, which was one aspect of the Art and Impact Studio. After the screening, we received a few messages about the teaser and social cause. These were from students who found our topic interesting, and who asked specific questions about locations, peoples (Chris from moving feast). This meant that; they understood the information we presented, and were interested in the issue at hand. However, I don’t think this was the optimal audience / means of distribution. At a student festival, most of these people were more concerned with showcasing their work, and expected finalised products.
- Imagine you are going to keep working on that media piece (e.g. to screen it somewhere else like a festival, or develop it into a different kind of work, and so on) – what would be the core things you would want to improve and extend and why?
Uniquely, we’ve been offered the opportunity to continue this film. Through my contacts and connections, I was able to organise a screening with STREAT and Good Cycles’ collaborative Marketing and Content Creation departments. They’ve offered the opportunity to upload a completed version on their Youtube channel, as well as Facebook / Instagram. That solves my first criticism, which is making sure it distributes to people who are genuinely interested in the content. However, my second goal is to create a stronger ‘style’, using better camera angles, multi camera interviews, lending more to our influences such as Agnes Varde. I think this would help the ideas stand out. However, I am undecided in continuing this project as the other members do not want to continue.
3. From your studio, reflect on an aspect of two other students/group’s media work on the website in terms of specific insights they produced about a key idea addressed by the studio?
Rewilding (2024) is a documentary addressing ocean conservation and the battle against plastic pollution. Its social impact is effectively communicated through the suggestions of Narayana Quatermain, a dedicated freediver involved in landcare and beach cleanup organisations. Quatermain encourages viewers to participate in beach cleanups and reduce their plastic waste. The film includes footage of ocean clean-ups to further inspire community action. At the film’s conclusion, an intertitle directs viewers to the Sea Shepherd website, serving as a compelling call to action. The filmmakers, through the strategic editing of Quatermain’s interview and the final intertitle, clearly conveys the steps viewers can take to combat plastic pollution.
Roofless Realities (2024) documents the fiscal and mental challenges of being an international student in Melbourne. The documentary itself is candid, using real people to convey real stories. The core target audience was international students, but as a consequence of it’s reflective approach, was able to resonate with me (and possibly other students. I really enjoyed the storytelling, but wished it had a clearer narrative. Despite this, it successfully engaged me in its social cause. This has a significant opportunity to be a great impact documentary and is my personal favourite.
4. For the other studio website you engaged with, describe a key idea that you think the finished media/studio work communicated with reference to a specific example (i.e. a particular individual/group work)
OPERATION SUPER-STAR (2024) from Alex Slater, Claudia Nancarrow and Jaeden Arendtsz is a short comedy sketch that uses surrealist humour in a narrative-driven plot. It belongs to the studio ‘beyond a joke’, which teaches a deconstructed practice of the comedy genre. This film was one of my favourites, as I love the character design and relationships!
Student films often feel ‘staged’, in that events happen unnaturally and without cohesion, but this did not have that issue. The opening scene introduces us to the two protagonists, both teenage DJs, who have a delightful conversation about sticking their ‘stick in a port’. This double entendre is rich, but doesn’t force its hand, which serves as an abject summary of what’s to come. The actors have great chemistry and avoid overplaying their roles, which smoothens the narrative throughline. I strongly believe this film had the best balance of comedy and narrative within the studio, it wasn’t made ‘to be funny’, it was funny, supported by its high level of technical proficiency.
going into the next semester, I greatly appreciate the professional skills I have gained. I feel more confident in networking, marketing and researching, although I do think I want a greater sense of direction.