As a Sydney-sider, working in Melbourne has always been an exciting adventure. The two cities are both incredibly similar, yet dramatically differ in personality, so I’ve enjoyed getting a chance to explore those differences. When I had the incredible opportunity to work with MGI Entertainment and Prahran Market on series 2 of Humans of Prahran Market, it was the perfect chance to do this and it reminded myself why I love what I do.
We spent several days wandering through the market with our cameras, getting to know the vendors and diving into their stories. Each person we met had such a unique journey, from how they ended up at the market to the passion behind what they sell. There's genuinely a story behind everything, whether it's the journey a single piece of fruit takes (I talked to one vendor about pineapples 🍍 for over 10 minutes) or the way someone perfects their dip recipe. Do yourself a favour and ask at Naheda’s Choice about any flavour.
Working with Michelle and the Prahran Market team was a dream. They had everything so well organised on their end, which made collaboration seamless and let us focus on what we do best: capturing authentic moments.
The technical side kept us on our toes though.
Every stall had different lighting conditions, so I spent quite a bit longer than usual in post working on colour grading and white balance. Plus, those refrigerated display cases created some interesting reflections we had to work around – note to self: always pack a polarising filter!
If I could do it again, I'd probably schedule things differently. We filmed chronologically, doing interviews then b-roll, but it would have been smoother to capture interviews during quiet periods and get the busy market atmosphere separately. Some of our conversations happened during peak hour, which meant more work cleaning up audio later. On one hand, it makes for more energetic content, but on the other it is more distracting while capturing personal moments.
Shot on the Blackmagic BMPCC 6K with a Canon 24-70mm and Rode Wireless Go II mics for those wondering about the setup 📹
This project actually played a bigger role in my life than I expected - getting such an intimate look at Melbourne's community spirit encouraged my move here a year later. Sometimes the best projects are the ones that change you too.
Looking for someone to help tell your community's story?
Let's chat about bringing those authentic moments to life.
Let's chat about bringing those authentic moments to life.
