Passion hunters Jane Davis and Jason Jackson are drawn to passionate people. They are story tellers and they want to tell stories that are close to their heart.
They decided to throw in their day jobs and create a documentary.
Ms Davis was a first time director on Black & Gold Documentary. Mr Jackson was the cinematographer.
The film was shot mostly in Ipswich and it tells the stories of local whose lives have been transformed because of their dog.
The focus was on German Shepherds and how these beloved companions have helped their owners overcome loss, help with depression and drug addiction. Black & Gold documentary delves into the powerful bond shared between human and dog.
The filmmakers chose this subject because Ms Davis had lost her german shepherd, Rocky, a few years ago. Initially the film was a way to work through that loss.
“I got Rocky originally as I was living in Brisbane and I had a break in. I spoke to Animal Management and they steered me towards a German Shepherd. I originally wanted a Labrador, but they suggested if you want something that will look after you, you might want to look at a German Shepherd. I contacted the club and they put me in touch with a breeder,” Ms Davis said.
“Rocky was the inspiration behind this film. I’d never had another one like him. He just seemed to compliment my personality, he was what I needed.
“Making this film helped me to get closure. I was able to put that to bed and move onto other people and their stories.
“The people we spoke to wowed us with their openness. They want to share how great their dog is and how they have bought them through horrific times. There are some wonderful stories. We feel so happy to be able to share them in this film.”
One of the people who appears in the film is Wayne Algie who is retired from the Queensland Police Dog Squad. He now breeds the dogs for the police and this is a big responsibility as he realises that a police officer’s life may depend on one of his dogs one day.
Wayne Algie received a Queensland Police Service Valour Award when he and his police dog Bosun, tracked down the killer of fellow police officer, Damien Leeding. Bosun tracked the gunman into bushland in the dark of night and held him by the left armpit so he could be apprehended.
Another story that sticks in the filmmakers minds is of an ex-serviceman. John Purdon uses his German Shepherd as a therapy dog. He was injured and had to undergo several surgeries.
Mr Jackson explains Mr Purdon struggled after living an active life to suddenly being stuck in bed saw him take an emotional downturn.
“His black and gold dog keeps the black dog away. He’s quite a large dog so it’s quite literally a barrier between him and everybody else. He is able to talk his frustrations out to the dog and the dog doesn’t tell anybody,” he said.
Mr Jackson was able to capture these stories with visually stunning cinematic footage shot right here in our own backyard.
“We shot most of the film here in Ipswich, which is beautiful. We have set out to capture the gorgeous landscape right in our backyard,” he said.
“Alarms were often set to chase the sun at the perfect spot or we would twiddle our thumbs till golden hour when the light was just right.”
Black & Gold Documentary plans to screen initially in Ipswich with those involved in the movie and then throughout Queensland and Australia. Keep updated on announcements via their Facebook page.