Holy Spirit College students get taste of Hollywood filmmaking with cinematographer Greg Huglin
One Mackay school became the wild, wild west as students were kitted up in a poncho, cowboy hat and holstered bananas.
Mackay
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mackay. Followed categories will be added to My News.
With a poncho, cowboy hat, holstered bananas and a steely Clint Eastwood glaze, the Mackay high school students were ready.
Ready for a taste of behind the scenes Hollywood filmmaking with Oscar-winning cinematographer Greg Huglin who was invited to teach Holy Spirit College students studying film, television and new media.
Dean of digital technology and business Anton Mayer-Miller said Huglin helped students follow storyboards to produce a comedic take on a shootout scene from Western classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
The amateur filmmakers had to don various roles such as operate the clapperboard, retrieve lenses, shade the production team with umbrellas and even spray water on actor’s faces to resemble sweat.
Mr Mayer-Miller said the experience was made even more authentic by on-set distractions.
In Los Angeles, it was people being paid cash to turn off their leaf blowers but at school, it was physical education classes getting in the way of the shot.
Year 12 student Charlotte Spencer said the workshop was a great, insightful experience.
“This is something I’m really interested in after (finishing) school,” Ms Spencer said.
“Even if I don’t go down that pathway, these are skills that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life.”
Huglin, who tours with his Noosa Film Academy to Queensland schools, said he wanted to teach regional students how to tell stories.
“Every kid has got an iphone or an Android phone and they can tell stories without all the fancy gear,” he said.
“The point is it to take kids who maybe don't think about it as a career to be creative and say, ‘You can do this without expensive training’.”
Students will showcase their work from 6pm on Saturday, May 8 at the CQ Conservatorium of Music along Boundary Road, co-sponsored by Film and Arts Mackay.
More stories:
‘Interventions can make a huge difference to a young person’
Charity Ball gives back to Mackay kids with heart defects
A montage of Huglin’s work will follow. Book online.
Huglin won an Academy Award for his work on the environmental documentary The Cove that exposed Japan‘s dolphin hunting industry.
Subscriber benefits:
40+ heritage buildings, popular landmarks which shape regional Qld
From beautiful 19th century heritage listed edifices to quirky historical landmarks, we list some of the remarkable structures which shape regional parts of Queensland.
‘Rollercoaster ride I can’t get off’: DV survivor’s daily death fears
A Qld woman who was subjected to shocking domestic violence by a once-respected drought charity founder has spoken candidly about the devastating ways the attack has changed her life.