CAN your story save a life?
A competition for storytellers is now open for all young Victorians to help start a conversation about road safety and drowsy driving.
The Victorian Transport Accident Commission’s (TAC) fifth annual Split Second Competition has returned for its biggest year yet, with entries now open for young creatives who want to improve road safety for their peers.
There were seven fatal road crashes in Wellington Shire in 2022, and there have already been two so far in 2023.
In the Gippsland region more broadly, there have been seven fatal crashes to date in 2023, up from four this time last year.
This year, the competition is open to all content creators aged 18 to 25, with entrants invited to submit a script and storyboard for a short film focusing on either drowsy driving or vehicle safety.
The winner will receive a $5000 cash prize and $70,000 production budget, and the runner up will be awarded a production budget of $30,000; both will work with prestigious production company Sweetshop to bring their concept to life.
TAC Head of Road Safety, Samantha Cockfield said 17 people aged between 18 and 25 have been killed on the state’s roads, up from 13 at this time in 2022 and almost double the five-year average.
“The Split Second Competition prides itself on giving young Victorians the opportunity to use their story and film making skills to directly communicate with peers on important road safety issues,” Ms Cockfield said.
“Reducing the prevalence of drowsy driving, and promoting vehicle safety, are critical in improving road safety outcomes for young Victorians, and by engaging young creatives in the process we’re ensuring that messages are delivered in a relatable way.”
Over the last five years, more than 70 per cent of driver and passenger fatalities aged between 18 and 25 have been in vehicles more than ten years old, and 54 per cent of drivers in this age group admit to driving while very tired.
Drowsy driving is estimated to contribute to around 20 to 25 per cent of serious injuries and fatalities among drivers in Victoria, while older cars are likely to have fewer safety features and are less likely to help drivers avoid a collision.
The Split Second Competition has received 675 entries since launching in 2018 and has produced four films, helping kick-start the careers of their creators while engaging young Victorians in road safety.
In 2020, aspiring filmmaker and Melbourne-based comedian Alex Lowes’ short-film concept was brought to life after winning the competition.
Highlighting the dangers of driving while using a mobile phone, Mr Lowes’ fantasy-themed film A Trial Before the King was picked as the winning script from more than 200 entrants and stars Logie Award-winning actor Firass Dirani as King Elmore.
The film tells the story of a young peasant in her early 20s, accused of riding her horse into a market stall. Facing a tribunal, King Elmore finds her guilty of putting quill to parchment while commanding her horse.
Mr Lowes, 25, told the Gippsland Times the film aimed to balance a serious road safety message with comedy.
“I’ve got a background in comedy, so the challenge of writing something with a serious message appealed to me,” Mr Lowes said.
“A lot of ads with those serious messages can be hard hitting and emotional, which can be quite good, but I wanted a bit of humour to appeal to young people. I thought TAC would be excited about that.
“I knew an ad like that would typically have lots of phones and cars in it. I decided if I transported to a whole different time period, you’d get rid of all the things you’d expect to see in an ad like that.
“And at that time, there was a lot of fantasy content being made, and Game of Thrones had just ended.”
A Trial Before the King was shown as an advertisement before film screenings at Village Cinemas.
According to TAC data, drivers between the age 18 and 25 are twice as likely to make a phone call than older drivers, four times more likely to text and they are more likely to read emails or use the internet while driving.
The dangers of distracted driving are significant: a two-second glance at your phone while driving at 50km/h means travelling blind for 28 metres; this increases to 55 metres when travelling at 100km/h.
Mr Lowes received $5000 in prize money and a $50,000-budget to work with award-winning production company AirBag to create his film.
Mr Lowes shared his own tips for entering the competition.
“Write the script, then put that document aside, and then get a new document and write a brand new script from scratch, he said.
“You’re not gonna write the same script, but it’s a good test to see which parts of your idea are the most memorable.”
Mr Lowes, who has visited Gippsland on a number of occasions, said that 2023’s theme of drowsy driving is particularly relevant to regional Victorians.
“The most times I’ve felt fatigued is driving through regional Victoria. Sometimes you have to stop and rest. You really have to take care of yourself if you’re driving for nine hours,” he said.
“I don’t think you get that particularly as much in the city.”
The competition not only helps to get the message to the films’ audience, but also enlighten the filmmakers on road safety.
“The road rules are there for a very important reason – to keep you safe. When you’re young and you first start driving, you’re just trying to avoid getting in trouble. But when you hear the statistics and how many people die, you realise how important those rules are,” Mr Lowes said.
“That’s why I think the competition is cool, because you’re helping to save lives.”
Another previous winner Felix Barnett, who’s film To Die For addressed the risks of drink driving, said winning has been invaluable in giving him a greater awareness of all the processes and talented individuals involved in actually making a film.
“Not only did I get to work with some of the very best in the industry, I had such a great response from the screening of To Die For – many old high school friends reached out to tell me how powerful they thought it was,” Mr Barnett said.
“I’ve since gone on to work as an advertising Art Director, writing scripts, editing, dabbling in visual effects, and working with sound studios. It’s safe to say I’ve got the filmmaking bug,” he said.
The winning film will launch at ACMI later this year and will continue to be aired in cinemas across the state between October and November 2023, with the runner-up film being promoted via social media.
So, if you’re a social media whiz, advertising or marketing professional, or a creative who wants to make content that has impact, visit tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/splitsecond for more information on the competition and how to enter.
Entries close Thursday, May 4. (UPDATE: Extended to Thursday May 18.)
