90 Seconds Creator spotlight: Brett Williams

Remote Video Shoot
Table of content
  1. Introduction
  2. Returning to Melbourne
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90 Seconds
7 years ago・3 min read

While growing up in regional Victoria, Brett Williams spent most of his time watching movies and climbing trees. So it seems fitting that he ended up as a video producer creating heaps of work outdoors.

After graduating from Deakin University’s Bachelor of Media Arts in the early 2000’s, Brett built upon his love for cinematography by taking a role at Lemac Film and Digital in Melbourne.

Brett’s life took a ‘side trip’ when he discovered rock climbing where he met a girl and relocated to Christchurch, New Zealand. During a two-year apprenticeship in climbing, he absorbed himself in the sport and all that he was able to learn in that time.

At the end of the program, he put his filmmaking knowledge to use. He made a documentary about the Canterbury climbing scene called ‘Beyond The Plains’. It screened at the NZ Mountain Film Festival. The documentary was even used for fundraising events in Australia for Christchurch earthquake relief in 2011.

Returning to Melbourne

In 2010, Brett returned to Melbourne and returned to work at Lemac Film and Digital. He took on a role that involved camera assisting, shooting, editing, testing, content creation, training, marketing, and much more. After a few years in Melbourne, he made the foray into the world of freelance video production.

Today, Brett is a videographer with over 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Lemac film and Digital as a Project Officer

His time at Lemac Film and Digital as a Project Officer allowed him to gather a large amount of technical knowledge and experience from the heady days of shooting motion picture film to tapeless digital acquisition.

Now he works mostly for larger production companies as a shooter and/or editor. He’s involved in a wide range of projects, either as a single operator or as part of a team.

In addition to running his company, Side Trip Productions, Brett is still an avid rock climber and outdoor enthusiast. He shoots numerous climbing videos. And several of which have screened at international mountain film festivals and featured in online climbing publications.

Earlier this year, he completed a short documentary about an expedition to discover untapped climbing potential on a remote island in Tonga. After that, he continues to develop other documentary ideas to this day.

We caught up with Brett recently to learn more about his journey. In particular, we wanted to discover how he has reached the point where he gets to choose his work and manages to create such stunning material:

Did you always know you wanted to be a filmmaker?

Strangely, yes. An obsession with film has been one of those attributes that defined me since childhood. I don’t know why, but it’s well and truly ingrained. That, and climbing.

What was the hardest part about starting your career as a filmmaker?

Having the confidence and self-assurance to keep going. I often feel like others are creating much better work than me.

How did you make the transition from hobby part-time work to professional epic client list?

I’ve never seen shooting anything as a hobby. I always treated the work professionally, even if it was unpaid. Eventually, somehow over time, it evolved. It’s still evolving.

What advice would you give to new creators who want to develop their careers?

Work your tail off and create projects that you’re passionate about. Learn from others and your own experiences, and try not to get caught in the social media loop of comparing yourself with other creators, it’s never really what it seems anyway. Focus on a goal and see it through.

You can see more of Brett’s work on http://www.sidetrip.com.au/

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