As a part of VCE Media Unit 1, students usually work in groups to create a Short Film of their own choosing. However, due to the COVID-19 lockdown, students had to shelve their creative plans and concentrate on demonstrating their technical skills through a short Infotainment Production, which was shot and edited at home.
The Infotainment genre (a portmanteau of Informative & Entertainment) seeks to inspire & entertain their audience, with everyday activities such as Cooking, Craft and DIY Projects. For reference, Better Homes & Gardens and The Living Room are two of Australia's favourite infotainment programs.
We hope you enjoy and try some of the recipies & activities created by our students.
Caesar Salad with Fried Cod - I took inspiration from various TV Personnels on their cooking segments I often watched when I was young. There were some issues during production but I managed to get this done and the food I made was really good.
LCM Bars - I was inspired by my sister to use her LCM bar recipe. there was an issue in the production of this infotainment with the camera angle so the entire production had to be reshot. Shout out to my awesome sister for giving up her own time to make this infotainment.
Oreo Cheesecake - In making my Infotainment piece I took inspiration from internet memes to make it engaging. The dish didn't even turn out well, which was disappointing. I hope the audience can laugh along with us.
(Content Warning)
Toast - I was inspired by making a satirical version of an infotainment cooking segment. There was an issue with the first Toast as I burnt it.
Chocolate Chip Cookies - I took inspiration from the examples in class, such as Better Homes & Gardens and Jamie Oliver. Filming was frustrating because it took a long time to organise everything and filming every step.
Burnin' Up Cooking. TimTam Cheesecake. I chose to make a cheesecake because it's an easy recipe. I was inspired by looking at Taste.com.au. My sister acted in my piece but she had difficulty taking it seriously. She almost dropped the cake at the end!
Chocolate Brownies - I enjoy baking so I decided to make brownies. I took inspiration from cooking shows & Masterchef. Filming was fun, but editing was draining.
Chicken Schnitzel in 5 Minutes - I took inspiration from Better Homes & Gardens. It was entertaining to create as my siblings watched every moment while I filmed. My mum makes chicken schnitzel at home. I learned a lot about tv production during this process.
Home Workout with Mahmoud - I chose to make a workout clip because I like fitness and I train for MMA. I was inspired through my strength & conditioning coach. I had to refilm a clip after a small mistake. I hope people who watch this stay fit and healthy.
Smores - We decided to make Smores because it was cold, wintery and we had a fire at home. The process was easy, but the audio was difficult as we couldn't use copyrighted music. I had to refilm everything as I accidentally filmed the wrong way up.
Rissoles - Sometimes at my Dad's house he makes rissoles and they're delicious. So I wanted to use his recipe and recreate them. One interesting thing is that they tasted horrible because I added too many herbs.
Paper Airplanes - I chose to make these because it was a simple task. Generally, I'm not a big fan of infotainment. Because of my Dad's car, I had to refilm this far too many times. Thanks, Dad.
Colourful Cupcakes - I chose to make Cupcakes because they looked like fun and I really wanted to eat them afterwards. I took inspiration from YouTube in making my film. The batter ended up being too thick and got stuck in the beaters during filming. We had to use a spatula to get it back in the bowl.
Make Your Life Great Again - How To Watch a VHS Tape - My infotainment piece was inspired by YouTube video tutorials and television shows like 'Better Homes and Gardens'. While filming this video, the Shrek VHS tape I was using got damaged, so I had to switch it out with another copy of Shrek on VHS.