While enjoying all aspects of filmmaking, Mirna has a particular fondness for how the editing process can enhance the storytelling facets of filmmaking.
#saecrew
– student edition –
NAME: Mirna Barakat
CAMPUS: Byron Bay
DISCIPLINE: Bachelor of Film
What do you most enjoy about student life at SAE?
Watching, making, editing, analysing, eating, breathing and talking film.
What is Orientation and the first day of SAE like?
Orientation was the best. I immediately felt welcomed and a part of SAE. I met a lot of people starting at the same time from all the different disciplines and was given vital information that got me prepared to begin my first week.
Being new to campus was challenging at the beginning. There were so many aspects to get used to and learn about. From my very first class, I felt like I was in the right place, at the right time.
My first lecture was amazing and I’m so grateful for the opportunity in Laurie’s class to be vulnerable and open. That first day really set the tone for my SAE journey, challenging and fulfilling.
What projects have you worked on, and which one are you most proud of?
Thanks to (SAE lecturer) Travis, I was lucky enough to step into the role of the interviewer in a recent Trimester 2 project.
It’s an incredible story of survival against all odds and I was honoured to help Xavier tell his story. I have just been asked to be Student Partner for Trimester 3 and I am delighted to support new students in the same way I felt supported during the first weeks on campus.
What do you enjoy most about your discipline?
Film has the potential to show how one person can make a difference by transforming everyday moments into something larger than life.
What is your favourite software you use?
Currently, it’s Adobe PremierePro. Editing is storytelling and it is pure magic piecing together the bits to create that whole. It sharpens my decision-making skills and allows me to tell one story in many different ways.
What are your plans for when you graduate?
I would like to write a script and direct a short film and I’d like to tell artists’ stories through profile pieces covering the rich diversity of artists from the Byron Shire.
Have you studied previously?
Yes, I have a Bachelor of Commerce and I’ve studied Visual Arts both with a professor in NY and here at the Byron School of Arts plus I’ve been an avid self-directed learner with courses in coaching, the arts and women’s studies.
Can you share an artist or professional in your discipline that inspires you?
Agnes Varda. I like the way she says, “Women have a relationship with everything around them in the world.” I believe that too and hope I can make films with such depth and symbolism.
Who are 3 people you would invite to dinner, dead or alive?
I would love to invite Simon Aboud so we can discuss This Beautiful Fantastic; Joseph Campbell to talk myth and story and Oprah to discuss everything else.
