It was an evening that celebrated creativity and storytelling. Around 140 students, parents, carers, and supervisors attended our Year 12 Media Showcase earlier in the term, recognising the talent and commitment of our senior Media students. Held in Cinema 2 at ACMI, Federation Square, guests enjoyed short films that captured imagination and skill.
VCE Media guides students through researching, planning, and creating their own media project, while learning how media shapes—and is shaped by—audiences, technology, and society. It’s a subject that nurtures creative expression. Students design a media project for a chosen audience, planning everything before they begin creating. Once they move into production, students are encouraged to think about the real-world impact of media, including ethics, audience influence and how media is regulated. The year ends with students completing their final product and reflecting on their creative process.
VSV based student, Elijah, reflected on his experience of learning Media online, including his schooling journey that led to his place in the virtual classroom for his senior school years:
I didn’t feel entirely welcome at (mainstream) school during my junior years; I kind of felt like the odd one out. I would have never imagined growing into the young man and student I am today, and thus I would never have expected that I’d be able to pull something like this off.
There’s a great sense of community at VSV that is very good at fostering not only class togetherness, but also individuality and interpersonal connection. This sense of collaboration was really invaluable in being a successful student and hopefully has netted me a few extra friendships to hold onto after leaving school. Additionally, being able to use (media) class as a way to express myself with professional advice was a lovely asset to have on hand instead of winging it alone.
Behind each media production were moments of doubt, adjustment, and resilience. We asked Denisse what it took to overcome hurdles along the way to submitting her work.
I was hesitant to choose animation as my media form because I knew that my health is unpredictable and would be a big hurdle, but I decided that I’d be alright since my chosen idea didn’t require much, as a drama with only 3 characters. I didn’t want my health holding me back from doing something I’m passionate about. During production, there were days where I had to rest a lot and choose what I wanted to spend my time on the most and make use of what energy I had as best as possible without overdoing it. I had initially planned to do one task at a time but I chose to switch tasks and adapt when needed, which ended up working better for me. I’m so relieved that I didn’t experience any significant technological issues that would’ve complicated things more. I think all the obstacles I overcame were worth it in the end!
Celebrating a year of hard work and perseverance that culminated in the showcase event, VSV Learning Advisor and Year 12 Media teacher, Daniel Christianz, said:
It’s a thrill to be able to celebrate such a diverse Media cohort in an authentic way. Students will often strive to achieve more when the stakes are raised, and they have a genuine platform for their work to be seen. We are grateful to ACMI for donating their cinema and classroom spaces to VSV and look forward to celebrating more student achievements in 2026.
