We chatted with director Nick Barkla about his debut documentary Inside Fighter, and his journey following boxer Frank LoPorto’s crusade to win the world title in America against an undefeated champion, Austin Trout.

What brought you to Frank’s story?

I was training in the same gym Frank trains in and we had become friends. In getting to know each other, Frank told me he was ranked 12 in the world in the WBA light-middleweight division and might be in line for a world title shot. Time was running out for him as he was at the end of his career, so I became interested in making a documentary about a guy who may or may not get a chance to fulfil his lifelong dream before he has to retire. 

We’re still in touch. Frank is a good mate and he and his girlfriend Lisa are looking forward to seeing the film at the Australian premiere July 9 at MDFF with an audience. 

What were Frank’s thoughts on the documentary?

Frank likes the film. It was confronting for him to watch initially, because it’s a painful journey and it’s just hard to see yourself on screen. As an actor, I know how he feels. But he loves that the journey has been documented and can be shared with an audience, as well as his family and friends.

Everyone in the documentary seemed at ease with the camera following them around especially Frank. How did you achieve this? 

 I’m a fan of cinema verite documentary and wanted the camera to be as unobtrusive as possible. It was just me doing camera and sound – there was no ‘crew,’ so to speak – so I was able to just hang out in the background and blend in. Plus Frank and his mates trusted me and I’d know them for a while, so after a couple of days of filming they pretty much forgot I was there and just focused on getting ready for the fight. 

How much footage did you shoot and was it difficult to bring it down to 50 minutes?

I shot about 80 hours of footage over two and half years, and then got it down to a four hour assembly, and then brought on Elodie Fouqeau to edit the film based on a script I created with the help of some Film Victoria funding. It was daunting and extremely time consuming getting the 80 hours down to the four hour assembly, and a lot more fun putting the actual 50 minute doc together with Elodie, who was a great help.

What advice would you give filmmakers working on their first documentary?

Don’t shoot and record sound yourself, particularly if you have no experience doing either, like me. It’s too much work and you’re really better off getting professionals as their quality of work will be much higher. If you can afford it, obviously. if not, do as much reading/training as possible beforehand, as you only get a chance to shoot and record sound once. Try and work out who the main character is, what they want, and what obstacles they’re likely to encounter ahead of time. Try and script as much as you can imagine in terms of story turning points before you shoot, so you at least have an idea of things to look out for during the shoot. With this type of story, things are happening quickly and unexpectedly, so you ultimately have to roll with the punches and go with whatever happens, but having a rough story outline can be a huge help. And work with a terrific editor! 

What mistakes did you make that you learnt from?

I probably made every mistake you can make, particularly because I shot and recorded sound with zero experience. So I’m not doing that again. And I didn’t have much idea, in terms of story, of what to look for as the shoot went long, so I’m paying far more attention to the writing component of the documentary I’m currently working on. 

How did you fund Inside Fighter?

I funded the shoot myself, and Film Victoria helped with developing a script. Andrew Shostak and Elodie Fouqeau at Method Studios were the real heroes of post-production and enabled the film to be edited and post-produced to a very high standard.

What are you working on now?

 I’m currently making a feature documentary about Paul ’The Mighty Apollo’ Anderson. Paul was a famous Australian circus showman in the 40s and 50’s who dreamt of immortality by becoming the strongest man in the world. I’m working with his son Paul Jr on creating the film out of an incredible amount of archival material ’The Mighty Apollo’ left behind, and it’s en epic job but one I’m really enjoying. Film Victoria and Screen Australia have just come on board to help, and I have two fantastic producers from Plot Media in Jamie Houge and Virginia Kay guiding us, so it’s full steam ahead!

Inside Fighter will screening at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.

MDFF | 9 – 11 July 2016