Wolf Creek star, John Jarratt and the award-winning producer of Saving Mr Banks, Ian Collie, are just two of the movie industry heavyweights talking to Year 11 and 12 students at the Future Filmmakers seminar being held at Bond University this Friday, April 4.
Part of the Gold Coast Film Festival, the free all-day program at Bond is designed to inspire the next generation of filmmakers and provide practical information on career pathways.
“The popular perception is that it’s almost impossible to break into the movie business – but that’s not the case at all,” said Bond Film and Television Lecturer and the writer/director/producer of OXV: The Manual, Darren Paul Fisher.
“We’ve seen Bond Film and Television graduates achieve success as directors, documentary makers, writers, production assistants, animators, casting agents and more.
“Bond alumni, Tommy Wirkola wrote, directed and produced last year’s Hollywood horror hit Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters; Deborah Read has worked behind the scenes on the Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and MTV Awards broadcasts; 2007 graduate Cameron Edser now runs his own animation studio in Adelaide; Sam Strauss has now won two TV Week Logie Awards for her ABC-TV series, Dance Academy, which was inspired by a short film she made while she was a student at Bond; and there are many, many more success stories.
“The purpose of Future Filmmakers on Friday is to show school-leavers that anything is possible by bringing together a team of industry professionals to tell them more about the exciting career options in the movie business and how to get where they want to go.”
The Future Filmmakers program will include various sessions focussing on different career pathways, starting with Ian Collie talking about the role of the Producer.
Actor-turned-director, John Jarratt, will share his career highlights on both sides of the camera; the Australian Writers’ Guild will host a workshop on screenwriting; Australian Cinematographers’ Society President Jason Hargreaves will explain what cinematography involves … and why it’s the coolest job on the set; and Gina Black from Screen Queensland will focus on the practicalities of where to go from here.
Darren Paul Fisher will also present a session on the annual Bond University Film and Television Awards (BUFTA) which has seen high school filmmakers from all around Australia win a scholarships to study at Bond.
Entry to Future Filmmakers is free for students in Years 11 and 12 but seats are limited. To register your interest in attending, email [email protected].