Essay:

The final proposition for our Korsakow film titled, “Luna Park”, aims to follow people of different ages and genders, presenting the emotions that Luna Park, the iconic theme park in St.Kilda, Melbourne, is able to conjure up within them. We follow their journey from the start of their visit, until the end, building an intimate relationship between our subjects and the viewer.

The viewer will see how each person changes throughout the day, as well as their reactions to certain rides and people, providing a solid insight into their frame of mind and personality. Questions will be posed to them throughout the day to add depth to the participant’s experience, and act as further insight for the viewer. By focusing on expressions and opinions, we are able to steer away from forced reaction, and maintain a natural response by all our people.

The reason we chose to film at this particular location is because we wanted to experience Luna Park, a renowned landmark that opened in 1912, through the eyes of different age groups, as well as asking if it is still worth having as a significant attraction in Melbourne. Ultimately, the conclusion was formed that it is not exactly worth the price. We decided to film three different age groups. A toddler and his mother, a couple of 17-year-old boys, and a young couple, gaining their insight on the theme park, and more specifically, how relevant it is to them. Through following and capturing their day, we are able to capture their emotions and reactions to all the different sights and the multitude of experiences Luna Park has to offer. We also felt that it was important for our subjects to verbalise their reactions and by asking all groups the same questions, at times altering them slightly to make it appropriate to each of their situations, we not only received truthful opinions but also, surprisingly similar answer. As opposed to just showing them walking around the theme park the whole day, the use of speech adds a level of substance and realism, as well as providing the sound component necessary to add complexity and entertainment to our Korsakow film.

Initially, during the process of brainstorming our ideas, we had difficulty with ensuring that when it came to filming, we were not “advertising” Luna Park. We also wanted to keep the dialogue as natural as possible, non-scripted, representing our subjects as real people not actors. What we found with our end result, and what we were hoping for, was to show each three age groups interpretation of the park, a constraint that we all worked in with the outcome being, varying results due to the differing approaches.

We compiled a list of questions to ask to each of the groups of people, and found that even through the different ages and statuses, many of the responses overlapped. Some of these questions include, “ Have you ever been to Luna Park before?”, “ Do you think Luna Park is worth the trip, taking into account the money spent on petrol, rides, food etc…”, “Should the theme updated and maintained better than it currently is?”, “Do you think it is still a relevant Australian landmark?”.
One of the things we found intriguing was how Luna Park brings out completely different behaviours for different groups of people. All the different colours, sounds, objects and rides that he had not experienced before, amused the toddler. The mother was concerned and often distracted as she had a responsibility of maintaining her son’s safety, as well as keeping him entertained. The two teenage boys, finding humour in most things, are seen enjoying themselves, but making a mockery of all the rides, making the day fun themselves as opposed to the rides providing all the entertainment. The final people we chose were a couple, who somewhat enjoy the day, but through their comments clarify that they would not return in any hurry.
We wanted to ensure we didn’t film anything mundane or boring, cutting out during the editing process, clips that didn’t seem relevant to what we were trying to achieve.

The content in the story itself is very much about observing the way that different generations and age groups interact with the once historic theme park, and seeing whether it creates positive or negative experiences for each age group. There are quite a lot of similarities between the clips in the activities that each group is participating in, however even though there is a strong connection between each sequence, such as each group walking in to the park, the viewer is never seeing the exact scenarios. You get to experience the theme park from a different point of view in each activity and there is a diverse range of clips being showcased to the viewer to keep them engaged. This is where the interface also ties in well with the content of the film as you have a simple black background, with one large coloured preview box, while the three thumbnails down the right side of the main preview all black and white. This was a decision made so the smaller thumbnails do not detract from the viewer’s attention from the current clip they are watching. The black and white effect on the thumbnails encourage the viewer to keep watching, as they want to find out what the next colourful adventure is behind the duller colours. We decided to keep the interface quite simple, as our clips are full of action and movement. They carry enough colour and light within themselves to keep the audience entertained, without the use of a complicated backdrop. The interface makes the adventure easy to follow, as the preview allows you to see whether you will be having fun with the toddler, mucking around with the teens or complaining with the couple. The interface allows you to be completely interactive with each path that you take, which relates well to the content of the film as it is all about observing the reactions that Luna Park gives to each person. Each time you click on one video, it takes you to a new destination in the theme park, linking you to a new course in the adventure of the day.

The concept of interactivity between the videos ties in with the ‘Interactive Documentary: Setting the Field’ reading by Aston and Gaudenzi, discussing hypertext as an interactive mode. Our interface links to this theory of hypertext, as the concept suggests that you click on one thing to get to another place and then you click again to get to somewhere new, continuing the process where something on the screen is always changing. Therefore, it is evident that the content and the clear interface work well together to compliment the pattern occurring in our Korsakow film.

During the process of connecting the clips, we really wanted to ensure that there was a strong enough pattern, yet avoid it being totally linear, as this does not conform to the concept behind Korsakow. Initially we found this difficult, as we envisioned sequential, “story-telling” way of showing the connections. We wanted to create something that supports the idea of presenting our audience with “the journey” of each of the groups. Something we did decide on, which may be argued as a form of linearity, is the fact that our film has a start and an end. However, each viewing is different depending on the loop, therefore the clips you choose is what decides what loop you take. Having the same start SNU of the face, and end SNU’s, signifying the “end of the day” is important in regards to our context. The clips are linked through loops that are determined by experiences. These experiences are categorised by rides, by sections of the park and relating content such as some of the commentary. This being said, the viewer is still able to create his or her own path by connecting to different loops.

Through the interface, the content and the pattern, our main objective is to make the viewer feel as though they were at Luna Park, observing the different groups of people and being apart of their day. I think we achieved meaning and a captivating “storyline” as we used everyday moments and showed how at one specific location, there can be both varying and compatible common outcomes. The pattern assists in representing all different viewpoints, the interface provides the viewer with direction to go through and create their own narrative through ease, and the content is interesting through showing the varying reactions for the different groups of people.

I think we haven’t glorified Luna Park and depicted it as something it is not, which is one of the main objectives and requirements we had from the beginning. We felt as though it was important to gain real insight and real opinions about it, and with our Korsakow film, I think we have created something both visually and physically enjoyable to watch and explore. The technical decisions that were made through lives and loops in Korsakow support the journey the viewer is taking, from the start of the day, till the end.

References:
Aston, Judith, and Sandra Gaudenzi. “Interactive Documentary: Setting the Field.” Studies in Documentary Film 6.2 (2012): 125–139

Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. Film Art: An Introduction. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, 2013

Rascaroli, Laura. “The Essay Film: Problems, Definitions, Textual Commitments.” Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media 49.2 (2008): 24–47

Ryan, Marie-Laure. Avatars of Story. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006