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ALUMNI

2016 | SEMESTER 3

BONDIES CONNECT THROUGH SHARED PAST Bondies behind the scenes of the

SILVER SCREEN

TOM Forbes remembers a Bond University alumni catch up in New York City as a special moment.

student, in his early 20s, and says that Bond provided exactly what he needed at that point in his life.

“I didn’t know many people, but having that Bond connection, it didn’t’ matter, because you have lived the same experience,” says Mr Forbes, the Gold Coast reporter for the ABC.

“I loved my time at Bond. I found a professional place to go, where everyone was there to do a job,” Mr Forbes says. “The number one thing for me was getting in and out in two years.”

There with his partner, fellow Bond alumnus Derek Cronin, Mr Forbes knows all too well how the Bond University link can foster a strong relationship. Mr Forbes arrived at the University as a mature-age

That focus meant that Mr Forbes didn’t make a lot of time for extra-curricular activities, or run in many social circles on campus, but he regularly attends University events today. Looking back, Mr Forbes valued the coursework at Bond, and the close ties the University had with the media industry, which allowed him to gain an internship at Channel 9 Gold Coast News. “I can pretty much guarantee that if I didn’t get that internship through Bond I wouldn’t be doing what I do today. I credit my start with Bond helping me arrange that internship.” Following a Channel 9 cameraman around to sports events on weekends got Mr Forbes a start as a sports journalist in Townsville. After roles in Toowoomba and Brisbane, he and Mr Cronin decided to move back to the coast.

Alumnus Mr Tom Forbes Margot Robbie with alumnus Mr Harrison Norris

Now, after 13 years as the ABC’s Gold

Alumna Ms Emily Tate with Cara Delevingne

Two Bond graduates are changing the game using virtual reality on major film sets.

KINGSTON’S TV

TWO Bond University Film and Television graduates are making waves in Hollywood with cutting-edge technology.

Cinematic VR, which has since worked with Warner Brothers, Paramount and Dreamworks.

LONG before she became one of Channel Nine’s leading news presenters, Wendy Kingston always knew that journalism was her life’s calling.

Harrison Norris was recruited as VR Director and Action Pre-Visualisation Artist on blockbuster film, Suicide Squad, while Emily Tate was enlisted as Production Assistant in the stunt department.

“We’re still breaking every rule we can, most recently proving it’s possible for filmmakers to edit and/or move the camera in VR without disorienting the audience – hence busting one of the best-known myths about VR and there’s more to come,” he says.

Mr Norris, son of Stunt Director Guy Norris, pitched a virtual reality (VR) experience as part of the project that puts the viewer at the centre of the action fighting alongside stars Margot Robbie and Will Smith. “The crew loved the idea, but the problem was the VR cameras couldn’t shoot any closer than four feet, which made it difficult to emotionally engage with the scene and make the experience feel ‘real’,” Mr Norris says. He designed a new camera that could be worn around an actor’s head to deliver the world’s first, true live-action, first-person experience. The Mobius camera kick-started the creation of Mr Norris’ VR company Proxi

www.arch.bond.edu.au

The Suicide Squad VR experience debuted at Comic-Con in San Diego in July ahead of the film premiere, and was later released through Samsung Gear VR. Ms Tate also works at Proxi as Production Executive and manages the VR content. She says what she learnt from her time working on Suicide Squad was beyond what she could have ever imagined. “It’s crazy to think that an amateur film student got flung into the deep end of a huge Hollywood blockbuster, which rarely happens,” Ms Tate says. “I learnt to adapt to the new and

professional environment quickly. I became a sponge – not because I had to, but rather I wanted to remember and grasp every aspect of my time on set.” “I remember when Harrison and I were standing on the train station set on one of the biggest sound stages in Toronto and trying to take the moment in and drill it into my brain.” “Harrison grew up on film sets, so it was comforting to have him by my side.” “Doing my first feature film was a bit daunting, but knowing a fellow Bondy was going through the same experience made things easier.” Mr Norris and Ms Tate are heading for big things in the industry. The duo have recently wrapped up work in New Zealand for Scarlett Johansson’s new film, Ghost in the Shell. Mr Norris has also signed on to direct several short-form VR projects with Proxi, as well as a feature film in LA next year.

Having grown up on the Gold Coast, Ms Kingston initially pursued a business communications degree at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), aiming to marry her own love for reporting with her family’s flair for business. After deciding that QUT wasn’t her ideal institution, she made the switch to Bond. “It was without doubt the best decision I ever made,” says Ms Kingston. “I loved my time at Bond, it was far more hands on than anything I could have hoped for.” It was through the University that Ms Kingston secured her first industry job at the ABC Radio newsroom in Brisbane. Following a brief stint in radio Ms Kingston then made her television debut as a reporter for the WIN NEWS Toowoomba Bulletin, shortly before scoring her first gig as a newsreader for the Toowoomba and Sunshine Coast bulletins. It was upon her move to Sydney that Ms

Coast reporter, Mr Forbes describes himself as ‘ensconced’ in the city, and wouldn’t have it any other way. He still can’t tear himself away from the coal face of daily reporting of breaking news. He is a familiar face and voice on TV and radio covering every major event on the Gold Coast. “Every day is different, every day is a challenge, but the nice thing about being a news journo is that at the end of the day, when the story is done, you can wipe the motherboard clean, go home and then start clean the next day,” says Mr Forbes. “For me, it’s like being a goldfish, I swim around the tank one day, then come in the next and swim around the tank again, and it is great.” Upon graduating high school Mr Forbes attended Dalby Agricultural College and then worked as a jackaroo in Longreach. “I did that for a year and loved it, but I got thrown off a horse around 30 times and I was earning around $137 a week as a second-year jackaroo - I thought, ‘this is great, but it is not getting me to where I want to go’.” So, he worked a variety of jobs, including a real estate agent and a coal laboratory technician before enrolling at Bond, and the rest is history.

triumph

Kingston’s career took a quantum leap, when she was picked up by Channel Nine.

Alumna Ms Wendy Kingston

She has since reported and read for several of its most popular bulletins including the National Nine Morning News, Afternoon News and late-night bulletin Nightline.

Reflecting on her career, Ms Kingston says the personal highlight was working on Weekend Today alongside other Australian journalism icons including Cameron Williams and Deborah Knight. “Working on Weekend Today was such a fun job, and it was such a great team to be a part of,” she says. “I was on air for three hours and there is just so much that can happen in that time frame – there is so much breaking news and it is so diverse.” Most recently, Ms Kingston has moved back home to the Gold Coast where she currently presents Nine’s Gold Coast News at 5:30pm alongside Bruce Paige. She believes Bond University played a significant part in launching her career and giving her the tools to succeed in a life behind the news desk.