• Charles Sturt student wins Australian Screen Sound Guild’s Greg Bell Student Encouragement Award
• Award win recognises Miss Elizabeth Rehling’s dedication to her studies and work in the industry
• The Bathurst local is studying with the School of Communication and Creative Industries in Wagga Wagga and specialising in sound design

A Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt) student has been awarded the prestigious Greg Bell Student Encouragement Award from the Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG).

Miss Elizabeth Rehling, a student in the Charles Sturt School of Communication and Creative Industries (SCCI) specialising in sound design, was announced as a joint winner of the screen industry award earlier this month.

The national award recognises excellence in students who are studying and producing work in sound design for film, television, multimedia and other related audio industries.

“My lecturer, who is also my mentor, nominated me for the award and I was then asked to submit a showreel of my work as part of the selection process,” Miss Rehling said.

“I never thought I’d be nominated for an award from the ASSG, let alone be a winner.

“I’m just a young woman from country New South Wales, so to win is an honour and has inspired me to continue to challenge myself to improve.”

Associate Professor in screen and sound in the SCCIDamian Candusso said Miss Rehling (pictured) is a talented student and he was delighted to put her name forward for the award.

“Miss Rehling is a standout student that truly immerses herself in gaining new knowledge in all aspects of screen, especially sound,” Professor Candusso said.

“She has spent many hours honing her craft in the studios and working on many student productions including animations, documentary and live action.

“Miss Rehling is also forging a promising career in sound design, working for local news stations and completing several industry placements.”

The Bathurst local has always had a flare for the creative industries and it was through studying animation that she discovered her passion for sound design.

“Ever since I was a kid laying on my lounge room floor, I always dreamed of having my name on the credits of a movie; even today I dream about having my own studio,” Miss Rehling said.

“When I was studying animation and visual effects at Charles Sturt University, I was working on a project that required sound design.

“I would spend hours immersed in the creative process and would often lose track of time and forget to eat.”

With her passion for sound design flourishing, Miss Rehling decided to take some time off and travel overseas and look into how she could study sound design when she returned to Australia.

“When I was studying animation there wasn’t a degree specialising in sound design being offered by Charles Sturt University,” she said.

“When I returned from overseas, I contacted the University to enquire about courses where I could study sound design, and imagine my excitement when they told me that they were introducing a sound degree.

“I was ecstatic and enrolled the next day.”

Miss Rehling was studying and working in sound design in Wagga Wagga until she recently relocated to Tasmania for work.

“I worked for WIN News in Wagga Wagga and I am now working for them in Tasmania,” Miss Rehling said.

“News is a lot of fun to work in, you never know what is going to happen and you have to be prepared.

“I am currently working as a camera operator and editor, and you have to know a bit about everything to make things work smoothly, including framing, lighting, colour, composition, background noise, and the comfort of talent.

“It’s a fast-paced job and you learn to work quickly or you miss the shot.”

During her time at Charles Sturt, Miss Rehling has undertaken several industry internships as part of her course and said that it is these industry experiences, along with learning the course content and the help from her lecturers, that prepared for her for the challenges of the industry

“All the staff at Charles Sturt University have been amazing, helpful and friendly,” Miss Rehling said.

“The facilities, equipment and learning opportunities the University provide are fantastic.

“I’m so lucky to have had the lectures that I’ve had, who have made the challenging areas of my course enjoyable to learn.”

The award ceremony for the 2019 ASSG Awards will take place in Sydney on Saturday 23 November.