17-carrot gold – new work by Master of Film and Television students

Still from Creativity, by Ada Tzinis, Master of Film and Television student.
Still from Creativity, by Ada Tzinis, Master of Film and Television student.

First-year Master of Film and Television students were tasked with creating a unique piece of content from home, and ... they hopped to it.

Over the Easter holidays, first-year VCA Master of Film and Television students were charged with the task of being a bunny.

"They [the students] were asked to dress as rabbits and film a portraits of their rabbit life", explains Film and Television lecturer Siobhan Jackson, "but in truth you can read 'rabbit life' as life in isolation".

In all, 17 students submitted material, between two and four minutes long, that treated life as a bunny in myriad ways. Sad, joyful, frightening – these explorations of life during COVID-19 will give you pause.

"I promised the students I would make all the film exercises along with them, to try and be supportive in this weird time of ISO filming", says Jackson, "it's a bit weird – but it feels right to be working creatively alongside them at the moment." You can watch Lecturer Siobhan Jackson's film Hop Bunny Hop here.

The brief, simply put:

Dress like rabbit. Seriously.

From whatever you have to hand I want you to make a rabbit costume, wear it and film a self-portrait.Two things to remember:

1. We must know you are a rabbit.

2. We must care that you are a rabbit. Be an interesting rabbit. That is the challenge.

"It was interesting trying to juggle so many different hats," says Madeline Davies, whose short film Celine is featured above. "From director, to performer, to director of photography and back again. I really enjoyed watching the sound design come together.

"I'm fortunate to live with my partner, who studies Music Composition at the faculty of Fine Arts and Music, so this project became a creative collaboration and a great distraction from the outside world and COVID-19. It really evolved from my initial idea, and the lack of a script meant I could lean into the strange direction I felt myself being pulled into.

"What was meant to be a film about a bunny quickly became a sci-fi about a robot girl, trying to be more human and celebrating human holidays, like Easter."

These talented filmmakers are an example of how the arts community is rising to the challenge to maintain rich creative lives in a limited space.