I set out to document the opposition of the planned building of a mosque in Bendigo, specifically by the anti-Islamic group the United Patriots Front. Instead of covering it like a news/current affairs program I wished to create something more personal, which reflected my views as someone who grew up in Bendigo. This issue was all over the media but the stories weren’t expressing the views of Bendigo locals. Through this short documentary I showcase my personal perspective on the protests therefore I did the voiceover myself.
I choose this for my short film as it was rare for such protest to happen in Bendigo and I wanted to experience what it is like to shoot this kind of event as I’m interested documentary films. Although we had learned using the Sony EX3 throughout the semester I decided to use a DSLR camera due to its size and portability as I had to film in populated crowds. The first protest was more intense and mobile then I thought it would be and I often had to set up a shot in seconds and as a result some of footage is shakey and has soft focus. Furthermore, for the second protest I needed a lens with a higher local length as to capture a better shot of the UPF leaders speaking as it was a struggle to physically get closer. I was not used to shooting in this type of environment in these circumstances and the result is not perfect but I have learnt a lot.
It was easy to compose the perfect shot when practicing in the class room however this was definitely a challenge to meet on site. This project came with a lot of difficulties for instance the 2nd protest in Bendigo in which I filmed wasn’t until very late in the semester, delaying editing. Furthermore, my Premiere project actually broke at one point and I was forced to start over. In addition to this you may notice the documentary lacks interviews. For the most part I was too intimidated to interview at the second protest after asking one UPF personal and receiving verbal abuse. The result of this documentary isn’t what I originally set out to make. It’s interesting how ideas and plans change as you get closer to deadline.
Ultimately Film3 has been a worthwhile studio in which I’ve gotten a lot of technical hands-on experience. As a result next time I film something I will be more aware of all the things that can go wrong. It’s been a good semester in which I’ve learnt a lot and met some great people.