2024 NIDA MFA Directing and Third Year BFA Design Students collaborate with triple j Unearthed artists on music video projects.
For 14 years Australia’s national arts educator the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) has proudly partnered with Australia’s national broadcaster triple j to direct and design the music videos for artists from triple j Unearthed.
Each year, NIDA Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) Directing students work in close collaboration with the third year Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Design students to develop and create original video concepts that debut across triple j online and through social networks. The triple j Unearthed artist’s music videos screened on ABC TV’s rage on Saturday 14 September.
These professional projects come to life with the support of NIDA staff, Diploma of Screen and Media (Specialist Make-up Services) and Diploma of Live Production and Technical Services students, along with volunteers from within NIDA’s Acting, Props, Staging, VET as well as external industry creatives.
Benjamin Schostakowski (Directing, 2013), NIDA’s Head of Directing said, ‘Our collaboration with triple j Unearthed and rage is now a well-established annual highlight in our calendar. Year by year, the shifting tastes and styles of emerging Aussie musicians provides fresh opportunities for our emerging directors and designers to sink their teeth into. 2024’s slate has been such an enjoyable, diverse, and ambitious series of new video clips, we’re thrilled to share the results. This collaboration is a fantastic way for the artists to create in an industry-facing context and get their work out there for Australian and international audiences to enjoy, we adore our partnership with triple j Unearthed and rage and can’t wait to see it live on.’
2024 Directing alum and Animal Logic scholarship recipient, Mehhma Malhi (Directing, 2024) and alum Rebecca Howarth (Design, 2023), whose triple j Unearthed video for Gold Coast band Peach Fur’s single Dragonfly won the 2023 Best Director award at the LA Music Video Awards, Best Australian Music Video at the 2024 Prague Music Video Awards and made Official Selection at the 2024 London Music Video Festival.
Tommy Faith, Executive Producer of Unearthed said, ‘After 14 years of our music video partnership with NIDA, the creative quality offered up by directors and designers still continues to impress. As we head towards the 100th music video created through the partnership we’ve seen everything from giant shooeys to alien abductions and every in between and this year’s group are showing that the future is as bright as it’s ever been for the partnership. The opportunity to have a music video made at no cost to the artist and at the highest level has never been more important as Australian artists navigate an industry that feels increasingly hard to earn income from. Here’s to the next hundred videos.’
Originally launched in 1995 as triple j radio’s regional Unearthed competition, the Unearthed platform has evolved to be the home of Australian music online and on air with a dedicated digital radio station, exhaustive website and significant socials that have seen Australian artists grow in ways never seen before. Artists such as Tones & I, Flume, The Kid Laroi, Gang of Youths and so many more got their start on triple j Unearthed and have gone on to national and global acclaim.
This year, NIDA is proud to support a new wave of triple j Unearthed competition winners with top tier music videos.
Artists like Nathan Hui-Yi – a trailblazing artist in Chinese-Australian rap who is breaking into the Australian hip-hop scene with a fresh new story and sonic aesthetic. His track No Regrets is directed by MFA student Nelson Blake and designed by BFA student Edison Heartly.
Awa Mbaye, whose music is a bouquet of dance, rnb, indie and alt pop, will see her track Paranoia directed by MFA student Harrison Simmons and designed by BFA student by Paris Koppens.
Denzel Kennedy, a proud Indigenous Australian whose rap takes inspiration from Childish Gambino, Joey Bada$$ and Capital Steez, his track ijustwannadance is directed by Lou Quill and designed by Angelina Daniel.
Fiery four-piece Dizzy Days disco-dance pop anthems and their song Something About It is directed by Nic Puni and designed by Geita Goarin.
JUPiTA weaves genres like reggaeton, dance, drum and bass, R&B, and more across their music and their track REAL! not everything is… is directed by Lucy Rossen and designed by Elle Fitzgerald.
MAMMOTH, a razor-tongued rapper with watery flows, dynamic punch lines and a poetic approach, whose track Simon Says is directed by Clement Rukundo and designed by Andrea Knezevic.
Mitch Santiago a 17-year-old, self-taught multi-instrumentalist and producer making high energy indie rock, his song Home and In Love is directed by Ruby Lorraine and designed by Max Shanahan.
All seven music videos will premiere this Saturday, 14 September on ABC’s rage.
Applications are currently open for NIDA’s MFA Directing and BFA Design for Performance. Learn more about how to apply.
*Header image: The filming of JUPiTA’s music video for their track Real!not everything is… directed by Lucy Rossen, starring Rhys Johnson and designed by Elle Fitzgerald. Photo by Phil Erbacher.
