But when you add creative industry professionals, the chance to make a witty short film with your classmates, and the tools with which to do it, you’ve got a recipe for a pretty engaging school term project.

Next week, Bellingen High School and Dorrigo High School are next to be taking part in the film-making workshop program of Screenwave’s annual REC Ya Shorts Youth Film Festival.

Run in conjunction with Headspace Coffs Harbour, the festival is all about finding the next generation of film-makers in regional NSW and giving them an opportunity to see their stories on the big screen.

Students are taught the ins and outs of creating a short film and invited to enter one for a chance to win from a $25,000 pool of prizes. These includes cinema cameras and equipment, editing software, and film-making courses at the Australian Film Television and Radio School – plus the chance to be screened at the 2018 Screenwave International Film Festival.

Bellingen school pupils have a history of fully embracing the event, now in its third year. One, Blaise Borrer, a Year 12 student at Bellingen High School, went so far as to enter three short films last year. He went on to win the festival’s Rising Talent award and is now considering a degree in film-making.

He said: “It did take quite a bit of work, but I started preparing early. I also had assignments for film at school at the same time so wanted to enter more than one because I heard about that one of the prizes was an AFTRS course and I wanted to increase my chances as much as possible.”

“I collaborated on my third film (Wrestless West) with a friend,” he added. “We decided on it pretty last minute – a month and a half before the deadline. We spent many all-nighters trying to get that one done!”

Following the workshops, which are run by Screenwave festival directors Dave Horsley and Kate Howat, REC Ya Shorts runs a screening tour, in which finalists’ films are shown to live audiences.

For Blaise, seeing people react to his films was in itself a reward. He said: “It’s hard to describe the feeling. You spend months writing this script and making changes, and then actors drop out, all these things can go wrong. But the pay-off is when you’ve captured what was in your head, and see it up there on the big screen.

“It also gives you an opportunity to meet like-minded people and an opportunity to network, that’s something else REC Ya Shorts is fantastic for.”

Entries are open till 21st August to every young person living in regional NSW aged 12 to 25 – as well as to students taking part in the workshops. This year’s theme is “connection”. Films must also be under six minutes’ duration and include a phone within the story. To find out more, visit http://screenwave.com.au/recyashorts/.