Wedge-Tail Pictures is hiring

THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED

Wedge-Tail Pictures is a small Sydney-based production house specialising in documentary and factual TV as well as video production for NGOs and other ethically-minded organisations. We are seeking a values-led production assistant interested in developing their skills in doco and video production, working a three or four-day week.

Following on from the recent success of SOLD! Who broke the Australian Dream? we have a number of projects in development. As a micro organisation based at the Impact Storytelling Lab in Darlinghurst this is something of a hybrid role which will include all facets of the production process. Appropriate training will be given where needed, and no two days will be the same.

We are looking for someone who is:

-adaptable and flexible

-keen on a wide variety of tasks

-passionate about documentary/factual TV

-takes an interest in what makes the world tick

-creative/problem solver

-able to write well

The role will entail:

- research

- grant applications and funding outreach

- social media output and website maintenance

- occasional support on shoots and live events

- some basic record keeping/accounting

- occasional writing (pitch/development documents)

- possible basic video editing (skills dependent)

This not primarily a technical role but the ability to use video editing software, motion software or photo editing software will be highly regarded, as will the ability to use still/video cameras or multimedia equipment. Essentially, this is a flexible role where almost anything might pop up, from helping on shoot to researching stories some weeks, to tidying up some bad Google Drive filing or responding to emails other weeks.

Related degree preferred but not essential - one or two years experience in TV/multimedia and the right mindset is more important. Candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply.

Dancing with the Devil

The biggest bushfire to ever hit Australia not only destroyed a hundred homes and a million hectares of bush (at 4138 square miles, an area bigger than Puerto Rico and almost the size of Delaware), it left fractured communities scattered in its wake, too. Dancing With The Devil meets the volunteer firefighters, the rural dreamers and ‘tree changers’ united by the fateful events on the fringes of Sydney during Australia’s ‘Black Summer.’ As a series of blazes merged together, a desperate ill-fated attempt to slow the ‘main’ fire by ‘backburning’ was carried out. What led to some communities being drawn together and others breaking at the seams?

In this 60 minute documentary, director Bill Code (The Lake of Scars, 2022) and writers/producers Bill and Sarah Allely (Brain on Nature podcast) explore what it means to be a resilient community in the face of untold natural disaster, supported by Mike Tilbrook's original score and the gripping news photography of Nick Moir (main picture, above).

Released locally and screened in town halls and galleries in Windsor, Colo Heights, St Albans and beyond in late 2024, Dancing With The Devil will also have a long-term screening space at the Dyarrubin gallery in Windsor, following a limited theatrical release in Feb/March 2025. Further distribution details will be released in early 2025. The film was funded with the support of a Black Summer Bushfire Recovery grant via Hawkesbury City Council's arts and culture team.

The Lake of Scars

A critically-acclaimed feature documentary on reconciliation and the environment. The Lake of Scars is available to watch on SBS On Demand and DocPlay in Australia.

This post is from 2022:

Huge news this week which we couldn't be more proud of; The Lake of Scars has been officially selected to show at the Antenna Festival in Sydney in 2022. It's the only Australian film selected to compete this year.

‘“A deeply moving, evocative and beautiful insight into how a battle to preserve timeless Indigenous culture found hope in a remarkable act of black and white conciliation.”

- Paul Daley, author and Guardian journalist.

Tickets are available here.

This film on environment, history, and allyship has been six years in the making and features a fantastic array of people; there's Dja Dja Wurrung elder Uncle Jack Charles telling the story, the passionate farmer and horticulturalist Paul Haw, Yung Balug elder Gary Wyrker Myrker Murray and daughter Ngarra Murray (both closely involved in production) and Jida Gulpilil, son of late and legendary actor David. Jida also produced a stirring score with acclaimed producer David Bridie.

Directed by Bill Code and produced by Bill and Christian Pazzaglia, the film will show twice in Sydney. Once on Sat 5th February at the Dendy in Newtown, and once on Sunday 13th February at the Palace Verona in Paddington.

Tickets are available here.

We hope you enjoy the film!

In a corner of Australia exists a place of astounding natural beauty, archaeological significance, and age-old culture. But the Indigenous scarred trees and artefacts found here are at risk – until an unlikely intergenerational partnership comes forth to save the site for future generations. The Lake of Scars tells a story of allyship, environmentalism and cultural rebirth; a picture of what reconciliation between Aboriginal and European Australians might look like. But is that idea harder than it seems?