School Students to Become Budding Filmmakers

Students from 75 Schools in all states will swap blackboards for video cameras during the next few months as they prepare their entries for the Kid Witness News (KWN) national short film competition.

Across the country students will direct, shoot and star in a five minute video, which allows them to develop their abilities and creativity as they take on roles such as scriptwriting, filming, and acting.

In 2008, 75 primary and secondary schools from around Australia will take part in the competition. Winners will be selected by a judging panel later this year, with an awards ceremony to be held on the Gold Coast on the 4th September.

All schools are recommended for the program by the Department of Education, after demonstrating an interest and commitment to using new media in the classroom.

"The value and importance of visual communication such as that explored in KWN, is that it actively encourages students to consider innovative and engaging methods to communicate their ideas and interests," said Marian Strong, Executive Officer, Art Education, Victoria.

Toni Pearen has been named the new KWN patron for 2008. Toni has enjoyed an exciting and varied career in the entertainment industry within television, film, theatre and music.

As the KWN Patron, Toni will be involved in the judging of the finalists' entries and presenting awards to the winners at the KWN New Vision Awards' night.

Speaking about her new role as patron, Toni says: "Kid Witness News is a great opportunity for kids to learn about filmmaking at a young age, and for some it may be the beginning of a thriving career in the industry, as actors, directors or producers."

The KWN program requires students to work together to develop a five minute video, involving all aspects of filmmaking including determining the subject matter, script writing, filming and editing footage using equipment provided by Panasonic.

Entry categories include: Drama, Documentary, News & Current Affairs, Public Service Announcements, Animation, Entertainment, Music, Science & Technology, Health, Sport, Comedy, and Art.

Inspiration sessions will be held in each State where students can attend an intimate workshop with industry professionals and learn the secrets of a great short film. The Inspiration Sessions will be staged on the following dates:

Brisbane	-  Monday 31 March
Sydney	-  Tuesday 1/Wednesday 2 April
Hobart	-  Friday 4 April
Melbourne	-  Wednesday 9 April
Adelaide	-  Thursday 10 April
Perth	-  Friday 11 April

 

Prizes are awarded for technical excellence in sound, editing, videography, writing and special effects, as well as to state and national winners. A panel made up of industry representatives will determine the winners.ServerRelativePath

The first KWN Global Contest will take place in June this year, with last year's National Winner, Melbourne High School's feature piece 'Parkour', in contention for the major prize.

The Global Contest will be held in Japan, with each school vying for the major prize, a trip to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and a chance to meet and communicate with their peers in China by visiting a KWN school in Beijing.

Panasonic Australia launched Kid Witness News as a philanthropic program in 2004 due to the program's proven success over the past 15 years in the USA and Canada.

Kid Witness News is an international program that includes schools from USA, Canada, Latin America, Europe, China, the Middle East, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Australian and New Zealand.

Entry Guidelines

Students and teachers can decide on the content of the schools video entry/s as long as they meet the entry guidelines (24kb PDF) and are from one of the following categories; Drama, Documentary, News & Current Affairs, Public Service Announcements, Animation, Entertainment, Music, Science & Technology, Health, Sport, Comedy, and Art.

Their creative works are then submitted for judging in the annual New Vision awards video contest.

Send us your photos!

We would love to see your school in action! Please send your favourite photos of your KWN team acting, filming and/or editing to kwn@bmcd.com.au. The best shots of students working on their entries will feature in the online Newsletter edition of the KWN, available on the KWN website!