by valerie.schwarz -

Autofreie Mustersiedlung Floridsdorf

Nachdem ich leider meinen ursprünglichen Plan, ein Event von Auto:Frei:Tag in Graz zu dokumentieren, im Endeffekt doch nicht durchführen konnte, habe ich nach möglichen Alternativen gesucht. Um beim ungefähren Thema zu bleiben, habe ich schlussendlich bei meiner Tante angefragt, ob sie bereit wäre ein Interview zu geben über die autofreie Siedlung in Wien, in der sie inzwischen seit fast 25 Jahren wohnt.

Vor dem Interview habe ich ein wenig Recherche betrieben um die richtigen Fragen stellen zu können und zu wissen, worauf ich meinen Fokus beim Filmen legen will. Leider ist es durch den nun recht knappen Zeitplan nicht mehr möglich gewesen, eine detaillierte Shotlist zu erstellen, stattdessen habe ich einfach vor Ort abgewartet, was beim Interview erwähnt wird und anschließend eine Runde durch das Areal gedreht und darauf geachtet, genügend passendes b-roll Material zu sammeln.

Im Folgenden möchte ich, als Einleitung in die neue Thematik, die Ergebnisse meiner Recherche zur autofreien Mustersiedlung kurz zusammenfassen.

Die 1999 erstmals bezogene Siedlung in Wien Floridsdorf war damals einzigartig und ist das heute immer noch. Es handelt sich hierbei um den einzigen Wiener Wohnkomplex, bei dem die Verpflichtung zum Verzicht auf ein eigenes Auto im Mietvertrag als Klausel zum Einzug steht. Um das Projekt zu ermöglichen wurde sogar 1996 eine Anpassung des Wiener Garagengesetzes vorgenommen, damit nicht mehr ein Autostellplatz pro Haushalt errichtet werden musste, sondern die Zahl auf bis zu 10% reduziert werden konnte (Ziegler, 2023).

Trotz der eigentlichen Verpflichtung zum autofreien Leben bei Einzug in die Siedlung, besitzen circa 10 bis 15 Prozent der Bewohner:Innen ein eigenes Auto und unter bestimmten Umständen ist das auch in der Vertragsklausel vorgesehen. Dass ein Großteil trotzdem konsequent auf ein eigenes Auto verzichtet liegt, laut Karl Wurm – ehemaliger Geschäftsführer der Gewog – auch an sozialem Druck und einem Gefühl der Gruppenzugehörigkeit innerhalb der Siedlung. Außerdem wir das autofreie Leben dadurch belohnt, dass die Kosten, welche gespart wurden weil weniger Stellplätze benötigt wurden, direkt in Gemeinschaftsangebote investiert wurden (Zoidl, 2021).

In der Autofreien Mustersiedlung gibt es vielseitige Angebote, von diversen Gemeinschaftsräumen wie zum Beispiel ein Partyraum, ein Fitnessbereich und eine hauseigene Saune, über Hochbeete auf dem Dach, ein Biotop im Innenhof und unterschiedliche Werkstätten bis hin zu einem Biolager für Lebensmittel reichen. Diese Angebote können von den Bewohner:Innen niederschwellig genutzt werden und sorgen so für eine starke Hausgemeinschaft in der man sich gegenseitig kennt und unterstützt. Ein weiterer Pluspunkt für das Wohnen in der Siedlung sind die vergleichsweise niedrigen Betriebskosten, welche nur etwa 60% derer von vergleichbaren Wohnprojekten betragen. Das kann mitunter darauf zurückgeführt werden, dass die Bewohner:Innenschaft einen Beirat stellt, welcher der Hausverwaltung hilft beziehungsweise diese auch überprüft (Ziegler, 2023).

Neben den zahlreichen Gemeinschaftsräumen bietet die Siedlung auch diverse Initiativen für ihre Bewohner:Innen an, beziehungsweise werden diese von Bewohner:Innen selbst ins Leben gerufen. Zum Beispiel gibt es ein jährliches Siedlungsfest mit Essen, Trinken und Live-Musik, einen monatlichen AbHof Markt, einen jährlichen Flohmarkt, gemeinsames Handarbeiten, einen Silvesterpfad, Jazzbrunch, Adventmarkt, diverse Workshops, und vieles mehr. Außerdem gibt es eine hauseigene Siedlungsband sowie einen Chor (autofreie Mustersiedlung Floridsdorf, 2025).

Zusammengefasst muss ich zugeben, dass ich zu Beginn meiner Recherche schlicht und einfach dachte, es handelt sich um eine Siedlung in der keine Autos fahren oder parken dürfen. Obwohl meine eigene Tante dort seit fast 25 Jahren wohnt, war mir nicht bewusst dass es sich bei der “Autofreiheit” um eine verpflichtende Vereinbarung aller Bewohner:Innen handelt. Ich wusste außerdem nicht, dass hinter “autofrei” noch so viel mehr steckt, dass es sich auch um eine Gemeinschaft mit gleichen Werten und Weltansichten handelt, und dass so viele Initiativen und Angebote existieren, die weit darüber hinausgehen, dass schlichtweg keine Autos fahren. Ob nun die Gemeinschaft und das offenbar blühende Sozialleben der Siedlung einzig und allein auf den Verzicht auf ein Auto zurückzuführen sind, oder ob vielleicht Personen die gewillt sind auf ein eigenes Auto zu verzichten, gleichzeitig auch auf der Suche nach gleichgesinnten und Gemeinschaft sind, sei dahingestellt.

Ich habe versucht, in meiner Recherche möglichst viele Informationen einzuholen und mir ein umfassendes Bild der Lage zu machen, ohne mir dabei aber eine eigene Meinung zu bilden. Ich denke, dass diese Vorbereitungen recht hilfreich und zielführend für mein Interview waren.

Literatur:

by valerie.schwarz -

Adapt, Improvise, Overcome my people pleasing tendencies

Well, this project has turned out to be much more of a lesson in setting boundaries for myself and being honest about my intentions than I thought.

As is often the case in the creative industry, plans have changed, things have come up and let‘s just say luck also hasn‘t been on my side. The event I wanted to film has been moved a few times and unfortunately all of the dates which worked for the organizers were ones that didn‘t work for me. Also throw in some miscommunication and you can see how I ended up here, almost at the end of the semester with nothing filmed for my project yet and no possibility in sight to do so.

However, here comes the adapt and improvise part; I found a person to interview instead who has lived in a car-free settlement in Vienna for 20 years now. It‘s going to be a shorter and less extensive video than initially planned, but hopefully I‘ll still be able to hand something in I‘m somewhat satisfied with. I feel like my own expectations for the project were slightly different, but I have also adapted them fairly quickly to the new circumstances.

So far, so good. I‘m not doing to bad with the adapting and improvising. 

However, one thing I have realised throughout this process is that often times my adapting comes in the form of bending over backwards and harming myself in the fear of disappointing others. While my own expectations are quite flexible and readjusting constantly, what I really struggle with are the expectations of others.
In this case for example, I feel horrible for not managing to film at any of the planned events, even though I told the organisers I would. My head keeps telling me that I let these people down and that they are surely mad at me, even though, when looking at it rationally, I don‘t really owe them anything. I would have just collaborated with them, leading to a semester project for me and a nice video for them, talking about their cause. They have not had to go to great lengths to accommodate me, they are not losing any money because of me, I do not have a binding contract with them. So why do I feel like I disappointed them? I also feel like I let everyone down who I ever told about the project and that they‘re all going to be disappointed in me too.

Don‘t get me wrong, rationally I know that none of these things make sense, I know that people probably don‘t care as much about my shortcomings as I think they do.
Nonetheless I have this underlying desire to live up to everyone‘s expectations, to give everyone the version of myself they want to see and throughout the process I lose the version of myself who knows what I even want. 

One thing I have realized with this project is that I should listen to what my gut tells me. I have turned down opportunities to still film one of the events, simply because it felt too stressful for me and would have been a logistic nightmare. It wouldn‘t have been impossible, though. And I have realized that this is the point where I really struggle; as long as something would be somehow physically possible and would probably not kill me, I feel horrible for not doing it if it means letting somebody else down. I then come up with excuses I can tell myself and others for why it would in fact not be possible at all. 

But the whole time I know they are just excuses and that I could somehow manage to do it if I really wanted to, and I think everyone else knows that, too. So in the end I just feel ten times worse than if I had just been honest with myself from the beginning about my reasons for not doing something. 

Maybe being stressed out and overwhelmed by something sometimes is a valid reason. Maybe setting boundaries is okay. Maybe putting my own well-being first is completely valid. And maybe, just maybe, others would also appreciate it if I was just upfront about my reasons without hiding behind excuses. 

So, in a nutshell; I worry too much about letting others down and too little about what I need, I get myself into uncomfortable situations through my inability to say no, and I have to learn that constantly pleasing everyone is just not an option. 

by valerie.schwarz -

Preparing for the Interviews

Being that I also want to include interviews in my documentary, but have never conducted a proper interview before, I knew that I needed to do some research on the topic as to not end up with dull and uninteresting questions leading to answers of the same kind. That is why for this blog post I read through the chapter “Conducting an Interview” in the book “Making Documentary Films and Videos” by Barry Hampe (Hampe, 2007) and I will try to sum up what I took from it and what could prove to be helpful for my own project.

As with every aspect of shooting a documentary, preparation is key for conducting interviews which drive your story forward and intrigue your viewers. You should find out as much as you can on the subject beforehand, also try to find out what you don’t know or what can’t be found that easily by just doing research. Those will be the questions you want to ask the experts on the topic.
Nonetheless, when actually conducting the interview, don’t forget who you are recording the answers for. The viewers of your film will most likely be much less informed on the topic than you will be after months of research. So ask the questions in a way that the answers will be understandable to listeners of any knowledge level. Also don’t shy away from saying things like “I don’t know about that” or “I don’t understand” even if it’s not true. It will help your viewers understand the full picture and follow the story more easily.
You can also ask the interviewees beforehand if they have any suggestions for questions you should ask, but always make it clear that you will also be asking other questions.

For filming the actual interview make sure you choose a location which is interesting and helps the story along, but also one where the interviewee will feel comfortable. Always make sure to arrive earlier than your interviewee in order to set up everything for the interview without them there. Hampe also suggests to shoot interviews first before getting any other footage of your interview partners where you might have to direct them to act in a certain way, as that might also bias them for the answers they give you during the interview. Moreover, shooting the interview first will give you an idea of what footage you will need to support what is being said.

Also always keep the edit in mind when shooting an interview. You only want to change your settings or camera whilst asking questions (if they’re going to be left out of the final film) in order to be able to use the answers cohesively. There is nothing worse than getting the perfect statement on audio but not having the visual to go with it.

Concerning the questions you want to ask, always make sure to avoid “yes or no” questions, instead aim for more open ended questions which prompt your interviewee to tell a full story from beginning to end. But maybe even more important than what questions to ask is to actually listen to the answers. Show the speaker that you are interested in what they have to say and don’t limit yourself to just your list of questions, they are more like a checklist of things you want to ask and suggestions for when the interview slows down. Questions that come up naturally in the flow of the conversation can lead to much more authentic and interesting answers in the end. Also don’t be afraid of silence, let them breathe for a bit after their answer to see if there might be something else they want to add. Often times silence will prompt more answers than more questions.

In the end, Hampe states that after every interview there are still two more questions to ask “Is there anything I should have asked you that I just didn’t know enough to ask?” and “Is there anything you’d like to say that you haven’t had the chance to?”. These two questions give the interviewee the opportunity to give answers they might have prepared but that they didn’t think fit any of the questions and might lead to some very interesting content.

With all of that said, conducting great interviews takes practice, and lots of it. Hempe suggests including that practice into your daily life by not just having conversations with the people you meet but to actually interview them.

Literature

  • Making Documentary Films and Videos – Barry Hampe
by valerie.schwarz -

Shotlist

Der erste Instinkt beim Dokumentieren eines einmaligen Events oder realer Ereignisse wäre vermutlich, das Ganze einfach auf sich zukommen zu lassen und darauf zu vertrauen, dass man die “richtigen” Shots schon erkennen und einfangen wird. Dass man ja nicht planen kann was passieren wird und dass die Authentizität des Filmes leiden würde wenn man schon im Vorhinein planen würde, was passieren wird. Denn wie sollte man denn wissen, was passiert, was die Personen sagen oder tun werden?

Natürlich kann man beim Filmen von Dokumentationen nie genau vorhersagen, wie sich die Szenen und die Geschichte entwickeln werden, jedoch ist es deshalb umso wichtiger, gute Vorarbeit zu leisten und sich entsprechend vorzubereiten. Gerade weil man nicht wissen kann was genau passieren wird, sollte man auf viele unterschiedliche Situationen vorbereitet sein. Also ist das erstellen einer umfangreichen Shotlist unumgänglich. Hier können alle Shots gesammelt werden, auf die beim Filmen besonders geachtet werden soll und die essentiell sind um die Geschichte voran zu treiben. Damit erleichtert man sich auch die Arbeit im Schnittprozess erheblich und schafft eine klare, konzise Geschichte zu erzählen (studiobinder, 2025).

Im Folgenden werde ich deshalb eine erste Version meiner Shotlist erstellen mit den wichtigsten Schlüsselszenen die ich für meine Kurzdokumentation brauchen werde. Im weiteren Verlauf wird diese Shotlist vermutlich noch erweitert, angepasst und verändert werden, nichtsdestotrotz ist es immer gut ein gewisses Grundgerüst zu haben anhand dessen man weiter arbeiten kann.

Shotlist Auto:Frei:Tag

Shot 1: wide shot von übervollen, dreckigen Straßen, vielleicht Uhrturm im Hintergrund
Shot 2: close up eines rauchenden Auspuffes oder von toten Pflanzen
Shot 3: schnelle Zwischenschnitte von einer Straße ohne Autos, mit vielen Menschen, gute Stimmung
Shot 4: wide shot vom Auto:Frei:Tag, etwas entfernt
Shot 5: top down shot vom Geschehen (vielleicht aus einer Wohnung?)
Shot 6: Einblendungen von Grafiken über Shot 5, eventuell zoom out zu Karte von Graz
Shot 7: top down shot vom Auto:Frei:Tag
Shot 8: medium/close shot eines bestimmten Aspekts (Banner, Stand, Straßenkreide…) von oben
Shot 9: close up desselben Aspektes aber dieses mal von der Straße aus
Shot 10: medium shot von Menschen am Event
Shot 11: close ups von interessanten Szenen
Shot 12: wide shot des Events
Shot 13: medium shot interview mit Personen am Event, mitten im Geschehen
Shot 14: zweite Kamera Interview, medium
Shot 15: andere Person in der gleichen? Location
Shot 16: medium shot von Person aus der Organisation die am Auto:Frei:Tag arbeitet
Shot 17: Interview mit derselben Person, etwas abseits, man sieht das Event noch im Hintergrund
Shot 18: zweite Interview Kamera, close up
Shot 19: B-Roll vom Event aber auch von negativen Szenen über die sie vielleicht sprechen werden
Shot 20: eventuell noch andere Interview Partner
Shot 21: positiv enden mit Frage zu optimistischen Zukunftsvisionen
Shot 22: wide shot des Auto:Frei:Tages

weitere Shot Ideen als B-Roll / Füller

  • close up beim Straßenkreiden malen
  • Timelapse von oben
  • Hyperlapse beim hineingehen in die Straße
  • slow shutter shot von einem Auto:Frei:Tag Schild/Banner an dem Personen vorbeigehen
  • shot von unten, eine Person die von hinten über die Kamera steigt
  • direkter Übergang von Straße mit Autos zu leerer Straße
  • am Ende nochmal die leere Straße, ohne Autos, ohne Menschen (wide)

Wie bereits zuvor erwähnt ist diese Shotlist eine erste Version, die noch verändert und überarbeitet werden wird und auch während des Drehs wird sich sicher noch einiges ändern weil sich neue, unerwartete Situationen ergeben und einige der erwähnten Shots sich vielleicht als unmöglich zu realisieren herausstellen werden. Jedoch bietet es sich trotzdem an eine große Sammlung an möglichen Shots vorab zu erstellen, um sichergehen zu können dass im Nachhinein nichts Wichtiges fehlt.

Für die finale Shotlist fehlen hier natürlich noch einige wichtige Angaben so wie das zu verwendende Equipment, die genaue und detaillierte Beschreibung des Shots und der Perspektive sowie die genaue Location und andere essentielle Details. Das alles kann zum Beispiel mit Software wie der von Studiobinder (studiobinder, 2025) für die Erstellung von Shotlists genauestens dokumentiert und geordnet werden um den Überblick zu behalten und Änderungen einfach und schnell durchführen zu können.

Literatur:

by valerie.schwarz -

Das Grundgerüst

As a quick introduction I have to mention that from here on out I will most likely write the blog posts that are directly connected to my semester project in German, given the fact that the video will be in German and thus writing out all of the planning and story ideas in English would just mean twice the work. Therefore I must sincerely apologise to my many English speaking readers who have followed my posts with great interest and enthralment thus far.

Für eine erste Idee, wie ich die Kurzdoku zum Thema Auto:Frei:Tag aufbauen könnte, habe ich – gemeinsam mit ChatGPT – eine erste Struktur ausgearbeitet, die ich im Folgenden kurz zusammenfassen und beschreiben werde.
Vorab noch zum Stil und zur Stimmung des Filmes; der dokumentarische Charakter soll zwar nicht verloren gehen, ich will mich aber trotzdem eher darauf fokussieren, die Stimmungen und Meinungen der teilnehmenden Personen zu dokumentieren, anstatt rein harte Fakten zu präsentieren. Ich hoffe, dass es mir gelingen wird eine gute Mischung zu finden.

Der grundsätzliche Aufbau

  1. Der Einstieg (ca 1min):
    Das Problem wird aufgezeigt, volle Straßen, lärmende Autos und dazwischen kein Platz zum leben. Im VoiceOver wird hier auch direkt angesprochen, wo das Problem liegt und es wird angedeutet bzw in Aussicht gestellt, wie es wohl anders gehen könnte. Hier kann sehr deutlich der Kontrast aufgezeigt werden zwischen der Stadt voller Autos und der Idylle am Auto:Frei:Tag mit schnellen Schnitten zwischen den beiden Szenarien.
  2. Einführung ins Thema (ca 1,5min):
    Es wird erklärt und präsentiert, was Auto:Frei:Tag überhaupt ist, entweder mit Hilfe des VoiceOvers oder mittels O-Tönen aus Interviews mit Organisator:Innen des Auto:Frei:Tags. Hier kann außerdem mit Grafiken und Diagrammen gearbeitet werden, die helfen können einige Fakten zu visualisieren. Beispielsweise kann hier anhand einer Karte gezeigt werden, wo und wann bisher überall Auto:Frei:Tage stattgefunden haben. In diesem Abschnitt geht es zwar darum, zu erläutern worum es bei der Aktion geht, trotzdem sollten aber die Emotionen und Überzeugungen der Organisator:Innen im Vordergrund stehen und nicht die Fakten.
  3. Das Event an sich (3min):
    In diesem Hauptteil des Videos wird ein Auto:Frei:Tag begleitet und dokumentiert. Hier soll die Stimmung der Veranstaltung eingefangen werden, sowie die Emotionen und Meinungen der Besucher zu der Organisation und zu autofreien Zonen im Allgemeinen. Diese Szenen können einen starken Kontrast zu der Straße voller Autos zu Beginn des Videos darstellen.
  4. Stimmen aus der Organisation (ca 2,5min):
    Hier kann mittels der zuvor verwendeten O-Töne eine Verbindung zum Anfang des Videos hergestellt werden. Mitglieder der Organisation werden interviewt und dazu befragt, warum sie sich so für die Sache einsetzen und welche Probleme ihrer Meinung nach behoben werden müssen. Hier kann auch der Bogen zur möglichen Zukunftsvision gespannt werden, indem die Personen nach ihrer Vorstellung der Zukunft gefragt werden.
  5. Zukunftsvisionen (ca 2,5min):
    Für einen positiven Abschluss der Kurzdokumentation kann ein Bild einer besseren Zukunft gemalt werden. Zum Einen indem man Besucher:Innen sowie Organisator:Innen des Auto:Frei:Tages zu ihren Wünschen für die Zukunft befragt und zum Anderen könnte man auch zeigen, wo das Prinzip “autofrei” schon heute erfolgreich gelebt wird, wie zum Beispiel in der autofreien Siedlung in Wien.

Ton und Stil

Wie bereits zu Beginn erwähnt soll diese Kurzdokumentation zwar informieren und den Zuseher:Innen erklären, was der Auto:Frei:Tag ist und welche Probleme er zu lösen versucht, aber gleichzeitig soll sie auch nicht zu Fakten-lastig oder belehrend werden, sondern stattdessen an die Emotionen der Zuseher:Innen appellieren. Ziel des Videos soll es sein, ein Bewusstsein dafür zu schaffen, welche Probleme die vollen Straßen in unseren Städten auslösen und wie eine Stadt der Zukunft möglicherweise aussehen könnte. Außerdem soll gezeigt werden, dass es Aktionen wie den Auto:Frei:Tag gibt und auch wie man daran teilnehmen oder selbst aktiv werden kann indem man selbst Events organisiert beziehungsweise anfragt oder einfach indem man an ihnen teilnimmt und Bekannten und Freund:Innen davon erzählt, um das Bewusstsein in der Bevölkerung zu steigern.

AI Disclaimer: Für die Erarbeitung der Struktur für das Video wurde ChatGPT genutzt.

by valerie.schwarz -

Finding The Story of my Semester Project

Last semester I used some of my blog entries to summarise and reflect on what I had learned from reading the book “Documentaries …and how to make them” (Glynne, 2007) by Andy Glynne. So far I have written about the pre-production of documentaries, what steps are necessary and how to take them. Now to put what I have learned to a practical use, I want to try to approach this semester’s project by going through all of the steps and stages, but on a smaller scale.

The Idea

I came across the idea for the semester project because I wanted to shine a light on one group or organisation that is unique to Graz. I then remembered having been to two of these car-free Fridays and how I enjoyed the sense of community and togetherness they created. My motivation to showcase this particular movement stems, on one hand, from the desire to learn more about the possibility of car-free city centres, and on the other hand from the wish to show this community to others.
I had realised, when talking to my colleagues about my idea, that almost none of them had actually ever heard of Auto:Frei:Tag, even though they all live in Graz, are a similar age as me, and most of them I would also describe as, at least to some extent, invested in climate action.
Thus my “Why” was developed; I wanted to raise awareness for the organisation and maybe inspire some of my peers to also take action. Due to the fact that I only want to create a short video and I don’t have a lot of time, I have decided to aim for a target group who is already to some extent interested in topics like climate change or car-free city centres, and just needs some inspiration for possible outlets and ways to show their convictions, rather than trying to convince some 60-something year old who has always taken the car everywhere to completely change their lifestyle.

The Story

When looking for the story behind my idea, there are a few ways I can see it develop.
I was thinking I could choose one of the people behind Auto:Frei:Tag and follow their journey of organising one of these events, however when talking to them I found out that it is hardly ever them who actually come up with the idea for an event, but they just provide support for others who want to make themselves heard.
So another option would be to find someone with a cause worthy of documenting and follow along with the planning and organisation of a car-free Friday, also highlighting the person and the cause behind it. During this process, it would also be possible to reach out to experts on city planning and traffic politics in Graz to get their opinion and expertise on the topic, adding facts and figures into my documentary.
My third option would be to treat the street itself as my main character, showing the stark contrast between everyday traffic, chaos and noise and the complete opposite mood when the same road is taken over by bikes, people, music and community. This version would be less about the specific cause behind one event, but would highlight the opportunities which could open up when removing cars from the equation. For this idea, possible interviews could be a bit more free and abstract, aiming at capturing feelings rather than facts.

Possible obstacles or problems to either of the stories could be issues with permits, unhappy neighbours or the inevitable people in cars coming by and complaining about the street being closed. Moreover, obstacles could be seen in the broader sense of the issue, where legislature, politics and influential citizens are the reasons why some efforts to further reduce traffic in the city might be hindered.

For questions of accessibility, I have already talked to the people behind Auto:Frei:Tag and they have agreed to be filmed and documented, and I also hope for some of the visitors of the event to be willing to be on camera. For filming on a public street I would still need to figure out whether a permit is needed and how to get one.

Conclusion

After writing all of this out, I feel the story is beginning to take shape, but there are still a few key decisions that need to be made in order to get to a more precise and well formulated plan which in the end could theoretically be pitched to potential stakeholders. Within the next few blogposts I want to try to narrow down this idea and get it to where it needs to be to move on.

Literature

by valerie.schwarz -

Semester Project – Doc Auto:Frei:Tag

The Idea

For this semester’s practical part of the course I decided to plan, film and edit a first, very short documentary-like video in preparation for my documentary project at the end of the Master’s. I want to analyse which steps have to be taken beforehand, how filming something like this might look like and what to keep in mind during the editing. Moreover, I wanted to streamline and optimise my filming setup as much as possible during this first “trial run”, given that I don’t know, how big of a crew I will have to support me for my final project. This means, seeing how much of the work I can do by myself and how to organise help for parts where I need it.
When trying to come up with a topic for the short documentary, I knew I wanted to focus on a group or organisation in Graz that inspires and interests me. This was when I remembered having been to 2 events in the past where people could come together, enjoy drinks and music, generally have a good time, and raise awareness of an important issue at the same time while listening to interesting speeches.

The Topic

Both of these events were held under the name “Auto:Frei:Tag”, which is exactly what the name suggests; an event on a Friday where one or multiple roads get blocked for car traffic and taken over by a small street-celebration. The organisation behind it supports individuals, shops or clubs wanting to organise their own car-free Fridays by providing posters, music, tables, chairs and much more. The idea of it all is to raise awareness to what our inner cities could potentially look like if they were not designed with mainly cars in mind. There is so much space in Graz’s inner city which could be used differently and organising events where this space is taken back, if just for one afternoon, shows how big the problem currently is and what a greener future might look like.

The First Steps

What I have done so far is reach out to the organisation, seeing if they would even be willing to collaborate with me for this project. I have also had a first meeting with some of the members, asking and answering questions about my plans and creating a rough framework as to what the final product might look like. I decided to keep the length of the video under 10min and to focus mostly on presenting what “Auto:Frei:Tag” even is and what they do, without going into too much detail on the issues behind it or trying to convince anyone to completely change their ways, as that would take up too much time in the video. This means that for my target group I have decided to focus mostly on young adults which already have a certain interest and awareness of sustainability topics and are open and willing to learn about new ways they can support certain causes and focus their energy and motivation.

Next Steps

During our meeting, I also got a lot of helpful input on possible sources for information on the topic and experts who might be interested in participating in my documentary. So for my next steps, I want to do some research on the topic of traffic politics in Graz as well as on some of the mentioned experts, as well as reach out to a few of them, asking whether they would be willing to give interviews on the topic.
I want to include interviews with one expert as well as one member of the organisation as well as interviews with visitors and participants of the Auto:Frei:Tag. Moreover, I want to film at one of the car-free Fridays. Due to the very loose organisational structure, these events are sometimes planned quite spontaneously and there is not one planned yet for this year. This means that for filming at an actual event I will still have to wait until I hear from them, but I can plan my shots beforehand as well as do research on the topic and plan and film interviews beforehand.
For my next blogposts I want to focus on researching the actual production process of a documentary film as well as do some research into the topic of my video in order to be able to ask the right questions.

by valerie.schwarz -

Weltanschauen

When I was in the process of finding my research topic and narrowing down what I wanted to write about, I was talking to my mom at some point about the idea of covering sustainable travel and wanting to document the issue. During this call I mentioned how I would love to help showcase a solution to overtourism, but that I did not see myself as capable enough to be the one to actually come up with a solution by myself. That was when my mom said “Why don’t you ask Christoph?”. Now, you have to know, Christoph is the dad of one of my former classmates. Their family lives in the same small and quiet Upper Austrian town I am from, where everyone knows everyone. So, naturally my mom also knows Christoph and what he does for a living. But what is it that he does? Well, he happens to be the founder and leader of a travel agency called “Weltanschauen”.
“Weltanschauen” is focused on sustainable as well as socially and culturally responsible travel, so actually the perfect fit for the topic I was exploring. I’ll be honest, when my mom mentioned Christoph I was kind of embarrassed that I didn’t immediately think of his company myself.
But I guess that, even at 24, moms do still save the day from time to time.

The Setting

But let’s go back to the beginning. What exactly does “Weltanschauen” do and how did it come to be that among all places in Austria, “Gallneukirchen” was the one to start a movement towards a more responsible tourism. I first have to brag just a little bit and mention that unlike other small, rural Austrian towns, my hometown has been quite open minded, inclusive and environmentally conscious ever since I can remember. This also means that there is quite a substantial target group for sustainable tourism in the travel agency’s immediate vicinity.

The Founder

Christoph Mülleder was working at Caritas when they started offering group travels to areas which they support in the form of different social projects. During these travels the main focus was on visiting projects and getting to know the people they helped, but there was of course also always time for a bit of sightseeing an being tourists in the classical sense. These journeys were organized by Christoph, who with his acquired knowledge and his background in economics as well as humanitarian aid, took the leap in 2012 of founding his own company, “Weltanschauen”.

The Company’s Spirit

“Weltanschauen” aims to create opportunities for interaction and exchange with people in social and economical hotspots. This provides insights reaching the core of a society and culture which go beyond the usually highly polished tourist experiences. Challenges and struggles of the respective society provide visitors with a better understanding of the country they are traveling to. Additionally, journeys planned by “Weltanschauen” also include visits to social aid projects and a heavy focus on sustainability and environmental issues in the host country. The agency aims to show visitors the clear connection between environmental and socio-economical justice.
Every journey organized by “Weltanschauen” is joined by one Austrian guide with extensive knowledge on the host country and one local guide, leading the tour.
The company states its is to show travelers a multi-facetted version of the country they travel to, showcasing all of its beauty without having to hide the unpolished, imperfect parts or looking away from social hardships. It aims to educate travelers by showing them, raw and unfiltered, how others live their lives and also how our actions and choices can influence social as well as ecological issues. The hope is that through raising awareness while traveling, people also start to see their responsibility to live sustainably in their daily lives.

The Team

“Weltanschauen” works with multiple Austrian as well as international travel guides and tourism experts as well as various different agencies and NGOs focused on sustainable travel. The travel agency also still works together with Caritas, organizing journeys to their partners and social aid projects once or twice a year.

The Outlook for my Project

I have already talked to Christoph about a possible cooperation for my master project and he seemed almost as enthusiastic as myself. We talked about the possibility to create a short documentary movie about sustainable and responsible travel, visualized on the example of one of his travel agency’s journeys. As the execution of the master project is still in the far future, there is still a lot that can change or come up, but in general I would be really excited about the idea of getting to document the process of planning and executing a sustainable journey to places one might not get to see as a standard tourist. I am hoping that documenting and sharing this with a larger audience can lead to some of the documentary’s viewers to reflect on their travel behavior and maybe implement some of the learnings I might have into their future holiday planning.
(Weltanschauen, 2025)

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by valerie.schwarz -

NGOs for sustainable tourism

When contacting the founder of a travel agency in my small, Upper-Austrian hometown that specialises in sustainable and responsible tourism, I did not only get some valuable insight from him, but he also referred me to multiple different NGOs in Austria and Europe specialising on the topic of sustainable tourism. I want to use this blog post to take a closer look at a few of them and at the work they do.

Naturfreunde / Amis de la Nature / Naturefriends

On their page Naturfreunde cites the definition of sustainable development, created in the course of the UN Earth Summit of 1992, as “a development which satisfies the current needs without risking future generations not being able to satisfy their needs anymore”. This definition has been adapted into developments in travel and tourism since then and has lead to the emergence of sustainable tourism.
In comparison to ecotourism, which is mostly associated with nature-focused travel and also sustainability approaches, sustainable tourism is a wider idea and concept about how travel should be approached. Thus, sustainable tourism can also be applied to mass tourism as well as different other forms of tourism.
Sustainable tourism must meet social, cultural, environmental, and economic compatibility criteria. It should be ethically and socially responsible, culturally appropriate, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable, both for present and future generations.
The Naturfreunde page also highlights the importance of the social aspects of sustainable travel next to environmental factors and how, if done right, tourism can also help improve the lives of travellers and locals alike (Naturfreunde, 2025).
All in all the page offers some interesting insights and information on the topic as well as links to further resources.
Natrufreunde have also founded a project called “RESPECT” specifically focusing on sustainable tourism. Respect also offers events and talks on the topics as well as on specific countries and destinations and how one could plan sustainable journeys there.

Tourism_Log

Also run by RESPECT, the tourism log is a place for exchange on the topic of tourism in general, trying to offer some specific insights into the environmental impact it can have and also offering information on how we could design travel to be more sustainable in the long run (RESPECT, 2025).
On the page one can find various different travel journal entries about travels to many different destinations and about travellers experiences with the countries, cultures and locals there. Furthermore, there are entries on different topics and issues connected to tourism, aiming to raise awareness for the problems that might often go unnoticed. The page’s goal seems to be to sensitise readers to the world around them and to the consequences and effects travelling can have on the host countries in order to make travel a more conscious effort.

Roundtable – Human Right in Tourism

The Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism, as the name already suggests is a NGO focusing on the issue of human rights in tourism. Funded by member fees and donations, the organisation provides training and expertise to travel operators in order to help them recognise their impact on human rights issues in their travel destinations. Their aim is to help organisers and travel providers implement the human rights due diligence in planning their travels. Next to knowledge exchanges, the roundtable also offers networking opportunities as well as teaching materials and funding for pilot projects (Roundtable, 2025).

Conscious Tourism Group

The Conscious Tourism Group also offers workshops and information events on the topic of sustainable tourism and sustainability in general. They provide expertise and direction to companies trying to become more sustainable, those trying to figure out what the term sustainability means for them and also those trying to market sustainable products to the right consumers. The three pillars of the organisation are “Consulting, Education and Community”, highlighting their conviction that education and knowledge are some of the most important tools in sustainability. They also stated on their page that they believe the classical three dimensions of sustainability – economical, ecological and socio-cultural – should be expanded by adding consciousness and community (Conscious Tourism Group, 2025).

While there are still more organisations to explore and more in depth information to collect for the ones I presented here very briefly, one can already tell that the overall consensus between them is that sustainable tourism is not just en ecological issue but also encompasses social and cultural issues as well as questions of human rights, and that spreading information and knowledge on the topic will be the best way to promote positive developments.

Literature

by valerie.schwarz -

The Journey of Documenting – The Pitch

In order to get funding for your film, the most important step is often the in-person pitch where you try to convince your listeners that your idea is the one among many that they should pursue. This opportunity is what can make or break your chances to get your film funded. It not only shows how well you understand your subject and whether that very subject is even worth creating a documentary about, but it can also give broadcasters valuable insights into whether you would be a right fit to cooperate with them. They also want to figure out during your pitch, if you will be a good match for there values and business plans and whether communicating with you and working together on a film is going to work out. So going beyond your actual ideas and plans for the film you have to look at your pitch also as a type of speed-dating for cooperation partners where broadcasters try to determine which filmmakers would be compatible with their mode of operations (Glynne, 2007).

Skills to pitching

In order to successfully pitch your idea to potential funders there are a few essential skills you need to acquire beforehand.

  • The ability to briefly and concisely sum up your projects. This clearly shows that you have already spent a significant amount of time diving into the topic and that you have reached a certain level of expertise as well as trustworthiness in the subject.
  • Being able to passionately present your idea. While objectivity and neutrality is vital when outlining the facts, broadcasters and other funders also want to see that you actually want to create this piece. Being passionate about your idea from the very beginning and knowing why it is you want to pursue it will guarantee you to work hard on the project in the long run.
  • Trying to predict the questions you will be asked. However extensive you think your pitch is, there will always be follow-up questions. If not to clear up misunderstandings about the film, broadcasters will ask them to get a feel for you as a filmmaker and find out whether you would be a right fit for their channel. Here it is of vital importance for you to familiarise yourself with the broadcasters and the individual slots you are pitching for in order to give satisfactory answers (Glynne, 2007).

Questions to ask yourself

The following are some of the questions you should ask yourself beforehand in order to deliver a successful pitch:
Why now? Is there any current event or issue that would benefit from your film right now?
Why you? Do you have any personal connection to the topic or do you provide important added value?
How will it fit into the broadcasters schedule? Are the length and topic of your film appropriate for the slot you are pitching for?
Has it been done before? Very carefully look for similar films that might render your whole project redundant.
Who is going to be involved in the film? Who are the main characters and what does the team behind the production look like? Are there any names or personalities that might be the convincing argument for some broadcasters?
What are the costs going to be? While it is always somewhat difficult to predict the exact costs of a future production, investors would, understandably so, like to know what they will be getting themselves into beforehand.
When are you planning on making the film? For many distributors and topics scheduling is of great importance, as publishing the right film at the wrong time would be disastrous.

Being able to answer all of these questions confidently will give commissioning editors a good insight into whether you are capable of delivering a film that will fit their needs and wants as well as be profitable for them (Glynne, 2007).

Taster Tape or Teaser

To round out their pitch, often times filmmakers will include a short, very rough “first taste” into what the finished movie might look and feel like. This is especially helpful for documentaries which are character based, in order for commissioning editors to get a first impression of the person who will make or break the whole film. Generally a teaser can be very helpful in conveying the core of the film to your target audience at pitching events (Glynne, 2007).
As we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words and if you show 25 of them per second there is no amount of talking you could do to achieve the same effect.

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