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The Theatre with the Grand-Sounding Name
The Ballarat National Theatre, Gertrude Johnson, and the Australian National Theatre Movement by Lucinda Horrocks.
The Ballarat National Theatre is a local amateur dramatic society with a surprisingly grand-sounding name. It is one of the longest-running community theatre groups in Australia, for which it deserves celebration. But the company’s name reveals another fact worth celebrating. It has a rare, ongoing connection to a foundational episode in the cultural history of Australia – the Australian National Theatre Movement.
Wind & Sky Productions on Culture Victoria
27 June 2014
Wind and Sky Productions has launched two stories on Culture Victoria: ‘Bull Allen’ and ‘Savoy Ladies Group.’
Report of the Savoy Ladies Group Film Launches
29 April 2014
Article by Lucinda Horrocks. Photograph by Samantha Dinning.
One of our favourite things is to meet audiences at film screenings and Q&A events.
On Thursday the 13th of March and Saturday the 29th of March Lucinda, Jary and Sam had the great pleasure of showing the ‘Savoy Ladies Group’ to the community of Myrtleford and Melbourne in two special screenings.
The History of the Savoy Ladies Group
By Samantha Dinning.
Rural women in Australia have a long history of collectivity, of joining together to face problems, to offer support and to provide service to their communities.
In a small sub-Alpine pocket of North-East Victoria, among ancient gum forests and granite rock, a group of women have offered vital friendship and support to each other every fortnight for the past 30 years. Comprised of women with Italian heritage based in the Myrtleford district, The Savoy Ladies Group, has been, and today is, an important part of a community that has faced both prosperity and hardship. Their story is one of friendship and solidarity and is an example of the strength of both migrant communities and women in rural Australia.
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.)
What's New
Three Wind & Sky Films Celebrated in Australia’s First Online Documentary Film Festival
In the time of COVID-19 imagine our delight and surprise to learn that three Wind & Sky films had been selected to screen at Australia’s first online documentary film festival.
Ray of Sunshine Released!
We were happy provide behind the scenes support to this fantastic project.
Ray of Sunshine: Wind & Sky Productions Supports the Virtual Soul Choir Project
Wind & Sky Productions proudly supporting the Virtual Soul Choir project of Geoffrey and George Williams.
Bumper Year for Festivals – Most Cancelled Due to COVID-19
At the beginning of March it looked to be a bumper year for festival screenings, before COVID-19 struck.