Ngarrindjeri Media - story training

2009 December - Coorong SA

Advice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this website and video links may contain images and voices of people who have died.

The Change Media Team conducted the second production workshop with the newly formed Ngarrindjeri Media Team to continue their training in film narratives, interview techniques, editing and media management.

The training covered an introduction to film narratives, editing and file management and basic interview techniques. The team created content for the prototype Change Media Indigenous digital media training resource, to be delivered July 2010.

The challenge this session was to shoot indoor and outdoor interviews, with elders and community members;  focusing on research techniques, interview questions, making the interviewee comfortable, checking lighting, framing and sound. Each team member conducted several interviews for their films.

Partners

Apple

Arts SA

Australia Council for the Arts

Indigenous Coordination Centre SA

Indigenous Cultural Support, Office for the Arts, Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport

Ngarrindjeri Land and Progress Association

Ngarrindjeri Ruwe Contracting

Ngarrindjeri Bushwalk

Ngarrindjeri Media - doco training - 2009 November - Coorong SA

Advice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this website and video links contain images and voices of people who have died.

The Change Media Team conducted the first production workshop with the newly formed Ngarrindjeri Media Team to develop a long-term strategy to establish a sustainable Media Hub and train them as producers & trainers.

Over several meetings prior to the first production workshop the team developed plans for the long-term collaboration. During this workshop the team identified key areas where media would be useful in their community and then produced content for their films and the prototype Change Media Indigenous digital media training resource, to be delivered July 2010.

The participants started shooting on three stories from the 6 main film concepts they identified: a promotional/ educational clip about the cultural activities at Camp Coorong; documentation of traditional arts practices, (canoe making, feather flowers, weaving); a documentary about the Ngarrindjeri ANZAC’s; a documentary about Caring for Country, including sustainable water management; and training videos about how to podcast and use digital media to promote activities and engage young people.

The training covered an introduction to the new Ngarrindjeri Media Centre’s HDV camera, sound equipment, tripod and iMac computer.

The challenge this session was to cover a real life event as a 2-camera shoot with radio-mics (hand-held) during a cultural bush-walk with a large group of primary School students, hosted by Ngarrindjeri elder, Tom Trevorrow.

Partners

Apple

Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities

Australia Council for the Arts

Indigenous Coordination Centre SA

Indigenous Cultural Support, Office for the Arts, Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport

Ngarrindjeri Land and Progress Association

Ngarrindjeri Ruwe Contracting

Riverland Youth Theatre SA

2009 November - Renmark SA

Change Media worked with 12 participants from the Riverland Youth Theatre to explore innovative ways to incorporate digital media into their creative programs. The participants made three edit-in-camera videos.

We tailored the workshop to suit a range of skill levels and experience, our aim to share as much digital media knowledge as possible in a 1-day session: with one group we focused on comedy and satire, another expressed an emotional journey with objects and the third team wanted to tell a real documentary story – the Herculean challenge was to convert each concept into film, script, understand film narratives and angles, act, and learn how to shoot an edit-in-camera video we will all watch at the end of the day!
All participants achieved basic camera, audio and screen language skills.
We also explored innovative ways to incorporate digital media into the school curriculum.

Working with regional youth, arts and theatre practitioners was an exciting challenge for our team. The diverse team of young and not-so-young artists came up with a range of fantastic ideas for their edit-in-camera films: how does it feel to make a tree change, the politics of politics and bullying from the perspective of gym balls…
It was amazing to watch their films at the end of the day, shot in only a few hours.

Partners

Apple

Arts SA

Australia Council for the Arts

Country Arts SA

Riverland Youth Theatre

Y Art? - Propel Youth Arts WA

Propel Youth Arts video workshop - 2009 October - Propel Youth Arts WA

Propel Youth Arts WA created the PropFest project with support from Museums WA to explore how young people engage with the museums and galleries of Perth. The Hero Project worked with 15 young people and youth arts workers at Propel Youth Arts WA to teach them digital media and video production skills, so they could produce a film about this issue.

That is the question for two Gen Y’ers who set out to prove that Perth doesn’t need a YOUTH ARTS CENTRE. This tongue-in-cheek documentary reflects on Perth’s vibrant youth arts scene, how to revitalise galleries and museums, and of course mining, monster trucks and shopping.

The newly formed team spent a lot of time debating what art, culture and gallery spaces means for them as young people. They settled on one main theme and created a film in only four days to address an urgently needed service to support young artists in the community; a youth arts centre for Perth.

Partners

Apple

Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities

Australia Council for the Arts

Lottery West

Museums Australia WA

Propel Youth Arts WA

I am a Rocket - Dfaces Whyalla SA

HYPER program workshop 2009 June - Whyalla SA

 D’Faces of Youth Arts Whyalla requested a professional development session to support them set up their youth media centre. They were also keen to produce a documentary about Port Lowly, but due to a last minute change in program, our team tailored a workshop with a group of young people from D’Faces and its HYPER Program to make a series of short films based on the theme, ‘What gets in your way?’.

One of the four co-created films, I Am A Rocket, was selected for the prestiguous Children’s FIlm Festival in Mumbai, India.

Through a series of brainstorming and hands-on sessions the teams produced 4 hilarious films: Abby follows her family tradition sky-high in I am a Rocket, soon-to-be hairdressers face it off in World War 3, two jaded rock stars mop up their success in Josh Burns, and a bunch of understated super heroes are in search for their necessary nemesis…meet the Failtaculars…
The message: Don’t let anyone get in your way to do what you want with your life!

Community art often has a mandate to voice overtly political and/or sensitive issues, which can impact on sponsorship deals along the arts funding pipelines. One strategy discussed was to request clear guidelines from funding bodies about how to deal with art content that potentially could upset corporate sponsors. It is important to identify how these funding relationships may impact on job positions and funding decisions.

The 3-day workshop was re-designed for 10 young people at risk from the Hyper Program, D’faces, with the challenge: ‘How do you see yourself in the future?’ The spontaneous answers: super heroes, rock-stars, a rocket and hairdressers! After a quick story boarding and scripting session, the teams interviewed each other to get the main voice-over for their films. Then on location at Middleback Theatre, TAFE hair and beauty facilities and a Deli.  In the hardware store Rocket Girl had the most weird and wonderful encounters. The TAFE youth worker was so impressed that he now wants to engage the young people to document local events..

Partners

Apple

Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities

Australia Council for the Arts

D’faces of Youth Arts Whyalla and its HYPER program through the Attorney General’s Office SA

Middleback Theatre

SA Youth Arts Board

Mai Palya - Tullawon Health Service Yalata

Tullawon Health Service Yalata - Indigenous health campaign 2009 May - Yalata SA

Advice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this website and video links may contain images and voices of people who have died.

C’mon kids, you look tired! Lets go cook something healthy to eat, it’ll give you energy to run and play all day.
Fish is good for the brain, vegetables keep you healthy and bush tucker like kangaroo tails keep you strong.  

Our team worked with the Yalata Anangu community and Tullawon Aboriginal Health Service to produce a short film addressing community concerns around healthy eating.

During the 4 day workshop with over 25 participants the group brainstormed, shot and edited their film to promote healthy and active lifestyles. To get the whole team on board, we moved focus from healthy eating to healthy living; as there was huge pride for their sporting activities; BMX biking, acrobatic back flips, playing footy. To showcase healthy food the group prepared and cooked easy to make meals in the bush and kitchen. On location the whole team filmed the preparation of damper and kangaroo tail at a camp fire. The outcome overwhelmed the whole community.

The project is a benchmark for us to show how digital media (from making snapshots to complex films), can bridge cultural and social divides.

One of our key aims is media literacy for liberation. However, as white media makers and educators, we are challenged to adequately offer support to an Indigenous community who have been forcibly removed from their land during the Maralinga atom bomb testing and must work hard to keep culture and maintain a functioning social structure. Dabbling in media can appear a secondary concern under these conditions.
Our experience with such collaborations is that using media can have a profound impact. We worked with the adult supporters to develop digital media tutorials that engage the community and raise expectations and self-esteem. It was encouraging for the adult supporters in the community to see participants who struggle to speak at all for several years, address the camera and spend hours shooting and editing their film.

As a result, the youth workers are now sourcing funding to get digital media equipment to continue the work.

Partners

Anangu School

Apple

Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities

Australia Council for the Arts

Indigenous Coordination Centre SA

Indigenous Cultural Support, Office for the Arts, Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport

Tullawon Health Service Inc

Yalata Aboriginal Community

Precious - Unley SA

Unley Seniors intergenerational workshop - 2009 May - Unley SA

   The Hero Project youth team worked with 30 aging Unley residents and Unley City Council staff to produce video content for the cross-media exhibition ‘Precious’ for the City of Unley.

   The Hero Project youth team recorded 30 interviews with aging residents across Unley.
Each of the old people brought their ‘precious’ object with them and told the team their story. The youth team set up interviews, recorded several frame-sizes and took digital stills to document the interviews. The video then was compiled for a public projection installation.

Partners

Apple

City of Unley

On the Move - Dungog NSW

Arts Upper Hunter Dungog workshop - 2009 April - Dungog NSW

Arts Upper Hunter invited the Hero Project to run a workshop titled ‘Portraits of Place’, to work with locals to create a film about Dungog. In their first film workshop together, 12 Dungog locals explored a seemingly quirky topic, yet controversial exposition of the hidden tensions in their town. Their film, On The Move, got selected for the renown Dungog International Film Festival and featured on ABC.

At first glance the country town of Dungog in NSW feels like any other quiet, small rural town. Driving down the main street, past the monument one would never suspect that the community is divided. The problem is the local icon in the middle of the main street. Is it a monument or an obelisk? A round about or a traffic hazard? And more importantly should it be moved?

Dungog locals explored how they could make a film that would portray their town and life AND do justice to all of their creative visions?! This resulted in several intense brainstorming sessions, teams conducting a series of interviews and a fabulous factory style editing suite as everyone crafted the final film. And finally it all revolved around the monument in the main street!

It is fantastic to see how the story evolved and everyone experimented with new art forms. Their project promptly attracted the interest of the local media, the Dungog Chronicle. The Arts Upper Hunter development officer was also keen to train up the 5 adult supporters, so they could keep producing their own films, with the aim to take part in the Dungog film festival as local artists… the final film screened during the Dungog Film Festival – so watch out, Bruce and Hugo, there’s home-grown competition!

Partners

Apple

Arts NSW

Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities

Arts Upper Hunter Inc

Australia Council for the Arts

Country Womens Association

Dungog Shire Council

What's Yours is Mine...d - Gloucester

Arts Upper Hunter Gloucester workshop - 2009 April - Gloucester NSW

Arts Upper Hunter invited the Hero Project to run a workshop titled ‘Portraits of Place’, to work with locals to create a film about Gloucester. 20 participants from all walks of life decided very quickly they wanted to explore the impact of coal mining on their community and environment. Their film, Whats Yours is Mine...d, made in only three days, was screened at several local and national film festivals.

Join Eric Ingot as he shows Gloucester their future. With reassuring confidence and panache he identifies the multitude of benefits to enjoy from an open cut mine. “At Envira-Coal, we dig the future! “

The Gloucester team met for the first time at the Council’s youth centre. Within an hour, they had identified their story – the looming open pit coal mine, that is threatening to destroy their beautiful environment. Their biggest challenge: how to make a community film that depicts a possible threat, raises awareness and educates without scaring your audience? They created a satirical pro-mining advertisement, applying spin doctor messages to sell-up potential problems as benefits!  The diverse team, aged 14-65, learnt how to script and pace a comedic narrative, storyboard and film on multiple locations. 8 laptops formed a mobile edit unit, with every team producing a different chapter of the story, plus music, titles and GFX.

Partners

Apple

Arts NSW

Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities

Arts Upper Hunter Inc

Australia Council for the Arts

Gloucester City Council Youth Centre

Pom Fiction - Hallet Cove SA

Hallet Cove Council youth workshop - 2009 February - Hallett Cove SA

Hallett Cove R-12 School and the Cove Youth Service asked the Hero Project team to work with their students to produce a documentary about their experiences coming to Australia, to support new arrivals from Britain.

There are many challenges for young British migrants when they first arrive in Australia. A group of teenagers from Hallett Cove have set out to demystify those first impressions: from flies, thongs, spiders, sharks, sunburn to football… Australia is different – but you are not alone!

The participants, who had only recently migrated from the UK, had a very clear idea how they wanted to proceed: create a tongue-in-cheek, humorous take on boring edu-videos. The adult supporters had a different vision about how educational material should look. The Hero Project brokered a viable compromise. This peer-produced documentary is full of heart-warming tips and tricks, to support new arrivals from Britain. It also keeps an upbeat and fun tone, no need to bore the students who watch this resource in school!

Partners

Apple

Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities

Australia Council for the Arts

Cove Youth Service Inc

Hallett Cove R-12 School

Marion City Council