Monday, July 9, 2012
Diary of Documentary Planing
Meeting Notes:
Meeting One:
Ang Discusses her idea for a documentary. A ‘Who do you think you are’ style voyage to discover about her greek heritage and the grandmother that she never got to know, Calliope.
We discussed the troubles that we might face talking to family members, especieally her father.
Meeting Two
Discussion on how much research should be done before the documentary is shot. How much should Angela do by herself on the trip and how much should be revealed to her as she travels
Meeting Three
Discussion of family documentaries that we have see read about. Daughter from Danang, Sugar Curtain, Finding Aleida.
the structure of the documentary is throught through. There will be a beginning in Australia, where all the family is reviled. then there is a journey to Greece, where she will meet greek relatives and discover the places where her grandmother lived. And a return to Australia where she will attempt to fit all this new information into her present life.
Meeting Four
I show Angela photos of the Oronsay, the ship that Angela’s grandmother travelled to Australia in. She found it more Luxurious than she expected.
Meeting Five
Discussion on our visit to the immigration Museum. Angela discusses how she does not feel particulary greek, and how we can work this into the documentary.
Meeting Six
The idea of focusing on milk bars is canvised, as her grandmother worked in the family milk bar. How has economic life in Australia changed since they were prevalent?
Meeting Seven and Eight
Review of electro shock theropy. I present a lot of research I did on the subject. We find that the practice is contentes and feel that is is too big of a subject for the documentary to tackle in a way that would do it justice
Meeting Nine
The structure of the doco is worked out and it is decided who will work on what section .
Meeting Ten
First draft is edited
Meeting One:
Ang Discusses her idea for a documentary. A ‘Who do you think you are’ style voyage to discover about her greek heritage and the grandmother that she never got to know, Calliope.
We discussed the troubles that we might face talking to family members, especieally her father.
Meeting Two
Discussion on how much research should be done before the documentary is shot. How much should Angela do by herself on the trip and how much should be revealed to her as she travels
Meeting Three
Discussion of family documentaries that we have see read about. Daughter from Danang, Sugar Curtain, Finding Aleida.
the structure of the documentary is throught through. There will be a beginning in Australia, where all the family is reviled. then there is a journey to Greece, where she will meet greek relatives and discover the places where her grandmother lived. And a return to Australia where she will attempt to fit all this new information into her present life.
Meeting Four
I show Angela photos of the Oronsay, the ship that Angela’s grandmother travelled to Australia in. She found it more Luxurious than she expected.
Meeting Five
Discussion on our visit to the immigration Museum. Angela discusses how she does not feel particulary greek, and how we can work this into the documentary.
Meeting Six
The idea of focusing on milk bars is canvised, as her grandmother worked in the family milk bar. How has economic life in Australia changed since they were prevalent?
Meeting Seven and Eight
Review of electro shock theropy. I present a lot of research I did on the subject. We find that the practice is contentes and feel that is is too big of a subject for the documentary to tackle in a way that would do it justice
Meeting Nine
The structure of the doco is worked out and it is decided who will work on what section .
Meeting Ten
First draft is edited
Class Notes
Something at Uni that said something broader about the institution:
When I first came to La Trobe I was captivated by the bell tower. Where were the bells? What was the tune they were playing? What was the purpose of the the music and what meaning was the composer trying to convey. Later that month I visited Box Hill Tafe, where I had the year before completed my music degree and I learned that the tunes played by the bell tower were in fact compositions by one of my Lecturers at Box Hill. This symbolized for me how in education institutions what is pasted down from teacher to student is often not just raw knowledge
Something that someone did or said that says something broader about him or her.
According to my mother, my brother and myself had very different responses to music as babies. I loved music. It had a calming affect. My brother on the other hand hated music being played to him. It did not have a calming affect, and as soon as he was old enough, he would tell my mother stop.
As an adult, my brother works in the computer industry. His favorite music – in fact the only type that he listens to – is emo.
I, on the other hand, am a pastry-cook and a music teacher.
I think or different attitudes to music as babies demonstrated a different attitude to artistic expression that showed up later in our choices of jobs and musical tastes.
When I first came to La Trobe I was captivated by the bell tower. Where were the bells? What was the tune they were playing? What was the purpose of the the music and what meaning was the composer trying to convey. Later that month I visited Box Hill Tafe, where I had the year before completed my music degree and I learned that the tunes played by the bell tower were in fact compositions by one of my Lecturers at Box Hill. This symbolized for me how in education institutions what is pasted down from teacher to student is often not just raw knowledge
Something that someone did or said that says something broader about him or her.
According to my mother, my brother and myself had very different responses to music as babies. I loved music. It had a calming affect. My brother on the other hand hated music being played to him. It did not have a calming affect, and as soon as he was old enough, he would tell my mother stop.
As an adult, my brother works in the computer industry. His favorite music – in fact the only type that he listens to – is emo.
I, on the other hand, am a pastry-cook and a music teacher.
I think or different attitudes to music as babies demonstrated a different attitude to artistic expression that showed up later in our choices of jobs and musical tastes.
Responses to Movies Played in Class
My Mother Nancy:
- Weight motive. The mothers weight diminishes as the same time that her relations with her husband and some relatives also diminishes
- One side of family argument. The only point of view that is heard is the mothers and the daughters. As the husband is never interviewed and full story is never known by the audience
-
- Exposes the human impact of values. The documentary shows a devastating example of how relations between people can be destroyed by different world views about how family relationships should be conducted
Man on wire:
- taken on new significance since twin towers destruction. The twin towers take on a new symbol as a metaphor what extremes are possible by humanity
- Plenty on material to work with. Documentary makers dream – he shot a lot of his own material in the lead up to the walk
- Girl insight. The respect and admiration from his girlfriend give some insight into the responses from people that he got from his work which perhaps is where he got his motivation
Rainbow bird and monster man:
- Close up of bad teeth. These close ups are a constant reminder for the audience of the social economic environment that the subject grew up in.
- Use of poetic elements in re-enactments. Slow motion – smoke. Focus on one element while the rest of the screen is dark
- “I just felt warm and loved” demonstrates how it is a cycle of abuse, not through an abstract concept, but coming from his mouth
The falling man
- the events of 9/11 have been well documented, to does this add anything more? In the aftermath there were many profiles on families who had lost loved ones – how they died – how the family found out – what they were likeas people. Many of the stories and interviews I felt were like ones I had already heard and for me did not add much insight
-
Go back to were you came form
- example of a documentary taking its inspiration from popular tv. Format based on reality tv shows such as Survivor and The Amazing Race
- Starts on the basis that these are ignorant ordinary people who don’t understand the issues. While is largely true, in reality the issue is nether black or white and some of their concerns have validity but this is never acknowledged
Trumbo
- Using Hollywood actors is a way to engage an audience that might not otherwise be interested in seeing an historical documentary on the McCarthy era.
Standard Operating Procedure:
- Direct to camera done with uncluttered background which gives nothing away about the civilian life of those being interviewed. The viewer just focuses on their words and story.
- Weight motive. The mothers weight diminishes as the same time that her relations with her husband and some relatives also diminishes
- One side of family argument. The only point of view that is heard is the mothers and the daughters. As the husband is never interviewed and full story is never known by the audience
-
- Exposes the human impact of values. The documentary shows a devastating example of how relations between people can be destroyed by different world views about how family relationships should be conducted
Man on wire:
- taken on new significance since twin towers destruction. The twin towers take on a new symbol as a metaphor what extremes are possible by humanity
- Plenty on material to work with. Documentary makers dream – he shot a lot of his own material in the lead up to the walk
- Girl insight. The respect and admiration from his girlfriend give some insight into the responses from people that he got from his work which perhaps is where he got his motivation
Rainbow bird and monster man:
- Close up of bad teeth. These close ups are a constant reminder for the audience of the social economic environment that the subject grew up in.
- Use of poetic elements in re-enactments. Slow motion – smoke. Focus on one element while the rest of the screen is dark
- “I just felt warm and loved” demonstrates how it is a cycle of abuse, not through an abstract concept, but coming from his mouth
The falling man
- the events of 9/11 have been well documented, to does this add anything more? In the aftermath there were many profiles on families who had lost loved ones – how they died – how the family found out – what they were likeas people. Many of the stories and interviews I felt were like ones I had already heard and for me did not add much insight
-
Go back to were you came form
- example of a documentary taking its inspiration from popular tv. Format based on reality tv shows such as Survivor and The Amazing Race
- Starts on the basis that these are ignorant ordinary people who don’t understand the issues. While is largely true, in reality the issue is nether black or white and some of their concerns have validity but this is never acknowledged
Trumbo
- Using Hollywood actors is a way to engage an audience that might not otherwise be interested in seeing an historical documentary on the McCarthy era.
Standard Operating Procedure:
- Direct to camera done with uncluttered background which gives nothing away about the civilian life of those being interviewed. The viewer just focuses on their words and story.
Book extract: For a Better Life We Came: Photographs and Memories of 16 Greek and Italian migrants
For a Better Life We Came: Photographs and Memories of 16 Greek and Italian migrants, collected and edited by the Brunswick Oral History Project, Brunswick City Council, 1985.
Book Extract: Women, Gender and Diasporic Lives; Labor, Community and Identity in Greek Migrations
Tastsoglou, E.(ed) Women, Gender and Diasporic Lives; Labor, Community and Identity in Greek Migrations, Lexington Books, 2009.
Book Extract: Who Do You Think You Are?
Herne, K. Travaglia, J. & Weiss, E.(eds) Who do you think you are? Second Generation Immigrant Women in Australia. Women’s Redress Press, 1994.
Book Extract: Migrant Women: Proceedings of a One-Day Conference
Migrant Women: Proceedings of a One-Day Conference, Queensland Ethnic Welfare Development Association, 1983.
Book Extract: Mediterranean Women in Australia: An Overview. Clearing House on Migration Issues
Bottomly, G. Mediterranean Women in Australia: An Overview. Clearing House on Migration Issues, 1984.
Book Extract: An Investigation into the health-illness-suffering experiences of a sample of Greek born members of 12 Greek Australian families
Kanitsaki, O. An Investigation into the health-illness-suffering experiences of a sample of Greek born members of 12 Greek Australian families living in Melbourne, La Trobe University, 1989.
Book Extract: An Illustrated History of the Greeks in Australia
Tamis, A. An Illustrated History of the Greeks in Australia, Dardalis Archives of the Greek Community, La Trobe University, 1997.
Bibliography and Filmography for Calliope Documentary
Bibliography
Barnouw, E. Documentary. A History of the Non-fiction Film. Oxford University Press, 1983
Bottomly, G. Mediterranean Women in Australia: An Overview. Clearing House on Migration Issues, 1984.
For a Better Life We Came: Photographs and Memories of 16 Greek and Italian migrants, collected and edited by the Brunswick Oral History Project, Brunswick City Council, 1985.
Herne, K. Travaglia, J. & Weiss, E.(eds) Who do you think you are? Second Generation Immigrant Women in Australia. Women’s Redress Press, 1994.
Kanitsaki, O. An Investigation into the health-illness-suffering experiences of a sample of Greek born members of 12 Greek Australian families living in Melbourne, La Trobe University, 1989.
McEnteer, J. Shooting the Truth. The Rise of American Political Documentaries. Praeger Publishers, 2006.
Migrant Women: Proceedings of a One-Day Conference, Queensland Ethnic Welfare Development Association, 1983.
Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 2001.
Rabiger, M. Directing the Documentary. 5th Edition. Focal Press, 2009.
Tamis, A. & Gavaki, E. From Migrants to Citizens: Greek Migration in Australia and Canada, The National Centre for Hellenic Studies and Research, La Trobe University, 2002.
Tamis, A. An Illustrated History of the Greeks in Australia, Dardalis Archives of the Greek Community, La Trobe University, 1997.
Tastsoglou, E.(ed) Women, Gender and Diasporic Lives; Labor, Community and Identity in Greek Migrations, Lexington Books, 2009.
Toeplitz, J. A Few Lectures on Documentary Film. Australian Film and Television School, 1979.
Winston, B. Claiming the Real. The Documentary Film Revisited, British Film Institute, 1995.
Benyahia, SC. Teaching Film and TV Documentary, British Film Institute, 2007.
Filmography
Island Home Country. Dir Jeni Thornley, Anandi Films 2008 (52mins)
Tracing Aleida, The Story of a Search. Dir Christiane Burkhard, Icarus Films 2007 (88mins)
The Sugar Curtain. Dir Camila Guzman Urzua, Icarus Films 2006 (82mins)
The Man Who Stole My Mother’s Face. Dir Cathy Henkel.
Barnouw, E. Documentary. A History of the Non-fiction Film. Oxford University Press, 1983
Bottomly, G. Mediterranean Women in Australia: An Overview. Clearing House on Migration Issues, 1984.
For a Better Life We Came: Photographs and Memories of 16 Greek and Italian migrants, collected and edited by the Brunswick Oral History Project, Brunswick City Council, 1985.
Herne, K. Travaglia, J. & Weiss, E.(eds) Who do you think you are? Second Generation Immigrant Women in Australia. Women’s Redress Press, 1994.
Kanitsaki, O. An Investigation into the health-illness-suffering experiences of a sample of Greek born members of 12 Greek Australian families living in Melbourne, La Trobe University, 1989.
McEnteer, J. Shooting the Truth. The Rise of American Political Documentaries. Praeger Publishers, 2006.
Migrant Women: Proceedings of a One-Day Conference, Queensland Ethnic Welfare Development Association, 1983.
Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 2001.
Rabiger, M. Directing the Documentary. 5th Edition. Focal Press, 2009.
Tamis, A. & Gavaki, E. From Migrants to Citizens: Greek Migration in Australia and Canada, The National Centre for Hellenic Studies and Research, La Trobe University, 2002.
Tamis, A. An Illustrated History of the Greeks in Australia, Dardalis Archives of the Greek Community, La Trobe University, 1997.
Tastsoglou, E.(ed) Women, Gender and Diasporic Lives; Labor, Community and Identity in Greek Migrations, Lexington Books, 2009.
Toeplitz, J. A Few Lectures on Documentary Film. Australian Film and Television School, 1979.
Winston, B. Claiming the Real. The Documentary Film Revisited, British Film Institute, 1995.
Benyahia, SC. Teaching Film and TV Documentary, British Film Institute, 2007.
Filmography
Island Home Country. Dir Jeni Thornley, Anandi Films 2008 (52mins)
Tracing Aleida, The Story of a Search. Dir Christiane Burkhard, Icarus Films 2007 (88mins)
The Sugar Curtain. Dir Camila Guzman Urzua, Icarus Films 2006 (82mins)
The Man Who Stole My Mother’s Face. Dir Cathy Henkel.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
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