Almost Bondi Vet, more like Docklands Rescue!

OK so I have been doing a fair bit of work down at the Docklands, Melbourne's harbour precinct! HA. Open Channel has been my place of employment and a Cert III in Documentary has been the course. I'm like the editing consultant, teaching a bit of FCP and a bit of editorial advice. Nice Job. Good bunch of students and some very interesting projects....but not the point of this post.
In between times I've been taking a lot of snaps of the area and particularly a series of photos called 'The Wrong Side of the Tracks' (see a few in a previous post)

So yesterday I'm a bit early so I drive down to the end shed, right to the end of the docks, near the Bolte Bridge. This is the end point for the rails that run on the docks and behind the sheds and it being such beautiful early morning light I think there may be a photo opp?

Anyway I'm wondering around taking a snap here and there, mostly of the bridge, the river, the docks etc and then some mooring pylons.
Great Light Great Snaps.
However, something catches my eye when I photograph the pylons (see below)
Can you see it?

Have a close look in the middle between the pylons. It's a Mudlark, a small version of a Magpie. A bird for those not in the know. But this bird is strung up like an aerial crucifixion. On closer inspection I see that it has fishing line wrapped around its wing tip and the line is strung between two of the pylons. By some feak move it has entangled itself in this grizzly scenario and produced something akin to performance art. It was perfect, looked great, great symmetry, and the more it struggled, the tighter the bonds.

Shit, what to do??? No one around, running out of time (job to start in 5min) and can't reach the pylons. But I so know that I can't do nothing. My 'this is nature' out clause for so many scenarios is just not applicable in this case. If the nong fisherman (or woman) hadn't snagged their line on the pylon none of this would be happening.
SHIT!!!! I had to leave to go to work, sorry mate.

So when I get to Open Channel, I tell Dan (boss man)of what has gone down. It's good he is concerned. We call Docklands Security but they are a little out of there depth and suggest ringing the City Council.
I don't think so
We google animal rescue but the hits are too vague. Then Dan says 'injured wildlife recovery, Melbourne' and that takes us to the good people of
Wildlife Victoria
http://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/
24hr wildlife emergency.
They take down the details and say they will organise a rescue, bless their hearts.
I mms the above photo so they know what's going on and I leave it at that.
Start of the working day.

I finish at 1pm and the first thing I do (yes before buying a Vietnamese Pork Roll for lunch)is go back to the pylons.
It's Gone! OMG has it escaped, has it been rescued, has it, has it???????
So I jump on the phone, back to Wildlife Victoria and here's what they say.
So using the photo (very helpful) thay contact Parks Victoria who have a boat in the Docklands. They go to the rescue, cut the bird down and untangle it. On inspection it's in perfect health, no broken bones etc and they release it.
The beautiful Mudlark tid fly away.

Oh I love a happy ending and guess what? I made a difference! I realy thought the situation was quite hopeless, but I didn't let that stop me. So minor but so major.
It was a good day at work, a good day at the Docklands.

Vale Street

Here we have an extract from 'Girl in a Mirror' a documentary of photographer Carol Jerrems. This is the lead up to a very famous (hangs in the national gallery) photograph she took called 'Vale Street'

She hung out and taught kids in Heidelberg West in the 70's, technically Sharpies.

A coupla years after this was shot (end of the decade) I was playing footy for Diamond Creek and one of the sides we played was Heidelberg West. We were in the  Under 16 competition and this side drove to the match. I remember the guy I was on took his jumper off to put on his sleeveless jumper and I've never seen so many tattoos close up. They were a side of Sharpies and very scary.

PS we let them win.

The reason I say all this is that I know what she was amongst, she lived with them.

Great Doco, Great Photographs



A link to an article on her work
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/screeningthepast/29/inspiration-girl-in-a-mirror.html

Buildings I'd like to see in my home town

CCTV Building Beijing, China.

MIFF 2011 Bucket List cont'd

What's a festival without a Werner Herzog film??? Well just not a festival is the right answer there. At MIFF I've been treated in the past to The White Diamond, Encounters at the End of the World and The Wild Blue Yonder. In fact it was the MIFF experience that switched me onto the man. Well this year he has surpassed himself with Cave of Forgotten Dreams. This is where he has access to the cave drawings from 32 000 yrs ago that are found in France, in the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave. Access to this cave is extremely rare even for a scientist, yet Werner has not only done it but he's done it in 3-D. HaHaHa where else could the man go?
Trailer


Other Docos
Brother Number One
Khmer Rouge murder of a couple of New Zealander adventurers
www.brothernumberone.co.nz

Armadillo
Danish soldiers in Afghanistan
http://youtu.be/0DDuRraJbOg

Jiro Dreams of Sushi
the oldest 3 michelin star Sushi Chef in the world
www.sushimovie.com


Project Nim
a 70's social experiment with a monkey gone bad
http://youtu.be/yxQap9AAPOs


Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Morgan Spurlock's latest film. All about product placement.
www.sonyclassics.com/pomwonderfulpresentsthegreatestmovieeversold/


A pretty good round up of factual. and there is more, absolutely, just not sure if they will make it onto the list.

MIFF 2011 Bucket List

Didn't think I'd ever use that phrase? Not even sure what it means exactly nor where it comes from? But I do know it translates as a wish list and possibly a large one?
Here's my wish list for MIFF 2011, commencing 21st July.

2 x Sion Sono films

Cold Fish, which I saw at the start of the year at the Adelaide Film Festival. Glad to have seen it, not his strongest and a really annoying, shouty character. Full on gorey and a bucket of blood fest with a whole lot of chopping up of bodies etc. But it has that beautiful take on disfunctional/dislocated family life with a daughter running of the rails that starts the whole film.

Guilty of Romance, this is the new one and I'm hang'n to see it. The less I know about it the better I think. Oh the joy of having two of his films in the festival. Very Exciting.

LOVE EXPOSURE

NOT LOVE EXPOSURE

Some Aussie Films
X
set in the cross. Two prostitutes on the run, one fateful night. Sex, Violence & Danger...."a dark thriller" written by Belinda McClory, directed by Jon Hewitt. Belinda McClory was in Yani's 1min film at the VCA, very good actor, very good film. I think I may like this one, just hoping it's not too bleaksville.
the official site
http://www.xthemovie.com.au/
the trailer


Toomelah
Ivan Sen's new film. I saw Dreamland last year and thought it was pretty close to great (it wasn't 100% finished, sound, picture edit etc). This one will be completely different but I think he's a film maker to follow. This one will confirm it I hope. It was over in Canne this year and it was pretty well received. His famous one is Beneath the Clouds, which I am yet to see.
the official site
http://www.toomelahthemovie.com/

Magic Trip - Ken Kesey's search for a kool place
I always wanted to be a 'merry prankster' without really knowing what they did, who they were, why they were?
It just sounded really cool traveling in a bus taking shit loads of acid!
Well this is an edit of some of the film they took whilst on the road. Pretty well a must see in my book, these guys really started something.
You know Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out
The risk being that usually my fantasy thoughts of what happened will probably be dashed by the whole human reality of the situation. Not many things remain that cool from the late sixties when you actually get to see it how it was.
But hey I live in hope. and I will see this film too.

The Electric Kool Aide Acid Test's Bus. 'FURTHER'

I think I'm flashing back!!!!

Wrong Side of the Tracks

A series of photographs that reflect my upbringing! All taken on my little sony ericson hack phone camera. Think it does a not so shabby job sometimes.

A New Financial Year

Why is this the heading? well who knows, except that it is; but it has no relevance to this post. I've just spent two days cutting Silas & Miriam from the Solomon Islands talking about a Red Cross program that they and their villages have been participating in over the last three years. Clean water, hygiene, malaria and other health related issues have been addressed very successfully. Two video testimonials. I hope there is some more work coming from this source, lovely guy Jo is doing the shooting and he bought back some really beautiful shots. I hope to link to these videos when they go live.

I want July to be the month of animation, want to keep experimenting with James and start to perfect some technique. Here is our first attempt from May. Completly inspired by the YowaYowa Camera Lady, Natsumi

http://yowayowacamera.com/

She is amazing but I'm sure you'll hear more on her from me ....later.

Our Video (a bit rough but you get the drift)