How do you inspire people about creating places that are dynamic, creative and inviting to anyone?
Before stepping foot into the public spaces of Melbourne, Australia, I had no idea how much a city could awaken my sense of curiosity and discovery. During a tour of these spaces with an urban designer, I was fascinated to learn about how they used design to simply augment what they had—a network of old laneways for services & utilities—to transform a dead downtown into a magical layering of history, people, and culture. After a six-year hiatus from making any of my own films, and annoyed by the glut of DSLR- and Vimeo-fueled “city porn”—beautifully shot images of cities without any real substance or sense of lived experience—I decided to try and create an experience for people that I’d never seen before.
With only a faint idea of a story, I learned to shape this film as a meditation: a curious flow of memories and encounters, revealing Melbourne’s curious spaces through the humble insights of a city designer and the experiences of a young Australian woman.
I still can’t believe the response and praise of the film. Most recently, the film screened at the UN World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi, and in an actual laneway in San Francisco! The Melbourne city design crew has also used it in several presentations around the world.
Role: Director, Cinematographer, Editor
For: City of Melbourne Urban Design
Date: 2015
Type: narrative strategy, research
Featuring Xiao Han Drummond & Ian Dryden
Original music by Andrew Tuttle
Full Credits | Press Page
Short Clips
Full Film (11:22)
A young Australian woman discovers Melbourne’s public spaces through the narration of a charismatic designer who helped transform these spaces from a dying wasteland into vibrant places for people.
Iota of an Idea: the Urban Design Tour
Background Research: The Melbourne Miracle
Production: Quirky, Squashy Filmmaking
Promotional Poster
Praise & Reception
“A beautiful and engaging short film about the life of the Melbourne side streets”
““a fascinating look at urban design and understanding spaces””
“Jesus, how do you make a doc about urban design that causes its viewers to CRY???”
“Here in Toronto I’ve heard people say that we’re not Melbourne and we shouldn’t expect to have similar kinds of urban spaces. Well guess what, neither was Melbourne in the 1980s and 1990s. It was a dying city. But they made it happen.”
“a short new documentary on attentive urbanism”
“There is another kind of urban beauty on the great southern land. Directed, shot, and edited by John Moody, this video explores the charm and vibes of urban spaces and pathways of Melbourne’s urban fabric.”
Screenings
UN Habitat 10th World Urban Forum, Abu Dhabi, UAE (Feb 2020)
Fern Alley Sidewalk Cinema, San Francisco, CA (Jul 2019)
Architecture & Design Film Festival, New York, NY (Oct 2018)
SF Urban Film Festival, San Francisco, CA (Nov 2018)
SF Urban Film Festival, San Francisco, CA (Nov 2017)
Better Cities Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA (Oct 2017)
City Mojo Film Festival, Perth, Australia (Mar 2017)
New Urbanism Film Festival, San Antonio, Texas (Nov 2016)
Milano Design Film Festival, Milan, Italy (May 2016)
Best of New Urbanism Film Festival, Santa Monica, CA (Feb 2016)
SF Urban Film Festival, San Francisco, CA (Nov 2015)
New Urbanism Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA (Oct 2015)
Laneway Screening in San Francisco! - July 2019
Learn More about Melbourne’s Design Story
Design Anthology - Q&A with Rob Adams, Melbourne Director of City Design, 2018
THIS IS PUBLIC: FUTURE NEEDS - Discussion w/ Rob Adams & Christopher Hawthorne, 2019