I first became aware of film making when my brother showed me the behind-the-scenes featurette on our Lord of the Rings DVD. From then on, the process intrigued me, and I eventually got my hands on my dad’s camera and simple editing software. I made a bunch of little movies with my friends which were all pretty bad but I loved doing them anyway. What I liked most was that it was an easy way to share stories and even when the movies were not good, it was still a way of telling stories in a unique way.

When I started at TGS in Year 8, 2019 I became involved with drama and expressed my interest in film making to the Teacher-in-Charge of Drama, Mrs Eylece Blaikie. Mrs Blaikie has been foundational in my film making and has encouraged me and helped me to create and share my films with a wider audience. She also introduced me to people like Craig Wilkinson, Creative Director of Optikal Bloc. She has provided me opportunities through TiGAA to make multi-media and short clips which played a large role in my film development. Being involved in Drama has meant that I am fortunate to be good friends with talented actors who graciously give up their time to help with my various film projects. It is thanks to them that I have been able to make these films.

Mrs Blaikie also introduced me to the Nextwave Film Festival competition where I submitted two films in 2020 and 2021, and I won first prize awards in my age category both years. My first film in 2020 also won ‘Best Script’ and the second film in 2021 won ‘Best Director’. The prizes and money from the competition enabled me to invest in my personal projects, making them increase in quality and me in ambition. It is because of these awards and the opportunities to contribute to Mrs Blaikie’s TiGAA performances that I have grown in credibility which has provided opportunities for me to also create films outside of TGS for the Empire Theatre (Junior and Senior Impact) along with Junior Choral Society and private organisations. I have also recently won a Bursary with the Empire Theatre which I intend to invest in future film projects.

My dream for the short term is to complete Year 12, graduating at the end of this year and then continue to make movies. Because of today’s technology and opportunities, it will always be possible to make art through film, no matter where I find myself later in my life.


Latest Blog

Character & Wellbeing
/
Wednesday, 07 Dec 2022

Transitioning to Year 7 at TGS

Can you remember your first day in secondary school? It can be a time of mixed feelings - very exciting, but also quite daunting and challenging. Irrespective of whether your son is joining us from the TGS Junior School, or if they are just starting at Toowoomba Grammar School, it can appear to be the start of a long journey. It is a rite of passage in many respects but with this comes increased emotions in response to transition. The boys have a lot to digest with a new, possibly larger campus…

Read More
Boarding
/
Wednesday, 07 Dec 2022

The Boarding Journey

Every parent will have a unique journey with their son whilst he is boarding at Toowoomba Grammar School. I’m Kym Wright, mother of Clancy, who is in Year 12 and this is my journey…. From my very first experience with Toowoomba Grammar School Boarding ten years ago, I had a good feeling straight away that TGS would be the perfect fit for my son. I was picking up my nephew for lunch. He had started boarding at TGS just six weeks prior. It was pouring rain and there were boys enthusiastically…

Read More
Character & Wellbeing
/
Wednesday, 07 Dec 2022

Building Self-Confidence and Resilience in Year 7s

As your child enters the new and unknown world of secondary school, it is a very important time to nurture the confidence and self-esteem of your son. Adolescence can also be a time of bewildering physical changes and strong emotions, opinions and increasing independence. Nurturing their confidence, self-esteem and assertiveness will go a long way to helping them to have the self-belief to tackle difficult new academic challenges, to developing new friendships and social skills, and…

Read More
People
/
Wednesday, 30 Nov 2022

Introducing our new Head of Year 7 - Jodi Blades

My family moved from Brisbane to Toowoomba when I was ten years of age. I’ve lived here for most of my life, other than to study and begin my teaching career in Brisbane. I lived and worked in London for 18 months before returning to Toowoomba in 2001. With over 20 years’ experience teaching and leading pastoral care programs within independent day and boarding schools, I am dedicated to developing students holistically; the academic, social, emotional, cultural, and physical development of…

Read More
General
/
Wednesday, 23 Nov 2022

Holiday Reading Recommendations

Here is a snapshot; three titles from each year level, and from Head of Library and Information Services, Mr Dan Crook to inspire your choices for holiday reading: Year 7: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The last Ronin. Hatchet - Gary Paulsen Billy Slaters autobiography - Billy Slater Year 8: The dead of the night (Tomorrow series) - James Marsden Rangers Apprentice The ruins of Gorlan - John Flannagan The Hunger games. -Suzanne Collins Year 9: Back to the Pillaga - Tony Parsons Deadpool Samurai…

Read More
Character & Wellbeing
/
Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022

Life After School

As children grow and develop, they participate in a range of new experiences, with the “journey” from birth to adulthood being shaped by several awaited and expected transitions. These transitions occur across a range of context and help us to evolve in new environments. It is important to note that transition is associated with a change, which is something that happens for all of us. The concept of transition involves how we process, manage, and respond to the change. As adults, we work hard…

Read More
The Arts
/
Thursday, 10 Nov 2022

TGS Artist in Residence - Ben Tupas

I’ve been following Toowoomba Grammar School’s exciting Artist-in-residence program for several years. After seeing fellow Toowoomba artists such as Catherine Parker, Alice Weinthal and Vincent Parisi taking up the opportunity and engaging in the program, I decided to apply in 2022 to continue the momentum of my own artist practice. With the four-week residency wrapping up at the end of October, and some time to reflect on the experience I can write that the experience was a valuable…

Read More
Character & Wellbeing
/
Monday, 24 Oct 2022

The Transition to Secondary School

Research shows us that the move from a primary school to a secondary school is one of the most significant life changes that our young men will face. You can help make the transition to Senior School smoother by ensuring that the boys attend the orientation days, practice packing their bags and getting their sports, music, and activities equipment ready. When asked about tips for the boys coming into Year 7, current Year 7 dayboy, Ollie Wells suggests boys should “Be organised. Pack the night…

Read More
Teaching & Learning
/
Thursday, 20 Oct 2022

Nothing is Impossible

Toowoomba Grammar School's Year 7C English has been studying 'Cool Runnings' to learn about how stories or movies based on real life aren't always completely true. Extremely fascinated by the topic, young student Harry Ryan took it upon himself to message (via LinkedIn) the bobsled driver, Mr Dudley Stokes - he responded! After a little communication between the two, Harry asked Mr Stokes if he could FaceTime him during an English lesson, to 'meet' his teacher Mr Paul Irwin and classmates…

Read More