TAFE NSW students are getting a head start on careers in the film industry thanks to training they receive at Loftus TAFE.
Students studying Screen and Media at TAFE NSW have produced a short film that will be entered in one of the world's largest short film festivals.
A section of the campus was transformed into a graveyard to shoot the short film, New Year's Eve, which they plan to enter in Tropfest 2021.
The film is described as a horror/comedy/thriller and is about four high school students who meet up five years after high school.
When one is accidentally killed, the others try to conceal their crime by burying him in the bush, only to discover the dead do not always stay dead.
Filmmaking is one industry starting to recover since the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to be further strengthened over the next seven years by a $400 million federal government to attract film and television productions to Australia. It is thought it will create up to 8000 jobs.
TAFE NSW Screen and Media teacher Nicolas Blesynki said students needed to gain industry-relevant skills and experience, which was why real-life shoots such as this were so important.
"The students were set the challenge of transforming a script written by a TAFE NSW alumnus into a screenplay that could be entered into Tropfest and they have done a great job," he said.
Emily Pettit was a camera operator on the shoot and said making the short film had given her invaluable practical experience.
"I have always been a creative person and had an interest in the film industry, so after leaving high school in year 11 I enrolled in the Certificate IV in Screen and Media," she said.
"I then went on to do my Diploma in Screen and Media, where I worked on New Year's Eve, which was a great experience and has given me a lot of insight into where I see myself in the industry.
"The actors said it was the most professional student film they had worked on and that was a credit to the whole team. The footage looks really good and I'm excited to see the finished film."
A number of courses for people looking to get into the entertainment industry fall under the NSW Skills List. The NSW government is offering Smart and Skilled Fee-Free Scholarships, meaning courses are free.
Details: Enrolments are now open for the Certificate IV in Screen and Media. Phone 13 16 01 or click here.
