A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION SCREENS ON NITV
The film, commissioned by NITV, was produced by Wankangurru / Adnyamathanha woman Lavene McKenzie...
Coober Pedy To Oodnadatta Bike Ride Adventure
Twenty young men and accompanying adults tackled the two hundred kilometre track riding from Coober Pedy to Oodnadatta over three days. The group led by my father George Laslett came up with the name COBRA an acronym for the Coober Pedy To Oodnadatta Bike Ride Adventure and an adventure it certainly was.
Riding through extreme heat followed by bone chilling cold and sidewards rain and strong winds the group pushed through using each other as motivation to get through another set of hills. Everyone on the ride had their own unique story and over the three days I got a rare insight into the lives of these brave riders. Stopping in to Mount Barry we were met with a fresh feed and hot showers while the boys kicked the footy around in the dusty paddocks.
There was something present along with us on the journey. Being away from civilisation as a lot of us knew it the absent mobile phone signal it gave everyone a chance to really connect and enjoy the million star view (as generic as that phrase is) and be truly present.
Riding in to Oodnadatta township and being greeted by locals and community it felt like such an achievement for everyone that rode the track, putting in the hard yards. Lyn Brewer (speaker of the House of Parliament) was there to present the twenty riders with COBRA certificates of achievement.
For me I saw a new side to my father as well as he himself struggled up the hills he was truly in his natural environment and the happiness this type of trip presented to him was visibly tangible. I was a very proud kutja (son) and happy to be asked to be a part of the journey. Looking back now this was my first film I made with an unstable tripod, D90 DX camera and a small zoom H4.
UPDATE FROM THE STUDIO
The film for Umoona Tjutagku Health Service in Coober Pedy has now been completely built. I’ve been working on this project since January 2012 so it’s nice to see the 100gb of video and over 800 stills come together.
Due to budget i’ve also recorded the entire soundtrack in the studio with some interesting results. Has been a really hard but fun journey and keen to do more video in the coming months.
I’ve been up to the region three times with a different kit of gear each time and it’s really helped with thinking on my feet and relating to people. The D800 is a work horse and captures movement and panning scenes a lot better than the original D90 that I headed up with at the beginning of the year.