Year 12 Media

Russian gangsters, fallen rock stars and bicycles were just some of the themes of this year’s Year 12 Media class’ final works. All but two of the 2008 graduating media class produced short films with two students choosing photography as the medium for their final production. The films, which ranged in length from 4-10 minutes, featured many De La students acting in a variety of roles. In particular, Max Helsing worked very hard, playing a variety of convincing character roles in several of the films, including his own poignant documentary, Feathers, about local racing identity Des Bird. Strong narratives and atmospheric locations were a feature of the 2008 films. Ben Hausler’s Soviet Knights, about the struggle for dominance between warring gangs, boasted an excellent script and strong direction. The 2008 Award for Best Year 12 Media Student went to Michael Raymond whose beautifully crafted film, About a Bike, followed the journey of a bicycle and the characters interwoven with the bike. Without the use of dialogue, Michael skilfully developed a sense of the character and mood. Shot around Ballarat and featuring all of Michael’s family, the film was typical of the high standard of work achieved by this year’s class. Other films this year, drew from many stylistic elements and a range of genres including romance, music video, documentary, comedy and suspense. Another film worthy of note was Ryan Paturzo-Polson’s film, The Door on the Ground Floor, which effectively used continuity editing to reveal a suspenseful Hitchcockinspired tale of suspense. Four of this year’s films used music as a theme. Alastair Moroney’s music video

Postman was named after the original track composed by his band, “Choice Cuts”. Geoff Davey’s documentary, Fretboard, introduced his musical brothers. And fallen rock legends’ were the focus of Simon Francazio’s, Suewa – Rise and Fall and Luke Sutton’s beautifully shot film, Dreamer’s Hideaway. Strong characterisation and plot were the driving force behind Andrew Sanders’ Broken and Andrew Hibbins’ Flash. Similarly, Jack Noble’s exploration of schizophrenia in Mary Jane, included convincing characters. And zombies roamed Melbourne in Chris Dimatinna’s Dead Man’s Party. The two photographic projects included James Croce’s visual essay on camera surveillance and its impact on personal privacy and Justin Geaney’s Shades of Black and White explored the notion of choice and family. The final projects were the culmination of the year’s work by the Year 12 Media Class 2008 and I congratulate them for their efforts. Kerry Martin VCE Media