Join the ACTF for a Trop Jr Masterclass with emerging Australian director and past Trop Jr finalist Charlotte McLaverty. Charlotte will take students behind the scenes of the short film that earned her a finalist place at only 15. She will speak about her creative process, including script development, storyboarding and pre‑production logistics. Charlotte will also share practical filming tips for young creators, reflect on what she might approach differently if she remade her film today and talk about her current projects and how Trop Jr helped shape her pathway. 

Students will then watch Charlotte demonstrate a live-action DIY filmmaking activity that shows how to elevate a simple scene using everyday materials. She will guide participants through practical techniques for lighting, shot design and visual storytelling while showing how to produce strong results on a smartphone or tablet. This hands-on demonstration highlights how creative choices and low-cost tools can transform an idea into something ready for the screen, giving students skills they can use straight away in their own filmmaking.

Charlotte will be interviewed by award-winning short filmmaker and ACTF’s Education and Communications Digital Creator, Kaede Miyamura. 

Join the ACTF for a Trop Jr Masterclass with Australian filmmaker Yianni Rowlands. Yianni’s passion for storytelling began early, with his stop‑motion animations earning Trop Jr accolades in 2012 and 2016. In this session, Yianni will share his pre‑production process and walk students through an accessible overview of his animation and stop‑motion workflow. He will offer practical tips for emerging animators, reflect on what he might approach differently if recreating his Trop Jr films today and speak about his current projects and how Trop Jr helped guide his direction.  
 
Students will then watch Yianni demonstrate a DIY stop‑motion animation set up that shows how imaginative filmmaking can be achieved with simple tools. Yianni will share tips on choosing a workspace, controlling light, creating backdrops from everyday materials and using household items to build a small set. He will also show how to secure a smartphone or tablet or webcam for consistent frame‑by‑frame capture including tricks for filming over multiple days.  

Yianni will be interviewed by award winning short filmmaker and ACTF’s Education and Communications Digital Creator, Kaede Miyamura. 

Join the ACTF for a Trop Jr Masterclass with Brisbane-based filmmaking duo Lachlan and Austin Macfarlane, past Trop Jr runner-ups known for their inventive storytelling and standout use of visual effects. Lachlan and Austin will take students behind the scenes of the short film that earned them recognition at Trop Jr. They will speak about their creative process, with a focus on post-production, visual effects and collaboration. The brothers will also share practical filming tips for young creators, drawing on years of experience making films together since childhood.

Students will then watch Lachlan and Austin demonstrate a DIY filmmaking activity that explores how to approach post-production, visual effects and collaboration in simple, achievable ways. They will guide participants through practical techniques for creating dynamic visuals, editing with purpose and working as a creative team, while showing how to produce strong results using accessible, low-cost tools. This hands-on demonstration highlights how thoughtful creative choices can transform an idea into something ready for the screen, giving students skills they can use straight away in their own filmmaking.

Lachlan and Austin will be interviewed by award-winning short filmmaker and ACTF’s Education and Communications Digital Creator, Kaede Miyamura. This session is made possible through the support of our friends at the Queensland Department of Education and Essential Screen Skills.