School scores high tech film and media studio

It’s grads include Frances Whiting, Jillian Whiting and Peter Greste. Now, Indooroopilly High’s new film and media studio is set to nurture a new generation.

Indooroopilly State High School's new V Block building.

The principal at Indooroopilly State High School took a big gamble in the 1970s by introducing a film studies unit.

Fast forward four decades later, and Indooroopilly — which includes media stars such as TV presenter Jillian Whiting, former ABC reporter Peter Greste and The Courier-Mail columnist Frances Whiting among its graduates — can now boast one of the most advanced film and TV studios in a Queensland state school.

Complete with a “green screen’’ backdrop covering an entire wall, high ceilings to accommodate lighting and rails, and three Super 8 video cameras, it will allow students to bring their creativity to a new level, associate principal Derek Weeks said.

Mr Weeks, who thanked Education Minister Grace Grace for delivering V block, took Westside News on an exclusive tour last week of the recently-opened three-level building where the studio is located.

Started last year, work went ahead in leaps and bounds, finishing well in time for the start of term 1 this year.

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The media and film studio control room.

The V Block courtyard. The building has a Guggenheim-like quality.

Funky group learning areas make class time fun.

No longer will teachers have to cry: “Stop swinging on your chair!’’ You can’t fall off these beauties.

“Up to 450 students can move in and out in an ordered and effective way,’’ Mr Weeks said.

“Students have been in there since January 28.

“It’s already a very busy building, with a lot of activities and opportunities for team teaching.’’

With so many classrooms, some heritage listed, it was a challenge to construct the building.

But the result, which has echoes of New York’s Guggenheim Museum despite being built on a tight budget, has met the challenge, mixing “fun’’ architecture designed to inspire students with 26 highly flexible classrooms, a robotics lab, design, manual arts and 3D printing.

There are massive water tanks underneath and a large, secure bike locker which students access with swipe cards.

“Even the chairs are designed with students in mind,’’ Mr Weeks joked. “If you swivel backwards, you can’t fall over.’’

One of the features he was most pleased with was the way the architects had ensured the building connected seamlessly with an adjacent building and did not block sightlines to a heritage-listed building which was shipped out from England as a template for other Queensland school buildings.

The design also allowed breezes to flow throughout and views to the surrounding trees.

The staffroom was also carefully designed with light and views in mind and allowed students to see the teachers, unlike the old days when staffrooms were places of mystery to students.