The second part of a documentary featuring teenagers from Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School is to air next week.
The award-winning This Is Going To Be Big was filmed at the school’s Bullengarook campus (there is also a Jacksons Hill campus), and is described by the show’s makers as a “humorous and heart-warming coming-of-age story”.
The TV doco (which began as a full-length movie) shows teenagers – Chelsea, Elyse, Halle, and Josh – overcoming their disabilities to take part in a stage musical about the 74-year-old Bendigo-based singer and musician John Farnham.
While the teenagers overcome their challenges to plan and rehearse for the show, each shares their dreams and desires with viewers.
Director Thomas Charles Hyland approached more than 50 schools to pitch the documentary idea before getting a ‘yes’ and gaining unprecedented access to the school.
He filmed the documentary against the backdrop of the classroom, lunch breaks, auditions, rehearsals, and performances of the school’s biennial musical production.
“It’s a tender insight into young adulthood, friendship, belonging, and self-acceptance,” he says.
The second episode of This is Going to be Big will air on Tuesday, 7 May at 8pm on ABC TV, with all episodes available to stream on ABC iview.
