PAST CLUB C-DOC WORKSHOPS
CLUB C-DOC WORKSHOPS 2025 - 2026
INFORMATION NIGHT
Tuesday 28 October 2025
6:00pm
The Taproom at The Mill
About
Come celebrate local storytelling and learn how to take part in LOCALS 2026
You don’t need to be a filmmaker to join in, just bring your curiosity and love of stories.
We’ll screen four short films from the last four years of LOCALS, hear behind-the-scenes stories from past filmmakers, and open the floor for you to share your own ideas, skills, and sparks for the year ahead.
What are LOCALS?
LOCALS is where your neighbours’ stories hit the big screen! It’s a showcase of short documentaries by regional storytellers, celebrating diverse voices, styles, and subjects that reflect our community and beyond. Anyone can participate, from first-time filmmakers to seasoned pros.
LEGALS & ETHICS
Saturday 15 November 2025
2:00pm—4:00pm
Castlemaine Community House
What?
Club CDoc (Castlemaine Documentary Festival) brings together makers and lovers of documentary through learning, conversation and collaboration. Following the strong response to last year’s session, we’re revisiting Legals & Ethics 101 as a focused one-hour Lunch & Learn.
An essential part of factual filmmaking is getting the legal foundations right, but it’s not just about paperwork. Ethical storytelling is about care, consent and responsibility: to participants, to audiences, and to the stories themselves.
In times like these, the stories that matter most are often found not on screen, but in the everyday acts of resilience and care that define who we are as a community.
Right now, media makers, artists and others are beginning to record these stories. This session is designed for you and your practice.
Gain insights and tips into how this applies to you when working with people who may be experiencing heightened sensitivities or trauma (including where this may not be immediately apparent).
Who is this for?
CDoc is proud to make this a free and accessible learning opportunity for anyone wanting to develop a strong understanding of ethical storytelling as part of their creative practice. This session remains an essential starting ground for anyone considering submitting to this year’s LOCALS.
You’re welcome to add questions in advance via the WhatsApp group so the session can respond to what people are actively working through.
The Speakers
Shaun Miller – Shaun has specialised in film and entertainment law for over 20 years, and also has a background working in film distribution and exhibition with Sharmill Films and Cinema Nova. On his IMDb profile, he has done the “legals” on over 300 films and been the Executive Producer on over 65 films. He is a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne within the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. And has been a long-time supporter of the Castlemaine Documentary Festival.
Helen Gaynor – Helen is an award-winning director of documentary and drama with over 30 years’ experience across independent and commercial production. Helen has directed, produced, shot and researched a wide range of documentary and factual work, and has also directed numerous television drama series. She is a senior film lecturer with extensive experience teaching documentary and drama at the tertiary level in Australia and internationally. Her recent works include “Calm the F**K Down’
About Club CDoc
Want to support your local Castemaine Documentary Festival, be the first to know about events, including our program drop for this year’s festival AND get 6 months free streaming on DocPlay? Join the club, we would love to have you.
CLUB C-DOC WORKSHOPS 2024 - 2025
Club C-Doc is excited to present our 2024 - 2025 filmmaking workshops. Led by top industry talent, these workshops will teach the foundations of documentary making. The three day-long workshops are designed in sequence to take you from the seed of an idea through to having a short film ready to submit to LOCALS as part of the Castlemaine Documentary Festival. With plenty of hands-on learning, and question time, these small group workshops are not to be missed!
WORKSHOP 1
Sound & Vision
Saturday 14 December 2024
11:30am - 5:30pm
Castlemaine Community House
Facilitators:
Leonie Van Eyk (Filmmaker/Photographer)
Hannah Moon (Creative Producer)
Celeste Geer (Director)
Full: $120
Concession: $100
Club CDoc Member: $80
BUNDLE prices available!
Free for First Nations community
Get hands-on with the technical side of filmmaking in this workshop.
Learn how to capture great sound and shoot great footage. You’ll learn tips on lighting, framing, and explore the use of movement. We’ll cover how to handle unexpected challenges and learn how to apply your new knowledge to a range of equipment – be it an iPhone or a professional camera. This is your chance to sharpen your skills and make your film shine!
WORKSHOP 2
Story & Development
Saturday 30 November 2024
11:30am - 5:30pm
Castlemaine Community House
Facilitators:
Tony Jackson (Director/Producer)
Jeanie Davison (Producer)
Full: $120
Concession: $100
Club CDoc Member: $80
BUNDLE prices available!
Free for First Nations community
Kick off your filmmaking journey with this workshop where you’ll explore the building blocks of documentary filmmaking and storytelling.
Brainstorm ideas, learn to craft a story from an idea and research and prepare for your shoot. Break into small groups to workshop ideas and sketch a scene sequence that could become your film outline. Plus, it’s a great chance to meet other filmmakers and potential collaborators!
WORKSHOP 3
Editing Principles
Saturday 15 February 2025 11:30am - 5:30pm Castlemaine Community House
Facilitators:
Rob Buttery (Editor)
Mitch Nirvalis (Filmmaker)
Full: $120
Concession: $100
Club CDoc Member: $80
BUNDLE prices available!
Free for First Nations community
Ready to edit your film? This workshop will help you master digital editing.
Learn how to organise your footage, create great edits, mix audio, add titles and soundtracks, and get your film ready to share. It’s perfect for those who are already working on their LOCALS film and want to polish their editing skills and receive some feedback.
Designed for those ‘ready’ to edit, ideally you will be editing your LOCALS film in this workshop.
Your Facilitators
TONY JACKSON
Castlemaine local Tony Jackson is an award-winning producer/director with thirty years’ experience making television and documentaries for broadcasters across the world. He’s twice been nominated for a Walkley Award for Excellence in Journalism, is the winner of a Screen Producers Australia Award, and recently won the AIDC award for best documentary for his film Our African Roots. His most recent credits include directing People’s Republic of Mallacoota, and producing the SBS series Who The Bloody Hell Are We?
JEANIE DAVISON
Jeanie Davison is a seasoned film and TV Producer/Executive Producer with extensive experience across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Her work spans documentary, factual series, and live event TV for networks like the BBC, National Geographic, and Netflix. As General Manager of Media Mentors Australia, she leads industry workshops and events and is an external assessor for Screen Australia’s Documentary Unit. Jeanie also founded Film Africa and co-curates the Adventure Travel Film Festival.
HANNAH MOON
Hannah Moon is a director, editor and producer working with the government, education and community sectors. She has written and directed several Screen Australia-funded shorts and web series and now brings her narrative skills to subjects like youth mental health, family violence prevention, new technologies and online learning. Hannah works across various formats from documentary to animation, adapting the development process to the community and their objectives. Hannah is based in Daylesford, on Dja Dja Wurrung country.
LEONIE VAN EYK
Castlemaine local Leonie Van Eyk is a filmmaker, photographer, puppeteer and stage/project manager working in the realm of theatre and dance, documentary and community based projects. She has been a key collaborator and deviser in many of the works she has been involved with. Her main body of work is an accomplishment of short films which document the artistic practices of community groups and tap into the processes of personal artworks unfolding.
CELESTE GEER
Celeste Geer is a Walkley Award-winning filmmaker who uncovers raw moments of courage and beauty through powerful storytelling. Her films celebrate human resilience, connection, and the wonders of the natural world. Her latest feature, The Endangered Generation?, narrated by Laura Dern, explores humanity’s relationship with the environment, offering a hopeful, global perspective. Celeste’s award-winning Then The Wind Changed and her impactful work across TV documentaries and social change campaigns showcase her ability to craft authentic, moving, and inspiring narratives.
ROB BUTTERY
MITCH NIVALIS
Mitch Nivalis (they/them) is a filmmaker, photographer, speaker, and consultant focused on diversity and inclusion. Their debut feature documentary, Equal the Contest (2023), screened at nine festivals, won multiple awards, and continues to impact gender equality in sport with over 40 public screenings. It premiered at CDOC and is currently screening on SBS On Demand and Amazon Prime.