WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INTO FILM?

I got into film originally to entertain people, but I think now as I get older I really got into film to move people.

​

I did film in high school and got into university in Brisbane on the gold coast and studied it there too. After film school in Brisbane I saved up a bit of money and went to LA to experience a different perspective on film making.

 

ARE THERE ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE AUSTRALIAN AND AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRIES?

The Australian industry’s great but it’s built, generally, around 5 major broadcasters and then a grant system that the government subsidises whereas the American industry is a studio system still.

 

WHAT DID YOU DO IN LA?

I went to a masterclass - a directing and producing internship at USC. It was an intensive course over a couple of weeks and you came out with three films. The second year I did it I did two internships at different production companies in LA. One was really good for film making under pressure, that was the intensive course, and that was also combined with masterclasses from different producers, directors and editors who all came in to speak of their experiences. The second year I did it was the internship year and that was really good for learning about development in the states and LA, the studios are always developing something.

 

WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WANTING TO WORK IN FILM IN LA?

I think we’re lucky to be in Australia as filmmakers. I feel like there are a lot of safety nets in Australia (for a filmmaker) to have this time to establish yourself and explore yourself as a film maker and an artist. As a director it’s a lot more difficult to break the American market, I think the real trick is to establish yourself in Australia first.

 

DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE A DIRECTOR? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU PREVIOUSLY WISH YOU'D KNOWN ABOUT DIRECTING?

I did always know I wanted to be a director but I suppose I lucked out in that you’re not going to be a director straight away (usually), it’s very important to learn all these facets in film-making in order to be a better director. For me, there was never an opportunity to direct straight away I had to learn to do all these other roles. You have to be very patient, it’s frustrating at times but in hindsight that was the best thing that ever happened to me. Those funny little tangents being a camera operator for a bit or a DOP (Director of Photography) for a bit or an editor for a bit, it turns out they’re very important and they feed into the directing role anyway.

​

I think people need to remember that film is a collaborative medium. There are many moving parts. If you want to get into directing, the first real rule is that you should never think yourself above everyone else. Even the director is a cog in the machine. The moment you step on set with that perspective everyone will be wanting to work with you. You’ll probably have about 80-100 people surrounding you wanting to help you, wanting to follow you, to achieve the vision you have in your head. Really, the big secret to directing is to be kind and respectful.

 

ARE THERE ANY SIMILARITIES IN STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES IN THE FILMS THAT YOU'VE PRODUCED OVER YOUR CAREER?

I think the type of film and the themes that I’m always going to be attracted to involve flawed characters placed in incredibly extreme situations and their evolution as a result, their character arc.

​

One of the short films I directed is called Mother Child. It’s a continuous take short film based on a story about a mother and her adult son and they’re dealing on the fallout of her having a stroke. Mother Child deals with the primary theme of how the tables turn as you get older, your parents somewhat get younger in how they see the world. Physically they become more frail. Obviously you look after them as they get older but for me it was quite a personal film because my mum actually did have a stroke and I’m actually her carer now and that’s where this film came from. I started writing about my experiences with my mum after she came home from hospital. That’s when you’re kind of left to your own devices somewhat and all that schedule and regiment of the hospital disappears. It was incredible seeing these two actors do something that’s out of their comfort zone somewhat because it’s one long take. They have to be very specific in what they do in terms of their blocking and their emotion, their range. The actual shooting of it was even more therapeutic. We shot it 7 times. The DOP was Gary Philips who’s a wonderful Australian Director of Photography and this was a challenge for him as well because he’d never done anything like that before at that point. We chose the 6th take.

 

ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY PROJECTS CURRENTLY?

Current projects that I’m working on include 2 comedy web series and also a romantic comedy which will be a feature film.

 

WHAT'S YOUR VISION FOR FILM-MAKING TODAY AND INTO THE FUTURE?

I think we’re going through this massive transitional phase in film-making at the moment in terms of the business side. There’s streaming platforms everywhere and with the advent of online series you can really create an opportunity for a career as a director without having to wait for someone else to come find you.

 

WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO PEOPLE WANTING TO GET INTO A CAREER IN THE FILM INDUSTRY?

You have to make sure you:

1. Are a great storyteller

2. Can carry through a vision

3. Can work with actors to find the truth in the character

 

There’s a couple of good ways to get a leg up in a film-making career. There’s always the tried and tested process of emailing production companies, getting yourself into an office, learning the ropes through an internship or some sort of apprenticeship. Even starting as a production runner is a great way. What’s really important, especially in Australia, is networking and meeting people, getting out there.

 

As you get more confident with directing and after you’ve directed a couple of short films you can look at a directing attachment. That means that you would shadow or observe a working director in a drama series or a feature film. There’s a confidence you can build by sitting and watching another director work. You sometimes might also realise some bad things that a director does as well that you might not mirror later in your directing life.