Creative Media Specialist: Image Services, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. (2021 - Present)
I currently work with the Image services team at VUW, one of the world’s leading universities. We have the privilege to create content that showcases the groundbreaking research of innovative minds, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to honour the students and scholars who dedicate themselves to broadening our understanding of reality and shaping a brighter, more inclusive future for us all.
I help bring a production to fruition through producing, videography, photography, editing co-creative direction and production consultancy.
Team members include Nando Azevedo, Ted Whitaker, Keri McCombe, Gerry Keating, Robert Cross and Colin McDiarmid.
A video that’s part of a series about how the Faculty of Engineering collaborates with engineering firms working on cutting edge technologies in the Wellington region, with global dreams.
Producer, Editor, Videographer.
Energy production is responsible for the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Moving to more renewable energy production is crucial, but what does that look like?
Andrew Wilks, Director of Sustainability, chats with Professor Alan Bret who shares with us some untapped locations for energy production and show us how we can move to a cleaner, greener future. They also visit Matiu/Sommes Island to look at the energy systems we have in play and how those systems create enough power for the historic island to function for multiple days.
Producer, Videographer.
Learn more about the Master of Renewable Energy at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Producer, Videographer.
Associate Professor Su Ballard’s research examines the histories of nature in contemporary art with a particular focus on artists from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and the Asia-Pacific. She focuses on how artists respond to natural disasters, species extinction, and climate change.
Co-producer, Art department.
Associate Professor Taehyun Rhee is developing an exciting and potentially game-changing concept that will allow people to communicate and collaborate across any distance, while feeling as though they’re really there in person. They call it the Televerse…
Co-producer, Art department.
Co-Producer, Editor, Videographer.
BCFNZ Vaccine Research funding video. Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s Ferrier Research Institute and Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand share a vision of zero deaths from breast cancer. Since 2017 their exciting research partnership is supporting Ferrier’s scientists to develop an immunotherapy vaccine that could stop cancer returning after treatment.
Co-Producer, Editor, Videographer.
Her Story
Her Story for Women's Refuge was a beautiful project to draw attention to the life-serving services, benefits and space that they provide to women seeking refuge through real-life testimony. I suggested the nature motif to capture feminine strength and leadership and create interest for the anonymous interview.
Fight or Flight (2023)
Directed by Michelle Mae Cameron.
A debut release by Gravity Studio.
Fight or Flight was funded by ‘Like Minds, Like Mine',’ with support from the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand and the Emerging Artist's Trust of New Zealand.
Fight or Flight is a beautifully crafted, partly-animated doco series about resilience and anxiety that interviewed 12 young people about their challenges with anxiety or depression. Each episode is a deep dive into their most difficult moment in life and how they found some measure of freedom - from postpartum depression, to toxic masculinity, abusive relationships and family breakdowns, each story brings incredible wisdom and humanity to the table.
Three of these stories were animated into beautiful works of art by three New Zealand artists - Guy Capper, Charlie Treefrog and Briarlee Rees.
2023 Awards:
Pixquid Choice, Shortcut 100
Mental Health Hero Award, This is my Brave Canberra International Mental Health Film Festival
Best Webseries, All That Moves Festival, Brazil
Best Director, South Pacific Film Festival
Best Animation (for Briar LeeRees), June Denver Monthly Film Award
Best Trailer, South Pacific Film Festival
Best WebSeries, All that Moves International Film Festival
Honourable Mention, International Film Arts and Hearts Film Festival, LA
Honorable Mention, Voices Rising Film Festival, NY
Best Web and New Media, Beyond Borders International Film Festival
Best Web and New Media July, Ganges International Film Festival
Best Web Series, Indie Movies Spark Film Festival
Official Selections/Finalist:Official Selection, Love & Hope International Film Festival, Barcelona
Official Selection, Reel East Texas Film Festival
Nominee, Melbourne WebFest
Nominee, Web Series - Factual, NZ Web Fest
Finalist Best Documentary Short Film, Onyko Films Awards, Japan
Nominee, Best Short Film, Bridge Fest Vancouver
Quarter finalist Best New Filmmaker - Change the Script Film Festival, Canada
This series reframes the term "fight or flight" to transform it into something more positive and uplifting:
That we can choose to "fight" and reclaim a sense of who we really are; and take "flight" in the personal freedom of being true to yourself.
Watch it on Youtube.
Or, watch on Facebook.
Co-producer, Co-cinematographer: The Old Man Next Door (2019)
Winner Best Indigenous Film, Oz Indie Film Festival 2023
Winner Best Indigenous Short Film (TIE), Lonely Seal International Film, Screenplay and Music Festival, Boston 2022
Winner Outstanding Sound, Short Circuit Pacific Rim Festival, 2022
Winner Best Editing, Short Circuit Pacific Rim Festival, 2022
Winner Award of Distinction, Accolade Global Film Competition 2021 Humanitarian Awards
Official Selections 2020 - 2023 :
Bakunawa Festival
BIPOC film festival, Toronto
International Multicultural Film Festival
imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival
+19 more
Cinematographer, Post-Production: The Reminder (2021)
A cinematic documentary of a deep healing assignment. An acknowledgment of the human condition. A peek into the life of a cycle breaker.
Director, Cinematographer: NISA: PledgeMe Video. (2017)
Nisa is a Wellington start-up that employs refugee women to make organic cotton underwear. Our collaboration on their fundraising video resulted in achieving the targeted goal within 7 days – and by the end of the month we had doubled that target to $20,000.
Director: Normies.
48 Hours Top 15 Wellington City Finalist 2016
A group of us graduates from the New Zealand Film and Television school got together and made this film over a weekend. I directed, with Rosie Howells as writer and Lisa Kelly as Producer. We had an amazing team channeling PUNK!
Cinematographer and editor: The Masterclass.
48 Hours Top 15 Wellington City Finalist 2020
A short horror introducing the new Masterclass..hosted by Death.
Our lovely review: https://www.48hours.co.nz/screening-room/2021/wellington/the-masterclass/
Director, Cinematographer: Afro Delight Show.
Afro Delight is a Afrobeat DJ collective that play nightclubs in Wellington. I often create their social media content as well as music and dance videos. Their energetic dance selections and MC are a charismatic and enjoyable combo.
Cinematographer. Bad Man. (2020)
This was my first web series enlisted as a cinematographer for good friends of mine. “Bad Man” is a darkly satirical web series that deals with themes such as Crime, Religion, War, and Misogyny across a variety of locations and time periods. A variety of episodes made it onto the Riddell Productions channel, with a few being left on the cutting room floor.
Visual Coordinator: SoFar Sounds Wellington.
I am the photography and videography coordinator and editor for SoFar Sounds Wellington. SoFar Sounds is a global platform for intimate gigs to be held in order to bring artists and guests closer together. Once a month, a gig is announced to be played at a location not revealed until the night before; and the lineup is always a new surprise. Previous SoFar Sounds artists have been performers like Billie Eilish, Zak Abel and Leon Bridges.
Camera Operator: KUKI KOORI. (2020)
“Kuki Koori is the brainchild of Iain Gordon of Fat Freddy’s Drop and visual artist Mick Finn.
Each performance is uniquely collaborative, with a visible and high-pressure creative process: Iain steps out from behind the keyboards of Fat Freddy's Drop to conjure an electronic symphony from drumbeats, synths, compressors, filters and samples, while Mick responds with hand-drawn art projected large.”
Co-Director: Tūmanako. (2017)
A short film created by young mothers.
Tūmanako was a short film made in collaboration with Victoria University MA graduate Catherine Pihema and a group of rangatahi, that explored the experiences of young Maori mothers for use as a mental health resource. Co-director Andy Ferguson (who spearheaded the producing) and I worked with this group to create something special that would show how tough it can be for young mothers to keep (or let go of) a baby. Funded by Health Resource Council NZ, Victoria University & Wellington City Council, it premiered on Maori Television, with a special opening speech by PM Jacinda Adern at our private Penthouse cinema screening.
Assistant Editor:
Pot Luck. (2016)
“Pot Luck is a fresh, fun, and sexy webseries that follows the lives of three Wellington friends as they negotiate friendship, family and finding love at their weekly pot luck dinners. Pull up a seat and enjoy the fun with Debs, Beth and Mel in New Zealand's first lesbian webseries!”
Miscellaneous
A collection of my other work in directing, editing, and cinematography. Enjoy.☺