Bond University student Jase Shepherd took out the Warner Roadshow Studios Best Overall Film Award at the Shorts of All Sorts short film competition held on the Gold Coast on Monday night (July 18).
Jase, a final year film and television student, won the prize of Best Overall Film for Top Cat after taking out the 1 st Runner-up prize in the Fiction category.
The 10 minute film, described as a dark comedy about two homeless men and the consequences of unexpectedly finding and losing (relative) wealth, was developed from a simple idea and then shot in just one day. It starred local actor Bill Waters and Bond colleague and collaborator Nicholas Platzer. Jase said he was pleased, but quite surprised, when his film was selected.
“Winning really showed me that a simple idea can bring great results. I put a lot of thought and planning in to the day of the shoot, and it all came off,” said Jase.
Bond University student film productions won four of the seven awards on the night, with two additional finalists in the Music Video category.
Alex Fewster (Weakness) and Nick Platzer (Black Panda) won the awards for 1 st and 2 nd Runners up respectively for their music videos in the Music Video Category
Bond University Head of the Centre for Film and Television Professor Bruce Molloy believes the professionalism and competence of Bond film and television students is reflected in the number of competition finalists.
“This indicates to me that our program is working across a range of skills and activities. The students' works are continually developing into highly competent and well regarded films which shows they are becoming well equipped for jobs in the film and television industries,” said Professor Molloy.
This is the second major prize a Bond film and television student has won in the last six months. Film student Manuel Andrade Gorab took out the Best Overall Film Award for Rocket Science II at the Warner Roadshow Studios 19 th Queensland New Filmmakers Awards in April this year.
On the same night Professor Bruce Molloy received the Kinetone Award in recognition of his significant contribution to the Queensland film and television industry.
The Shorts of all Sorts competition is open to local tertiary filmmakers and was held in conjunction with the Film Fantastic Festival currently running on the Gold Coast. The films were required to incorporate the signature item ‘shorts' and an element of the Gold Coast music scene.
Bond's curriculum aims to provide a balance between theory and practice, with strategic alliances developed within the sports industry.