Last week I spent a day filming with an old friend Celeste, who lives in Strathewen, one of the communities that was devastated by the Black Saturday fires.

Even two months after the fires, although there is some regrowth peaking through, the place still looks and feels apocalyptic. Also kind of beautiful, in it's own sad and surreal way. I haven't shot anything documentary related for a long time. It is my first love when it comes to film making. It's what I studied at film school, and docos have inspired and challenged me more over the years than any other type of film.

It felt great to be there with just a camera with a mike on top, chatting to and observing people as they did their thing. It's a really simple process that's totally stripped bare of all the organised chaos that shooting drama brings with it. Hopefully I will get back up there and shoot some more.
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