ABC iView is screening Griffith Film School’s graduate projects as part of a new showcase of Australia’s best original short films.
Grad Season 2017 is curated by ABC Arts on iView, introducing Griffith’s talented young filmmakers to a wider audience.
Selected works from the collection will also be chosen for a broadcast premiere on ABC2.
A new platform for young filmmakers
Creative Director of Griffith Film School’s LiveLab, Richard Fabb, said the initiative provided recent graduates with a national platform for their work.
“I am always blown away by the polish and professionalism of our graduate films and they really show the best Griffith Film School has to offer,” he said.
“The national broadcaster is a natural home for these young filmmakers, and it is great to see their work find a broader audience.”
Head of ABC Arts, Mandy Chang said the ABC was keen to build relationships with young Australian filmmakers.
“These young filmmakers are the future lifeblood of our industry and we are keen to encourage an ongoing connection between emerging filmmakers and the ABC,” she said.
“There’s a lot of talent out there and universities around the country are doing a great job in fostering and developing it. It’s our job at the ABC to nurture emerging filmmakers to the next stages of their careers.”
Alienation
Ryan Greaves directed an apocalyptic alien invasion flick, Alienation, for his graduate project.
The short feature was shot in Girraween National Park in the middle of winter, which threw up challenges for the student filmmakers.
“You’d wake up in the dark to sub zero temperatures, then lug an absurd amount of gear up to the top of the mountains to shoot,” he said.
“We were shooting at the top of the range at sunset, then crawling down a rock face in the dark!
“By the end of it, you feel like one big family, it was a real bonding experience.”
The talented young filmmaker is currently working for a local production company, creating children’s content for a roster of clients including Disney Junior and Sesame Street USA.
“Studying at Griffith Film School gave me the skills I needed to work in the industry — I can write, produce, direct,” he said.
He is currently in talks to develop Alienation into a TV series, and is excited to see it get a new lease of life on ABC iView.
“It’s incredibly exciting — ABC iView is really trailblazing young Aussie filmmakers, and it’s such a widespread platform,” he said.
“You can always hope, but you can never fathom that your grad film, made by a bunch of students will be available to 22 million people across the country.
“A lot of students ask me for advice about their graduate film.
“I always tell them that this is your calling card, so put everything you have into it, but try something new, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, make something original.”
Gokanosho: Lost in Time
Isabel Stanfield is the producer of graduate documentary Gokanosho: Lost in Time.
The film follows the inhabitants of a small group of villages in rural Japan, where traditional life continues even in the face of 21st century pressures.
The team used crowd funding to complete the film, which involved the student crew spending several weeks shooting in Japan.
“It was a pretty intense couple of weeks,” Isabel said.
“It was a big learning curve for everyone involved.
“But we had such supportive lecturers — they really encouraged us to be open and see where the story took us.
“Griffith Film School gives you an awesome opportunity to make films that showcase your skills, and allows you to make mistakes in a safe place!”
The film toured the festival circuit, but Isabel is excited that it will be seen by a wider audience on ABC iView.
“The graduate film is such a massive part of your degree, so it’s great that our little doco is having this second lease of life,” she said.
“I think this season should inspire young filmmakers about to embark on their journey at film schools around the country.”
Pond Scum
Catriona Drummond completed a Bachelor of Animation at Griffith Film School, and her graduate film takes a humorous look at a teenage girl’s unexpected revenge on a rude, crude bogan.
“It is a very Australian story, and it was fun to animate a full-blown Aussie bogan,” she said.
“I think animation lends itself to taking the piss and looking at things in a light-hearted way.”
Catriona is excited to see her work on the small screen, after spending months locked away by herself completing the film.
“It really wrecks you — there are a lot of long hours spent by yourself, drawing, cleaning up frames and getting the colours right,” she said.
“It’s a very demanding art form that requires a lot of discipline and attention to detail, so it’s nice that it will have a bigger audience!”
Grad Season 2017 is now available to view on ABC iView.