Scotch College

Young filmmakers strut their stuff

Words: Jamieson Kane • Senior Subject Teacher - Media

Two short films made by Scotch VCE Media students have been included in the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s ‘Top Screen 2008’ exhibition.

Top Screen presents only a dozen of the very best screen-based works created by VCE students from around Victoria. So it was very pleasing to see a documentary, Trampoline by James Purcell (’07) and a drama, Deception by Tom Fancke (’07) included in the exhibition. This is the third consecutive year that works by Scotch Media students have been selected for inclusion as exemplars for media students state-wide.

Scotch students undertaking VCE Media this year in Year 11 and Year 12 visited the exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Seeing media products made by fellow Scotch students certainly challenged and motivated them to produce works that might be worthy of screening at Top Screen next year.

Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards

A short film by Class of 2006 student, Tom Moore (also a past Top Screen winner) won the ‘Best Secondary Documentary’ category of the 2007 ATOM Awards. Tom’s documentary film, Perception was commended for its sophisticated look at skateboarding culture, its flowing camerawork and its evocative soundtrack.

Film festivals

Several other VCE Media students of the Class of 2007 – Sam Miller, Lloyd Will, Ryan Sutton, Simon Chandler and Boyd Martin – joined James Purcell and Tom Fancke in having their final year works selected for inclusion in film festivals this year.

Both the Boroondara Youth Film Festival and the Warburton Film Festivals selected the young Old Boys’ works for inclusion. The Boroondara Festival brought together young local film makers in a brilliant night of screenings at the Rivoli Cinema in East Hawthorn. The Warburton Festival judges were particularly impressed with the body of work presented by our boys.

Tom Fancke’s work of fiction, Deception, narrated in German by Scotch Head of LOTE Elaine Tarran, was once again honoured. It was awarded the inaugural Natural Resources Conservation League Award, consisting of a trophy and $500 to put towards his latest film-making project

Sam Miller’s mockumentary Steven took out the Under 18 Documentary Award, while Lloyd Will’s whimsical narrative, Gerald won the Under 18 Drama Award. Both of them now have the chance to do a Victorian College of the Arts Short Film Course to further develop their film-making abilities.

James Purcell (Trampoline) and Ryan Sutton (The Tell-Tale Heart) were runners-up in these two awards, and Simon Chandler received an honourable mention for his interpretation of Peter Porter’s Your Attention Please.
GS