A 2018 graduate of Victoria University of Wellington’s Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) (MFA(CP)), Adam worked as a cinematographer on Hark—a short film written and directed by fellow MFA(CP) graduate Karl Kessel.

“Working on this short was very freeing in terms of what we could do with the look of the film,” says Adam. “Using light and composition to delve into the mind of the main character was particularly important to the team and we wanted the cinematography to be naturalistic,” he says.

Unsure of what the judges were looking for, Adam says winning the award came as a bit of a surprise. “It’s hard to know with any competition, but thankfully the NZCS judges thought our film was of a high enough quality to warrant the award,” he says.

Adam says he has wanted to make films ever since he can remember. “I never really knew if a career in the industry was possible, I just knew I wanted to make film,” he says. “The MFA(CP) opened up opportunities to meet like-minded people and make connections with other filmmakers.”

Since completing the MFA(CP), Adam has secured a job as a film colourist with Park Road Post Production.