By Deanne Jeffers
LAST week, students at Greater Shepparton Secondary College (GGSC) embarked on a journey through the world of filmmaking. The Fast Films program, presented in collaboration with GSSC, Shepparton Festival and the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), pushes teams to create a short film in only three days, forming their concepts and writing scripts on day one, filming day two and editing their footage in time for the premiere at the Shepparton Festival on Friday night.
One group, comprised of students Shaniqua Arvaji, Dawood Amini, Ash Molisak and Lincoln Atkinson, created their own music for their romantic short film, Crescendo, telling the story of musical neighbours with conflicting tastes who begin to play together through the walls. Other projects were Rosie Wants a Friend and horror-flick, Tongues.
Over the course of three days, students dove into a whirlwind experience, from conceptualisation to editing, to bring their creative visions to life. The free program, offered to students during the school holidays, was run predominantly on school campus and challenged students to be creative and think about how they would make a film in the local area using resources available. It also gave students the opportunity to see their work presented on the big screen, which will become available online.
Andrew O’Keefe, VCA senior lecturer and Fast Film organiser, praised the students for their creativity and determination. He said, “Young people write about the world they live in. Students got to lead the process and drive the content, with help from VCA mentors to help shape their vision.”
“It ended with a delightful screening at the opening of the Shepparton Festival. All three films went down incredibly well with audiences. I don’t know how many people were there, but it was packed on the night.”
