Meet Rachael Alford

An actor and writer, Rachael Alford recently graduated from the Master of Screenwriting at the Victorian College of the Arts. Here, she talks about her experience studying the course and what it’s like to delve into fictional worlds of her own creation.

You need a lot of self-discipline to do this course – it’ll prove to you very quickly if you actually do want to write or not. Luckily for me, it proved that this is exactly what I want to be doing. A lot of the work we did in this course was done at home or in our own time. I’d have classes on the craft and business of screenwriting on Mondays and Tuesdays and met with my mentor once a fortnight – but other than that, I’d be at home or wherever I could find a quiet spot, writing in every free moment I had.

I love delving into a completely fictional world that I have created from scratch. There’s an incredible sense of satisfaction and achievement you feel working on a world that didn’t exist before you thought it up in your own head. The characters begin to take on characteristics and minds of their own and, even though it sounds a little weird, they end up guiding you and telling you where they want to go and what they want to do. When this flow is happening, there’s nothing quite like it.

The moment I handed in my final pilot script and bible for my television show was the course highlight for me. All the work that had lead me up to that moment was done. I could finally take a breath and pat myself on the back. I had created something from scratch and I was proud of it. It was a very sweet feeling.

Faculty of Fine Arts and Music

The course is taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, the proud home of the Victorian College of the Arts and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

Much of the teaching, research and performance takes place in our purpose-built facilities on the University of Melbourne’s Southbank campus at the heart of the Melbourne Arts Precinct.

Recently, the Faculty’s Southbank campus has undergone large-scale capital works transforming our facilities and creating an industry-ready, world-class experience for our students and staff.

While studying at the Faculty, you will have the chance to benefit from a range of partnerships and engagement activities at major arts companies in Melbourne's Arts Precinct, local and national festivals and sister institutions around the world.

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Wilin Centre

Situated in the heart of Melbourne's Arts Precinct, the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development provides exposure to contemporary Indigenous arts practices and supports the recruitment of Indigenous artists, academics and students.

Learn more about the Wilin Centre