Scoop  Education

Media Release

Screen Production Students Premiere Their Movies

Click for big version.

Celebrating their year’s work are, from left, screen production students Mandy Otter, Glen Grenfell (winner of the Pania Award), Bridie Thomson, Daniel Mitchell (Best Short Film) and James Surgeon.

As a fitting climax to their year’s work, EIT screen production students celebrated with a premiere of short films made as their final projects.

At the invitation-only evening staged at Napier’s Reading Cinema, 17 final-year students showcased their scriptwriting, design, directing, acting, camera, lighting, sound and editing skills with movies covering genres that included drama, the surreal, sporting fiction, action, horror, comedy, war, post-apocalypse and science fiction.

Earlier in the year, the students had pitched their ideas for movies up to eight minutes long to New Zealand Writers Guild’s Steven Gannaway, who also attended the screenings to see the finished results.

Reading Cinema manager Nicole Speakman presented the CV Award for Best Short Film to Daniel Mitchell of Hastings for his horror movie On Signal, which follows three students as they head off on a road trip hoping for a holiday they will always remember. What could possibly go wrong?

Dan’s CV Award includes a scholarship to attend the 2014 Tropfest Short Film Festival in New Plymouth. He says studying for the diploma has given him a realistic view of the film industry might be like.

The Pania statuette for the best overall Diploma in Screen Production student was awarded to Glen Grenfell from Napier.

A traditional highlight of the annual film premiere, the first Pania was awarded in 2007 to Stephanie Ng, who went on to work for Park Road Post, the motion picture post-production facility famously associated with film maker Peter Jackson.

In addition to the coveted statuette, Glen was presented with an action camera from sponsors Dobsons Photo and Camera for demonstrating consistent progress, effort and teamwork,

The former William Colenso College student says he developed his technical and personal skills at EIT. While admitting to a little stage fright in accepting his award, he says “shy isn’t the first word I’d use to describe myself now”.

Glen has been invited to apply for a trainee position with TVNZ.

Dan will be following up contacts in the film industry in Auckland, where he hopes to find work. He has also been asked to submit another short film made during his time at EIT to the Tropfest Film Festival.

EIT’s ideaschool employed Dan and Glen as tutor assistants during holiday breaks.

Programme coordinator Claire McCormick says interviewing is underway for next year’s intake of screen production students.

“We are welcoming applicants of all ages and backgrounds,” she says. “We want film-makers who will tell the stories that reflect who we are.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media

 

Culture Headlines | Health Headlines | Education Headlines