As well as their lecturers, family, and friends, both film industry professionals and programme alumni joined the students for the screening.

“We are beyond impressed with what our students were able to achieve in the span of just a few months, from pitching and storyboarding all the way to the finished films,” says Sunny Teich, a teaching fellow from the Master of Design Technology. “It was an absolute privilege to get the chance to showcase the films in such a beautiful venue.”

The students worked in two groups, and each group produced a short film.

One group produced Tapestry, which tells the story of a curious hunter who sets out on a journey to save his people in a colourful, fictional world. The other group created Hidden, which follows two colleagues through the New Zealand forest as they encounter an endangered species, causing relationships to be challenged and leaving the audience with an ethical dilemma.

“The Roxy screening for our capstone projects was an excellent conclusion to the Master of Design Technology program,” says student Peter Hillier. “It was awesome showcasing our work and catching up with peers that had supported and guided us throughout the year.”

The Master of Design Technology is a Wellington ICT Graduate School programme taught by Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Design at the Miramar Creative Centre. Students on the programme spend a year creating a portfolio of work and a final project focussing on either game design, visual effects, exhibition or multimedia design. The programme is designed to help students build on previous design skills while having access to both University research and industry expertise.

Master of Design Technology graduate Camden Wright completed his Bachelor of Design Innovation at Victoria University of Wellington before starting the Masters programme. He says the constant new opportunities, industry mentors, and learning at the Miramar Creative Centre—located just down the road from Weta Workshops—were the best parts of the programme.

Camden was able to combine his love of nature with his digital skills through the Masters programme, and he looks forward to using the skills he gained in his future career.

“I plan to keep creating fantastical worlds and telling important stories. I hope to make a career of it at a studio like Weta Digital but regardless of where I end up, I will always keep developing my craft.”

See photos from the night on our Facebook page.