There are ups and downs to creating a factual short form online series on an up-and-coming indie pop band—and for director Rae Choi and producer Eleanor Somerville, it goes like this…
Supported through our Channel Lab: Short Cuts initiative, It Goes Like This follows teen musician Ixara Dorizac and Brisbane-based ixaras on their debut tour supporting Australian legends Grinspoon. The documentary series walks alongside Ixara as she navigates entering adulthood, takes advice from grandma and learns what it means to be a rock star.
We spoke with Ixara herself and the Queensland creatives capturing her story—director Rae Choi and producer Eleanor Somerville—about creating a short-form factual series for online platforms, navigating personal relationships with subjects and telling stories that matter.
The series covers a pivotal time in Ixara’s life. A time she feels blessed to look back on.
“I feel like with my personality it’s addicted to motion and wanting to be everywhere at once. This can be hard to navigate because I don’t end up processing moments as well and end up not being present jumping to the next thing or project,” Ixara said. “Being able to see my relationships with family, friends and fans on screen allows me to value the human experience and learning curves that come with it.”
Rae and Ixara have been family friends since Rae cast Ixara in the ABC short film Viv’s Silly Mango in 2022. When Screen Queensland’s Channel Lab: Short Cuts initiative launched in 2024, Ixara was preparing to embark on her first tour while on the cusp of adulthood and Rae seized the opportunity to accompany her in documentary form. Rae played the role of both director and friend, navigating the complexities of her personal relationship with her subject.
“Going on tour with Ixara and making this documentary with her felt like an excuse for us to spend rare time together,” Rae said. “It was her first tour, a big and scary thing, and I wanted to be someone she could lean on when it felt hard or lonely. We didn’t capture everything we could have—out of respect for her, her relationships, or the moment we were in—but I was mindful that the project was made possible by our closeness, so I stayed sensitive to that line of trust.”
Rae, alongside producer Eleanor Somerville, embraced the unpredictability of documentary filmmaking with an agile mindset and flexible plan heading into filming. The series took true shape in post-production where editors Sophie Patzel and Tyra Geddes distilled hours of footage into the short form episodes.
“Together, we found a rhythm that’s very Ixara,” Eleanor said, “oscillating between bursts of turbo energy and silliness, to quiet moments of vulnerability, where she feels small and doubtful. The vertical format wasn’t just a practical choice—it became a way to reflect her pulse as honestly as possible, within a framework we hoped would feel connective and far-reaching.”
Eleanor has thrown herself into the expanding world of online storytelling as a producer and says there’s ‘no hiding’ in producing short form.
“You end up wearing far too many hats while being thrown into the thick of it—often with very limited funds. It’s messy, hands on and exhausting at times, but being so deeply embedded in the process and the vision is exactly what excites me. Being entrusted with bringing a project to life is demanding, but incredibly rewarding. That applies just as much to traditional long-form projects—the scale and process may be different, but the challenges and rewards remain the same.”
When considering short form and online projects, Eleanor says that she looks for stories that are purposeful, distinctive and a little bit risky—projects that she can’t stop thinking about.
“I want to see a strong creative voice driving the concept, clear potential for the project to be realised, and a story that resonates not just with an audience, but with me. It’s tough to commit to producing something if you don’t have that burning feeling that it needs to exist. That urgency and internal pull is what keeps me committed, even when things get messy or hard.”
Rae is also no stranger to short form. Her short film When the Sky Was Blue was supported through a previous iteration of our Short Film Fund known as R.I.D.E. Shorts in 2021. She believes that short film, which went on to stream on SBS On Demand and is currently available on Vimeo, was a turning point in her career.
“After years of producing, it was my first foray into writing and directing—and the first time I felt how making a film can transform you as much as the film itself. Since then, I’ve moved between writing, directing, and producing. I feel the pressure to choose a lane, but I can’t. I see myself holistically as a filmmaker. I love letting the story and my relationship to any given project guide me in how I can serve it best.”
Since then, Rae has launched her own production company, Limina Pictures. It Goes Like This is the first project to be released under the Limina Pictures banner and exemplifies the stories Rae wants to share through the endeavour.
“Online, life can carry a shine that feels enviable, but reality is always messier—and more meaningful. When we filmed Ixara was 17, caught between who she’s been, who she is, and who she might become. Beneath how she presents to the world, she’s a hopeful human, striving hard and hungrily at the things she loves. She has her highs, she hurts, and she’s held together by her people: her family, mentors, friends. That feels true to what Limina stands for—to linger at the threshold of change, and wrestle with the relationships that make it all worthwhile.”
This year, Rae was also selected for Screen Producers Australia’s Ones to Watch Screen Placement, receiving $20,000 to pursue professional development and mentoring. As part of the program, she will be joining Heretic (Triangle of Sadness, Hot Milk) in Athens and Paloma Productions (Triangle of Sadness, Tótem) in Copenhagen.
“I’m really excited to learn from their approaches to financing, creative scaffolding, partnership-building and distribution,” Rae said. “As I develop my first feature, this experience feeds directly into my process and my deep-seated interest in cross-cultural storytelling and collaboration beyond borders.”
Ixara said that she hopes that It Goes Like This provides some visibility on the life of an artist in the development stage of their career.
“I want people to understand that vulnerability is important and that in a generation so hyperconnected yet too scared to talk about their emotions. Over time these things can cause isolation but being hyper aware of the fact that you can be intentional with your mindset is powerful.”
All episodes for It Goes Like This are now out on TikTok and Instagram.
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