Australian
Screen

Clip description

A house meeting is called to try and solve the problem of Anna’s (Mara Scherzinger) disappearance. It is filmed by Heath (Adam Saunders) as part of his ongoing documentary about the school. Feeling guilty, Bec (Kate Bell) coordinates a search mission including Perri (Tahyna Tozzi), Fly (Sophie Luck), Dean (Khan Chittenden) and Matt (Chris Foy). Meanwhile, a kind kiteboard hirer (Michael Piccirilli) gives Anna the chance to go kiteboarding and she escapes her troubles for a while.

Curator’s notes

Drawing on a cutting edge technique pioneered successfully with an earlier Australian series, Short Cuts (2002), the main episode footage is interspersed with hand-held video footage, as shot by the character Heath. This raw looking footage brings the energy and visual interest of crazy camera angles and shot framing to the telling of the story. It also allows characters such as Bec to speak directly to camera. This footage is shot by a second camera crew.

The search sequence showcases the beautiful Sydney beaches location, featuring the beach, the Sydney ferries and the relaxed beach lifestyle, underscored with another signature feature of the series, the independent Aussie music sound.

Anna, played by fifteen-year-old German actor Mara Scherzinger shows what she can do on the kiteboard. This scene also displays the skilled camerawork and editing required to create the impression that Anna is a champion kiteboarder, when the actual kiteboarding sequence is of young Australian kiteboarder Cora Bernardinatti, who plays Scherzinger’s action double in the kiteboarding scenes.