Director and Streetlife Films founder Diana Leach unveils ‘Strangely Normal Humans’ doco project

Director and Streetlife Films founder, Diana Leach has been busy making bite-sized docs for a project in development; a content platform called ‘Strangely Normal Humans.’

Take a look at the first episode “Glorious Gloria“.

Says Leach: “It’s about creating what I love most; authentic, humorous stories with ordinary but wonderful characters and building an online community.”

After casting, Leach interviews the talent in their home with no fixed idea of the final story. After the initial shoot day she edits, then returns to film overlay.

Says Leach: “I find myself in very intimate situations with the talent, going through their wardrobe to pick clothes, dressing their lounge-room, powdering their nose. I think this relationship shows in the final films.

“It’s interesting working with full crews on TVCs (recently Baptcare) then throwing my gear into the back of the car and shooting with no crew. I enjoy the hands-on aspect.”

Leach believes there is huge potential in the content market for short, humorous docs that entertain and build community: “You could apply the model to almost any brand. Every client is doing content, but how many are getting the views on their YouTube channel? You hear the buzz words, ‘authentic’ and ‘engaging’, but how much of it actually engages? Authentic can also be very dull. I am looking forward to the near future when content truly entertains, serving to build community around a brand.”

Leach can be contacted at Streetlife Films in Sydney or Fiction in Melbourne.

Casting, Production and Post: Diana Leach

Grade: Martin Greer