Young filmmakers show the car is no place for a party

01 Dec 2010

Media Release: 1 December 2010

Two young Victorians who want to make a difference to road trauma will launch their short films at a red carpet premiere at Hoyts Melbourne Central tonight.

They were chosen from a record 590 entries in the TAC's Make a Film Make a Difference Competition to develop a short film that explores the risks of driver distraction.

24-year-old Laurie Walker of East Bentleigh and 25-year-old Chris Busuttil of St Kilda have each produced a short film based around the theme "party in the car". Their films look at how passengers can be a potentially hazardous distraction for the driver and show the need for young drivers to look after their mates.

Laurie's The Party Planner and Chris' What's on your mind? are the latest offerings from the TAC's short film competition which has been running for eight years and resulted in 17 films being produced.

"Laurie and Chris responded to the competition brief in very different but equally effective ways. Both films highlight successful strategies to avoid the distraction of a party in the car", said TAC's Senior Manager of Marketing and Road Safety, John Thompson.

Laurie's film features a young guy having a night out with his mates which is hijacked by a very attractive female who is a party planner. She goes through a check list of items for planning a party and then recommends a change of venue.

"I took a very literal approach to the party in the car theme.  I really wanted to show how the atmosphere of a nightclub can be mirrored in a car and lead to serious distractions for the driver," said Ms Walker.

"As a passenger, I have been in many similar situations which have luckily not resulted in an accident."

Chris' film explores the driver distraction theme from a social media perspective. A young guy is confronted by the loss of a mate whilst he is on a social networking site. He chats with his friend online whilst experiencing flashbacks of their recent party in the car.

"I chose to address the brief by focusing on the power of social networking websites. They have become such a massive part of the way we all communicate," said Mr Busuttil.

"For many people, online social networks are the first place they learn about what's been going on in their friend's lives. It seemed only natural to show how road trauma is being experienced in an online environment."

Laurie and Chris' films will screen across Victoria this summer at cinemas and at events such as the Big Day Out, Falls Festival and the Meredith Music Festival, as well as on MTV. They are also available online and will be shared via social media channels.

To find out more about the competition, visit www.mafmad.com.au