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The North-East Victorian Migration Story
By Samantha Dinning.
The fabric of contemporary Australia is layered with many cultural threads, some of which have greatly shaped our regional and rural histories. Migration in North-East Victoria has transformed the region’s industry and culture, bringing with it a richness and diversity that tells its story through food, wine, festivals, language and the many stories that new and old migrants share. These stories speak of struggle, persistence and community – of the joy of possibility and reward and the hardship and pain of leaving family and friends; of the strength of newfound friendships and of settling in a sometimes-unforgiving environment. They relate the difficulty in learning a foreign language and the growth of unique cultural identities, such as the Italian communities of Myrtleford and the King Valley.
Savoy Ladies Group Film Launch – Media Release
25 February 2014
The Italian heritage of the women of North-Eastern Victoria is celebrated with the launch of a short documentary film produced by Wind & Sky Productions.
The ten minute film ‘The Savoy Ladies Group’ follows Rosa Volpe, the group’s president, as she tells the story of Italians in the North-East, tobacco farming, women, family and friendship.
The Ballarat National Theatre Film – Media Release
22 November 2013
The Ballarat National Theatre celebrates 75 years of history with the online launch of a short documentary film produced by Wind & Sky Productions.
The film features core members of the Ballarat National Theatre, past and present, and reflects on the significance and history of the company.
Saving St Brigid’s
Book Promo: A Memoir by Regina Lane
Info
Client: Regina Lane
Produced: 2014
Length: 2.40 minutes
St Brigid’s Church in Crossley, on the South West Coast of Victoria, was very nearly shut down until the local community made a stand to save it.
Regina Lane wrote a memoir about the community’s five year struggle to save the church and the hall their ancestors had built for them and their children a hundred years ago. She asked us to make a Pozible campaign video to help her publish the book, which could then be turned into a promotional film about the book once published. We said yes because we love Regina’s book, and we love this story of an Irish-Australian community that fought back. It’s an interesting example of how content can be re-used to meet different purposes. We hope you enjoy.
Regina’s book is out now. Details are available at savingstbrigids.com.au.
Credits
- Creative Producers:
- Jary Nemo and Lucinda Horrocks
- Production Company:
- Wind & Sky Productions
- Directed and edited by:
- Jary Nemo
- Written by:
- Regina Lane, Lucinda Horrocks and Jary Nemo
- Executive Producer:
- Regina Lane
- Featuring:
- Regina Lane
- Camera and Sound:
- Jary Nemo
- Music:
- ‘Song of the Ghost of the Drowned Man’ by Shane Howard, courtesy of Mushroom Music. ‘The Love of Music’ by Shane Howard, courtesy of Mushroom Music.
- Photographs:
- Koroit Historical Society (Phyllis Lane collection) The Warrnambool Standard, Aaron Sawall and Rob Gunstone, photographers.
- With thanks to:
- Shane Howard, Mushroom Music Publishing, Koroit Historical Society, Michael Lane, Friends of St Brigid’s Association.
- Copyright with: © Wind & Sky Productions Pty Ltd Pty Ltd 2013.
Saving St Brigid’s Pozible Campaign Video
Info
Client: Regina Lane
Produced: 2013
Length: 2.50 minutes
This is Regina’s Pozible campaign video. Regina successfully raised her target of $15,000 to publish the book.
Credits
- Creative Producers:
- Jary Nemo and Lucinda Horrocks
- Production Company:
- Wind & Sky Productions
- Directed and edited by:
- Jary Nemo
- Written by:
- Regina Lane, Lucinda Horrocks and Jary Nemo
- Executive Producer:
- Regina Lane
- Featuring:
- Regina Lane
- Camera and Sound:
- Jary Nemo
- Music:
- ‘Song of the Ghost of the Drowned Man’ by Shane Howard, courtesy of Mushroom Music. ‘The Love of Music’ by Shane Howard, courtesy of Mushroom Music.
- Photographs:
- Koroit Historical Society (Phyllis Lane collection) The Warrnambool Standard, Aaron Sawall and Rob Gunstone, photographers.
- With thanks to:
- Shane Howard, Mushroom Music Publishing, Koroit Historical Society, Michael Lane, Friends of St Brigid’s Association.
- Copyright with: © Wind & Sky Productions Pty Ltd Pty Ltd 2013.
The Making of ‘In Memory of Bull Allen’
The story behind the film ‘In Memory of Bull Allen’ produced by Jary Nemo and Lucinda Horrocks. Article by Lucinda Horrocks.
Our story begins after Kokoda.
For most of 1943, in a mountainous and jungled region of what is now Papua New Guinea, Australians and Americans (with the help of the New Guineans) fought a hard campaign against the Japanese. Battles took place on razorback hills and on muddy tracks as the Allies pushed the Japanese north towards the coastal base of Salamaua. This became known as the Wau-Salamaua campaign.
On the 30th July 1943, US forces attacked a knoll called Mount Tambu. It was a failed attempt to capture a Japanese-held strategic point. But it resulted in one of the most extraordinary single acts of Australian bravery in World War 2. This story, Bull Allen’s story, is one of a number of forgotten tales about a forgotten aspect of Australia’s involvement in Papua New Guinea after Kokoda.
This article provides some context to the story of Bull Allen on Tambu, and explains how my production company Wind & Sky Productions came to make the short documentary ‘In Memory of Bull Allen’, and what I learnt through making it.
Producing a Micro-Budget Documentary
How a Micro-Budget Documentary is Produced
By Jary Nemo and Lucinda Horrocks.
The glamorous world of film-making gets somewhat less glamorous.
When people think of the film-making process, most think of the way dramatic feature films are made, with a big crew and a celebrity cast and a splashy cinema release. But films, especially documentary films, are often far more humble in scope and use a leaner film-making process. This article outlines common elements in the production process for documentary films made on a small budget. (We’re not talking David Attenborough here.)
Free Movie Pass Giveaway – Kon Tiki
Blaming Thor Heyerdahl
THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST.
In honour of Peter Millynn’s story ‘I blame Thor Heyerdahl’ we have five double passes to give away to the Norwegian film ‘Kon Tiki’, currently showing in cinemas around Australia.
To be in the running for a double pass, send an email to enquire@windsky.com.au with ‘I blame Thor’ in the subject heading and your postal address in the email body. We’ll post passes out to the first five.
Thanks to the fine folk at Transmission Films for the movie passes.
‘Bull’ Allen Film – Media Release
22 April 2013
A documentary about World War II hero Leslie ‘Bull’ Allen has been released online.
This short film tells the little-known story of Leslie ‘Bull’ Allen, brought up in hardship in Ballarat, who become a war hero. Allen was a stretcher-bearer in the Middle East and New Guinea in the Second World War who displayed great bravery in rescuing the wounded. “It’s an amazing story, akin to Simpson and his Donkey”, says Lucinda Horrocks, the film’s producer. “It’s a surprise we don’t know more about it.”
How Much Does a Documentary Cost to Make?
We outline four factors which can influence documentary film production costs.
A question we often get asked is ‘I want to make a simple 5 minute film about X. How much would that cost?’
Our answer? ‘It depends’.
For organisational and online video production, a common costing rule of thumb is often said to be ‘$1000 for every finished minute of video’. However, we find this costing rule to be wrong more often than it is right, possibly because the rule seems to have been around for aeons.
For documentary film-making at the lowest-budget level, ‘$1000 per finished minute’ is the cheapest starting point for costing. We recommend using $2000 – $4000 per finished minute as a beginning point or ball park. And you should expect that even a ‘simple film’ may cost more. Why? There are many elements which come into play when costing a film. In this article we detail four factors which can influence cost, and provide some tips on how to reduce costs if your budget is really pushed.
Image attribution: Svilen.milev
Reflections
The story behind ‘Reflections of Flood Recovery’ by Lucinda Horrocks.
When the 2010 floods hit the small Victorian towns of Clunes and Creswick Jary and I were living in Melbourne. Melbourne is not so far away, but, like many in Australia, it was the devastating, tragic floods in Queensland that year which captured our attention and empathy. The Clunes and Creswick floods became half-remembered headlines. So when we were engaged to document the story of residents who were afflicted by these local floods, I learnt a lot. I learned there is nothing ‘small’ about a flood. And I heard some remarkable stories of survival and resilience.
This is the story of how we put together the film ‘Reflections of Flood Recovery.’
Feature photo by Tim Burder.
What's New
I Circle Around the Studio: Collaboration of Women Audio Artists
In 2019 Wind & Sky Productions producer Lucinda Horrocks created a soundscape collaboration with composer/performer George Williams and vocalist Sharon Turley.
Shining a Light on Untold Women’s History
A new documentary ‘Harbour Lights’ tells the story of a remarkable and forgotten group of women connected to the origins of the Melbourne Mission to Seafarers building on Flinders Street.
Event Report: Premiere Screening of ‘The Missing’
Report of the premiere screening event of ‘The Missing’.
The Missing Launch Photo Gallery
On Friday the 29th November a select audience joined us for the premiere screening of The Missing.