Hi Pete, please tell us what first sparked your interest in camera work? Well, my life with photography and cinematography started early. My father filmed my first birthday party on 16mm Kodachrome film and also recorded most of my early years, so I guess my early inspiration, guidance and learning was from my Dad. I also saw John Heyer’s film ‘Back of Beyond’ [1954] for another.
Once you had the camera bug what did you do? I started photography as a subject at my high school, getting access to my first darkroom at EHS in 1965. I soon made cinema friends at senior school including artist Dean Bruton and together we made our first batch of standard 8mm films.
Please tell us about early work with cameras. I initially worked in retail and wholesale in photographic stores. My first job was in the mid 1970’s as a still photographer, but after returning to school, I got into Flinders Uni. It was the early days of the Flinders Drama Centre where they were looking at cinematography, art, philosophy and of course much more. Around that time I also worked with Aggie Read, Gil Brealey and George Anderson.
Did anyone have an influence on your career? Yes, Aggie Read and Gil Brealey, lecturers at Flinders University, were amongst many.
It’s often difficult to get established in our industry, how did you survive those early days? My early film industry work was initially small in the growing SAFC, so at the time I pursued more personal filmmaking and some freelance photography work. I guess in my early career I had planned to be doing both, teaching and freelance camera work to help pay the bills.
When did the passion to be a film educator start? I began teaching the new subject media studies at high school and quickly discovered I could help young people learn and develop their own cine-graphics skills. I realised the immense growth and scope of media that was happening in the 70's and 80's, I thought I can help people learn about this.
You have attained a great reputation as a fabulous and quirky media educator, tell us a bit about that? In 1991 I began teaching students at a small film school, which had first started in about 1983. The school allowed us to develop it further and so began a long career building MAPS into what became a fully-fledged film school. During my time at MAPS we developed certificate courses and each year received increasing amounts of industry support including a willingness to help students find work and/or to help them gain work experience on film jobs.
Pic: 2008 MAPS editing on second year projects. Cleland Jones at this point was a technician and helping Dave Gregan who nowadays wins ACS Awards. At the back can be seen Dan Vink and working by himself is Nick Cleary. Both of them have also gone on to much success with “Fury Fingers” on YouTube and elsewhere.
Did you see many changes during your time at MAPS? Yes, at that same time the technology was developing at a great rate with the emergence of digital video and digital audio becoming the world standard. When that happened, the transmissions of media became possible on the many platforms that are available to us all today.
Over the years you have made a tremendous contribution to the skill level of many local film students, how does that make you feel? Haah...yeah I guess I have, as a number of former students have succeeded in areas including capturing the digital Image to levels that has gained them worldwide recognition. I’m also very proud of the number of graduates still working in Adelaide, interstate and overseas. In fact, a few years back I attended the SA & WA ACS Awards for Cinematography and I counted 14 major awards won by MAPS alumni students and to me, it felt like the MAPS organisation was really assisting in the world of the moving image. Sadly, I understand that for some obscure reason the school has recently changed it's approach.
What attracted you to the ACS? The ACS is essentially a craft guild. It’s a group of people who collectively sustain a profession setting bars and guides, being competitive in essence but also lifting each other in their own careers in the process.They are people who care a great deal about images, especially moving images.
If you could change anything in this industry what would it be? The Industry must adapt quicker to technology and societies, the money and peoples taste can be your greatest enemies as much as the most critical element for an entertainment/information industry. Above pic: Claire Bishop was one of many female Camera Operators, here working on a music Clip in 2010.
Peter can you give us a few short answers to these ?'s. Ok.
What convinced you to make media studies into a career in the first place? It was the realising I could do a combination of both the Craft and Teaching.
What’s your future looking like? Creating Images in different forms and all of the above.
What’s the best advice you ever received? Gil Brealey said “It will take 10 years to start your career fully.”
What hopes do you have for our industry? The craft and its many forms becoming pure art from time to time.
Did you have any mentors? Yes many and you must never forget to honour them at the right time.
What’s your proudest moment so far? Having a long career, helping people achieve their hopes and helping to get so many great careers initiated. Pic: Maxx Corkindale fresh out MAPS shooting on set an episode of Panda.
Have you won any awards along the way? By far the length of my career has been my greatest award.
What’s the best thing about working in our business? The stops and starts. The many refreshes and drags that teach.
How do you approach shooting a new project? With a clean sheet and being armed with experience.
What keeps you motivated to continue working? My family and more good than bad in what we do.
What specific skills do you need to do your job? Patience, flexibility and knowing what I love. Pic: Cameron Avery, Mira Soulio and Tai Woodbridge shooting a tracking shot.
What is a common blunder that film creators make? Under preparing, under estimating and not self-valuing.
What’s your favourite film or TV show? Koyaanisqatsi almost alone.
What piece of equipment or thing could you not do without on-set? A chair!
What has been your most interesting or challenging project so far? Damage. Feature 20/21/22
Tell us some of that hardships you faced doing that? No rules, no genuine support, but at the same time as well-trodden as a quest.
Have you met any colourful characters along the way? Yes, yes, many a great treat.
What’s your next project? Personal work as I have an immense backlog of held projects.
How do you relax? Music and music.
If you started your career over again would you have done anything different? Yes, because another life would bring other footsteps.
Do you have any advice for other young people getting started in this job? As Gil said, it’s a slow boil also its many things you must take and work through.
Finally Peter, is there a special trick you have learned over the years?
A-hah yes, as I always say, stay hungry, stay foolish!
Pic: MAPS farewells Nov 2021. Peter T and Racka Racka twin and legend Danny Philoppou, in the background Dan Vink.
Thanks Peter for sharing your story and for assisting so many of our own members move their careers from an education to a profession. Quite a few of them are also on our SA committee.
The SA Gold winning DoP presenters included:
