Filmed by Janeca Cabanayan, Joline Kinsachi, Kelly Elizabeth Lukman & Olivia Thomas

Short Summary

Distant Ties: Portraits of Belonging in a Home Away from Home is a 40-minute documentary in which the way migrants in Melbourne maintain a connection with culture in their daily lives, distanced as they are from their traditional home, is imaginatively discussed. Through portraits of people with non-Western backgrounds, personal stories feature strongly, and the things, places, and activities which allow them to feel that home is discovered. The documentary tells the story of three participants with diverse histories, through interviews and scenes in both English and native languages. Intimate moments and cultural connections reveal how migrants make a new city their own in this non-linear narrative.

 

I have learned quite a bit from this project, from planning and storyboarding the shots to production meeting agendas prepared before the interviews. Though our group always seemed to be on course with the project, challenges arose in the editing process of the short film, mainly concerning audio levels. During that process, I worked on both the rough cuts and the final version as an editor, trying to help with documents. I battled audio adjustments with my comrade, Janeca, for which I’m now planning to make changes and improve my skills using Adobe Premiere Pro. I also served as a cinematographer sometimes, although I have far fewer shots than others. All in all, the project taught me how to conduct professional interviews and create an interesting documentary.

From my studio: Contemporary Documentary

 

 

I watched Distant Ties: Portraits of belonging in a home away from home, by Janeca Cabayan, Kelly Lukma, Joline Kinsachi, and Olivia Thomas. I felt the documentary really captured some of the ideas expressed throughout the contemporary documentary, particularly our learnings of the modes of documentary. The film was very poetic, especially in its editing. The choice by the team to make the interview content non linear created a film that told a story in the format of a collage almost. It painted a really beautiful picture of the emotions of living as a migrant in Australia with a non-Western background. This was amplified by the close up shots of cooking, and the intimate imagery of their subject in his own home.

 

I also watched Chinese Hip-hop in Melbourne, created by Tony, Helen, Ivonna, and Lan. I found this documentary did well at the storytelling element of documentary-making – it was really effective in conveying its narrative, which is a crucial aspect of the medium. Not only did it tell a compelling story, but it also explored an interesting topic that grabbed my interest—Chinese hip-hop and its scene in Melbourne and Australia, which I was previously unaware of. I think this choice of story was great, and one that a lot of people would be curious to see more about.

 

Additionally, I appreciated how they presented this story in a fun and lively manner; the editing incorporated fun music and dynamic cuts between shots, managing to convey a lot within just three minutes.

 

 

From one other studio: Creative Constraints as Fuel

 

Strangers, written and directed by Harriet Minty is a short film that grapples with themes of grief and friendship. I think the writing does a great job of articulating the non-linear and complex nature of grief, and how it is shaped by the people of whom we share it with. In the narrative, two friends meet a year after their friend has passed, with the intention of spreading her ashes. The meeting stirs up unresolved issues with their friendship, and it becomes clear they have reconciling to do, the tension comes to a head as one friend discovers the other has taken the ashes without the parent’s knowledge. In the end, the friendship conflict and the grief, are alleviated with humour. I felt this execution of these themes was well done, and it captured the reality of the human experience wonderfully.

 

The framing also assisted in capturing this idea of grief being messy, and not always just sad and poetic. In certain shots, we see flies on the face, or spilled ice cream dripping down the car’s bonnet. All of these set design and framing elements work together to deliver an intentionally unpolished image, which encompasses the feeling of ‘going through it’ in your early 20s. Overall, I really loved the concept of this studio, and the work of Harriett Minty, Kaitlyn Ngyuen, Linh Dan Dan, and Ash Griffiths.

Project Summary:

Shutters Closed tells the stories of some of Melbourne’s most elusive storefronts that appear frozen-in-time. This showcasing of nostalgic businesses reveals a backdrop about Melbourne’s history, and what it means to its residents. It examines how in a fast-developing city, it is truly special to find spaces where the past is preserved without interference. The documentary establishes imagery of both thriving and obsolete local businesses based on the recollections of former owners and customers. By opening the shutters on the hidden narratives and surrounding some of Melbourne’s iconic locations, such as Peony Garden, Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, and The Paperback Bookshop, Shutters Closed serves as a poetic investigation into topics like nostalgia, preservation, and pride in one’s city.

 

Over six weeks, we worked as a team to create this project as part of our Contemporary Documentary studio. All shots were filmed in the City of Melbourne, some of which contain interviews with Anna from Paperback, David from Pellegrinis, and Nelson, an ex-customer of Peony Garden. We began with research and thematic discussions, which were followed by reaching out to the Melbourne community to source stories and interviewees, finally we began filming and editing. Overall, the process was one of engaging with our own experiences as Melbournians, and then externalising that to create a piece that reflected the city and its residents.

 

Clare’s Reflection:

I found this assignment incredibly valuable from a practical standpoint. Since I hadn’t participated in a video-based studio since the beginning of my degree, I aimed to refine my technical skills—and I certainly achieved that. Working with video allowed me to return to editing and enhance my post-production abilities, while also becoming more comfortable with using video cameras.

 

However, the overall highlight for me was the theoretical aspect of the studio. I really appreciated the readings and the opportunity to analyse documentaries in class. Listening to different perspectives on these films was interesting and I feel that it significantly expanded my understanding of what a documentary can be.

 

 

The documentary explores the survival stories of florists during the pandemic, focusing on how they adapted to unprecedented challenges. The documentary captures florists’ personal and professional struggles through interviews and visual narratives, highlighting their innovative solutions. Examples include transitioning to online platforms, creating new delivery systems, and building deeper connections with local communities. At the same time, the core of the documentary emphasizes the spirit of not giving up and the role of beauty, symbolized by flowers, in providing hope in dark times.

The project began with the idea of documenting florists creating wedding bouquets. However, after discussing the limitations of this theme, we shifted our focus to a more meaningful topic—the impact of the pandemic on florists.  The process involved conducting in-depth interviews with local florists, recording their personal experiences, and capturing visuals of their workspaces and daily routines. This project allowed me to develop a deeper appreciation for documentary storytelling, particularly the importance of focusing on human experiences. I learned how to adapt creatively when initial ideas fall short. Additionally, the project strengthened my skills in visual composition, interviewing, and integrating feedback to improve the final project. Above all, it taught me the value of resilience in storytelling and the lives of the florists we documented.

Blooming Through Adversity: A Florist’s Survival During the Epidemic

This is a documentary about resilience and innovation, focusing on how the Melbourne-based florist ‘Pollon Florist’ survived during the pandemic. It covers their journey from the Valentine’s Day sales just before the lockdown to navigating market changes during the lockdown. The film explores how they sustained their livelihood by collaborating with the local community through their online store while adapting to the fast-paced changes in the post-pandemic world to remain competitive.

Work Summary

In this documentary project, I was primarily responsible for filming. We conducted two rounds of shooting. During the first shoot, we used a dual-camera setup: one camera was positioned across from the florist to capture scenes of the shop preparing to open, while the main camera followed the process, covering the entire shoot, interviews, and details of the florist. We also used two tripods for added convenience and stability.

After receiving valuable feedback from the first shoot, we decided to conduct a second session focused primarily on recording interviews. Since this is a narrative documentary, we supplemented the footage with more story-driven shots related to the interviews.

Throughout the process, we faced various challenges, such as lighting, focusing, and framing angles. However, my team provided immense encouragement and support, offering suggestions that significantly helped improve the project. These contributions allowed us to present a cohesive and engaging documentary.

For me, this experience was incredibly meaningful, laying a solid foundation for my future journey in media production.

Distant Ties: Portraits of belonging in a home away from home 

Distant Ties: Portraits of belonging in a home away from home is a 35-minute documentary that explores culture, longing, and place and how people connect to culture when geographically away from home. From the culinary memories of Macau to conversations in Tagalog with colleagues. Three individuals born overseas share their personal stories of living as migrants with non-Western backgrounds, revealing how places, objects, or practices help them remain tied to their cultural identity in Melbourne. As they present their challenges of being away from family, engaging in local cultural festivities, and interacting with others who share their native language, what connects these individuals are the common experiences of nostalgia, displacement, and longing. Distant Ties showcases the small, intimate moments and items of comfort tied to one’s culture, finding a home in a city they had not previously called their own. The proof-of-concept focuses on one participant, Bryan from Macau, exploring how he finds home in a foreign place through food and family.

This film went through a process of planning, pitching, and producing, and it taught me all the important keys to making a documentary in the real industry. The planning and pitching process helped me understand one of the main keys: the topic we’re going to use should have a strong story to tell, as this will help in producing a good documentary and getting the support/sponsors that’s needed. A lot of research has to be done before deciding; it can’t only be because we’re interested in the topic and want to tell it, we need to have enough resources to make this story dramatic and interesting but still truthful, which connects to the ethics matter of how much control do we have as media makers to the story of others that we are telling. While working as the cinematographer, my knowledge was deepened, of how to use a camera, how to get shots that were intended to convey the message we are trying to tell, to plan the shot list, time frame, and how to work in harmony with my teammate with different roles and compliment each other to deliver this project. Through this project, Distant Ties, I have explored modes of documentary that resonate with me, what will work well for projects in the future, and how to tell stories that are meaningful to me as well.