I was thrilled for the chance to go to Flickerfest at Bondi Beach. As an aspiring filmmaker myself, I loved to get the chance to see the work of more experienced filmmakers, but I didn’t enjoy it only for that reason. Through seeing these films, I gained a greater understanding of Australian culture and values. Though from my experiences at other film festivals, I do think that some of these traits are common in the festival circuit, not just Australian film.

In class, we spent a lot of time discussing the Australian love of the land, and that is certainly reflected in their short films. Many of the films used a drone or featured stunning vistas and landscape views. “Cattle” and “The Hunt” are examples of films that did this. “The Hunt” did a particularly good job of showcasing the harsh, rugged beauty of the land as a backdrop to its dark, post-apocalyptic story.

Family themes were also just as important as any relationship ones. Three of the films were about sisters, one about brothers, and six were about parent issues or family dynamics. Even in one of the stories about a couple, the central story revolved around whether or not the woman was pregnant since they had been trying to start a family for years. This film, “6ate7,” was another one of my favorites. Most of the others centered around stories of friends (mateship!). And across the board, many of the heroes were more unconventional heroes. They weren’t super good looking people – they were normal. They were young teens, children, an old man, a metal head, or a dysfunctional mother and daughter. I believe this type of hero is generally much more common in short films as a whole, where people have lower budgets and less need to conform to industry standards to get their film sold. Short films aren’t about  making money. They’re much more about the art of filmmaking.

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Unfortunately, I was unable to locate P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way in Sydney. But I did find and learn so many cool things about the city. Sydney far exceeded my expectations. With a vibrant artsy community, friendly people, and delicious food, I felt right at home.

On our bus tour when we arrived, I learned a lot of things about the history of the city. For one thing, Sydney is the oldest city in Australia. When it was founded, a lot of the construction work on the city was actually done by prisoners. They were sent over on a boat from England and forced to work. Interestingly, many of the bricks they laid have unique markings on them. These markings are representative of the person who created them, helping the supervisor count and make sure all the prisoners were meeting their quotas.

While on the subject of construction, I also learned a lot about the opera house and how it was designed and built. Although I knew it was designed by a Danish architect, I learned a lot more about the man behind it, Jorn Utzon. Initially, his design was actually in the throw away pile, but a certain judge came on the panel late, discovered his unconventional but beautiful vision, and wound up changing the mind of the whole panel. Apparently Utzon left Sydney on unhappy terms, but eventually the story ended happily. Although he never came back to Australia, he helped with more designs for the building and was the first architect to receive a particularly prestigious award for architects in his lifetime. Now, his son (surprise, also an architect!) leads the team that helps with design and changes to the opera house. Although it may sound a bit silly, I also discovered that the opera house is covered in ceramic tiles, creating interesting patterns and textures. In most films, it just looks like a solid white roof from a distance, and I had no idea it was made up of these tiny tiles put together.

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It’s all about the location. If your set doesn’t look the part for the film, your audience will have a tough time believing and investing in your story. Peter Jackson and his crew did a phenomenal job of selecting the perfect locations to create the extensive world of Middle Earth. Walking through Hobbiton felt like a dream come true, and I loved every second of it. Each hobbit hole was uniquely designed, yet they work together to create context and a backstory of hobbit society that becomes evident in the details of the film. Intricate decoration, position on the hills, and number of windows are markers of class distinctions among hobbits. The job of a location scout can be a tricky one, as there are many important things for them to think about.

1. Can we actually shoot here? Do we need permission or permits? These are critical things to think about. Thankfully, this worked out for Jackson’s location scout. After spying the beautiful farm from above, a scout was sent to check it out. Now if you know anything about New Zealand, you know that New Zeleanders love rugby. And if it wasn’t rugby halftime when the scout knocked on the owner’s door, it’s very possible that the owner would not have answered the door and the scout would never have received the go ahead to look at the land. If that was the case, Hobbiton might have looked very different, changing the entire trilogy.

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On any sort of trip like this one, it’s very likely that you’ll be spending a lot of time on a bus. While driving through New Zealand, I saw some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. But as lovely as it all is, sometimes being a on a bus can start to feel a wee bit boring unless there’s something to break it up a little. In our case, this was Douglas, the bus driver. Douglas was a really cool guy, and while we were rolling along he’d often tell us stories or explain what what things we should know or look out for on our journey. I learned a lot of things about a variety of topics from Douglas, and I think it’s time for me to share a few…

1. Tip Top ice cream is a New Zealand staple, and it is worth trying. It comes both pre-packaged and scooped at many stores. That orange chocolate chip was to die for. I wish that was a flavor combination we had more frequently back home.

2. I kind of knew this one before we arrived, but I didn’t realize the extent of it. Kiwis love rugby, and they LOVE it. The All Blacks are an incredibly successful and beloved team, kind of like the big brother in the Pacific. Everyone loves the All Blacks, not just the New Zealanders. And for them it’s not just about winning and losing. It’s about the game. They celebrate when they win, and they still celebrate when they lose. The amount of national pride this country has in their team is really phenomenal.

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One does not simply walk into Mordor. You take the bus from the Shire and hike the last half hour.

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I absolutely loved Wellington. You could even say that my visit was ~swell~ington. The last few days here have been fabulous and I wish we could spend a few more. But even in this short time, I’ve learned a lot about the city.

While researching before the trip, I discovered that Wellington was not only the actual capitol of New Zealand, but also that it is the coffee capitol of New Zealand. As a caffeine lover, I was thrilled by this news. And when I got here and tried the coffee, I was not disappointed. What I did not realize was that iced coffee is not actually a universal order. Back home it’s just coffee poured over ice, but here, they add real cream and a big scoop of ice cream into it. It was delicious, so I can’t complain. But it sure was a surprise.

On our tour, I learned a lot of stories and facts about the city. One of our first stops was a water fountain memorial for Paddy. New Zealanders really loves their animals, as Paddy is actually a dog – an Airedale terrier, to be precise. After the little girl who owned him passed away from leukemia in the 1930s, Paddy wandered around Wellington, onto ships, and beyond. He became a real icon and symbol of the city. Everyone loved Paddy, and when he died, he had a real funeral where people would gather at the roadside. And so they built this memorial fountain in his honor.

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The Lord of the Rings had a massive impact on the film world. It was the first group of films to attempt something on such a large scale, and it succeeded beyond its wildest dreams. Many of the techniques used in this film enraptured audiences, set new industry standards, and created the Wellywood film culture. But it doesn’t take long to realize that these films did more than just that, as giant statues of Gandalf and the eagles and Smaug the dragon even greet you at the Wellington airport. Peter Jackson’s trilogy put the little country of New Zealand on the tourist map. The three movies took 660 million dollars to produce, and they earned back 5 billion dollars. And the films have helped the tourism industry’s earnings skyrocket to even more than that.

Tourism is New Zealand’s largest industry, and a huge part of this is a result of tours to film locations. There were 270 locations used in the movie, and many of the famous ones are available to visitors. Hobbiton, located in Matamata, is one of those major sites. Built on a sheep farm, visitors are able to pay to see the sets, have a drink at the Green Dragon, and buy plenty of movie merchandise. The family who owns the farm gets fifty percent of what it makes, and the rest goes to Peter Jackson.

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