Guerrilla filmmaking and passion projects: a chat with digital media student Lara Briddon

Lara is an aspiring filmmaker currently studying a Bachelor of Digital Media at Southern Cross University on the Gold Coast. She previously studied film for three years with the New York Film Academy and is now looking to learn new skills in digital media to help further her career in film.

“In my degree, there’s a lot of breadth with what I am studying. Things like written communication, photography and digital imaging are polar opposites on each end of the spectrum.”

One of many passion projects Lara has worked on is a documentary about a progressive rock band called ‘Big Big Train’, filmed in 2019. She spent three weeks following the band’s tour around the UK. In the same way that guerrilla filmmaking incorporates low budgets and skeleton crews, Lara worked as part of a small team, gaining hands-on experience filming concerts, interviewing talent and editing the video herself.

“Filming a documentary was something I’d never tried before and it’s very independent. We filmed with a super small crew, just myself and three others and I edited it from start to finish, cut it and stitched it all together and we are now finally seeing it take flight,” Lara said.  

Her insights from previous experience and studies have helped her understand the importance of building a strong foundation of knowledge and technical skills that can be applied to a range of settings within the film and media industry.

“The film industry has so many facets and aspects to it that if you find something that you’re truly passionate about, whether that’s cinematography or sound design or directing, then you can still use every aspect of classes that maybe you didn’t know would help you and put them to play in the industry,” Lara explained.

“As a filmmaker, it really helps me to learn from those classes and apply that knowledge.”

She joins us on the latest episode of the SCU Buzz podcast to chat in-depth with our student host Lauren Munro about her digital media degree, documentary, and insights for students looking to study digital media.

Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

Learn more about studying Digital Media at Southern Cross University.