OUR WEEK IN COOMEALLA Continued ...

Where were we? That's right ... just heading off for our first Shoot Day.

First stop was Aidan's special place. We headed north-west from Dareton to the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers. On the bank of the Murray, surrounded by majestic, towering gum trees, we found the observation tower. For Aidan, this is a place of serenity. He likes to come here to enjoy the beautiful view of the converging rivers and have his own quiet time and a sense of peacefulness. This is the feeling he will try to put across in his film. Our first crew did very well and led the way for the rest by showing focus and respect for Aidan's strong and sensitive vision.

Next stop was the Sand Hills. We shot two pieces here. The first was Keely's. For Keely, her special place is also somewhere to enjoy solitude. She loves the aloneness she feels out here - just her and nature. Keely's keen eye and affinity with visual arts meant that she was very specific about what she wanted the camera to capture. She also loves the quietness of the place and for this reason she has decided to have no soundtrack at all - absolute silence. She will use a slow-motion effect to communicate the freedom she feels at the sand hills.

Next on the agenda was lunch. We'd brought it with us and sat under the corrugated iron shelter by the sandy car park, then we took the cars to another spot not far away to film the next piece.

Kara, Melinda and Laura had decided to make their piece together. Though the location was still the sand hills, the feeling that the girls wanted to communicate in their film couldn't have been more different from Keely's. Though, both pieces had a sense of happiness at the heart of them, Kara, Melinda and Laura's film was about being together. For them the sand hills is somewhere they associate with friends and family. The energy and rhythm of their film is fast and noisy and fun. They call out each other's names and the names of family and friends. They will also use an up-beat song mixed in behind.

Our first shoot day was great fun. It was a big day and we all went home feeling happy, with sand in our shoes and our pants!

Thursday

We started Shoot Day 2 by going out to Jake's place at Curlwaa, just north-east of Wentworth. We picked up his BMX bike from his house then headed to his actual location in the bush nearby. Jake and his friends had built a dirt track with and ramps and jumps. It was impressive! This is Jake's special place where comes to ride and hang out with his friends. With a very clear idea of what he wanted to achieve, and a carefully thought out plan, Jake led his organised crew as well as being stunt rider. It took concentration as well as energy. It was great fun and a very different way for us all to start our day.

From Jake's, we headed back south to Mildura and Apex Park. This was Tori's special place. Tori just loves to swim and for her fun is all about water, water, WATER! This very pretty location was Tori's pick right from the start. She loves to get in the water and splash around. She also loves to chase birds. This very pretty location had everything Tori needed and well as a well-timed paddle steamer.

And what better place to have lunch - under the trees on the banks of the Murray.

Next and final stop, we'd headed back out of Mildura to Gol Gol, again, to the banks of the river, but this time at The Boat Ramp. This is the special place of Molly, Taylah and Brittany. So our last film to be shot was another group effort. Their piece is called Memories and they also used Tori and Laura as extra cast members. These girls have a big group of friends that are very special to them and this is where they often come to hang out together. Here, with yet another different crew, the girls showed themselves talking and laughing and mucking around together. They intend to have the shots dissolve softly from one image to another to give the impression of happy memories.

Friday

On our final day, back at the hall in Dareton, the kids met James - one of the marvellous organisers of this great project - from West Darling Arts. James talked about the virtual festival that will screen the finished films and provided lots of other info. including details of this website and blog. Our main activity on the final day was to view all the footage that we had shot and make detailed notes regarding editing. It was really great to see what had been achieved.

Fred and I also did a short interview with each of our students. We finished the week feeling very happy about our time here. The Coomealla kids have been just fantastic! They showed focus and maturity. They worked together on each other's films and took their crew positions seriously. At the very beginning of the week we had asked them to open their minds and hearts to seeing things afresh and working in new ways. They rose to the challenge and we are very impressed.

Thanks Coomealla kids! I had a great week with you all and I look forward to seeing your finished films.

Sarah.x.