As anticipation builds in Charlton ahead of tonight’s screening of the ABC TV program “Back Roads”, the outcome of filming done against the backdrop of last February’s “OK Motels” event will at last be revealed. 

Filmed across six days, the television crew which included: (producer) Sophie Wiesner, (presenter) Anna Daniels, (cameraman) Campbell Miller, and (sound recordist) Tony Hill, traversed the town and surrounds, capturing the uniqueness of the rural countryside, a range of people and organisations and all the exuberance generated by the Ok Motels festivities over the weekend get-away.

Interviews were conducted with a range of local identities and phone-calls were made to and fro to find ideal filming locations, especially for the rural scene-setting sequences. 

However, the program unfolds, the experience of having a national film crew on site has created some lasting memories, especially for Charlton youth group member, Annie Olive – who aspires to a career in journalism. Annie had the opportunity of tagging the team across their busy Saturday as the OK Motels weekend unfurled across town. 

Recording her insights in an article in the Charlton Cultural Magazine titled: “Behind the Lens: A Day with ABC Backroads”, Annie expressed admiration for the way the crew adapted to the variety of challenges impacting their work and how quickly producer, Sophie, found solutions to keep filming on track.  Annie also praised presenter, Anna Daniels who was “friendly, easy-going and set up her interviews with great professionalism, so that her guests were more than comfortable”.

“The whole experience was incredibly valuable for a young person in a rural area like me,” said Annie.

As for a first-hand account of being in front of the lens, the behind-the-scenes process of filming at The Rex Theatre certainly revealed some insights into the stamina, patience and unflappable nature of the crew. Dealing with retakes, people trying to remember ad lib dialogue, the adjustment of body mikes, not looking at the camera, not gabbling the lines and pretending that everything is natural and relaxed does not come easily to the uninitiated, but the team was encouraging and adapted their game-plan as different ideas were explored.  

Between filming conversations veered across a range of topics, moving from camera equipment to the crew’s backgrounds, and ultimately, to taking a break for a much-needed coffee! 

As of 8 o’clock tonight, there should be a ratings spike for the ABC as the hours of filming are condensed into just 28 minutes and a reveal of what makes our country town tick is shared across the air-waves.