STORY DEVELOPMENT · PRODUCING · DIRECTING
Bring me the subject. We’ll work out the film
You might have research, an issue, a person, a community or something happening inside the organisation that you know is worth telling.
You don’t need to know what the film or story is yet. That’s often where I’m most useful.
HOW I WORK
I’m looking for the bit people will actually care about
I start with a simple question:
How do we want people to feel?
Then I get across the research, the context and everything the organisation needs to communicate.
And I keep looking for the person who can make all of that mean something.
Often it isn’t the obvious spokesperson. It’s the person whose experience makes the bigger story real.
The journalist bit matters
I spent years making stories and documentaries for newsrooms, mentored by some of the best Australian journalists and filmmakers before I started doing this work with organisations. That taught me to look past the obvious angle, find the right person and let the story do more of the work.
THE MAN BEHIND THE AQUABUMP LENS
HuffPost · Sydney
Director · Producer · Shooter · Editor
This was made as journalism, but it’s a good example of the kind of brand profile I love.
The film is light and personal. It’s about the person behind Aquabumps, his relationship with Bondi and what the community means to him.
By the end, you understand why he has the access, trust and eye that make his photography different.
You’ve understood the brand without watching a film explain the brand.
TESKEY BROTHERS
HuffPost · Sydney
Director · Producer · Shooter · Editor
I filmed The Teskey Brothers behind the scenes just before they became really big.
The story wasn’t “here’s a band you should listen to”.
It was about who they were, how they worked together and the world around the music.
That’s the same approach I’d take to the right organisational or brand profile.
Let the person and their world do the selling.
FUTURE SUPER
We Are the Trillionaires We Need
Director · Co-Producer · Shooter · Editor
The campaign idea already existed.
My job was to work out how to make it feel alive on screen.
Rather than simply documenting the installation, I built the filming around people’s answers, reactions and the atmosphere around them.
The finished film lets the idea unfold through the people taking part rather than through an organisation explaining the campaign.
UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND
Scholarship profile
Director · Producer · Shooter · Editor
Kate’s personal circumstances were an important part of understanding what her scholarship had made possible.
They were also deeply sensitive.
I spent time making sure she felt comfortable with what she wanted to share, while keeping in mind that this was ultimately a story about the difference the scholarship had made, not a film about the trauma she had experienced.
The judgement was knowing how much context the audience needed to understand the stakes without letting the most painful part of her life take over the story.
Her safety, privacy and what could responsibly be said publicly also had to be considered throughout.
The aim was a vulnerable story without making Kate’s vulnerability the product.
WHAT WORKING TOGETHER LOOKS LIKE
We work out the story before we overbuild the production
For a straightforward project, that might happen pretty quickly.
For something more complex, we can start with a paid development phase: I get across the material, speak to potential contributors and shape the story before we lock in the production.
That means you’re not committing to a big shoot before we know what we’re actually making.
The people matter
I might speak to several potential contributors before deciding who belongs in the film.
I’m listening for people who remember particular moments, have something at stake, have changed their mind, make me laugh, surprise me or see the subject differently from everyone else.
The strongest person isn’t always the one originally nominated.
Then I build the right team around it
I direct and produce, usually with a cinematographer, and bring in editors, sound, graphics or additional crew where the film needs them. Sometimes I may do it all.
I’m not tied to a fixed production model or crew.
The story determines what we need. Your budget, too.
I stay with it through the edit
I don’t hand the project off once filming is done. I stay close to the structure, performances, pacing and final cut, whether I’m editing myself or working with an editor. So the person who helped find the story is still there when we’re deciding what the film actually becomes.
Got something worth making a film about?
Tell me what you’re working on, who you need to reach and what you’re hoping the film might do. You don’t need to arrive with the answer.