Teen songwriter and his filmmaker mate create something special with The Ocean music video

A budding songwriter and a filmmaker who was producing horror movies as a ten-year-old have teamed up for an award-winning music video which celebrates boyhood and the beach in a touching, Tasmanian tale. Read how the talented teens did it.

The Ocean music video by students Rupert Bullard and Sam Jones

A BUDDING songwriter and a filmmaker who was producing horror movies as a ten-year-old have teamed up for an award-winning music video which celebrates boyhood and the beach in a touching, Tasmanian tale.

Teenage mates Rupert Bullard, 15, and Sam Jones, 16, who attend The Friends’ School in Hobart, were major winners at the MyState Bank Student Film festival awards on Tuesday, winning best film high school, best cinematography and best music video categories for their collaboration, The Ocean.

Inspiration for their work came from an acoustic/folk song penned by Rupert when he was just 14.

“I love song writing, I love music,” he said.

“Growing up, I spent a lot of time by the ocean and I just feel I have a real connection to the ocean and to the environment, especially here in Tassie, where it is so beautiful.

“So when I was writing this song, I guess I tried to encapsulate that … those memories of being a younger boy and then reconnecting with those places.”

While Rupert plays the main character and his original song provides the soundtrack (his brother Henry appears as a young Rupert), it is Sam’s work behind the camera and in editing which makes the production shine.

“The first time he played it [song] to me I loved it and I said, ‘We’ve got to make a video of it’. I thought it had a lot of potential because it was such an awesome song,” Sam said.

“I had a vision in my head of what we would make it into and I’m really proud of what we were able to do … it’s pretty much everything I imagined it could be.”

The story involves Rupert at first pedalling his bike through distinctly Tasmanian settings and eventually making his way to the beach, drawn in by the memory of his younger self putting a wooden dinghy to sea.

Sam Jones, 16, and Rupert Bullard, 15, both of Hobart who won three categories at the student film festival. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Sam, 16, had been making short films since he was at primary school, entering his first film festival in Year 4 with an action horror thriller titled “Trouble’.

He’s made several other short films since, but The Ocean is his favourite.

“We’re very proud of [The Ocean]. It was a lot of hard work, a lot of early mornings waking up to film the beach shots (Seven Mile Beach) and then a lot of hours editing it.”

Rupert is delighted his friend was able to bring his song to life.

“Sam never fails to amaze me. He’s got such an incredible eye and just knows what needs to happen and when.”

This year marked the 20th year of the MyState Bank Student Film Festival with almost 300 films submitted by 1500 students from 65 schools Australia-wide.

Rosny College student Ben Dixon won the Jonathan Dawson Most Promising Film Maker award for his film, Mitosis.

Film, television and media teacher Graham Gates has been with the festival since its inception and said he was constantly impressed by the work students put forward.

“Young students were producing films for their mums, dads and fellow students to see, but nobody else was getting a chance. The past 20 years has been a fantastic opportunity for young, emerging film makers to show the general public their talents,” he said.

Mr Gates said the festival had been a breeding ground for Tasmanian cinematographers, animators, journalists and film editors.

“What some of the students have not only produced here, but then gone on to do further in the industry, is just really inspiring,” he said.

Students’ films from the 2022 festival can be viewed: mystatefilmfestival.com.au