Please tell us about yourself.
Thanks for asking me to do a profile, what an honour. I’m Bec Taylor, I’m 24 and I’ve been working in the industry for around two years now, so still full of enthusiasm and excitement for every job - which I’m told will deplete as time goes on, but currently I’m still walking around set beaming and happy to be here! 


 
How did it come about that you decided to work in our industry?
My Dad loved stills cameras and I always gravitated towards that, I loved taking photos and learning from him and I was always shooting stills throughout high school. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I really discovered the world of video, at first I wanted to be an editor and spent hours watching Adobe After Effects tutorials, trying my hand at compositing and motion graphics. But it wasn’t long before I realised that I enjoying being around people and being social too much to spend that much time sitting in a dark edit suite, so I decided that camera department was for me! 
 
As many do, I came up through the industry through Channel 44, while studying Media Arts at UniSA, where I got to do both camera operating and be Assistant Operations Manager. This was incredible experience and led to me connecting too many local filmmakers and creatives. While previewing programs I came across Stephanie Jaclyn and reached out to her to work on her next short film, In The Wake which SA ACS member Michael Tessari was shooting.

I am so grateful to have learnt so much on that first short about camera assisting, having known nothing beforehand I did my best to soak up as much knowledge as I could from the experienced and lovely crew surrounding me. From that one job I met people who have now become great friends and who went on to bring me on other shorts and commercials. I’m so grateful that they gave me a chance when I’m sure I looked like a scared deer in the headlights! 
 
Have you had any mentors?
At the end of last year I was involved with the SAFC & MRC’s Masters’ Apprentices scheme where I was paired with ACS committee member Rod Bolton! We only had to meet up four times over eight weeks, but we got along so well and Rod has so much insight to share, that we ended up meeting about twice a week for those eight weeks! Whether our meetings were chatting over coffee, with Rod showing me how to use different light meters, or meeting up with other industry professionals, or practicing a camera build at Picture Hire, we were always having a great time and I was always learning so much! 
 
Bonnie Paku has also been an incredible mentor and inspiration to me. Her passion for what she does and the perfect balance between being professional and also finding time to have fun, is how I aspire to work also. We worked together on The Unknown Man and not that long ago finished up on The Tourist, both which have been incredible experiences. She always has great advice to share and always willing to help and teach and I’ve learnt so much from her. Nothing bonds people together like eight weeks in the Flinders Ranges - I truly have so much admiration and appreciation for Bonnie.

 Pic: Just a little dusty! Having a blast camera assisting in the Flinders Ranges on 2nd Unit of The Tourist. Photo by Maxx Corkindale.

What’s the best advice you ever received?
Don’t stand in doorways and always be kind. 
 
What’s the best thing about working in our business?
The best thing is definitely the places we go and the people we meet. We’re so lucky to be let into such intimate corners of people’s lives, particularly in documentary and that’s something that I really love. Not only am I constantly learning in camera department, we also get to learn so much from people outside of the film world, who let us in to capture their lives.

A highlight for me and an experience that I never thought I’d have, happened last year on an episode of Catalyst for the ABC. I was camera assisting and data wrangling a brain surgery and a spinal readjustment. Lucky I have a strong stomach, because checking through that footage was brutal! Never did I think I would be in the room where a brain surgery was happening, that was very surreal and such an amazing experience.

Pic: Me carrying the Sony Venice with Rialto and a 100mm Atlas Orion - such a long build! Photo by Sian Bates.
 
Tell us something about yourself that not many people know, do you have any hidden talents?
I love bouldering - but if you know me this won’t be a surprise at all as I talk about it a lot. When I’m not working I try to go 2two to three times a week. It’s so much fun and the community is so welcoming and supportive and a great way to build overall strength, but particularly grip strength. I highly recommend it! 
 
What are your goals and plans for the future? 
I've just started working on Beep & Mort, the new ABC children’s show. I'm so excited to work on something that's completely different to anything I've worked on before! I’m also looking forward to hopefully squeezing shooting some things into my weekends. Working on Unknown Man and The Tourist, and seeing Sam Chiplin, Ben Wheeler & Geoff Hall ACS’ different styles of shooting and watching them work makes me so excited to create things of my own. I shot a short film last year called Assimilation and I just loved the process so much, I can’t wait to get stuck into being creative again and taking what I’ve learnt and put it into practice. 
 
Thanks Bec and good luck with your career and your future projects.

Pic: When the sun shines, we do some washing! A clean truck is a happy truck. Photo with Camera Truck Loader Hamish Tamlin.