Story to Screen

High School Filmmaking Workshop

Thanks to North Sydney Council’s Arts and Culture initiative, each winter we have the joy of supporting young creatives in their first exploration of filmmaking. In its second year, 16 budding filmmakers  enrolled in  “Story to Screen” created a total of 8 films, both documentary and scripted.

There are few things we love more than turning theory on its head with our workshops for teenagers.

Story to Screen is delivered in six 2-hour sessions over three months. During the three first sessions we explore story essentials, storyboarding, scripting, shooting, directing and production planning. The winter holidays give students a chance to film on location. During later three sessions, we edit and shape the stories together.

The film screening opening was a sold out event, attended by dozens of community members. Students also had a chance  to talk about their unique process and perspectives during the second screening and Q&A session.

We were absolutely stunned by the diversity of the finished films. We are glad to hear and see each group’s voice shine through their work.

Emily Carson, Hannah Codling and Niamh O’Halloran’s unsettling psychological drama ‘Runagate’ won People’s Choice Award. It portrays a young woman unraveling amidst her attempt to reclaim a normal life after fleeing from a relationship. We were floored by these raw talents who acted directed, edit and masterfully shot on location – at their family winter holiday spot.

Take a moment to watch Harrison Stirzaker’s ‘Collecting in the Moment’, a short film that takes a look at mundane habit with a singular look. His pure creative expression was a refreshing break from our customary outcome-oriented filmmaking.

Watch this space for more films as they become available online.

Filmmaker Harrison Stirzaker  quickly leveraged his experience into paid filmmaking gigs. Go Harrison!