Royal Show- Interning Channel Nine

 

News Package For Reptile Story

 [Notes: Footage of a large snake on a tree, close up]

It is quite known that many of our Australian wildlife is extinct, however our reptilian wildlife hasn’t been given as much protection.

 

[Notes:Footage of blue tongue lizard, close up]

With low rainfall and habitat loss, there isn’t much hope for these guys to survive within the wild. 

 

[Notes: Footage of zoom call with zoology student]

‘’Without reptiles this will lead in an out break of rodents.’’ ‘’This will bring diseases we arent used to.’’

 

[Notes: Graphic of percentages]

According to the government environmental website, ‘reptile endemisms have jumped from 89 to 93 % up to 90% of these were unique to Australia. 

 

[Notes: Reporter PTC, mid shot]

There has been little to no conservation help for reptiles as most of them are still very unknown. Reptiles are very important to Australia's ecosystems and need more protection,  they help keep unwanted insects at bay as well as other little non native and even poisonous critters.

 

[Notes: Josh Cox interviewed in reptile encounters]

‘’Reptile encounters quote’’

 

[Notes: Crocodile close up]

According to new research from CSIRO 20 terrestrial snakes and lizards are at great risk of extinction in the next two decades if there is no change in the way we look after our homes.

 

[Notes: Lizard, close up]

By identifying the great risk on our incredible Australian reptiles, hopefully we can reverse their endangerment. 

How Climate Change Impacted the NSW/QLD Floods

 Climate change is happening now, evidently from the 2022 flooding in NSW and QLD.

 

 

 

Photo: Flooding in Ballina, in the Northern Rivers of NSW. Photograph: Natalie Grono/The Guardian

 

‘’Climate change has happened, it is happening and it will continue to happen. it's not something for us to fear in the future it's already happening.’’

 

 

 

While we all know somewhat what climate change is and how it affects us and our beautiful blue home, we need to know about how it affects extreme weather patterns.

 

For those who don’t, Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle.

 

 

It is increasingly clear that climate change “has detectably influenced” several of the water-related variables that contribute to floods, such as rainfall and snowmelt.

 

I interviewed Jemma Roberts from NSW who experienced the flooding first hand  ‘’We almost had to get evacuated.’’ She said.

 

Jemma and her family were one of the lucky ones that didn’t have to evacuate their home, as over half of the state's residents had to.

 

At least 18 people have died from the flooding and tens of thousands were forced to leave their homes within the affected parts of Queensland and New South Wales.

 

 

Volunteers in tinnies and on jet-skis were going rooftop to rooftop, ferrying residents to higher ground. In some cases they had to cut people out from inside roof spaces. 

 

 

‘’I don’t know if this is affected by climate change… I really don’t know much about it, I just know what I experienced.’’

 

The floods caused a great impact on families, they dealt with losing their homes and businesses, while some believe it was just an unexplained natural disaster, others believe this was caused by our changing climate.

 

Jennie Mortenson an environmental researcher from Adelaide, is one of those people.

 

‘’ ‘’The flooding is likely worsened by climate change. Flooding has been there historically as a regular pattern, but I believe that flooding is more frequent and more severe with climate change.’’ She said. 

 

Prof Melodie Mcgeoch from Latrobe University who specialises in climate change and environmental patterns agrees strongly as well with the evidence shown. 

 

‘’I don’t feel, I'm pretty convinced from the data that has been shown.’’ She said.

 

The reason climate change is something of importance and needs attention is what it means for us as life on Earth.

 

Climate change can affect our health, ability to grow food, housing, safety and work. Some of us are already more vulnerable to climate impacts, such as people living in small island nations and other developing countries. 

 

For those of us that already struggle with breathing, Prof Mcgeoch warns of a continued struggle.

‘’Asthama storm events will occur more frequently,’’ Mcgeoch said.

 

One of the major effects of climate change that we've already seen is sea levels rising. Which is an issue for people that live close to the water, which eventually will have to move to inner land due to the risk of flooding.

 

‘’Coastal areas will be affected by sea level rising if they haven’t already,’’ Mcgeoch said.

 

Not only is and will climate change affect us as humans, but it also has fatal repercussions on our beloved wildlife.

 

 ‘’Climate changes can impact breeding, survival, and a whole host of things, which with the fragmented environment that a lot of animals are surviving in, could be quite catastrophic, if you don't think the extinction rate is bad enough already.’’ Mortenson Said.

 

According to Professor Mcgeoch, animals have three options in relation to our changing climate.

 

‘’(Animals) Have three options, one is they can move if they can if they can't move because of humans they can adapt. The third option is they can do nothing and die. Species can climb to upwards climates, however, species that live on top of mountains have a high chance of extinction.’’

 

In relation to the NSW and QLD flooding, evidently, this is a response to climate change as they're becoming more regular and extreme. Which as stated will affect not only the people living there but the environment and the animals that live there.

 

This flooding was a major disaster for Australian history, a once in one-hundred-year flooding that now we should expect more frequently.

 

‘’More regular and extreme weather events..’’ Said Mcgeoch. 

 

 

According to the climate council, The intense rainfall and floods devastating communities in Queensland and New South Wales is taking place in an atmosphere made warmer and wetter by climate change, which is driven by the burning of coal, oil, and gas. 

 

‘’There is no doubt that in the last 70 to 100 years, there has been a large shift in the climate in Australia.’’ Said Mcgeoch.

 

 

The bigger question now for Australians is can we stop climate change, or is it too late or anything to be done.

 

‘’I will say that I don't think it is hopeless to stop climate change. We may not see a reversal of what we have done, but there is so much more that can be done, and we can halt its progress, and the earth, where life is, is ready to bounce back when we as humanity make changes to allow for that.’’ Mortenson said.

 

According to the Australian climate council, there are 5 easy ways for us everyday citizens to help reverse climate change to stop these weather events from occurring.

 

Try to swap your car out and use public transport, walk or bike. Eat less red meat during your week and swap it out for more vegetarian alternatives and save your leftovers. Moving your funds to a more alternative bank and be more efficient with energy use.

70% of global agricultural emissions come directly from livestock farming and

Australia’s big four banks are still investing heavily in the fossil fuel sector. Australians waste a staggering amount of food, throwing out 1 in every 5 bags of groceries. We are responsible for a massive 7 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

 

 ‘’Throwing our hands up the air in defeat will never give us the answers we're looking for, but the human mind, when pressed, has come up with creative solutions a thousand times. We now need to come up with the creative solutions on how to bring humanity together to confront the challenges of climate change.’’ Said Mortenson.

What It Means To Be A Modern Day Witch

 What It Means To Be A Modern Day Witch

Source: Creativecomms @Kim, from Rome

 

‘’I draw sigils on my skin with perfume oils and burn herbs for what I want to bring in for that day…’’

 

When most of us hear the word ‘’Witch’’ we think of flying brooms, cauldrons and ugly green faces. 

 

However, this is just the stereotypical Grimm’s brother tale, in fact, a modern-day witch is just an average person.

 

There are many ways to practice witchcraft, which don’t revolve around potions with rat toenails and a magic wand. It’s much more ethical than that.

 

Depending on the type of witch, most witches use tools such as tarot cards and crystals to practice their craft, whereas others make spell jars for abundance with a mixture of herbs and other natural earth elements.

 

I interviewed Hope Bilkey, who practices spirituality, and her preferred method is ‘’I use oracle cards, crystals and the power of manifestation.’’ She said.

According to Hope witchcraft is rather easy and beneficial to incorporate into day-to-day life. It creates room for more positivity and gives you a moment of mindfulness throughout the business of the day.

 

‘’I incorporate it in my life by practising affirmations and trying to put out what I would want to receive.’’ She said.

 

To understand witchcraft itself it is important to note the history of witches, especially regarding the Salem Witch Trials. 

 

 Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693.

 

‘’The Salem Witch Trials was a horrific genocide because men feared powerful women!’’ Hope Said.

 

Although most of the women weren’t actually witches and were wrongly accused, it is important to know.

 

Salem has used the town since to embrace witch culture and have many stores selling divination and spiritual tools.

 

When looking at witchcraft has often been associated with satanism and to worship the devil.

 

I interviewed Elizabeth Keogh who also practices witchcraft and is a firm believer that spirituality is in no way associated with anything evil nor negative.

 

‘’If you choose to associate yourself with the devil then yes, but if not then no.’’ She said.

 

Witches do consider witchcraft to be a form of religion and in ‘Wiccan’ culture, they worship what is known as deities. However, not all witches do this.

 

A deity or a god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. Commonly known gods for example are Zeus and Aphrodite.

 

‘’I have deities wanting to work with me, but I haven’t done so yet so no.’’ Elizabeth said.

 

Witches do create spell jars, but they don’t contain toad skin and the hair of an enemy. Most commonly they will contain things such as dried flowers and herbs, as well as notes of affirmations and candle wax coloured with intention (pink for love)

 

‘’Spell jars (also known as "witch bottles") are spiritual tools that can help people identify—and pursue—their innermost desires.’’ Says Sarah Regan, a spiritual blogger.

 

I think the purpose of witchcraft is to bring happiness and manifest goodwill into one’s life, which is the opposite of the typical stereotype.

 

So, in order to become a witch? Do you need to be able to move objects with your mind or have an acceptance letter to a witchcraft school given to you by an owl?

 

Well according to Hope, she says that anyone can be a witch. ‘’I don’t believe there are any requirements to be a witch, but it’s preferred if you’re doing it for the greater good and not to interfere with anyone’s life in a negative way.’’ 

 

Just like any other religion witchcraft is a way of life, not just a label. Witches believe in what they’re doing and feel that it is their purpose.

 

‘’You don’t tell people how to do their craft, it’s a way of life not a label or personality trait … you do what you feel.’’ Said Elizabeth.

 

There has been an uprise in ‘’modern witches’’ throughout recent years and the #witch on Tiktok has trended numerous times since 2020. Which is now obvious why, it is a harmless way of life that brings happiness.

 

Whether you believe in it or not, one thing that is undeniable is that it is not a negative practice and anyone from anywhere can practice witchcraft.

a snippet of my creative writing☁️

 The light hadn't even officially turned green when my foot stepped on the gas hard, as I attempted to navigate around the busy city streets.

clutch, gas, shift

I hated driving a manual car, especially when I could barely work it out.

Neutral to first or first to second?

My car bucked wildly twice before it lurched forward at the intersection. My heart felt like it was about to rip out of my chest and plop onto the floor. 

Once the bucking calmed down I was back at speed. A lot of speed.

I was running super late to the band I worked for first concert of their tour.

The traffic was insane for this late at night, but I was in the heart of the city. Everyone was going out for the night and I was stuck in it.

'Fuck!' I shouted, snapping out of my thoughts and slamming my foot on the pedal so hard my heel snapped right off. 

I groaned looking down at yet another pair of decent heels I had broken. 

Once the light turned green again I sped off, lighting myself a cigarette as I drove to calm my nerves.

Indulgence (Poetry)

 I suffer as much as I yearn,

I crave and I wonder.

Is the line of thoughts,

The good,

The bad,

So different? 

Diving Into The Filmmaking Process

 Diving Into The Filmmaking Process

‘’Coming up with the idea was an unusually backwards process that evolved from my love for the giallo film trend’’

Filmmaking is a challenging art to successfully achieve, especially as a film student, a lot of consideration needs to be done in pre, post and production. 

 We interviewed Cole Smith a film student, who was apart of making the short film Vittima, where he was the director, co writer and cinematographer.

The film is about a young woman who has recurring dreams of a mysterious threatening man.

 

‘’Her curiosity and fear deepen when evidence of the man begins to manifest outside of her dreams.’’ Said Cole.

 

Coming up with an idea for short film can be challenging, as there is a lot that goes into the plot that needs to be considered.

Cole stated that coming up with his short film was an unusually backwards process for him.

 

‘’My attraction to the genre comes from its insistence on style to generate impact, rather than focusing entirely on plot.’’ He said.

 

He explained that this was inspired by Deep Red, Suspiria and Opera, he liked how straight forward the narrative is allowing visuals to generate the visceral tone.

As a film student a good place to start would be finding a genre that you like and studying other films within that genre and techniques that they use to find what works best for yourself.

 

Within Vittima Cole incorporated camera techniques from Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson single point perspective and for dream sequences, David Lynch.

It took Cole ten drafts to come up with what he wanted for the film before moving on to storyboarding, which is a crucial step in pre production.

 

‘’When you’re storyboarding, you’re forced to ask yourself all those scary technical and logistical questions, ensuring you’re prepared for the shoot.’’ He said. 

 

Makingmistakes during this phase of production can have a damaging effect on a project.

 

It is all about preparation and you can never have too much of it before shooting, this ensures the filming process is easier and you’re able to know exactly what shots you need to achieve a certain feel.

 

The production part of a film already is a long process, Cole’s short film took 6 full days of filming.

 

‘’Each day of filming, we worked for approximately 12-16 hours.’’ He said.

 

 One of the hardest parts about filming a student film is that you do not receive mass funding, or even have a lot of money for production, which adds another difficulty.

 

Cole’s team had to fund themselves for Vittima, which meant a lack of access to a lot of materials that could help with filming.

 

‘’We had to limit the story to one location and two actors.’’ He said.

 

However, as long as you are aware of your personal budget and are realistic about what you can achieve you wont have many issues.

This means you wont have to miss out on any shooting, because you will not have to compromise due to budget if you prepare.

 

‘’I think understanding what your budget will allow you to shoot is an extremely important step that should be considered before even beginning pre- production.’’ He said.

 

Before going out and shooting, it is important to really analyze each shot so you’re confident when you begin the shooting process.

It is more than common when making a film you have missed a part and it can set back the whole production process.

 

‘’ My role on set as a director is to clearly communicate to all departments what I need from this scene, and if I can’t do that with confidence, I see it as a failure to completely understand the material I’m working with.’’ Cole said

 

A way as a student or a beginner filmmaker to get constructive criticism and an audience is to screen your film at a film festival.

This is crucial to develop your film making skills as you get a fresh audience’s perspective, which don’t know anything about the film and will have a different judgment and idea.

 

Submitting to a festival with one specific genre can also be a great way to screen your film, which is what Cole is looking to do next year.

 

‘’We’re leaning towards niche genre festivals, such as Horror ShowFest and Dracula Film Festival, whilst also submitting to more popular festivals such as Melbourne Underground Film Festival.’’ Cole said.

 

When searching for ideas for a theme you want to create for your film, start with something you would actually watch yourself.

 

Director, screenwriter and producer Peter Jackson who directed the Lord of The Ringsfranchise and many more, says it is very important to create a film that you enjoy.

 

“The most honest form of filmmaking is to make a film for yourself.” He said.

 

This also helps with the researching part of pre production because if you’re researching a topic you enjoy, you’ll find the final execution will be well presented. 

 

‘’If you’re an expert in understanding a specific genre, then your knowledge should transfer powerfully to the screen.’’ Cole said.

 

For Cole, he enjoyed horror films so he started with incorporating horror techniques within his films.

 

‘’I think I’ve just always had a natural interest in storytelling, and then when I grew to about 12 or 13 years old I became obsessed with horror movies ... It was such a thrill to be terrified by a scary movie’’ He said.

 

Essentially, when creating a film production the pre production part is the most essential to perfect because this will reflect on your final productConsider your own interests if you are struggling to find a starting point, such as your favourite genre or directors techniques. Then after filming screen it at a festival to get critiqued which will help you develop these skills.