STAFF & SCHOOL
Student Testimonials
Nathaniel Links, Actor (30th Nov 2009)
I recently worked on a short film being made by one of your students, Yasmine Mustafa, and I wanted to let you know what a wonderful experience it was to work with Yasmine (Director) and Matt Campbell (camera).
Yasmine's script was well written and provided great characters that made me want to be a part of this project. During the audition it was obvious that Yasmine had a clear vision of the story she wanted to tell and her ability to articulate this made it easy to bring the character to life. Her calm and professional approach during filming gave me total confidence in her ability which allowed me to relax and focus on the shoot. Most important of all Yasmine made me feel like my time and effort was appreciated.
Matt's positive energy and focus during the shoot were appreciated more than he could realise. Often on student shorts I have felt the crew are more interested in finishing quickly so they can begin work on their own project, but with Matt I felt his focus was entirely on doing the best job possible for Yasmine and the film. He was more interested in getting shots right than just getting them done but never once wasted our time stuffing around. He was respectful and considerate of the actors and the job they were doing.
I could (and almost have) go on for hours about Yasmine and Matt. They are a credit to your school and you should be proud of them. I only hope I performed to their level and get an opportunity to work with them again.
Bec Bignell, Actor (24th Nov 2009)
I felt compelled to say how impressed I was with some of your students. I had the pleasure of working with Yasmine and Matt in the filming of Yasmine's short 'Bathing Katherine' and the work ethic, encouraging approach, leadership and cooperation demonstrated a very high level of professionalism. Yasmine knew what she wanted from each scene/shot and her ability to communicate with the actors and direct the performance was particularly effective. Actors are usually skeptical about directors and how they manage their set but in this instance she was the text book perfect director. She was supportive, she made us feel comfortable and she was clear about what she wanted and the performance she wanted us to reach every time. Her cameraman Matt was also exceptional. Apart from being very familiar with all the equipment he was patient, and also made the atmosphere very comfortable during closed sets- this is imperative for actors to get focus and get a connection which can be extremely difficult with lights, cameras and a boom on top of you. I was also very impressed by his ability to arrange shots, his level of creativity when it came to filming the shots and his perseverance. Both Yasmine and Matt injected the set with a high level of energy which drove the cast and crew through the entire shoot and enabled us to get all the shots we needed ...and some more. As an actor, you are always a bit tentative about committing to a short film role as they are often mismanaged, confusing and chaotic. I can not tell you how many times I have had frustrating experiences with vague, unfocused directors and dysfunctional crews who spend more time arguing over lights than facilitating a scene. However, sometimes (rarely) we encounter an experience like the one I just had and it is truly beneficial and exciting. The other members of the crew also need to be congratulated as they contributed to the smooth operation of the set. The team were patient, helpful and interacted really nicely with everyone including actors. I just felt the efforts of this crew deserved to be recognised because they are a credit to your school. I have done shorts with film students before and this was by far the most positive experience I have had. To be honest, the way the crew operated is comparable to projects I have worked on with professional production companies. I hope you will pass this feedback on to their respective teachers and that they are suitably congratulated for such an amazing job.
Mike Brislee, 19
Graduate student
Sydney, Australia
MIKE BRISLEE
“Film was my passion throughout my childhood. I spent hours and hours watching films, quoting films, thinking about films...the whole deal.
IFSS offered a very fresh creative environment that I didn't seem to find at any other film schools in Sydney.
The highlight of my time at IFSS was definitely the people I met, and the new friendships forged. It's great leaving a place knowing that I have connected with people that I'll know for the rest of my life.
I would recommend IFSS to potential film students particularly because of the quality of the staff, and the amazing learning experience I was fortunate enough to enjoy.”
Carolyn Isgett, 23, Script Assistant
Graduate Student
USA
“I was in theatre through Uni and I started playwriting classes. Out of curiosity I took a screenwriters course, and just fell in love with it.
I was going to go to film school in LA, but my partner is Australian and the opportunity came up to study at IFSS. The highlight of my time there was definitely the writing section, as I wanted to be a writer as opposed to a director.
The mentors were very good especially Duncan Thompson, and the curriculum is also very good – I would recommend the school to others.”
Nick Thompson, 34
Graduate student
England
“I always wanted to be in films. I was an artist originally and I was interested in photography and music – film encompasses everything, moving pictures.
I did lot of research before choosing a school – I liked that IFSS was new and first semester was a highlight because I did so much so early on.
You have to be a very determined person to make the most out of the school - I worked hard in my time there, I made a lot of films and I really got a lot out of it. It was a gift for me to make my films there.”
Nicla Comparin, 31, Current student
Italy
“When I was living in the States I worked on a few film projects and that was it, I didn't want to do anything else in my life other than make movies.
When I moved to Sydney I started looking for a film school, and IFSS seemed to me the most professional, and pretty close to how the real industry would be: more practice than theory, our field is all about doing it and not just reading about it.
I loved being on set as a writer/director/producer and having a crew working with me on my project. I would recommend the school for its quality of teachers and facilities.”
Luca De Simone, 35, Current student
Italy
“The main thing when I was visiting schools and looking for a school was connecting and finding the right energy. I found that connection and passion for film here.
The highlight for me has been accomplishing things I wasn’t sure I could do. The last short film I made was definitely a highlight.
I really love the teachers here – they are great people. Especially the screenwriting course.”