She credits the support of her teachers and fellow student crew for the success of her own documentary ‘The Truth Untold’.
#saecrew
– student edition –
NAME: PARIS WILLIAMS
CAMPUS: BRISBANE
DISCIPLINE: BACHELOR OF FILM (PRODUCTION)
What are your plans for when you graduate?
After graduation, my plan is to move to Sydney to undertake a master’s degree in documentary filmmaking. I would also love to get back into theatre acting and hone those skills as well.
Can you share an artist or professional in your discipline that inspires you?
I am really inspired by Sarah Polley. She created a documentary called ‘Stories We Tell’, which became not only one of my favourite films, but also motivated me to create documentaries about real people, especially those closest to us as they can be the most interesting storytellers.
GETTING INVOLVED
Could you please tell us a little about your involvement with SAE campus life?
SAE has a large range of activities that students can be a part of, one of the most memorable for myself, was being able to run a live set for Open Day. This required directing actors and managing the set for patrons to come and watch, this experience was thrilling, and I loved being able to simulate a real working set for the public to see how SAE students work.
STUDYING AT SAE
What projects have you worked on?
I’ve worked on a range of short films, TVCs and promotional videos and I struggled for a while to really find my niche, however, after entering studio two, I found myself falling in love with documentary filmmaking.
I had the privilege of writing and directing a major project, a documentary about my father called ‘The Truth Untold’. This doco was extremely personal and quite emotionally taxing, however to this day, it is the project I am most proud of, I had an amazing crew working with me and I was extremely proud of the end result.
What do you enjoy most about Film?
I really admire the creative freedom and support we get. Filmmaking can be quite difficult, so having not only a supportive crew, but supportive lecturers really make a difference. We are also encouraged to try new ideas and experiment as much as we can, which allows us to grow more confident.
What advice would you give to someone considering coming to SAE?
Pursue your passions and dreams! Taking chances more often than not is about overcoming your fears, and every time you take a big risk, whenever you look back on it, you are glad you took it. So, don’t be afraid to try and just take that next step to your goals.
Do you have any helpful tips to share with fellow students?
Live in the moment. I think we all get a little bit blinded by the analytics, schedules and rush of university life, especially working on a film set can be quite fast-paced, however, we’ve got to remember to take a moment and allow our creative fields to become our escape. And always take coffee breaks, it helps more than you think!
Who are 3 people you would invite to dinner, dead or alive?
Ryan Gosling, Robin Williams and Kathy Bates.
