Natalie and Scarlett didn’t expect to win the 2021 Videos for Change competition. Animation had always been just a fun hobby, and a creative way to complete some of their assignments at Camberwell Girls Grammar School. So the year 10 students from Melbourne were excited to receive a Winner title for their thought-provoking and powerful video Disconnected.
Videos for Change is a competition that challenges young people (that’s you!) to make a video that makes an impact - in under one minute. Disconnected uses animation to highlight the information overload, anxiety and social isolation caused by COVID-19, with a positive message about how you can help yourself and others.
Scarlett said they picked this issue because “[we] provide a different perspective to what's usually heard in the media, and we can give nuance to the discussion through making videos like in this competition and sharing our news on social media in this growing digital world. We can bring up the issues that we're passionate about in school or in our communities and have conversations with the people around us to make our voices heard.”
Natalie and Scarlett took teamwork to the next level through COVID-19 lockdowns - completing the entire production without ever being in the same room. This presented various challenges and there were times they even considered abandoning the project, but they pushed through. Natalie found “[it] was really rewarding for the both of us. Even though we weren’t able to see each other in person we were still able to communicate and work together in a digital space. We learned a lot about the creative planning process from brainstorming and ideation, to executing the final product. And we were also able to learn some more about animation and video editing, to expand on our previous skills.”
Natalie and Scarlett also asked their teachers to play the part of the journalists voiced in the animation. They requested that they “put on their best newscaster voices” and send through audio recordings reading out news headlines. In the Videos for Change competition, you can ask anyone to act or help out in your film production, but only the entering students can be part of the creative team.
Scarlett and Natalie’s success in the Videos for Change competition gave them the opportunity to be interviewed on The Weekend Today Show. The featured story meant their film was broadcast on TV screens in households all across Australia.
In their interview Scarlett said, “one of the main takeaways of our video is to just simply reach out to your friends and family members even when it seems like they're doing fine. It's really important to just check in on them.”
Watch The Weekend Today Show clip here
Videos for Change was created to amplify students' voices, by challenging you to make a one minute video on a social issue that matters to you. Tell a story that inspires empathy, awareness and action for positive change. Students can enter either with their school or independently.
To learn more about Videos for Change and find out how you can get involved, join our free webinars: https://bit.ly/3pjpTxt
Further info and contact details:
Videos for Change is delivered by High Resolves and is supported by the Paul Ramsay Foundation, in alignment with the shared vision to elevate the voices of those experiencing cycles of disadvantage and help students build a wider set of capabilities.
Learn more about Videos for Change Australia here: australia.videosforchange.org
Learn more about the Paul Ramsay Foundation here: paulramsayfoundation.org.au