It’s true, Australia really doesn’t have much of a film industry. It’s not as bad as it used to be, but still, ‘Aussie-made’ movies always feel like they have to stick to a formula and be as ‘Aussie’ as possible. So deserts, tough blokes, knife fights and just desolation that doesn’t accurately represent the country at all, really. Then you have the big Aussie celebs, who all drop their accents for American movies. It’s the great paradox: Australia just doesn’t know what to do with itself.

I guess that’s my guiding motivation for travelling to the USA. They have this big competition going on, and I’m not a fully-established and beloved Melbourne videography place like some…places, but I like to think I’ll have my own business someday. And if I place somewhere in the rankings, it could really happen. It’d be something to hang on the wall at least, and to show to potential clients.

It’s a really interesting competition, actually. Held in Baltimore, you fly over and are given six hours to go out and make a video on something, anything, that the judged will then spend the next day poring over. Fortunately they have a solo division, and that’s where I am every year. Last year was my first, and I went out and filmed a friendly baker in a random side street. He didn’t tell too many interesting stories except for the time his parents had to transport a goat across three states and it got its tongue stuck in the window and they almost drove into the grand canyon. In retrospect, it didn’t add much to my presentation.

I’m wiser now, hopefully! I’m going to show how Melbourne video production definitely has some skills, just like all the other countries and their thriving industries. We may be small, but just like at the Olympics (sometimes, at least), we definitely have some skill, even in video production.

-Mack