My short film ‘Siberian Summer’ has won the Grand Prix at the 2021 Mosor Film Festival! It is a lovely festival set in the beautiful mountains of Croatia. Although I wasn’t able to attend it looked like a fabulous event under the stars. Apart from the film festival, there was everything from live music, storytelling, social walks, to planting trees. I hope to visit this part of the world one day, and time it for this event!
I’m very happy ‘Siberian Summer’ has been selected for Mountainfilm International Film Festival Graz, an awesome film festival in Austria. There looks to be so many amazing films in their program, I am honoured to be part of it!
So if you happen to be in Austria…
For the festival website click here.
‘Siberian Summer’ has just received a special jury award and will have its world premiere at this years New Zealand Mountain Film Festival
It was a labour of love and a huge task to edit but I’m pleased it will be seen on the big screen. So if you happen to be in Wanaka or Queenstown in the end of June be sure to check it out.
Helping a friend on a shoot in far west NSW documenting a stories of an Aboriginal elder. Absolutely stunning country! Afterwards I had a play with some photography at a lovely bush camp.
The short film 'Apricot', for which I was Director of Photography, is up on ABC iview. Shot over two days with a great cast and crew, it is fantastic to see the final result of our efforts. Watch the short film here
The young Karis Town having no problems with the extreme close up!
The fantastic Aviva Sheeb’a was excellent in the role of the Grandmother.
Production Designer, Laurie Verling, went the extra mile!
For three days the Cockle Bay Marina at Darling Harbour was packed with a huge range of boats at the Sydney International Boat show. While the huge super yachts were amazing to film on for Al Kaas TV, the highlight was an adventure underneath the Darling Harbour wharf. 007 style, we weaved our way under the unsuspecting people and stealthily filmed the super yachts from the water.
My Letus Helix Jr gimbal was perfect for this style of shooting.
About to go under the wharf!
Under the Cockle Bay wharf, we had to duck!
All the pre-production paid off and we had a successful shoot of the short film 'Things Lost & Found', a fictional story about an African couple who recently immigrated to Australia. The story focuses on how they cope both individually, and as a couple, with the cultural challenges faced when trying to gain employment in a new country.
Working as Director of Photography there were the usual unexpected challenges, including two location changes less than 24 hours before shooting! The whole team worked very hard over four days, in close to 40 degree heat in a small apartment. Special thanks to my 1st AC, Dewa Bagus, for his tireless work during the shoot.
A shoot for Wargaming Asia is never dull. This time the location was on a property up near Mt Tamborine, QLD, where a unique business called 'Tank Ride' operates. It was here that the big Wargaming Gathering Team challenge took place. Two teams from Korea and Taiwan went head to head, and so did the exciting 'Tank versus Car' challenge (it's probably no surprise who won there). Lots of dust and action!
Little did I know how much fun two days shooting for Wargaming Asia would be! At the Lithgow Ironfest I was able to film from inside several tanks, as well as be in the thick of the action on the ground with the soldiers during a re-enacted battlescene. The Australian Armoured Vehicle Association rolled out some classic tanks, some of which had visible battle scars from the 6 Day War and WW2.
Wargaming Asia at Lithgow Ironfest
Getting prepared for the battle action
Had a great time with the fun team from Woolmark. They were shooting a variety of sports in the Blue Mountains with merino activewear. I was involved with shooting some rock-climbing scenes in a tricky position on an overhanging wall. Unfortunately the weather had other plans in the afternoon with one of the heaviest downpours I've seen in the mountains.
Photo: Ben Sanford
What a great shoot! - filming English cricketer Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff for Sky TV's Freddie Fries Down Under show. I was right with Freddie and his sidekick Rob Penn, filming them abseiling down cliffs, climbing, and sleeping overnight on a porta-ledge. With a drone buzzing in and out, and three cameras capturing the action from the cliff tops, it should no doubt be a great episode. The Gazette has a news piece here.
With the growing interest in vertical format film and video, Adam and I are excited to be running the second Vertical Film Festival to be held in Katoomba on 21 May 2016.
Entries for ⇧THIS WAY UP⇧ vertical video competition are rolling in, and we have locked in a great venue at the new Carrington Brewery. Call for entries for the competition ⇧THIS WAY UP⇧ for videos up to 3 minutes, close 30 April 2016.
The festival will also showcase vertical film and video from around the world in the out-of-competition section called TALL SHORTS.
Venue: Carrington Brewery, Parke St, Katoomba
When: 21 May 2016, bar opens 7.30pm, screenings start at 8pm.
Back in 2009 I did my first commercial job - a canyoning promotional video for the Australian School of Mountaineering.
Six years later that video is still used by ASM and is one of their key tools for promoting the Empress canyon trip.
I recently bought the new iPhone 6 and had it with me on the multi-day Nadgee wilderness walk with a few friends. We had a bit of fun playing with the slow motion video option on some sand dunes. This is the result...
My brother, Adam Sebire, and I ran The First Vertical Film Festival in the Blue Mountains on 17 October 2014. The festival showcased tall-screen (9:16) format film in and out-of-competition section called TALL SHORTS, and included the world's first competition for vertical film and video of works under 3 minutes in ⇧THIS WAY UP⇧.
The venue was St Hilda's Church in the main street of Katoomba, and the tall screen looked great under the high, arched roof of the church. Vertical films and videos are flourishing as new types of screens and cameras allow people to shoot in non-traditional formats.
It was a massive undertaking, but Gemma Woldendorp and I organised the Australian Climbing Festival which ran over 17-19 October 2014. The planning took more than one and a half years, and the event included international and national climbers and adventurers making presentations, running workshops and discussion panels, as well as a whole suite of other great stuff from films, demonstrations, an industry trade show, to the National and Oceania Bouldering competition on a purpose-built comp wall, and which attracted a huge crowd.
Although my organiser commitments meant I couldn't video the festival myself, my brother Adam Sebire did a great job, and I edited the resulting footage into a highlights reel.
When coming up with ideas for a promotional video for the Australian Climbing Festival, I thought I would try my hand at stop motion animation. This was the result...
What an amazing experience! Not only was the festival an amazing experience but with my short film 'Resounding Silence' being selected as a finalist, I had the opportunity to watch it on the big screen with a packed audience of about 1000. Moments like these make all the hours, weeks, months of effort seem worthwhile. Amazing vibe at the festival and so many inspiring films.
Onstage taking a Q&A after the screening
