This selection of trailers was created in the space of just a few days by students in the AFTRS Foundation Diploma in the Story and Audience workshop.

Luis Logam Story and Audience trailer from AFTRS on Vimeo.

Matisse Purinton-Miller “Valhalla” Story and Audience trailer from AFTRS on Vimeo.

Janek O’Toole SNOW Story and Audience trailer from AFTRS on Vimeo.

“Steve” Story and Audience trailer from AFTRS on Vimeo.

In the Foundation Diploma workshops, the turnaround time for most of the practical exercises is quite short. In most cases, we give our students only a couple of days to produce a detailed proof of concept. The final exercise in Designing Worlds is no exception to this. I give students a brief which requires them to interpret and visualise a short story. Over the course of two days each team will design key characters and an environment. Two days later, the students will have created characters in three dimensional form using wire, aluminium foil, sculpting clay and paint. I find that when people have a direct relationship to physical materials it offers them an opportunity for deep immersion in story. This can be a rare experience when most of us, most of the time are swimming in a soup of noise. Most students have never designed or created models before, so this is an extraordinary achievement.

A re-interpretation of the Queen from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" by Jessica Robertson

One of the dwarves from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" recast as a melancholic jockey by Rachel Argall

One of the dwarves from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" recast as a melancholic jockey by Rachel Argall

A steampunk-inspired robot by Phillip Hayes from an original story by Blythe Ashton

A steampunk-inspired robot by Phillip Hayes from an original story by Blythe Ashton

"The Inventor" by Blythe Ashton from an original story also by Blythe

"The Inventor" by Blythe Ashton from an original story also by Blythe

An underwater hybrid human from "Deep Blue Sea" by Peter Hobbs re-interpreted by Jordan Howes

An underwater hybrid human from "Deep Blue Sea" by Peter Hobbs re-interpreted by Jordan Howes

Catherine Gleeson, Designing Worlds Lecturer and Head Foundation Diploma

In Designing Worlds we make a story world of some kind every day. We take a 360 degree approach to finding and creating worlds. Game design is not about jumping straight onto a computer and coding your heart out. One of the first steps in game design is to create a paper prototype. The best way to test whether your game idea has legs and whether people will enjoy playing it is to make something that people can actually play. I get the students to choose a film, TV property or even an existing digital game and “reverse engineer” it to create a board game. A board game is effectively a game level. The beauty of a board game is that people can create one without any reliance on technology. Using paper, scissors and sometimes even plasticine will get you a long way toward achieving the game of your dreams. The main resource any game creator needs is imagination and a sense of play. Another resource, vital to the success or failure of a game is feedback from the people testing it for you. How does this happen? Easy – you get people to play your game.

Reverse engineering the TV series "Adventure Time"

"Angry Birds" - the board game!

Catherine Gleeson, Designing Worlds Lecturer and Head Foundation Diploma

In the Foundation Diploma Story and Audience workshop in the this year, the students engaged in a number of exercises including writing an original treatment for a screenplay. The final task was to create a trailer which captured the premise, synopsis and principal characters of this original story. Here are some examples of what the students produced in just a couple of days.

A trailer for an original short film created by student Rachel Argall for the Story and Audience workshop in the Australian Film Television and Radio School Foundation Diploma.

A trailer for an original short film created by student Georgia Morton for the Story and Audience workshop in the Australian Film Television and Radio School Foundation Diploma.

A trailer for an original short film created by student Christian Gower for the Story and Audience workshop in the Australian Film Television and Radio School Foundation Diploma.

A trailer for an original short film created by student Daniel Bolt for the Story and Audience workshop in the Australian Film Television and Radio School Foundation Diploma.

A trailer for an original short film created by student Scout Darling-Blair for the Story and Audience workshop in the Australian Film Television and Radio School Foundation Diploma.