Written by Griffith Film School student and director Cameron March
Griffith Film School students were offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with renowned actor Hugo Weaving as part of LiveLab, the commercial arm of the Film School in Brisbane. I was lucky enough to one of the students involved in the project.
LiveLab operates as an in-house production studio and is a one of a kind establishment, offering students unique opportunities to work in the film industry while studying. LiveLab’s Creative Director, Richard Fabb, was instrumental in bringing Hugo to Brisbane to work with us. The experience was a fantastic addition to our professional careers and CVs and truly reflected what it was like to work in an industry setting.
My role was to direct Hugo in an awareness video for Autism QLD. When Richard approached me to direct the piece I felt a great deal of responsibility and honour. The opportunity to work with an internationally renowned — yet still humble – actor was an unbelievable experience.
Hugo is known for many roles such as Mr. Smith in The Matrix Trilogies, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings and Red Skull in Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger. He has not only dominated the international film industry, but has amazed audiences with notable performances in Australian films Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Little Fish and Mystery. Knowing the calibre of actor we were working with made the whole experience so much more surreal.
To direct a man who has been directed by the likes of Peter Jackson (LOTR), George Miller (Mad Max) and Michael Bay (Transformers) left me feeling very overwhelmed. Despite this, the shoot was a breeze due to Hugo’s kindness and professionalism. We also had the pleasure of working with Hugo’s nephew Ky Greenwood, who did an unbelievable job in assisting us to tell his story.
The film we shot is comprised of both live action and animation elements. We are all extremely excited to give back to a great cause like autism awareness in the form of this video and hope Hugo’s participation will boost awareness for Autism Spectrum Disorder. The crew was extremely professional and proficient throughout the shoot, which made my job as the director that much easier. The overall experience was incredible and couldn’t have been possible without LiveLab and Griffith Film School.
