Assignment 4 Sue Maslin: Focus Documentary

Documentary Film about Sue Maslin AO

Click here to view the documentary 

Reflection

This semester’s ‘Women Besides the Screen’ studio has opened my mind to women in the industry and provided me with the confidence and new network of women I am able to collaborate with in the future. I have gained so much insight into the Australian film industry and especially women in film. This has provided me the opportunity to interview and meet with some of the industry’s most well-known producers Sue Maslin AO. I was fortunate for her generosity towards a young media student and replying to my email and providing me firsthand experience into a world of possibility while providing the best advice any young filmmaker should consider.

 

A quick introduction to Sue Maslin, this film was a short 5 minute documentary about women in the film industry. She runs a successful production company ‘Film Arts Media’ where she producers amazing works such as Brazen Hussies, The Dressmaker, Japanese Story, and many more. She has paved the way for women in film working on fellowships like the Natalie Miller fellowship awards. Providing women the opportunity funding for projects or developing their career. Through her passion for young artists, it has helped so many countless names make their way through the industry.

 

What are the current barriers that women face in the film industry?

The current barriers for women in the film industry have begun to slowly progress over the last decade but much works need to be done in order to meet the imbalance women face within the film industry. There are many challenges women face throughout working within the film industry one of many being, funding for projects that have female protagonists as they deemed to be ‘not commercial”. This is due to fact that women and audiences have been trained unconsciously of the gender bias of the male gaze. Many films are constructed around the idea of women being sexualized or seen as an object rather than something being of value.

 

Another factor that women face is the under-representation of women in key technical roles such as writers, cinematographers, and DOPs. Lisa French talks about the importance of “having more women in these key roles increased females’ participation in the industry and increases the female stories told there. This suggests that a way to achieve more women participating in the industry is to ensure more women hold key creatives roles.” (French, L, 2015) with women in leadership positions it is possible that women will take on these key roles. Gender data released by Screen Australia (2013) reveals women in feature films made up 29 percent of producers, 20 percent of writers, and 16 percent of directors (Screens Australia, 2013)

 

Women have proven themselves time and time again “considering that women are a minority percentage in key creative and most other areas, it is notable that women were represented in all competitive categories at the 2015 AACTA Awards with 50 percent of sole awards or a shared 57 percent of wins, this demonstrates that women’s performance above their numerical representation.” (French L, 2015)

 

This proves that women do have the means to write and create work that is exceptional and award-winning work, therefore, there should be no excuse as to why people shouldn’t be directing, writing, or working a camera. “Women have the talent to drive a successful industry, and the fact that they are still not achieving equal participation is a significant problem for the industry.” (French L, 2015)

 

Women being more dominant in the industry and having the balance of genders allows for a diversity of storytelling and creates new perspectives for ideas, communities, and most important stories.

 

Why does it matter that we encourage women to enter the film industry?

 

Women need to be in the industry for creative diversity of stories and ideas on the big screen to allow people the opportunity to expand their knowledge and learn. Not only to culturally be aware but to showcase representation of different cultures, communities, disabilities and races, religions, and beliefs. People need to feel seen within our community and feel represented. British filmmaker Joanna Lipper explains her love for films about women that are “complex, multifaceted women who defy expectations and create their own destiny rather than surrender to circumstances.” (French L, 2015)

 

In addition representation of women in key leadership roles allows for other women to enter the industry and create opportunities to take on roles as writers, cinematographers, and  DOPs. “Another tendency observed as more common in the worker of women documentary filmmakers is an inclination to uncover social problems”, women tend to be more self-aware and observe from an outsider’s perspective. Often it’s communities who have felt disadvantaged and sometimes can relate to people who are struggling.

 

It is so important women continue to enter the film industry as there is a need for people to discover stories and share them with audiences and find that connection with an audience.

 

How did the person you interviewed navigate their way through these barriers?

 

Sue Maslin struggled with receiving funding for her feature film The Dressmaker due to the fact that it was a female protagonist which indicated that it wasn’t viable for commercial consumption. Convincing companies such as Universal to allow the story to be told is something Sue struggled to find and convince people to take on the story and allow for the breakthrough of female protagonists. As this is a common theme many females continue to battle many organizations are bringing awareness to the issue and are facilitating conversations to speak about the issues in public. According to (Loreck, Mitchell, Monaghan, and Stevens, 2020) “facilitates ongoing dialogue around issues faced by women working across independent filming and commercial screen industry, including practical training, barriers to career building and access to funding.” Raising awareness and calling to action funding bodies making them accountable for their actions. The Dressmaker paved the way for female leadership productions on top of the female protagonists.

 

Sue mentions that in the early 80s up until about 5 years ago females protagonists were non-existent. The Dressmaker broke down this stigma and proved to the industry that females in lead roles are viable and ‘commercial’. This echoed throughout the conversation I had with Sue. Her determination and focus towards the end goal of funding for the film and convincing people of it being commercial was her biggest struggle which she successfully overcome.

When Sue Maslin first started out in the film industry there was no pathway for women, finding role models was not a viable option nor were it visible to see women leading the way. Sue had to create her own way through the film industry and generously creating the path for the following generations of women. Her passion, focus, and determination to female projects that were moving and told stories that were impactful really did help with breaking down barriers and her success and what she has accomplished.

 

What stylistic choices did you make in the film, and what other works influenced your creative choices?

 

Incorporating photos from Sue’s personal collection of memories allowed for that personal touch throughout the documentary as well as using clips from her films while talking about specific experiences as women and relating them back to match what she was mentioning.

My stylistic choice was to keep it simple and focus on the messages of Sue and her advice for the younger generations. It is very valuable to hear from people who are well accomplished and well known to give time out of their day to provide wisdom and advice.

 

 

What would you do differently if you created your profile film again, and why?

I would have taken the time to fully assess what I wanted my story to be about and ask more specific questions to Sue Maslin. From there I would have preferred to capture some b-roll of Sue from a day-to-day perspective whether it was in her office or somewhere out in the open allowing for more variety of footage and keep the audience more attenuative towards the message was conveying.

 

Overall, this project has been enjoyable to work on although there have been various highs and lows of the project I am grateful for the opportunity for reaching out to Sue Maslin and for her taking the time out of her day to sit down and have a conversation about the Australian film industry and the importance of telling women stories and having them on the big screen with females in key leadership positions such as writers, directors, cinematographers, producers, and DOPs. These are all so important and to have quotas to close the gap on gender in balance amongst females and males in the industry.

 

From this experience, I have taken away so much wisdom and knowledge but also inspiration from hearing from Sue and all the other women that have been interviewed for this project. I am excited for the future and the possibility of what is to come next.

 

References:

“French, L., ‘Does Gender Matter?” Lumine: Australian Journal of Screen Arts and Business, No 14, May 2015, pp. 139-153.”

Gender Matters: Women in the Australian Screen Industry, Screen Australia report 2015

“Looking back, Moving Forward: Retrospective at the Melbourne Women in Film Festival” 2020 Janice Loreck, Sian Mitchell, Whitney Monaghan, and Kristen Stevens.

Women Besides the Screen A2 Sue Maslin Interview

Prompt 1 – Interview

Click here to view mico videos

 

Prompt 2 – Interview Reflection

The industry person I chose to interview was Sue Maslin, she is one of Australia’s most successful film, television, and digital content producers. I had the great opportunity to interview with her via Zoom spoke about a variety of topics ranging from her expansive 35-year career in the film and television industry to the importance of telling women’s stories and the role women play within the film industry. I will also discuss through readings the importance of the topics discussed in our interview with academic resources.

During our interview, I asked Sue Maslin a range of questions about her career and I wanted to gather a larger perspective of her opinion towards the impact of women within the film industry and whether at any point she ever felt questioned or seconded guessed because of her gender. One encounter she faced was when she was raising funds for the film The Dressmaker she was in a board room full of executives convincing them that having a female protagonist was not an issue and would find an audience, in particular women. Evidence shows that 50 percent of cinemas seats are occupied by women. Sue Maslin emphasized the importance of telling women’s stories for women audiences “the recent success of projects such as The Dressmaker has made a strong commercial case for a greater number of independent films helmed by women for a female cinema-going audience.” (Screen Australia, 2015 p.2) in order to do this you need women leading in key roles for instance producers, directors, and writers.

As the interview carried on I wanted to know more about being in control and being able to direct the narrative, taking control of telling stories from a female perspective and that can only be done when women are in charge of key senior positions. Sue Maslin mentions when she is working on a project she aims to work with a female writer and director to maintain that focus on female perspective “women have the talent to drive a successful industry, and the fact that they are still not achieving equal participation is a significant problem for the industry.” (French, L 2015)

One thing I took away from the interview was her advice for younger generations. Her advice ‘find your tribe’ and ‘maintain focus’ supporting other women is important, to do these spaces need to be created to share stores and network. Events such as the Melbourne Women’s Film Festival create an opportunity to connect “Our festival recovers and builds a legacy of Australian women’s cinema. Yet as with our first event, our aim is not only to screen the works of the post.” (Kaufman, T. 2009 p.165). Having spaces to share stories creates an archive “the festival brings into a dialogue of the past and the present of Australian women’s filmmaking and encourages emerging filmmakers to break a new ground.” (Kaufman, T. 2009 p.165)

I feel grateful for the opportunity to speak with Sue Maslin getting to know more about her process and experience of being in the film industry is a great insight for younger generations and words of wisdom to inspire the next generation.

 

 

 

Reference:

“Gender Matters: Women in the Australian Screen Industry” report (2015)

French, L., ‘Does Gender Matter?’ Lumina: Australian Journal of Screen Arts and

Business, No. 14, May 2015, pp. 139-153.

Kaufman, T. 2009, Film Festivals: LOOKING FORWARD, The Australian Teachers of Media Inc, St Kilda

Smaill, B. 2009, The Documentary: Politics, Emotion, Culture, Palgrave Macmillan Limited, London.

Women Beside the Screen – Assignment 1

Prompt 1 – Film

Click here to view video

Prompt 2 – Six Questions

 

 

References:

Women Beside the Screen Wk1 – Introduction

This week was my first face-to-face class for 2021! This is was exciting and daunting at the same time being around a group of people in a small room was something I have not experienced in a long time. Once we were all together and hearing about everyone’s inspirations for choosing this studio really motivating and inspired me.

During class we watched and listened to content about women working within the industry, hearing from Kristen Stevens was very interesting and my first in person exposure of successful woman who has been working within the industry and spreading awareness of how great women are within the film industry. Getting her perspective and being consumed in her passion was truly amazing. The concepts that Kristen explained and the ideas behind why women are still not equally represented within film was very special and interesting to learn. Her passion towards MWFF was great to see, it is unfortunate that I missed the festival but I really look forward to contributing towards this amazing space dedicated to women creatives.

In addition to hearing from Kristen Stevens it was also great to watch part of the documentary on Jill Bilcock, being such an amazing editor and learning about what has contributed towards film was such an eye opening documentary.

These were key moments of the first week of the studio which were great first inspirations for the rest of the semester! I look forward to what is coming next.

Week 11 Post Production FONTS!

Entering into the final stages of editing and polishing our video essay’s for ACMI this week has been quiet the task, this is usually the time people start to stress and spend long nights working on their video trying to figure out the final details. Meeting up with Field in class to clarify all our worries and check off on specific parts of the video was helpful. It is also a great insight into witnessing how commission work operations and all the fiddly parts line-up with the needs of the client but also the creator.

Our group is on track to finishing on time and maybe even a little earlier, there needs to be some re-filming of the video however, they are minor task and again small details that can be fixed. I am very proud and excited of how well our group is working, meeting up every Wednesday to delegate and catch up on how each member is travelling has been a big help and also to make sure everyone is staying on task which has been really great.

One aspect of this week that has been super confusing and conflicting is the issue and clarification of FONTS! Many groups were confused and made mistakes on their video on which needed to be changed. Our group was mixed as well as had fonts in parts and others parts had no font. It was helpful to have Field in class to clarify and clear up on things fonts

Our group is content with the feedback we received from Field and the minor tweaks we are able to make to the enhance the video as well meet the requirements of ACMI.

 

Assignment #4 Screen Lab, ACMI Project ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’

Created by Georgia Bertolino, Beatrice Madamba & Tiani Wiropuspito

In collaboration with ACMI we were given the opportunity to share film techniques that directors utilise when creating a narrative in a film. Our group chose to explore ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’. This technique aims to confuse and distort the audience’s viewing experience. This video essay aims to define what it means to ‘break’ the fourth wall.

Click here to view the ACMI Article

 

 

Studio Recap

I have learnt a lot throughout Screen Lab this semester, Cat has guided and provided advice and has taught me new skills to adapt my story telling. To be more engaging and succinct with my camera work and in order to execute the narrative. The opportunity to engage with new forms of media and learn about different techniques and the operations of film has been super interesting. One thing that was interesting to discover were all the technical aspects of making films, videos and content. I personally am not into all the super technical gear and gadgets that are made within our world however, Cat’s passion on al topics related to audio and technical encouraged me to find a respect and interest. I have also learnt a lot about my style and approach to making films, which was a stark contrast from last studio where I was analysing media rather than creating. I have learnt a lot from Cat herself and how she works and her style and approach. I can say is I have improved my approach to making films immensely through pre-production planning and editing with Premier Pro.

On top of all the new skills, it has been such a great opportunity to work along side ACMI specially Field Car. I never thought I would have the opportunity to work along side world renowned museum of moving image. It is such an exciting opportunity, it is a shame that we never were able to work in person I manage to gain a lot from this studio and look forward to seeing other opportunities like this studio to do this again.

Screen Lab is the most informative and creative studios I have taken so far, I have learnt while being guided by the best but also encouraged to challenge my thinking creativity through difficult circumstances this year. Screen Lab has pushed me to think creatively in a different way and think outside the box rather then following the crowd.

 

The Production

Aesthetic

The groups initial idea for the beginning this assessment to narrow down toward the style and look of the video. We focused on how we wanted it to look but also what were we trying to say. As this was a collaboration with ACMI we still want to showcase our personalities throughout the video as well include information about this unique film technique.

Our approach towards the aesthetic style and development process was ensuring that information about ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’ shone through. As the main part of the entire video is to inform an audience who is unfamiliar about this film technique and explain the film technique while answering questions viewers might have, what is it,  how it is done and where can it be seen. From there we wanted to engage the audience right from the beginning, the group included a comedic live-action take at the beginning and the end allowing for a short narrative to be included as an example of how the fourth wall can be broken.

 

 

Pre-Production

 

 

Our first step was to create a page we could all brainstorm ideas, questions and stylistic approach towards the video essay. Once this was created we were able to formulate a concept that would mesh well with our topic while also attracting audiences.

From there we formulated a script comprising of editing notes ques for certain effects and timing and lines that would be read out for the video. Our final script included dialogue for the live-action as well as dialogue for the main part of the video which was the informational section. The script guides us and presented a textual idea of our approach for the video essay. The script was a fundamental aspect for guiding us in the editing process as well as making changes and notes from feedback we received from teachers and peers. With all these edits and changed that were made we received feedback to aid us to enhance the film and take on a third party view. This was helpful to us to see any oversights the group may have missed. After receiving feedback we made changes and was then ready to film.

Our choice for including a live-action take at the beginning and end of the video was to demonstrate how an actor would break the fourth wall while adding a comedic aspect to capture the visitors attention. In addition it would tie everything in the video together with an added story to tie the video together while showcasing our personalities.

Throughout our pre-production we began to recognize we had similar styles and visions towards the final product of the video which we found helped with collaboration but as well when someone in the group was explaining an idea we understood what they were talking about and could gauge their visualization.

As the category is ‘short-form’ creators only have a certain amount of time, it is important the narrative of the story is a prominent feature within the short two and half minutes. While considering the story and the narrative the added element of information is so important. Picking the right and most direct information that will answer the questions thoroughly and to point is so important.

 

Filming

Our approach to the video was to break it down into three parts, we each would feature and edit the beginning middle and end. This was the most effective approach for the group to put everything together and all put our own spin on the video which was then compiled and finalised by Tiani. Our style for the video had a combination of both live-action and found footage, which as a group we agreed that everything worked well and coherently together and told a narrative along the way.

For filming the outro I filmed on my iPhone which I found the most effective way to get my message across and fit the aesthetic of the video. Our inspiration for the ending was the opening of the Brady Bunch which is features in the image above in the top right. I loved how they benefited from the fourth wall and interested in such a way that was comedic and but also demonstrated they were apart of the narrative. In addition te us of the moving boxes and to fit their face fit our aestheitc for this short form video.

Filming was completed over a certain amount of days we needed to re-film and re-edit certain parts on top of all of this we were not able to film together which extened the time of film. The group managed to complete all elements we wanted to include in the video.

 

 

 

 

Editing

Here is a screenshot of my timeline via Premier-Pro, as previously mentioned we each edited our own recorded parts of the video which Tiani and then compiled to make one video. While editing ensuring that titles and sound would match the video was a challenge however, I managed to put everything together make the final edit smooth and ensure that Tiani was able to work with my video. One struggle I found was ensuring the voice recoding was -6DB and ensure that was across the entire video and avoiding variations of sounds. There were a few changed that were need to be made particularly from my video such as legibility of titles and timing issues. When provided feedback from Cat we made these final edits and ensure these were corrected in the final video.

Collaboration

Collaboration this year has been a challenge for many especially for group work within studios. Personally I have found in order to make group work successful you need to have several key elements in order to execute your goals. These include; open communication, delegation, commitment, recognizing people’s various circumstances and being adaptable within the group. These several key elements have helped my group find success in achieve our group goals as well as individual.

Open communication is an obvious one but one many tend of oversee, during this semester our group made a point to let each other know if we were struggling but also updating each other on the progress of each induvial task. Having this open line of communication allowed everyone know what was going on who was doing and having a general idea of what tasks were being complete. Open communication allows a simple process of delegation continue and commitment to thrive. As a group we discovered that once delegation was made if helped with the flow of the project but also meet deadlines that were set. Throughout the flow on effect of these process there was confidence within the group which establish trust amongst the group and allowed people to open up and inform the group if they were struggling and allow someone else in the group step-in and aid that person into completing the task to meet the deadline. What was discovered from several elements of the group was this process of smooth and open ended communication with one another. I believe it also helped that our personalities got along as well but setting these key elements allows for collaboration and the group to thrive and produce a piece of work that hit every target.

 

Week 9 Presentation peer review

One students work that I thoroughly enjoyed viewing was ‘The Art of the Title Sequence’ by Andrea Garcia. Her presentation caught my eye. What I liked most about the presentation visually was the PowerPoint itself. It was simple yet colourful and really communicated to the audience about herself her style and the intention for the video. The next visual element of the presentation was the consistency of structure, the audience were able to  really see she thought about what information was going to be included, second, third and really made the presentation legible and easy for the audience to digest.

Her approach with her concept for the video essay was concise specially her slide called ‘What will be included’. Andrea’s layout the plan for the information what is to be included in the video was very informative and useful information that visitors will be able to walk away having learn something new from her film. Her information that she intends to include will perfectly fit into the time frame of the video with her visual mood board further down (of the presentation) of the different title sequences  will also fit her aesthetic  for the video.

Finally, Andrea has put a lot of work towards her pre-production which was impressive and provided and clear idea on what to expect for the video, although just a script her visual mood board of the various opening title sequences and structure was very consistent and clearly shows she is prepared and organized to start filming and gathering content for her video.

Her script was well throughout and has structure to the information she is providing. Her information will suit the timeframe of the video.

Andrea’s overall approach to the week 9 presentation was very confident and concise. She was confident in her voice and explained her concepts and ideas thoroughly with clarity.

Week 10 Breaking the Fourth Wall Production

We are heading into the final weeks of class and things are ramping up. Although our group is cool, calm and collected we are determined to produce a video about breaking the fourth wall with conviction and confidence.

This week has been quiet in class however, groups have been busy collating their videos for ACMI. Our group has been working on filming our intro. Getting test footage and communicating with one another to ensure we are keeping with everyone’s vision for the final product. Along with this we are collecting footage that will be included and used as examples from films that have incorporated ‘breaking the fourth wall’ from there they will be played over with dialogue explaining ‘breaking the fourth wall’.

One thing we did reflect upon this week was last weeks feedback on our presentation. Our aim the next time we see are presenting or providing an update we aim to ensure we are clear and explain each step of our process.

Our group has been in consistent contact throughout the week to organize each task we require to complete in order for the next person to complete. We were able to show some footage in Thursday’s class our intro, although audio was lacking Cat managed to see a small part of our idea.

Week 9 A3 presentation

This week we presented our topic on ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’  to Cat, Field and Alan. It was super helpful and interesting to get their thoughts on our ideas and perspective on how we can improve our project to make it more appealing for audiences.

Receiving feedback from peers in class was insightful to get their perspective on our idea and approach towards the video. Some points that were taken from the feedback was our clarity of execution towards the video. Reflecting back on the presentation I did rush through the pre-production and our concept for the video. However, I do think once they see our rough cut things will start to fall in place and be clearer. Another point of feedback that stood out to us as a group was the confusion from the class about our live action and public domain footage.

Receiving feedback from people in class was nice to get their thoughts. Nice moving online I have found getting a sense of people thoughts about your own work has become restrictive as moving online has narrowed down the feedback.

From our feedback I hope to improve the certain parts of the video that people noticed and make room for the improvement.

Week 8 Pre-Production

 

Practice class presentations this week was an insightful way to know areas we can improve and adjust to impress Field Carr and Allan Nguyen. I know our group we still have some technical issues to fix such as GIFs movement, more information from research and added pre-production. I’m really excited for this piece of work to be featured in the new exhibition at ACMI our topic on Breaking the Fourth Wall is a camera technique that is super interesting to learn and be able to identify when watching a film. Are aim to inform the audience and improve their knowledge on film making. The fourth wall is a camera technique that many people use in comedy, I look forward to making some really super entertaining, informative with my group!

Looking at other groups work today was super interesting. So many groups and individual have creative and professional works that I look forward to seeing their final product. Their ideas seem comprehensive and will be executed to a very high standard.

Week 7 CLASS PRESENTATIONS PRE-PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

The key learning this week showcasing everyone’s work from assignment 2 was super interesting and engaging, seeing the stylist choices people made and what they created for their final pieces. People’s work inspired me for my next edit to try new techniques. One technique that stood out to me was the slow zoom/panning. This really gave another dimension and feeling to the work which is something I would really like to incorporate next time I’m editing.

The conceptual elements from the week was more focused on our final assignment. Getting to know our group as well brainstorming potential ideas for our topic of Breaking the Fourth Wall and how we are going to approach the final piece of work. For my group which include Tiani and Aurora, our focus is to make something that is really entertaining and will capture victors of the exhibition. At the time walking away with learning something new. As these are the main goals for ACMI and the group we really want to ensure we execute this with the best Fourth Wall Content.

The main media making elements during week 7 was consuming and reflecting upon other peers work and analysing their techniques and taking inspiration from their work. Along with this, my group also brainstormed and discussed ideas about our approach to the final work piece for ACMI and how we intend on engaging an young audience. We are really excited for this opportunity and cannot wait to see how progress throughout this assignment.