Part A:  About Me

One reason I decided to take Untold Stories was due to keen interest in documentary making. I have taken previous studios that cover this topic but nearly always have created something that follows the type of formula of asking/answering a question. I eagerly wish to obtain the skills to create something that doesn’t follow this linear fashion and believe Untold Stories is where I can learn these skills. The freedom we have in approaching this studio allows me to feel comfortable in experimenting with different forms of documentary making which may include interactive projects or immersive audio experiences, both styles of documentaries I haven’t produced. Whilst considering this, from this studio I would like to improve on my audio editing skills and my ability to produce creative content for a project. I wish to branch away from the typical video documentary and experiment with different media styles that could have more collaborative opportunities with its audience and producers alike.

 

The opportunity to work collaboratively with the Living Museum of the West was something that intrigued and interested me as no other studios had offered this experience of creating for a project outside of RMIT. I enjoy storytelling and capturing the accounts of people and their experiences in life. I myself have traveled much of my life being born into a family of expats, and relish in the chance to engage with Australian history. This is my heritage, but I feel disconnected from it as it was not my upbringing. Being able to work with the Living Museum of the West gives me access to stories, journeys and lives that may differ drastically from my own. Something I am very interested in and connects with other subjects I’m doing this semester is australian history, specifically Australian media as I am completing Australian cinema. If possible, it would be interesting to see if I was able to incorporate the knowledge I am learning in my cinema class to some of the history I will acquire from the Living Museum of the West.

 

Part B: Influences

A source of non-fiction documentaries that I find very interesting and influential on how I wish to develop my production skills are Vice documentaries. Examples from Vice that I find especially intriguing are Inside The Laughing Gas Black Market (2017) and Inside a Gang Initiation with the Silent Murder Crips (2018). The ability these style of documentaries have to gain great insight into the lives and experiences of the individuals and their societies inspires me to create similar things.

I think in today’s media we often view these taboo subjects (along side lots of other subjects investigated by Vice) as only newsworthy topics, where the target audience will be ‘concerned citizens’ that don’t want to know the people behind the subject or why these things happen, just what’s being done about them (police involvement or justice system). I really enjoy being able to learn about topics that mainstream media might not make available to its viewers, such as the societies surrounding fringe subjects and the personal reasons why people may indulge in a life of crime and illegal behaviour.

Being able to complete an insightful documentary which uses high quality video resolution, artistic video styles, soundscapes to accompany the themes found in the production are all features I wish to master. Elements from these productions that I wish to borrow for my own production is the ability to create a level of trust and insight, to create a feeling of discovery or the uncovering of a subject not often discussed in mainstream media. I feel the personal style in which these documentaries are created, using close-up shots and individual narrations to construct story allows the audience to relate to what they are viewing, taking them out of their own position and place themselves into style of life they might not be familiar with.