Thanks to Vendetta Films and Tracy Mair Publicity, we have 10 free double passes to CORSAGE a film directed by Marie Kreutzer and starring Vicky Krieps and Florian Teichtmeister, opening Nationally on February 9.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria is idolised for her beauty and renowned for inspiring fashion trends. But in 1877, ‘Sissi’ celebrates her 40th birthday and must fight to maintain her public image by lacing her corset tighter and tighter. While Elisabeth’s role has been reduced against her wishes to purely performative, her hunger for knowledge and zest for life makes her more and more restless in Vienna.

She travels to England and Bavaria, visiting former lovers and old friends, seeking the excitement and purpose of her youth. With a future of strictly ceremonial duties laid out in front of her, Elisabeth rebels against the hyperbolised image of herself and comes up with a plan to protect her legacy. 

The first 10 SA ACS members to reply to me via email by February 3 may win one of the 10 free double passes. You just need to include Empress Elisabeth's nickname in your email and a postal address for your double pass tix. 1st correct 10 answers will win the passes so get in quick!  VIEW THE TRAILER

 

SA producer, ex ACS SA committee member and Cliff Ellis Memorial Award winner, Kirsty Stark, has launched the website for CrewHQ, a nationwide crewing platform for the film and television industry. As a cinematographer, you'll be able to create a profile that is visible to producers and ad agencies around the country, and share your availability on your personal calendar.

Kirsty is really excited about what's possible once every freelancer in the country (represented or not) is searchable on the one platform. You can check out CrewHQ on the embedded video below, or their website and sign up now as a crew member ahead of the full platform going live later this month.   https://www.crewhq.com.au/

  

 Laura, when did you first become attracted to working in our profession and what was your first job?
I didn’t realise my passion for cinematography and camera work until I was about halfway through my film degree at Flinders – bit of a late bloomer! I found a love for creativity through technology and after finishing my degree in 2020. 

I got my first job camera operating livestream theatre at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in the Botanic Gardens. Shooting two shows every night for almost a month, my ability to shoot stage action in focus and aesthetically quickly improved – especially when it came to shooting dancers! I kept on camera operating for the same theatre production company doing different shows until recently.
 
Do you have a standout job you’ve done so far?
Travelling to Mount Gambier for a few days last year in November I was a close-up camera operator for contemporary dance choreographed by Lewis Major. Camera operating livestreamed stage has been fulfilling, whether it has been a piano performance, a musical or for one job a music video, but filming and livestreaming work for Lewis Major has always been the most challenging and rewarding. The lighting and production of this job was creatively abstract with dancers performing with light tubes and another soloing in a circle of dust.

To compliment the style I filmed interesting compositions within the frame all while tracking and focus pulling as the dancers moved rapidly to the music. I find the challenge of following unpredictable fast movement on a livestream rewarding in improving my skills and the abstract style of the performances calls for an artistic filming style that is enriching to my own cinematography style and experience.
 
What are you doing now to further your career?
I’m leaving theatre behind me and trying to get into the wedding videography business as a more suitable option that will keep me free to work my way into camera assisting on film shoots during the work week days. I also gaffer and 2nd AC on fellow graduates short film shoots and am also working on my own short film at the moment to showcase my cinematography work into some festivals and competitions. I’ve begun an Instagram account as well as a means of creative output and practice, but I also see value in it for connecting and networking.
 
 What’s the best advice you ever received?
‘Nobody ever made it in the creative business on their own.’ Among all the advice I’ve gotten about getting to where you want to be in the film industry, of which there is a large range considering the multitude of pathways you could possibly take, the repeated advice is always to network and it has been forcing me to break out of my shell to find opportunities. It’s not what you know but who you know is a classic, but the above phrasing may suit better if you’re looking to create your own vision of work – and for that you’ll still need others and lots of support.
 
What are your career goals?
I want to become a cinematographer of feature films and some TV series. I have goals to create fiction and documentary styles working in Australia, the BBC and Netflix. I will also continue my writing and filming short films to continue creating my style of work while I find my place in the film industry.
 
What keeps you motivated to do this?
Since I’m new in starting to figure out the industry and even still the style of cinematography I love, I don’t always feel confident in myself to really make this a career and I slow down. But what motivates me in those moments is picking up a camera or thinking up shots in my head that I want to create; filmmaking gives me a joy and an energy that keeps me motivated to keep trying.
 
What would you be doing if you weren’t shooting films?
I would be writing, doing screenplays rather than novels. I had started my film degree with the intention of studying film so I could write them and potentially directing as I had enjoyed the process of creating a film in my final year of highschool. Though I later fell in love with cinematography, I still write and find regularly brainstorming short story or single scene ideas lends to creating shots that hold a meaning, a progression for the story; I believe imagery is purposeful in not only creating art but for reading between the lines. 

Thanks Laura, it will be interesting to see where your career takes you. All the best with whatever you choose to do.