In this interview, he speaks to Media and Communications student, Elvina Kioa, about his work.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Workshop: Making an Online Journal with Peter Browne and Lisa Gye

Learn how to set up your own online magazine using free software and basic online publishing.

Peter Browne is the founding editor of Inside Story, a web-based journal of current affairs which won last year’s Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for Journalism. Lisa Gye is a lecturer and writer in media and communications at Swinburne University of Technology.

Requirements: Participants should bring laptop computers.

Ingrid Laguna never did things the easy way – she spent much of her young adulthood rebelling against conformism, playing in a mostly girl band and travelling around Australia, before marrying Ben and going to live in Alice Springs.

Pregnancy didn’t come easily either but, through IVF, she finally fell pregnant. And when she went into premature labour at 23 weeks and her twin sons were born – each weighing about the same as a pat of butter and small enough to fit into the palm of her hand – she had to call on all her reserves of strength and stubbornness to see the journey through and be the mother that her sons needed.

Serenade for a Small Family is an earthy, honest and heartbreaking memoir about what it means to love; and about the terrible powerlessness and torment involved when there is fear of losing a child. Yet despite the pain and anguish, Ingrid’s memoir is at its heart about how we can experience unimaginable difficulty – and still somehow find the spirit to come through blazing with love and optimism and even a kind of joy.

With around 8 % of all babies in Australia each year born premature, and many relying on IVF treatment in order to conceive, there are countless families who will find Ingrid’s story inspiring, helpful and moving.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a percussionist, singer and songwriter, Ingrid Laguna has toured Europe, Asia and Australia, recorded several albums, and taken percussion and songwriting workshops. With performance group Ruby Fruit Jungle, she supported Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, playing at Australia’s biggest entertainment venues. In the Australian film industry, Ingrid worked as a crewmember on numerous television commercials, a telemovie and a short film. While in Central Australia, she directed the NT Youth Film Festival and was integral to the Kunka Career Conference for Aboriginal Women, the Indigenous Music Awards and music programs for Aboriginal youths. She is currently studying Media and Communications at Swinburne University in Melbourne. This is her first book.

http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=311&author=853
http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94&book=9781742372457

New News 2010 conference – September 2nd – 3rd 2010

To be held on 2nd and 3rd September 2010 as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival, New News 2010 focuses on the collaboration, creation and building of new and creative relationships between newsmakers and audiences. The event includes free and ticketed keynote discussions and panel sessions as well as a series of workshops aimed at teaching digital skills to industry practitioners and the general public.

All professional journalists, students, citizen content makers and members of the general community are encouraged to attend.

Swinburne students and staff are entitled to a special deal: for $120, entitles the holder to all sessions on both days.

Purchase your ticket today!

Link: http://tickets.mwf.com.au/product.asp?pt=2&s=358

For more information contact:

• Tara Peck
  pijf@swin.edu.au
  (03) 9214 5239

For more info or to register email events@walkleys.com.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Enter a world that falls somewhere between a dream state and the curtain folds of a cinema, where imagination somehow manifests itself into surreality. It’s all happening down at Fed Square, as ACMI hosts Tim Burton: The Exhibition, a tribute to the mastermind artist and filmmaker which invites you to follow his career from its beginnings to the box office today.

The exhibition takes you through Burton’s early work as a student, where you get a taste of his creativity and humour, expressed through drawings, limericks and cartoons. It is evident, from his early work, that he was destined to make some of the most progressive animated features and films of our time.

To see the collection of unpublished drawings and non-theatrical releases of short films was like stumbling upon a naughty treasure trove of new and exciting material.

His trademark of creating creature-based characters and out-of-this-world human beings is a consistent theme throughout his work. Burton’s unconventional storytelling style appeals to a wide audience but particularly to those who have an appreciation for his slightly dark and quirky sense of humour. The artwork on show is visually stunning.

The exhibition showcases his unique take on Hansel and Gretel, one of his first unreleased films. You can also examine the details of Johnny Depp’s Edward Scissorhands costume up close, and marvel at the skin-tight Catwoman outfit Michelle Pfeiffer had to squeeze into in Batman. Several film props and models from his blockbuster films adorn the gallery, transforming the space into a scene reminiscent of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Vincent, Burton’s first short animated film, is a real highlight. I found myself giggling at the Dr Seussian flavour of the piece. It combines the eeriness of Edgar Allan Poe with the sophistication of Vincent Price – an unlikely but rich combination.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of Burton’s creations is the light-hearted, never-offensive humour and wit behind the dark, ghoulish and often misunderstood characters. The human element ever-present in Tim Burton’s work is what makes it so appealing to anyone wanting to indulge in a bit of nightmaring.

I was completely lost in another world for almost two hours, and there is no doubt in my mind, after seeing this exhibition, that Tim Burton is a creative genius.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Assistant Director x 1 (able to assist in the whole production, best to have a lot of contact and ability to arrange personnel such as actor / actress)
Editor/Visual Effect Artist x 2 (must have proficiency in dealing with Adobe Premiere/Final Cut Pro and After Effects)
Scriptwriter x 1
Storyboard artist x 1 (Able to sketch and outline the script)
Let Lisa know if you can help!

This would make a suitable Media Project for those of you studying HALM317