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LAST FIVE INTERNATIONAL CREDITS

Okja; The Great Wall; Hacksaw Ridge; Mad Max: Fury Road; Alex Cross.

DESCRIBE YOUR JOB

I’m there to allow the director their creative voice. I’m an organiser, communicator and facilitator talking to the crew to fulfil the director’s vision within the constraints of time and budget. I look after the nuts and bolts, the logistics; the director looks after the creative side.

TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE MORE MEMORABLE PROJECTS YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN

The ones I look back on the most fondly are films like The Year My Voice Broke, John Duigan’s very personal coming of age story. We shot in Braidwood (rural NSW) and it felt like a great summer holiday where we made a great film. It’s very rare to have a great experience and make a great film at the same time. Working for (film and TV production house) Kennedy Miller Mitchell in the 80s on all their TV series was like a family.

MOST CHALLENGING REQUEST ON AN INTERNATIONAL FILM SHOOT

In Australia, one of my biggest was Stealth. We had to do a huge explosion and had 13 cameras, a helicopter and pretend snow; director Rob Cohen wanted to do it all for real.

HOW DID YOU MEET THE CHALLENGE?

It was all in the planning. We were in good hands with Rob and director of photography Dean Semmler. It went off smoothly and it was good to see we could do something that big here. You do it once and then it’s easy the next time.

CRAZIEST MOMENT ON SET

Crazy gives a sense of out of control. My big “gosh” or “wow” moment was on Mad Max: Fury Road. I knew the storyboards inside out as I’d been working on them for a decade. The opening scenes that established Max on Max’s car then swings around in one shot and ends up on the Doof Warrior. I’d seen that image for a decade or more but when you’re there I had to stop and take a breath. “We’re here in the African desert and making this happen.” When we started Fury Road I didn’t have any kids and [by the time it ended] my 12-year-old son was one of the War Boys.

FAVOURITE ACTIVITY IN AUSTRALIA

It’s so rare that I’m home. Boogie boarding at Murramarang on the NSW South Coast. There’s one thing I do at the end of every job and that’s have a round of golf with a mate at Northbridge or Chatswood (NSW). It’s a signal to me that I’ve stopped working. And I’ve had just three rounds in the last few years.

FAVOURITE PART OF AUSTRALIA

South Coast, NSW.

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING…

I’d like to be able to clear up under my house.

I’D LOVE TO WORK WITH…

Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, the Coen brothers. They are all such assured filmmakers who film with a distinct visual flair. Tarantino would be amazing to talk with between set ups. His knowledge is par none.

I KNEW I WANTED TO WORK IN FILM AND TELEVISION WHEN…

I grew up in the 70s and was totally transfixed by the Irwin Allen disaster movies like The Poseidon Adventure. I was totally hypnotised by the special effects and read (behind-the-scenes trickery magazine) Movie Magic and thought that’s where I’d like to be.

WHAT IS YOUR WORK MOTTO OR PHILOSOPHY?

To be the best you can and treat everyone with respect and dignity.