Every BUFTA Awards Night is the result of a fantastic team effort by staff and students in the discipline of Film and Television at Bond University.  

Want to know what happens to get ready for the big night?  Kristian Shepherd put together this fantastic time lapse of the room set up that took place before the 2012 ceremony!

Xavier College student, Blake Borcich, wins the major prize

Xavier College student Blake Borcich has taken out the coveted Bond University Film and Television Awards (BUFTA) Best Overall Scholarship Filmmaker award, beating hundreds of other entrants to claim the prize of a full scholarship to study a Bachelor of Film and Television at Bond University.

Australia’s up-and-coming filmmakers nervously walked the red carpet at the 17th annual Bond University Film and Television Awards last Friday, November 23, 2012.

The nation’s most significant short film competition for high school students this year attracted more than 220 entries covering six categories, including Animation, Drama, Documentary, Experimental, Comedy and Music Video.

The top 18 finalists traveled to Bond University from around Australia for the exclusive event, which included the announcement of Mr Borcich’s success for his Comedy, The Trouble with Alexander and his Drama, Resistance.

Mr Borcich, aged 18, will kick start his career in film when he commences his studies at Bond University in January 2013. Prizes were also awarded for the top film in each of the six categories, as well as the announcement of special awards recognising individual technical skills such as screenwriting, directing, cinematography, editing and sound design.

The audience was delighted when the screenwriting craft award winner was announced via video by Academy Award winning Director/Producer George Miller from the set of the new Mad Max film Fury Road, which is currently filming in Namibia.

Bond University Director of Film and Television Dr Michael Sergi said the competition plays an important role in allowing high school students to showcase their film work. “BUFTA provides a tangible goal for students to focus on, it works as a motivator that stimulates production and provides a real pathway for talented young filmmakers to pursue their dreams,” said Associate Professor Sergi.

“Making a film to enter into the competition is also a rewarding experience for students; shoots are stimulating and fun, and students experience a great deal of satisfaction when the films are completed,” he explained.

Associate Professor Sergi said the panel of eight judges, which includes Mr Wayne Newton from VideoPro Australia and Ms Kylie Pascoe from Red Thread Studio, found the high calibre of entries made selecting a winner incredibly challenging.

Dr Sergi congratulated all of the finalists, along with their media teachers and schools, who he praised for their great work, support and for inspiring young filmmakers to pursue their ambitions.

“The winners of all the categories should be celebrated. These are young people with exceptional ability and talent who deserve acknowledgment and we hope in some way the BUFTAs were able to give them the recognition they deserve. “The film industry celebrates young talent and if these students keep working diligently and are committed and passionate about continuing to educate themselves in the industry, they will go far,” said Associate Professor Sergi.

Winning films will be posted on the BUFTA website shortly.

Congratulations to the 2012 BUFTA finalists! We look forward to welcoming you all to Bond University on Friday 23rd November for the Gala Award Ceremony and announcement of this year's winners.

For those not attending, please join us online to cheer for your favourite film and to watch the event via live broadcast! For details go to http://www.bufta.com.au/live

Also, you can watch all the finalist films and vote on your favourite to win People's Choice by visiting the BUFTA facebook page (www.facebook.com/bufta) from next Monday 5th November at midday (AEST). Get behind your favourite to win!

Good luck to all our finalists!
 

Congratulations to our Top 45 films! Check back soon for the announcement of the competition finalists.

WATCH THE BUFTA AWARDS NIGHT LIVE ONLINE!

Please join us in celebrating the amazing talents of Australia’s young upcoming filmmakers.

Film industry, finalists, academics and guests will attend the 2012 BUFTA Gala Awards Night at Bond University, where our short film competition winners and the 2012 Best Overall Filmmaker will be announced. 

This year, the BUFTA Gala Awards Night will be streamed live over the internet so you can watch the evening unfold live from your living room anywhere in the world!

The event will be broadcast live at from 6.00pm (AEST Brisbane) on Friday 23rd November 2012.

To watch the event live go to http://www.bufta.com.au/live

Free Movie Packs for participating schools!

Host a BUFTA event at your school on Friday 23 November and we’ll send you a BUFTA Movie Night Pack (including pizza vouchers, popcorn, lollies and refreshments)!

The event will be streamed live via www.bufta.com.au/live so you and your fellow students can watch the evening’s proceedings from your school and see the winning BUFTA filmmakers announced live!

Also, don’t forget to vote for your favourite film in our BUFTA People’s Choice category this year! Voting will commence early November via the BUFTA Facebook page. The winner of People’s Choice will win 24 Star Movie Package Gift Cards!  Each gift card includes one adult movie ticket, a small Coke and a small popcorn for use at Event, Greater Union, Birch Carroll & Coyle and Village cinemas Australia wide.

For more information or to arrange a BUFTA night for your school, please contact our Event Team on 5595 2638 or hssevents@bond.edu.au by Friday 9 November.

Vote for your favourite finalist film!

The final winner of the People’s Choice Award will not only get real kudos for being the creator of our most popular film, they will also get to share their winnings with friends!

24 (yes, 24!) Star Movie Package Gift Cards will be awarded to the winner of the BUFTA People’s Choice short film.  Each gift card includes one adult movie ticket, a small Coke and a small popcorn for use at Event, Greater Union, Birch Carroll & Coyle and Village cinemas Australia wide.

Judging is currently underway so once the overall finalist films are known, voting for the People’s Choice Award can commence!

To check out the finalists and vote for your favourite, go to the BUFTA Facebook page www.facebook.com/bufta and click to vote. Voting opens in November.

Our 2011 winner describes his time at Bond so far

My experience through these first two semesters studying Film and TV at Bond has been amazing. Life at Bond speeds by; second semester is a complete blur and first semester seems to be years ago, even though it was only a few months ago. Film Style and Genre was without a doubt my favourite subject from semester one and has completely changed the way I view films. Some of my favourite memories from first semester are of hanging out before the Film Style and Genre screening nights and then ‘geeking out’ afterwards over how awesome the films were! Being able to watch films with likeminded film students and then debrief afterwards about what we liked and didn’t like is incredibly fun and really helps to inform your personal understanding of what kind of films you want to make (as well as which filmmakers and films you want to borrow from technically and stylistically).

This semester I have started crewing on second year students’ projects and meeting the wider Film and TV family, which has been fantastic! Everyone is incredibly talented and I feel like I have learnt so much from working with them and watching how they work. I have been awed by the skill and artistry that they employ as well as the passion! It has been a real adjustment going from High School filmmaking to Bond. Everyone here knows their role inside out and pre-production and organisation are given far more prominence (as the should be!). I’ve been lucky enough to be offered a few positions on Screen Production 3 films (Graduation films) and cannot wait to be a part of those crews.

What has struck me the most through this time is not how much I have learnt but how much I have realised I still need to learn. The more I learn the more I feel like I have to learn, which is something I didn’t expect coming in, but has been an eye opener. Coming to film school here at Bond has been a really humbling experience and for that I am deeply appreciative.

Here’s a couple of music videos I’ve recently shot, edited and directed:

Hi, my name is Darren Paul Fisher, and I’m a film and television tutor at Bond University. I’ve recently been completing an independent feature called OXV: The Manual with the help of some Bond students.
 
The film is my third feature film and something like a cross between Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and (500) Days of Summer (with a little bit of Primer thrown in). I moved to Australia from the UK after the shoot, so the film was shot mostly in London but post-produced entirely in Queensland.
 
Students at Bond have been assisting with shooting Second Unit material (key shots that don’t include main cast, like the outside of buildings), sound design and visual effects shots.  Some have been working as full interns on the production and others have been completing work experience. Wherever I can I like to give students as much professional experience as possible, so they are better prepared on what to expect when they leave university and enter the workplace.
 
Working in film is a very competitive environment so any extra experience and/or contacts you can get before you leave education helps put you ahead of the rest.
 
If you’d like to know more, check out the film’s facebook page where you’ll find a production diary, pictures, videos and regular updates www.facebook.com/themanualmovie