Senior School News

VCE Music: Workshop with Dr Emma Gregan

On Friday 13 June, we were fortunate to host Dr Emma Gregan, Head of Brass at Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide and French Horn player with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. 

Emma delivered a workshop to our VCE Performance students, offering helpful tips on using their breath effectively and working on their musical phrasing. 

Emma is also a talented composer and spent time with our VCE Music Composition students talking to them about her creative process. It was a pleasure for both staff and students to learn from Emma and hear a new perspective on their music-making.

Mrs Cally Bartlett

Head of Arts

Year 10 Media: Splash Photography

In our Year 10 Media class, we took photos to prepare for the school ArtFest at the end of Term 3. The theme of the show is water, so all our photos were based around this concept. We focused on splash photography, which is a technique used to capture the movement of water as it creates a splash. It requires careful timing, specific lighting and a fast shutter speed to photograph the perfect moment.

We had to take two photos for this project. The first photo was of an object in the water, and the second photo captured a splash, created by dropping a transparent object into a vessel of water. The idea is that these two images will be layered together using Photoshop to create one final, dynamic composition that blends the image of the object with that of the water splash in an artistic way.

Once we start editing and layering the photos in Photoshop, I hope the final images will look realistic and impactful. The goal is for the final pieces to clearly reflect the energy and motion of water, fitting perfectly with the theme of ArtFest.

Vidya Gangaram (10 Aherne)

We worked in groups of 5 students in each, so that one student stood on a small ladder to drop an object into the acrylic bowl to make a splash while various other students timed a photograph in the exact moment the splash occurred. We each took turns testing and trying out different jobs which resulted in many different photos. 

Then each of us had a small prop or object that we had photographed for the second image. The objects varied from fake fruit, fake fishes, small animals and even a large lego figure. After all the unique images were taken the table was in a complete mess with water covering the surface. Overall, it was a fun experience which I highly recommend you pick media as an elective if you can. 

Ben Phan (10 Jones)

Year 8 Immersion French: Cooking Competition

In Term 2, we participated in an online French cooking video contest. This included making a dish from a country chosen by the assessors of the competition. 

We were given the country Guyana and for our dish we made mango sorbet, which is a well-known treat in their culture. We really wanted to showcase the vibrancy of Guyanese cuisine. The overall experience was very enjoyable and well worth it, although it did come with some challenges, such as a short filming timeframe, memorising our lines in French, and filming each step as we went. We had an incredible time making the dish while exhibiting Guyana's culture and working together as a team. 

Ultimately, Bella edited the video and put in a lot of effort to make sure it was well presented and precise. It turned out amazing! We are all really grateful for the opportunity to participate in this creative project.

Leah Morley (8 Jenkin)

After lots of rescheduling and time changes, students Ariel Basher, Olivia Walpole and Violet Potter finally completed their video submission for the AFTV’s (Association of French Teachers in Victoria) French Cooking Competition. 

Together with our teacher, Madame Daju, we decided to make 'des tartes au fromage', also known as small cheese tarts or mini quiches. Setting off to the Junior School food tech room at 2pm, we were able to complete the cooking and filming by 3:45pm! After quickly learning the slightly complicated recipe, we then got to work, by first preparing all the ingredients. Soon, Ariel and Olivia started memorising small lines with Ms Daju’s help while Violet filmed them, making sure to get every angle to help make an interesting video for the judges. While Ariel and Olivia slowly assembled the mini quiches, Violet did the voice recording for each step of the recipe behind the camera.  

The last shots of the video included Violet announcing that the tarts had finished cooking and Ariel and Olivia taking a bite out of the tartes au fromage to show how delicious they were. Overall, the French cooking challenge was a great experience that helped us to develop skills such as teamwork, cooperation and retentiveness. Madame Daju was a great help to us, making sure the video stood out from the others.

Ariel Basher (8 Jenkin)

French Immersion Performance: Salut, Mon Ami!

French Immersion Theatre was an experience of a lifetime! I loved every second of it, from learning the vocabulary and actions in Salut, Mon Ami!, to performing the play in front of our parents and friends. By doing so, we were the first Year 7 group to do French Immersion through theatre and perform a play fully in French! Not only that, but we also got fully immersed in French culture, including learning French expressions and many high-frequency words that we could use in everyday conversations. 

Another highlight for me was the fact that we could only speak in French during class time, which developed my capability to not only understand French but to apply that knowledge when having conversations with Madame. Overall, I’d recommend French Immersion to anyone who is interested in improving their French speaking skills and has a passion for French culture.

Year 7/8 Elective Program: GoPro Film Festival

The new GoPro Film Festival elective has been a popular choice among Year 7 and 8 students. It is a creative yet practical subject that achieves what the title of the course suggests – a short festival of dynamic and pacey films made using GoPro cameras.

Students developed many practical camera and scriptwriting skills during the elective, which they used to make short films using our class set of GoPro cameras. Typically, these cameras capture dynamic footage 'on the go', where the cameraperson moves with the action, creating a unique type of film unlike others our students may have made previously. They also learn skills in editing vision, effects and sound to complete their films for the festival screening.

GoPro Film Festival is a semester-based elective where students work collaboratively, exploring creative ways to design and produce these films. Students take on specific roles and responsibilities such as directing, camera operating, location, acting, props and costume management, and final editing for video and sound.

The finished films are screened over two separate days in the Black Box Theatre: the first being the Festival and the second being a celebration where all completed films and highlights are viewed by students.

Below are some reflections from students after completing the GoPro elective.

YEAR 7 STUDENTS

Team 1: Finn Dart, Ted McMillan, Jackson Middlemis and Banjo Williams

Banjo: Some of the highlights of making our film were being able to have fun while making it and how silly it was. I liked watching all the scenes come together.

The only bad thing is I was smiling a lot during filming, which kinda ruined the vibe.

 

Edward: I like the part when I (the detective) go into the house with Finn (the cop) and search the house and then take in Jackson (the guy whose house was robbed) for questioning about the case.

 

Jackson: I really liked the experience with my friends, and I hope that everyone liked our mini movie.

Team 2: Hunter Fourie and Quin Pattinson

Quinn: I enjoyed making the props for my film during this subject; it was fun and interesting to make props for something you have put together. I also liked doing the first shot of the film, which was not the first in chronological order, and making sure the camera position was right.

 

I learnt a lot about teamwork and being a leader. I had many ideas that I had to bring to life, and I had to tell the cameraman and Hunter (the actor) where to stand and what to do in the shot. My biggest achievement for the short film was getting the sticks for the fencing swords because they were such a vital part of the story.

Team 3: Thomas Say and Otto Ellis

Thomas: I liked the creativity of this elective and the GoPro aspect just added to the fun. The action footage we captured was generally pretty clear. I really enjoyed this elective!

 

Otto: The freedom and fun weren’t like any other elective, and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn how to use a GoPro and write a script. The time outside was another great factor and I am so happy I chose it as my Semester 1 elective.

Team 6: Lucy Scicluna, Mia Woodhouse, Senna Featherstone, Layla Beale and Luciana Collins

Lucy: In GoPro, we learnt how a GoPro camera works, how to edit films using cap cut, how to shoot films, different kinds of shots, and how to write a film. The highlights for our team were filming, and our biggest achievement was writing the script. We could have done better by finishing it in time and getting the film submitted in time. Our reflections on this subject are positive. We got to learn about teamwork and how to use our time efficiently. We all had a great time in GoPro and learnt many things.

Team 8: Nate Malone, Jhak Burke and Algie Marshall

Nate: This semester we have learned heaps of important tips and tricks for filming and photography. We have also really enjoyed getting to make our film, 'Basketball Day', with the freedom to use our own ideas. We were really excited to film in different locations using different shots.

YEAR 8 STUDENTS

Team 2: Evie, Alexis and Angie

Team 2 created a horror/suspense film based on the idea that every time the clock strikes 12, a random thing happens. When three 14-year-old girls walk into an abandoned high school with a camera at 10am wanting to prove that ghosts are real, things do not end up as they expected.

Team 3: Maurice Bryant, Raff Correa and Blair Horsburgh 

Maurice: Our group really enjoyed GoPro. We were always learning new things and experimenting. Our favourite thing was making the movie at the end of the semester. We also felt that we connected with each other more as the subject went on. Highly recommend!

 

Raff: I really loved GoPro class! It was so much fun filming and learning how to use the GoPros. I enjoyed trying out different shots and working with my friends. It was one of my favourite classes.