My training and background:

Learned professional cinematography and filmmaking at SAE.

Trained at Panavision, in professional film loading with Arriflex and Panavision film cameras.

Director and cinematographer for 30 minute movie, ‘Jungle,’ shot on film, in the Nambour area with four actors.

This film was enthusiastically received by audiences.

Gear:

Arriflex/Denz modified Super 16 SR, with PL mount and video tap

Bolex Rex-5 Super 16

Various regular 16mm cameras

Arriflex IIC 2-perf with Nikon F mount

Arriflex 35-III 2-perf with Nikon F mount

Rental 3 and 4-perf Arricam ST with PL mount (Cameraquip)

Various Super 8 cameras

Various lenses

Sachtler Flowtech with Aktiv head

Heavy duty “Hollywood” Ronford Baker fluid head and legs

Assorted cinematography gear including lighting

Note: all gear I use is in top working order.

Digital: If you need me to shoot digital, I can do that too.

Genres or projects best suited to film:

Anything photogenic, cinematography-heavy (rather than dialogue-heavy), visually captivating, and/or vintage, looks best on film.

Period era movies and genres such as outback/western movies look best shot on film.

Film can give a gritty look and vibe, too, so film is very good for ‘gritty’ modern, or even futuristic, genres.

Just look again at some classic old films, and compare with contemporary digitally-shot movies. You will notice the difference.

Hire me:

I’m available for cinematography. I’m good with audio too.

Just recently I’ve made several professional music videos, a documentary, and a wedding film.

I get paid to make films. All my clients are very happy with my work.

Could I film a feature movie on film? Yes.

How long have I been a filmmaker?

Quite a while. I started at 13 when I saved up and bought my first Super 8 camera, at Caloundra Cameras.

I did Film & TV at Nambour High School. Mr Glenn Tonges was my teacher. He was great!

I write my own stories, and direct. I’ve always preferred analog film (instead of video) for the cinematography side of things.

I went on to make many short films on 16mm and Super 8.

Are any new cinema release movies shot on film?

Cinema release features overseas are often preferentially shot on film. Maria (2025) is a recent example. Most directors prefer the look of film.

Cinema release film-shot movies in Australia today can be filmed on 35mm, Super 16, Regular 16mm, and Super 8. Overseas they also have 65mm.

BFI acquired the UK-Ireland cinema rights to filmmaker Ed Sayers’ debut feature, filmed entirely on Super 8 film, in October 2025.

Is film just a way to stand out?

Maybe. I’m not trying to be different. I’m just doing what I love.

Lots of filmmakers could shoot film if they really wanted to. They would have to make sacrifices in order to do it, but that’s life.

I seriously like the look of film, and seriously like working with it. I’ve always been like that, from day one. Film is the one for me.

Cost?

Film shooters film with great discipline. They don’t waste footage. I rarely need more than a second take and I usually get it in one.

Filmmakers who shoot on film rehearse the actors very thoroughly when filming drama.

Films shot on film — my personal view:

There’s poetry in film, because it’s literally a painting. The image is real. It’s physically etched into a physical medium made of real dyes.

This gives film a vibe, feel, and look onscreen that is impossible to successfully imitate with digital (no matter who says differently).

It’s like playing an acoustic violin with real strings, compared to the violin sound on a digital keyboard. Film has more heart, and more art.

Digital video is easy and quick, but I find it less satisfying to watch, and uninspiring to work with, for specifically dramatic/cinematic films.

The film camera is the soul of the cinema. From the beginning, and for more than 100 years through all the golden eras, it’s all been film.

Filmmakers and audiences are realising that a film-shot production is quite different in feel and vibe to a digitally-shot production.

Film is a warmer, more natural, more cinematic, and more emotional medium. It has a grit, depth, and texture.

Filmmaking is, foundationally, a visual art.

Is shooting on film difficult?

Shooting on film is easy and straightforward.