Students in the Digital Compositing & VFX course (DESN3803) were tasked with creating a found footage style short film for the assessment titled 'Caught on Camera'.

The students were introduced to a combination of traditional and contemporary compositing and visual effects techniques that culminated in the production of their own vfx films.

The students used a variety of compositing and visual effects techniques to bring their concepts to life including 3D tracking, green screen compositing, digital matte painting, rotoscoping, 3D CGI, miniatures and in camera techniques.

The students selected from a wide range of found footage genres including horror, UFO sightings, war documentary and mockumentary.

DESN3803 - Compositing and Visual Effects

Dust Off

For the final assessment of Mobile Media Making, each
student had to create a viral – a promo video for a real
client that’s creative and emotionally evocative – designed
to be forwarded on social media.

CMNS1240 - Mobile Media Making

Ethan Thomas Collection

Join Belle, Tonia and Carl as they discuss the origins for the visual identity behind Festival X 2021

Developing the Festival Brand

Students create a live multi-camera studio production, such as a talk show or news broadcast, covering any topic. They write it themselves, appear on camera, and perform all production roles.

CMNS2035 - Screen Production

Today's News Today

'This Is Pencil Tip', inspired by the infamous mockumentary 'This Is Spinal Tap', is a short 'mockutrailer' made in 48 hours for the annual Take48 competition as part of Sydney Underground Film Festival. Filmmakers were tasked to include in their films a post-it note and the line of dialogue "I Already Tried That." The resulting film is what eventuated from one weekend of stop motion madness.

Joshua is completing his PhD in design, film and documentary. His feature documentary 'The World's Best Film' is currently screening at festivals internationally and is the inspiration behind his research. Since completing this documentary he has been experimenting with new mediums & remaking other films that are considered the world's best -in animated form. Recent highlights include 'The Big Sweet'(The Big Sleep) which took home the 3rd jury prize in the 2020 TAKE48 and 'Sugar Wars' (Star Wars) which had its premiere at the Ritz Cinemas in 2021 and featured a cast of candy bars. His work spans reality, narrative and now anthropomorphic stationery.

This Is Pencil Tip

Behind the Scenes of Lachlan Mayeld's 'Dust Off' from the Digital Compositing and VFX course (DESN3803). 

Dust Off - Behind the Scenes

For the final assessment of Mobile Media Making, each student had to create a viral – a promo video for a real client that’s creative and emotionally evocative – designed to be forwarded on social media.

Picture of a Banana

The Fields

The Film Feed

Purgatory is a short film about a young girls journey of self discovery and finding her own identity. While circumstances prevented the creation of this project during semester, you can expect to see it released next year.

CIND3003 - Creative Industries Professional Project

Purgatory

Leviathon Tours

Emergency Briefing

Project Red Note

A young screen writer gets the greenlight to write the film of his dreams... only to realise he must work with three other people, who all have different ideas.

The Rite of Writing

Project X

Invasion

Caught on Camera

Find out about what it was like being in this year's Goldfish Film Festival from one of our students Sam

Sam at Goldfish Film Festival

Listen to Lachlan, Lachie and Tom, Bachelor of Communication students, talk about what it was like working on their film "Welcome to Gorovograd'

Welcome to Gorovograd

Haunted by the Past

Day 79 is an anthology film that contains 6 short films all documenting our teams individual experiences that we faced during the lockdown. Representing our struggles with creativity, mental health and motivation. Day 79 is a horror, western, sitcom, dark comedy and experimental melting pot that brings the strengths of the creative minds of young lmmakers of the third year of the Media Production major of the Communication degree.

Day 79

Found out from Amelia and her experience from Goldfish Film Festival

Amelia at Goldfish Film Festival

Visitor

Untitled

Covid Quiz

'Darling' is about Eleanor Roosevelt and her relationship and affair with her partner, despite being married to President Franklin Roosevelt at the time. Using projection, the performance explores the various sides of Eleanor; from her romance, to her job as First Lady and the struggles that came along with someone in her position, to the inner-workings of Eleanor’s brilliant mind. Inspired by and based entirely from the hundreds of letters herself and her partner sent each other over the course of their 30- year relationship, ‘Darling’ is a performance rooted in commitment, courage, and love. 

Darling

The Find

Hear from Cassey and her experience producing the Hockey Dad documentary from last year's Festival X

Producing Hockey Dad

Man and his Alien Dog

Trick Shot

The Trial Run is the first studio EP for the artist Xperiment (Xander Morris).
It is an album produced by me (Mitch Black).
This album is a passion project with extreme themes throughout.
This album stems heavily from Xander's traumatic past as-well as his hopeful future.
It has songs expressing feelings of doubt, sorrow, pain and the undying fear of never being loved.
It is a 6 track album with a 21 minute run time with features from myself 'Pitch' as-well as 'Meljse'.

The Trial Run EP

Collaborative music final performance - original cover.

MUSI2462 - Collaborative Music Making 4

Hot Mess - Leave the Door Open

Students were asked to create a soundscape composition based around their own field recordings, which were made during lockdown. The selected examples showcase three unique perspectives on the task and glimpses into moments of life of their creators. We hear moments of cicadas and pitched glass, the crackle of a gas stove and the rhythmic roll of a treadmill. The pieces are dynamic, introspective and thought provoking.

MUSI1731 - Sound, Music and Texture

Listen to Ethan's Podcast 'Renewing the Region' that he produced this year as part of his honours research. Presenting the narrative of a region which relies heavily on the coal industry for jobs and a local economy. The episode then explores alternatives to this reliance, not only through an environmental lens but as a viable economic opportunity. In doing so, the aim is to address both the importance of coal jobs in Australia’s economy and the need for a transition away from fossil fuels, in the process bridging ideological divides through constructive, narrative journalism.

Renewing the Region

This course explores the creative and technical aspects, aesthetics, and psychology of combining sound design and music for use with film, video, VR and other visual media. The course examines the interaction of sound and vision in a collaborative creative performance project that combines visual media and original music.

MUSI2702 - Music Sound and Visual Media

Damage Control

Collaborative final performance submission. Original cover song. 

Ocean Envy - Black and Gold

Alasdair Harden - MUSI2702

This course develops an understanding of musical structures, shared musical vocabularies, musical representation and communication, and focuses on texture and timbre, and their various roles in cultures.

A Cosmic Fugue

My research project, Portraits of the Air, was designed to engage members of the public in the collaborative creation of an orchestral symphony. Research shows that orchestras struggle to find new audiences. How could I engage a potential audience with my preferred medium? I asked the public, through social media and email lists, to send me sky photographs, and in return I composed a symphony. My PhD explores this collaboration. This video is a computer simulation of the symphony synchronised with photographs from my collaborators. This project was presented at the Musical Intersections in Practice conference, Cambridge University, in 2019.

Portraits of the Air

Amor Misterioso

The Shapes EP is the third release under the Electro Punk one man project, Inimata. Shapes was made as a "sequel" of sorts to the Colours EP, released earlier in April of this year. This new release was created as an exploration of sonic consistency, as well a commentary of issues of class, mental health, the music industry and the various challenges faced during the current pandemic.

Shapes EP

Sugarless

Silent Hill 3 VR Teaser

Students are to create a music video for an artist. It is to be shot in a studio setting with multiple cameras, and is to feature the artist themselves.

CMNS2040 - Music Video

This Is My Time - Komiti

Tenerife Sea

Creep

If You're Too Shy

Daydreams

This project is an ambient electronic soundtrack composed by Mitchell Taylor in the style of a documentary with an ocean theme. It explores the beauty of the natural seascape both visually and sonically taking the audience on a dreamy journey that is: 'Ocean Reverie.'

Ocean Reverie

Final Collaborative Music assessment. An original arrangement of a cover song.

Colonial Goose - "If only"

This course explores the creative and technical aspects,
aesthetics, and psychology of combining sound design and
music for use with film, video, VR and other visual media.
The course examines the interaction of sound and vision in
a collaborative creative performance project that combines
visual media and original music.

Zakk Cherry Freezing Moon

In Soundscape

Man vs Drugs

This course explores the creative and technical aspects, aesthetics, and psychology of combining sound design and music for use with film, video, VR and other visual media. The course examines the interaction of sound and vision in a collaborative creative performance project that combines visual media and original music.


Clementine

Students in this compressed winter course had to make a music video for a band, due or soloist. It was to be shot in studio, with multiple cameras featuring the artist themselves.

Keepsake

Project Ejay

Polar

This podcast episode explores the evolution of Mardi Gras from a movement of unity and pain to an event of joy and freedom for the LGBTQIA+ community. Featuring guests Andrew Mercado and Matthew Sneddon from Newcastle Pride club, we delve into the horrors of the very first Mardi Gras in 1978 and the event's progression since.

Mardi Grim to Mardi Gras Podcast

Encased by sin is a musical about about a young lawyer who must face his own turmoil through a modern day adaption of the seven deadly sins.

Encased In Sin

This course extends the fundamentals of music writing by examining music produced for given contexts, such as still or moving image, games, mobile apps and sound installations. Students consider common forms and experimental processes in composition and production, invoking creativity and experimentation.

MUSI3301 - Professional Practice 5

The Undead Nightmare & Hutter's Discovery - From Nosferatu

Waiting for the Kettle to Boil

South

Students were asked to create a soundscape composition based around their own field recordings, which were made during lockdown. The selected examples showcase three unique perspectives on the task and glimpses into moments of life of their creators. We hear moments of cicadas and pitched glass, the crackle of a gas stove and the rhythmic roll of a treadmill. The pieces are dynamic, introspective and thought provoking.eld recordings, which were made during lockdown. The selected examples showcase three unique perspectives on the task and glimpses into moments of life of their creators. We hear moments of cicadas and pitched glass, the crackle of a gas stove and the rhythmic roll of a treadmill. The pieces are dynamic, introspective and thought provoking.

Mechanical Void

Unloved

Collaborative music performance - Original cover

Panik - Edge of 17

Plunge

Jack's Breakfast

Changes

Find out from Bree and Emily what it's like studying at the University of Newcastle's Conservatorium of Music

Studying at the Conservatorium

Lofi House Jam

The Wonderful Women Podcast is an educational feminist podcast which explores different feminist topics and movements. For the selected two episodes, the topics explored are Menstrual Activism and Intersectionality. To provide academic information, experts are interviewed and individual research is conducted. Overall, the podcast aims to provide a comfortable space for those interested in learning about feminism and what it has done for women and other minorities.

The Wonderful Women Podcast

It's Nice to Be Alive

My project included recording 'Seeing you' as my first debut single. The song is a tribute to a good friend who passed away. It was a beautiful way for me to remember him and vent my emotions through song and lyrics.

Seeing You

Hot Knife

Cicada Robot Dance

Hellscape Soundscape

MUSI2561 - Creative Music Studio 3

The Final Rest

Collaborative music final performance - original cover

My Happiness - Kayla and the Strings

The Dissonance of the Pink Cowboy Hat

The start of an introduction for Nadia AL. Starting with two covers; Don't know why by Norah Jones and Put your records on by Corinne Bailey Rae.

Covers by Nadia AL

DESN2801 introduces students to varying forms of animation practice. Providing students with an introduction to design, techniques and story development in animation, including movement, timing, materials and design for animation and interaction.

DENS2801 - Animation

Healthy Eating Food Pyramid

The works were created in the ‘Animation Thinking’ class using hybrid animation techniques that include traditional animation techniques like stop motion animation, paper cut- out animation, drawn animation mixed with digital animation created in Adobe After Effects.

The students were asked to respond to a conceptual theme in the assignment brief, ‘the passage of time’ and create a 90 second animation using hybrid animation techniques.

DESN1801 - Animation Thinking

Change The Channel

Passage of Time

A Cooked History

Cake

Maia & Kent

Join Jack as he talks about the Animation Industry, revealing what students who study Animation at the University of Newcastle can learn and where they can take their careers.

Jack McGrath talks Animation

Outliving

The works were created in the ‘Animation Thinking’ (DESN1801) class using hybrid animation techniques like stop motion animation, paper cut-out animation, drawn animation and pixilation with the human body.

The students were asked to respond to the theme 'Sense of Place'.

Place of Sense

Life Cycles

Wallflower

Lobster Nightmare

4X20 Blackbirds

Bird Watch

Slow Bake

Forest Nymph

The Sands of Time

Fairy Bread

A Recipe for Life

Tale of the Ghostly Pancakes

This video is an introductory video showcasing different elements within the game I produced. 

Gate of Sacrifice Trailer

Hear from Yana about why she chose to study a Bachelor of Visual Communication Design Majoring in Animation and Illustration and get a sneak peak of her work in this year's Festival X 'Bird Watch'

Why Study Animation?

A Dog's Sense of Place

The Bear Necessities

Sense of Place

Through Their Lens is a short documentary that delves into the world of music photography. Told from the perspectives of 5 Newcastle based photographers, TTL looks into the biggest career highlights, the diverse challenge, the pandemic impact and what the overall purpose of music photography is, all soundtracked to some of Newcastle's best and most promising artists.

Through Their Lens

"Podróż: With Faith by Her Side" tells the true story of Tania Kuszelyk as she journeys through the turmoil of a war-ravaged Europe, with her faith close by her side.

Podróż - With Faith by Her Side

The Menindee Megafauna Project is a component of the larger Central Darling Geotrail App project. This Work Integrated Learning opportunity enabled a small group of students to work with industry partners, such Guy Fleming, from Geosurvey NSW and present their work to scientic specialists, government representatives and regional community members. They used a combination of traditional methods and cutting edge technology to produce a 3D immersive diorama, depicting the amazing megafauna of Menindee.

Menindee Megafauna Project

This is a Work Integrated learning student project that is being sponsored by the Central Darling Shire Council. We are co-designing and producing the Central Darling Heritage Trail App with the communities of White Cliffs, Menindee and Wilcannia. The app will feature animations, hand illustrated maps, a series of podcasts, living memories and historical data and will feature beautiful graphic design work.


This is a work in progress and we aim to have it completed by early next year


Central Darling Heritage Trail App

Find out more from Kiani and her experience editing and directing her documentary "To Newcastle" revealing the beauty of the Newcastle Ocean Baths

To Newcastle

My project focuses on COVID-19 vaccinations and the young person’s perspective through a journalistic approach. I discuss what the vaccinations mean for many individuals, specifically those aged between 16 and 39. I address the New South Wales (NSW) Governments back flip on the AstraZeneca vaccine, and how the spread of fake news and misinformation has lead to growing concerns from many individuals. I also wanted to bring to attention that many hospitals will be overrun with COVID-19 cases despite the vaccines.

COVID-19 Vaccinations

Human Stories: Tenzin Bagdro, tells the story of a Tibetan Buddhist monk, including what it was like growing up in Tibet and life under Chinese occupation, as well as how he came to be a monk and fleeing to India. In this film, Bagdro shares the incredible things he has experienced and also offers up personal reflections on these events.

Human Stories: Tenzin Bagdro

Find out what interesting, exciting and curious research our honours students have been working on as they present their findings to close out their studies.

01:10 Elisabeth Arnold
09:34 Alex Barnes-Keoghan
19:01 Cassidy Young
29:08 Jean-Luc Schmid
38:55 Tania Hearn
48:21 Kieron Wilson
58:03 Claudia Smith
1:08:21 Lachlan Golledge
1:17:04 Eloise Hitchens
1:27:17 Zachary Horne
1:35:52 Ethan Hamilton


Short film

Dust Off

Ethan Thomas Collection

Developing the Festival Brand

Today's News Today

This Is Pencil Tip

Dust Off - Behind the Scenes

Picture of a Banana

The Fields

The Film Feed

Purgatory

Leviathon Tours

Emergency Briefing

Project Red Note

The Rite of Writing

Project X

Invasion

Caught on Camera

Sam at Goldfish Film Festival

Welcome to Gorovograd

Haunted by the Past

Caught on Camera

Day 79

Amelia at Goldfish Film Festival

Visitor

Untitled

Covid Quiz

Caught on Camera

Darling

The Find

Producing Hockey Dad

Man and his Alien Dog

Trick Shot

Music and Podcast

The Trial Run EP

Hot Mess - Leave the Door Open

Untitled

Renewing the Region

Damage Control

Ocean Envy - Black and Gold

Alasdair Harden - MUSI2702

A Cosmic Fugue

Portraits of the Air

Amor Misterioso

Shapes EP

Sugarless

Silent Hill 3 VR Teaser

Us

This Is My Time - Komiti

Tenerife Sea

Creep

If You're Too Shy

Daydreams

Ocean Reverie

Colonial Goose - "If only"

Zakk Cherry Freezing Moon

In Soundscape

Man vs Drugs

Clementine

Keepsake

Project Ejay

Polar

Mardi Grim to Mardi Gras Podcast

Encased In Sin

The Undead Nightmare & Hutter's Discovery - From Nosferatu

Waiting for the Kettle to Boil

South

Mechanical Void

Unloved

Panik - Edge of 17

Plunge

Jack's Breakfast

Changes

Studying at the Conservatorium

Lofi House Jam

The Wonderful Women Podcast

It's Nice to Be Alive

Seeing You

Hot Knife

Cicada Robot Dance