Unexpected Adventures
'Tis the season... for the unexpected!
With only two days left in the office before finishing up for the Christmas holidays, I was looking forward to some well-deserved downtime. But, in a plot twist worthy of a Hollywood script, I picked up the phone to a client in distress. Another production company had made a mess of their latest project, and they needed us to swoop in a save the day. Suddenly, we were tasked with organising three shoots across the globe - in Mexico, Malawi, and Australia - right amid the holiday season.
The clock was ticking and, due to Christmas, we had no chance to outsource to local crews. Before I knew it, I found myself with a camera operator and director, jetting off to Hobart, Tasmania. The flight was a blur of nerves, excitement and just a general bemusement at how we had ended up in this situation.
Our goal was to document the life of a young activist who had risen to become a politician thanks by large part to the client's backing. This involved tracing his journey from his childhood days exploring the Southwestern National Park where his passion for environmental issues first took root, to his current influential position in Tasmanian politics.
The shoot was a fantastic experience. One day in particular stands out – as we trekked through the charred aftermath of recent wildfires in the Southwestern National Park. We had set out to make a film highlighting our subject's strength and perservereance, but standing on a plateau, overlooking the recovering rainforest, I couldn't help but marvel at nature's own resilience.
Before we knew it, we were ringing in the New Year in Australia, a stark but very welcome contrast to my initial holiday plans! Even our rental car breaking down on New Year's Day couldn’t diminish our high spirits (thankfully, we'd got the shots that we needed that day).
Reflecting on our time in Tasmania, I'm reminded of the unpredictable nature of video production. Believe me, as a producer, I'm all for organisation and planning the details - but this journey was a vivid reminder to embrace all of life's surprises.
*Disclaimer: The events and experiences discussed in this blog post are from the writer's previous role and do not reflect the activities or projects of Qualia Film Co.
