[press release from ABC TV]
People from all around Australia are being invited to tell their personal stories online from today in a vibrant history project that will also become a documentary series on ABC TV.
As both a broadband project and TV series, The Making of Modern Australia (MOMA) will be an unofficial people’s history, with individuals and families sharing their stories of life in Australia since 1945.
“The Making of Modern Australia allows everyone to be a part of history,” according to series producer Ian Collie.
By logging onto www.makingaustralia.com.au people can upload their stories through photos, home movies, live webcams, sound recordings and text.
“They might be sad or funny stories, memories of big events, or just the quiet details of everyday life. We’re making a history of Australia told by the people who lived it,” Mr Collie said.
“The Making of Modern Australia provides a wonderful opportunity for families to get together and talk about their past and their family history. We’re hoping younger family members will record parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents, and then upload their films or audio files, as well as photos or written material,” he said.
Stories will be showcased on the website as a lasting record for others to read and comment on. All material posted to the website will be considered for inclusion in the four-part landmark documentary series on ABC TV.
Personal stories are being sought primarily in four broad categories:
• faith and religion
• parenting and childhood
• romance and relationships
• the Australian home/a sense of place
To help people tell their stories, the MOMA site is user-friendly with plenty of tips on storytelling and uploading material, as well as inspiring examples. Giving virtual guidance on the site and calling for participation through an on-air promotion campaign on ABC TV is Australian actor, William McInnes; himself the author of two published books of memoirs.
The Making of Modern Australia is produced by Essential Media and Entertainment, makers of Rogue Nation, The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce, Ten Pound Poms, The Floating Brothel and The Catalpa Rescue, and by digital media company Hoodlum, creators of Spooks Interactive, The Emmerdale Online Channel for UK broadcasters ITV and BBC and FIND815, the online prequel to series four of Lost for US network ABC.