About us

 
David Muir is well-known and respected as a screen writer, a director and a director of photography.

A cinematographer with extensive experience, David's prestigious accreditation from both the Australian Cinematographers Society and the British Society of Cinematographers, as well as his awards in Australia, Spain, the UK and USA, ensures high visual quality in Making of Movies productions.

He has worked in over 30 countries, shooting everything from seven feature films such as Monty Python's And Now For Something Completely Different, as well as two British television series, many music clips, award-winning TVCs and documentaries in out-of-the way and dangerous locations.

David has directed dozens of high-end corporate videos – clients include leading manufacturers, government and property developers. He has also made many top-flight TVCs for big and small clients, winning Australian and international awards.

David has had multiple roles over many years on professional bodies such as the Australian Directors Guild and the Australian Cinematographers Society. Mentoring and his popular guest lectures and workshops keep him in touch with the next generation of filmmakers. To book David for a guest lecture or workshop, contact davidmuir1@mac.com.

David brings to Making of Movies a breadth and depth of experience which gives him the empathy and creative skills a production team needs when working on a 'making of'.

Rilke's writing skills are much in demand, for film scripts and the print media. She has been a features writer for major technical and design magazines titles. International manufacturing clients value her analytical skills and intuitive grasp of complicated subjects.

Editing and writing statements on over 900 creative works (from painters, jewellers, sculptors, writers, designers, architects, video makers, curators, fashion designers and animators etc.) has been an ongoing assignment for the RMIT University ERA non-traditional works collection over three years. Rilke is able to help these creative people tell the stories behind the making of their works.

With a BA in Sociology, Rilke knows exactly how to suss out present and future audiences as well as wider potential markets – skills much appreciated by Making of Movies clients in planning the audio-visual aspects of their overall campaigns.

It must be 'in the genes' when it comes to camerawork, with David and Rilke making a fine camera team for low-budget assignments and pick-up shots.

Long-term producer and production manager for The Write Direction in Sydney, Rilke established an enviable reputation for the smooth running of her shoots, whether corporate videos for developers, manufacturers and community groups, or top-end advertisers for TV and radio commercials. All her productions come in on time and under budget.

Organisational skills are applied widely – to conferences, road shows, Think Tanks, and, with creative flair – to marketing and advertising programs and planning.

See The Past to learn something of our past work, both in Australia and overseas.

Olivia Olley is proving to be a unique filmmaker with a great ability to tell the visual story. Her natural talent is aided by the combination of her background in acting and theatre and her degree in screenwriting and video production. As a film director Olivia's forte is in documentary. Her short documentary HOOKED premiered at the St Kilda Film Festival 2011. Olivia was interviewed by the director of the festival, Paul Harris, on his 3RRR program, Film Buff's Forecast (21 May, 2011). HOOKED continues to enjoy attention, such as screening at the 2011 Melbourne Underground Film Festival. Her previous short films have screened at acclaimed venues such as the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) and smaller film festivals around Australia. Olivia says she was delighted to join the team at Making of Movies (in mid-2011) and has quickly added value to in-concept projects and impresses us as a natural when it comes to direction.
A future Beresford? Most likely.

Lisa Mann, Production Manager, is living proof that there are some pommies who are not whingers, and that Gen Y can be motivated and efficient. Lisa is the calm force when storms are all around and she ensures smooth-sailing for us all. Her goal is to contribute to the success of each production by coordinating decisively and methodically. She does this armed with energy and fuelled by her dedication to visual story telling.

Our outstanding young editor, Paul Sutherland, has a background in educational filmmaking and music videos, with a great and ever-developing eye for visual relationships and an acute ear for music.

Film music is the specialty of our team member Jonathon "Joff" Bush, who composed and performed music for many shorts and independent feature films as well as The Third Act and both versions of The Maestros for Making of Movies. Joff currently teaches composition and performance in Brisbane. He has the skill to understand the director's brief and the versatility to create just the right music to contribute fully to our productions.

With the great number of interviews we do – most to be archived for posterity – fast and accurate transcripts are a must. Kathy Kang has been doing these intelligently and reliably for us for several years.

A long-term stalwart of our core team is Andrew Blogg, a filmmaker who has been a finalist in the ATOM awards Best Tertiary Education Resource category. Andrew mainly contributes his skills in video camerawork – a subject he also teaches at the Victorian College of the Arts School of Film and Television.

The moment that Kate Lefoe, camera operator looked through the lens of a video camera she knew where her passion lay. Her love of visual storytelling led her to enroll at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), where she was quickly recognised as an up-and-coming cinematographer. Kate has played a key role in the camera departments of numerous short films and music video clip productions. Projects include ground-breaking educational research at RMIT University, VCA student films, events such as Underground Cinema and education videos for the University of Melbourne.

Andrea Rassell is a regular talented camera operator on the Making of Movies team. A science graduate with a strong creative bent, she started writing film reviews at university and recently completed a one-year course at the Victorian College of the Arts School of Film and TV. Andrea has assisted camera departments on both short and feature length films in Australia, Germany and New Zealand.