Hitting Home is a Walkley and AACTA winning television documentary series, consisting of two episodes, broadcast on ABC in November 2015. Presenter Sarah Ferguson reported on domestic violence in Australia.
Concept
Following two years of research, journalist Sarah Ferguson spent six months reporting on domestic violence in Australia. To better understand the statistics of domestic violence, Nial Fulton and Ivan O'Mahoney, series producers of Hitting Home, spent nearly two years negotiating unprecedented access to specialised police domestic violence units, domestic violence courts and secured unprecedented access to new court safe-rooms for victims, women's refuges, a unique prison rehabilitation program and specialist forensic doctors. During pre-production, the producers worked alongside Corrective Services NSW, The NSW Justice Department, The NSW Police, Domestic Violence NSW, the NSW Coroner and many other agencies and peak bodies to ensure the safety of the participants. A comprehensive Duty of Care Statement was conceived, with the full support of all agencies.
Filming
In June 2015, production on Hitting Home began in the South Coast Correctional Centre (Nowra) on day 1 of a 10-week rehabilitation program aimed at preventing violent men from reoffending. After a very long process of negotiation and building trust, Ferguson and the producers convinced two of the inmates to appear on camera, fully identified. But before either inmate could appear on camera, the producers had to identify and seek permission from their respective victims. Both women agreed to tell their side of the story. Their interviews and police footage captured in the aftermath of the attack were incorporated into the series.
As part of the production of Hitting Home, Ferguson moved into a refuge in western Sydney. It was the first time in Australia a television crew was granted such access.
During the six months filming, Ferguson met many women who lived in the refuge, often with their young children. Ferguson convinced several victims to speak about their experiences on the documentary.
The production team worked closely with the NSW Police Domestic Violence Unit in Blacktown over the course of six months. Working with Sgt Genelle Warne and her team, Ferguson went on patrol, entered court safe rooms and met women in their own homes who had suffered violence at the hands of partners. The series was also able to capture the rolling out of new DV related procedures, including DVEC (Domestic Violence Evidence in Chief) - where police officers make a video recording of the victims statement in the immediate aftermath of their reported assault. Hitting Home featured the first time a DVEC gathering was captured on camera, when two officers apprehended a man who had badly beaten his wife in their car.
Access to domestic violence courts in Blacktown and Toronto was achieved with the support of NSW Justice Department. The production was allowed to bring cameras into both courts to film magistrates, victims and perpetrators and for the first time, show the new court safe-rooms in operation. Getting access to film in locals courts in Australia is extremely rare and allowed the production to highlight the challenges faced by victims, police and magistrates.
After speaking to a trauma councillor and the Homicide Victims Support Group, the producers reached out to Wendy Malonyay, the mother of Kate Malonyay, a young women murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Malonyay agreed to be interviewed for the series. To help tell the story of her daughters murder, the producers negotiated access to a homicide detectives training course, had a Non Publication Order on the Corners Report on the victim's death lifted and secured interviews with the State Coroner, the Investigating Police Officer and many of Kate's friends and family.
Music
The musical score to the series was composed by Roger Mason.
Post Production
Post Production on Hitting Home ran from June 2015 until November 2015. The series was edited at Spectrum Films at Fox Studios in Sydney. Andrew Cooke edited episode 1 and Philippa Rowlands edited episode 2. Andrew Cooke was nominated for an AACTA Award for his work on the series.
Q&A Special
Culminating on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, episode 2 of Hitting Home was followed by a special edition of Q&A hosted by Julia Baird.