Two cutting-edge productions from Griffith Film School‘s LiveLabstudio have been honoured at the New York Festivals Best of TV & Film Awardsin Las Vegas this week.
The awards recognisecontent in all lengths and forms from over 50 countries. Dedicated to both the television and film industries, they mirror global trends and encourage the next generation of story-tellers and talent.
A quirky stop-motion film to promote the Queensland Conservatorium’s musical theatre showcase won gold in the Best Student Film category. A five-part web series made for local YouTube star SasEffects took home silver in the same category.
Both projects were made throughLiveLab, Griffith Film School’s production arm. GFS is the onlyfilm school in Australia with a permanent in-house commercial studio.
LiveLab Creative Director Richard Fabb said it was vital to offer students year-round opportunities to gain industry experience during their studies.
“LiveLab is about providing a chance for students to learn from industry mentors, work with real clients and produce work that finds an audience,” he said.
“To be recognised for our work internationally is remarkable.”
Bachelor of Film and Screen Media Production graduate Ynte Lammertsma acted as producer for one of the projects and will travel to Las Vegas to accept the award on behalf of the team.
“It was a fantastic experience, and the recognition we’ve received is incredible – it’s confirmation that the work we do at GFS is world-class,” he said.
Ynte is now working for a local film studio, TheStoryBoxes, and said his experience on both shoots had prepared him for a career in the industry.
“The course gives you a really practical, hands-on film education, and making these films for LiveLab is as close as you can get to the industry while you study,” he said.
“I had a lot of different hats on during these shoots – being a producer is about being creative and working with the writers and directors, and also being highly organised and making sure everything runs to deadline and budget.
“These projects gave me the tools and experience I needed before I dived into the industry.”
Griffith Film School sessional lecturer Sean Gilligan supervised the musical theatre showcase clip, which was shot in just one day.
Gilligan, whose work includes documentaries, short films and music videos for Australian artists including Missy Higgins and Birds of Tokyo, enjoys mentoring up and coming talent at GFS.
“It is great to see the team’s work being recognised on the world stage,” he said.
“This project was a lot of fun, but it was challenging.
“We were filming in a confined studio space with an overhead camera, and you have to shoot the stop motion clips frame by frame, which requires a lot of patience.
“The students had some great ideas – they really took the ball and ran with it.”
Sean said the shoot had led to further collaboration between students at Griffith Film School and the Queensland Conservatorium.
“The GFS students were exposed to a bunch of very talented, triple-threat students who can sing, dance and act,” he said.
“It’s a great resource for filmmakers to tap into, and I know they some of the musical theatre students have been called into audition for future productions.”
The 2018 Television & Film Awards gala took place this week at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas – an annual gathering of the world’s top media, entertainment and technology players.
