One Year Completed: The First Trimester of 2025 Comes to an End

This trimester, T1 2025, has been particularly challenging as I were taking three units including Production, Post-Production, and Fiction Writing. 

Not only focusing on study and assessments in uni, but also I was wandering to have more connections with filmmakers out of uni, which is to participate in as many meetups and film festivals as possible. However, the problem is how to handle these things in parallel and forwarding without being nervous.

Especially this time I collaborated with some younger classmates who might not have been productive on time and quality. 

Based on my previous experience, younger students often seemed more focused on their personal lives than on their studies.

After a long conversation between Sekhar and me, we decided to fully support Anushka’s idea, a girl pursuing her Indian classical dance, Kathak, the name of the film called VIRASAT.

However, after we talked with our other team member, Dishari, we changed the protagonist to male because she has a friend, Advay, he can dance and play actor. 

We shot The Fan over three days, with all filming locations located in the P Building. Because of Yuti's absence, we asked Stanley to support us, who gave us a big favor.

In the meantime, I had many film festivals accept my doco, Extra Time, which we did in the last trimester. I enhanced the film’s quality, made some slight revisions, and created a trailer for my post-production class. Also, Extra Time has been officially selected for the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.

In addition, Sekhar, Quang, Jason, Joann, and I made a short film titled The Fan. The original script was written by someone else, but I revised it to fit the setting of Mazu Restaurant, where Stanley works.

We even screened the film at Mazu, bringing the story to life right where it was set. 

Sooo happy that all my friends were coming to the screening night!

In my fiction writing class, I completed a short film script titled Farewell to the Island in the Wind. I also submitted it to the Taiwanese Short Film Subsidy Program based on this story. 

Beyond my classes, I’ve also hosted local events, including a picnic organized by the Taiwan Australia Career Forum in Melbourne, and another event called Ask AI Over Wine, which sparked some great conversations with Taiwanese friends from the community. 

Before the event started, I created a promotional video to help spread the word on social media. 

Furthermore, I hosted a local Agile online meetup to share how to use AI as a facilitator for sprint planning using Miro and Jira.

I’ve also participated in two film festivals, including the Setting Sun Film Festival and the Melbourne Taiwan Film Festival.

The picture on the left shows the church where the Setting Sun Film Festival was held. 

I also watched my first footy game in Melbourne, which was an exciting new experience.

Until now, I’ve been living in Australia for almost one year. From what I’ve observed, it seems that most students come here not for their studies, but mainly with the goal of finding jobs and building a future as immigrants.

I'm not saying that those pursuing permanent residence are wrong; rather, I'm suggesting that the main purpose of studying at university should be to find the meaning of our lives. It should not be just for securing a good job.

Anyway, I’m still helping myself and my friends find purpose in our lives. Let’s see how far we can go next trimester.

The PRANK Film Project

It has been a fantastic journey from last year to this year, and it will continue throughout my life.

The first film side project in Australia with my classmates, Shekhar and Quang, began in our last class, the Writer's Room.

The short film's story concept comes from my classmate, Quang. We started developing the script five months ago. 

It is a formal collaboration between Shekhar, Quang, and me. Quang took on the role of director, while Shekhar worked as the DOP(director of photographer), and I served as the producer. The film shoot has been completed and is now moving into post-production. It's hard to put into words the journey we've been through.

After the 2024 T2 trimester ended, Shekhar and I encouraged Quang to start discussing the Prank film project. We watched many reference movies at Shekhar's house. Also, I bought a new cinematic camera, the Sony FX3, as our main weapon for the short film Prank.

After Quang watched the Taiwanese film Incantation, which I recommended to him, he was inspired to shape the direction of our Prank script.

I believe that partners who trust and support each other can overcome any difficulties. However, this is just the beginning; we still have much to learn and grow. After the rough script was completed, Patricia joined our team as assistant director to support Quang.

During the pre-production process of the film Prank, Quang and I put in a lot of effort. Not only did we hold two auditions and scout more than five locations, but we also borrowed props from Deakin and crafted character-specific items, such as their personal life photos generated using AI tools. Thanks to my Taiwanese friend, Henry for helping us borrow the room at the University of Melbourne and generously offering his entire house for us to film over three days.

As the director of the short film Prank, Quang felt stressed and anxious due to the tight schedule and potential risks. Having directed my own short film, I can fully understand how it feels to be in such an urgent and high-pressure situation. However, crew collaboration isn’t just about following rules; it’s also about communicating through skillful empathy and creating a positive, enjoyable working environment.

Sometimes, I know it’s not easy to stay committed and deal with the challenges of communicating with different people. But once you shift your mindset and change the way you look at the same situation, it can magically turn into something positive. Otherwise, you’ll constantly keep negative thought to kick someone out, the more you focus on the worst, the more likely it is going to happen.

For instance, on the last day of shooting, we couldn’t find a makeup artist. Fortunately, Patricia had learned how to do makeup during the previous days on set, so she was able to handle it without any worries. In the meantime, we also resolved a scheduling issue, as one actor couldn’t commit to the nearly non-stop shooting days. In that moment, it was tough and challenging, but we learned a lot from the experience.

I always focus on people’s strengths rather than their shortcomings. Only when you truly decide not to work with someone anymore, then you should consider kick them out quickly.

As I told Shekhar, Quang, and Patricia, "Trust me, a film can always be made again, while we should not take advantage of someone who has helped us."

I mean—what do you truly want to achieve through filmmaking? Do you just want to become a famous filmmaker, even if it means ignoring the risks you create? Or do you genuinely enjoy the process of filmmaking with kind people in a safe, healthy, non-toxic environment?

The shoot for the short film Prank is a valuable learning journey. It's currently in post-production. We are looking forward to completing it soon.

3 musketeers: CrewCall Project

There is almost a six-month vacation until the new trimester begins. Shekhar, Quang, and I participated in a crew call project, La reverie de Mera, and are now planning to shoot our own project, Prank.

La Mera is the biggest film project I have worked on in Australia so far.

The 3 musketeers were captured in the front of the chapel on the 3rd day of shooting.

Three people are responsible for three different roles: gaffer, extra(BTS), and boom operator.

The total duration of the shoot on set was 6 days.

The weather on the first day was terrible, and we’ll never forget it. It was a day of heavy rain.

My role is the boom operator, responsible for holding the boom stick to record sound. Additionally, I assisted in setting up the recorder and mini mics.

It was tough on the first day, but after six days, it made me stronger, haha.

During these six days, I collaborated with Arran, Livia, and Liam. Even though I wasn’t very professional, we communicated well with each other and did a great job on sound recording.

It is a story set in medieval times, so many scenes were filmed in a museum, a castle, and a church.

Many townsfolk were played by extras, all perfectly dressed as medieval characters.

This was not only our first experience working on a professional-level film project in Australia, but we also collaborated closely throughout nearly a week of shooting.

   The people we worked with were fantastic and passionate.

Right now, not only the 3 musketeers but Justin has joined us as well

Many thanks to Quang for capturing many remarkable photos of us, and to Shekhar for his constant and kind support on set.

Shekhar, Quang, and I are planning our short film, which we aim to produce by the end of next February. We will conduct it with our strong connections and make it as an outstanding project in our portfolio. Let’s wait and see!

Month 3: The first trimester in 2024 comes to the end

It is an amazing trimester!

From the beginning of July to the end of September, over the course of three months, I went through many experiences that I never imagined they would happen, but they did.

There are three units I completed in this trimester. Let's begin with ACF705, Documentary Production Practice.

Documentary Shooting on the tram:

Documentary Final Screening:

Extra Time is an inspiring documentary that follows the transformative journey of Bruce Whalley, Melbourne’s happiest tram driver, as he navigates life’s unexpected turns and emerges as a chance of pursuing his dream in childhood.

Also, I supported Shekhar's documentary shooting in his subject, Nav, at his house in Geelong.

3 Musketeers

What I want to say has already been set in videos.

Month 2: The Happiest International Student in Melbourne

My documentary assignment, The Happiest Tram Driver: Extra Time, is in production during these two months. 

Therefore, in August, we were very busy on three assignments. First of all, in the assignment of class Writing with the Camera, we have to shoot 8 shots, including zooming and wide angle, edit shots in two sequences of Premiere Pro, and conduct a critical written document to explain shots how we did, what mistakes we made, and how to improve it next time.

Next, in The Writers Room class, we need to personally submit an episodic story discussed by our own group, Married Couple. 

It is not difficult to come up with the story plot, but it suffers during the group discussion. Our team members, Patricia, Anusha, and Sarah have good communication skills to guide us in the right direction of this story. Additionally, Parsa and Jason contribute many interesting ideas to make the story fun and dramatic. We completed the whole story structure earlier than the other team. 

The Vlogs of our two tough classes

The last one is the Documentary class. Jason, Janice, and Sanjeev joined my team to cooperate on interviewing our subject, the Happiest Tram Driver in Melbourne, Bruce. 

There is a lot of shooting equipment we have to use in the interview.

We filmed the interview on Aug. 14 since there was a mid-break week from Aug. 10 to 19. The interview location is a Tram Cafe near the CBD. Our four members coworked well and took a good frame with clear interviewee's audio. 

The more difficult part is the written document for the documentary's proposal and treatment. It is submitted by individuals. The format is so complicated. We will take our time in the following weeks.

Along with Shekhar's documentary production, Nav, we went to Geelong, where the subject lives, far away from the city. We spent almost three hours there because of the metro lockdown.

Shekhar's team is very professional, and it took them a long time to set up the light. We stayed there until 10:00 p.m., and it was almost exhausting.

In August, Shekhar, Quang, and I also went to the location scouting for wedding shootings, where we visited many places, such as Royal Botanical Garden, Yarra River, Parliament, Carlton Garden, Fitzroy Garden, Chanel Street, and Hosair Lane.

Afterward, we coworked on a wedding ceremony and two dance events, which are a DJ nightclub and an Indian club.

Watch the movie "Wake Up" at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2024

During the mid-break week, I got some interview invitations, such as one for a full-stack developer position, not related to my current major, filming or directing. It is still in the process, but I prefer to find a film production job in Melbourne because I already have one remote job teaching Taiwanese students programming. 

Many students at Deakin, including my classmates, are eager to get part-time jobs here, no matter if they relate to film or not. I would say that it is expensive cost on what kind of experience you get in your studenthood. If you decide to work as a service worker in the restaurant, you will master it in the future. It turned me into a woman sending me a message on LinkedIn, who is going to be an overseas volunteer. 

She was considering if it was a risk to take the overseas volunteer position for one year and wanted to know why and how my past experience working as an overseas IT volunteer in St. Kitts and Nevis. The conclusion is that what kind of decision is worthy of your life depends on the individual. Some people, like me, have skills in remote working and multitasking, but some people prefer to work in person without other ways to make money. 

"Humans living in the world are always taking risks. Happy living in your comfort zone, or struggling and growing in the unknown."

I said it is up to you. No one can give you advice.

Even though I booked an online appointment with Kevin, who is trying to help students and freshmen consider some advice in their careers, I know that it is a connection, not an instruction for my future.

Like why I took a part-time job to teach Mandarin in primary school here, it is because I want to improve my communication with multi-languages, interaction, and observation with children or students, which will help me direct young actors in the future. It is a connection. By the way, before taking the role, I obtained my Working with Children Check certificate and a Full Driver's License.

Agile methodology focuses on strong team connections, such as empathy, understanding, safety, and team agreement. I know it is hard, but it is the right thing to do.

AgileAus event on Aug. 13

Let's continue to work on assignments!

Month 1: The Practice: Camera, Writers, Documentary

After one marvelous month of studying and having fun in Melbourne, I realized that most people are always pursuing something unknown but joyful in the present moment.

"Don't drain your time without being present.", my friend said to me.

Where I am and what I dedicate myself to define me. That requires long-term practice.

Let's see how we practice in the Writing with the Camera class.

Study & Play Hard - week 2 day 2 at Deakin

How to create vibey footage in a thriller film: it relies on camera movement, lighting, and sound design, with editing as the final step to synthesize these elements into a cohesive clip.

I'm utilizing generative AI tools(such as Copilot, Shakker.ai, and InVideo.ai) to build resource archives for the concept demonstrations of web series script I wrote in the Writers Room.

knock knock in the Writers Room

We got more and more practice in Week 3.

Writing with Camera & The Writers Room - Week 3

Now we have 4 musketeers (Aarav is a bachelor's student of film and TV)

Additionally, I am so lucky to have met the happiest tram driver in Melbourne, Bruce, on the first day I arrived here, because now he is my documentary subject. While I found his card and had an interview with him this week, he promptly agreed to my filming.

Documentary Production Practice - Exhausted on our Assignments - Week 3

Bruce's story is fantastic. Like he said in Mandarin, "頂好，剛剛好!"

Then the Taiwanese guy, CW, he took me, Jason, and Simon to nightclubs in Melbourne city. It was such an amazing wild-life experience.

Melbourne Nightlife A Filmmaker's Dream

A few days ago, I suddenly thought that Henry, one of my online programming students,  was planning to study in Australia. I tried to connect with him via the Line app. One day later, I received his response, and we met at a coffee shop near Burwood Village in Camberwell. OMG! He has been studying at the University of Melbourne for more than 1.5 years, and his current place is very close to my house.

What's a coincidence! Henry will graduate as an IT specialist at the end of this year and is looking for some local work opportunities next year. 

Henry drove his car with me to the city and explored many tourist places I hadn't been to yet during the past month.

Henry asked me a question. He was curious about my apparent talent for connecting with foreigners easily and quickly. Basically, I don't speak English well, but I really love making foreign friends. I have failed many times before, but now you just see my apparent talent. 

I told Henry, "You will be if you practice, practice, and practice."

University of Melbourne

Queen Victoria Market

National Gallery of Victoria

Yarra River

One thing that happened this week I want to mention is a homeless lady I met on the tram and later met on the street near Camberwell station, where I met Bruce. 

The homeless lady politely asked for the tissue from me because she saw me wearing a mask and blew my nose with tissue, so I gave her the tissue. At that time, I didn't know she was a homeless person. Afterward, because I would meet with Bruce, I went to Camberwell station and saw her sitting on the ground of the street to beg money.

I saw her using corrugated paper, writing down "Human Kindness" & "Please Help."  She recognized me as the man on the tram. I kneeled down beside her and said, "I will give you 20 dollars, but can I take a photo of the paper? only paper, thanks." She said, "Sure."

I just saw that the paper she made was beautiful and wanted to memorize it. Also, I asked her several questions, like, Where do you live? Do you have friends? Why don't you go to the city for more tourists?

She answered all my questions and said thanks to me as well. I am not sure I was polite without discrimination. I hope so.

Anyway, one thing is for sure: Melbourne has given me memories I'll never forget. 

It's been a documentary.