Thrilling film studies

More than 50 Gilmore College students will get a taste of showbiz next week when they begin filming and starring in their own thriller.

The film centres on high school students under the control of a mad scientist.

The Murdoch University Creative Arts Initiative has given high school students in Perth's southern suburbs the chance to work with industry professionals to produce films for the past three years.

CAI project leader Antionette Geagea said the students would work with industry professionals and Murdoch film students to produce their own age-appropriate thriller.

Ms Geagea said the project aimed to help give Year 10, 11 and 12 students ideas about areas of study they may like to pursue on finishing school.

"The students will get to shadow Murdoch film students and can take the opportunity to ask them what it's like to study at university, and likewise with the professionals," she said.

Gilmore College media teacher John Coen said students were particularly excited to take part.

"Students don't often get to mix with people working in the film area, and they tend to come into the subject and think there are no real career prospects," he said.

"But then they do this project and get to see the professional crew on the set doing the camera work, the makeup, they see everything involved across the board, and it really excites them and gives them a goal and an objective to work towards."

Ms Geagea said students from Warnbro Community High School and Mandurah's Coodanup College had taken part in the past, with Murdoch officials recording a significant increase in the volume of students applying for university afterwards.