by Carla Caruso

Two university students have created punchy videos for our association about the current Park Lands rezoning threat.

Cooper Williams, 21, who’s doing a media and international relations degree, and Yasmine Wright Gittins, 20, who’s studying a Bachelor of Geography and International Relations, paired up on the project. Both are students at the University of Adelaide. 

See the two compelling videos below:

Cooper says: “We have done some collaboration in the past around photography, but this is one of our first videography projects.”

Here, we chat to the duo about their work.

Hi, Yasmine and Cooper. Please share how you became involved in this project. 

Yasmine: I first saw information about the association’s campaign to stop the planned rezoning of Helen Mayo Park on your website. 

As a lover of the Park Lands, this was quite a devastating prospect and I decided to email Shane [Sody, our president] to see what we could do and that’s when our media skills became really valuable.

Cooper: I was excitedly told by Yasmine the following day at university about the opportunity and the proposed rezoning. 

After some quick googling, I was surprised to learn that it hadn’t quite captured wide media attention and thought it was a really interesting situation that was flying under the radar.

That’s when I reached out to Shane to do an interview for my work at [community broadcaster] Radio Adelaide. 

Please tell us what creating the videos involved. 

Yasmine: So, pre-production was mostly us planning our shots and what narrative we were going to construct because film is all about storytelling and that is how you hold an audience. 

Our actual physical shoot involved attending the picnic rally that the association had organised for Helen Mayo Park, and we got to record the voices of people who cared so much about the Park Lands. 

We also got some B-roll [supplementary footage] from around the area, which all around took about a day. 

The editing is where most of the time goes, and we spent A LOT of time in the computer labs, piecing it together. But, all in all, it is a very rewarding process and you learn something new every time.

Cooper: Although the end product with a lot of video and film is relatively short, the process can be quite long and arduous. Usually, every minute of footage requires an hour of editing in post-production. I really enjoy editing and find it can be a fun albeit slow creative process. 

I use the Adobe Suite at university – mainly Premiere Pro editing software – and usually try to conceptualise what narrative I would like to tell before filming and then following through with that when editing. 

Why is the environment important to you?

Yasmine: I have always been really passionate about the environment from a young age, and this has culminated in me pursuing a degree in environmental studies and focusing a lot of my media work around environmental communication. 

The environment is important to me because we are all part of the environment, and the systems that we are intertwined in rely on us to conserve them. I also think that nature is one of the most fascinating elements of our world.

Cooper: I grew up in regional Tasmania and have always felt that nature and our environment are really important to living a healthy life. This is one of the many reasons that I appreciate the Park Lands. 

Now that I live in the city, it is unique to have such a large, green space right next door. I understand how important these areas are for my wellbeing, the community wellbeing, and the wellbeing of the city. 

Green spaces like the Park Lands are really hard to incorporate into a city, and once they are gone, they are almost impossible to get back. 

What work do you hope to do once you complete your studies? And when do you finish up?

Yasmine: I will finish my degrees at the end of 2022. I am hoping to do some work in environmental policy and Indigenous affairs through the government while working on my environmental research and communication on the side.

Cooper: I also plan to finish my degree in 2022. I would like to pursue a career in journalism, specialising in reporting on environmental issues. 

What do you do at Radio Adelaide?

Yasmine: I do not work at Radio Adelaide, however, sometimes collaborate with Student Radio at Adelaide Uni. Cooper and I are working on a podcast with Uncle Rod at Wirltu Yarlu [Aboriginal Education at the University of Adelaide], which may be available on Student Radio and Radio Adelaide – more details to come.

Cooper: I am currently working on the Packed Lunch program, which airs from 12-1pm every Friday through my university studies. 

Radio Adelaide is a community radio station that tells community stories from community voices. 

I am hoping to continue my work in radio and with Radio Adelaide in the future. Here is the interview with Shane: https://radioadelaide.org.au/2021/11/07/proposed-rezoning-an-attack-on-parklands-future/.