A director with direction

Today, Adam Browne is a director of photography and gear technician for Staples VR, one of the leading virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) companies in New Zealand. But just two years ago, Adam was beginning his Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) (MFA (CP)) in Film at Victoria University of Wellington.

Adam, who says that he’d always wanted to go into postgraduate study, saw that the MFA(CP) was a new programme and was intrigued. Coming from the small coastal city of Napier, Adam also liked the idea of studying at the University’s Miramar Creative Centre so close to the film hub of Wellington. Once he arrived, Adam says, his time at the University pushed him out of his comfort zone in a variety of ways.

For example, Dr Paul Wolffram, senior lecturer and coordinator of the MFA(CP) in Film programme,  required Adam to direct a short film entirely in Mandarin Chinese. And beyond creative work, Adam also says that he experienced a more diverse community at the University: “I loved the people. Everyone was very welcoming and different, in a way that you are allowed to be outside the confines of small-town New Zealand.”

The results of challenging himself in this way have been obvious: Last year, Adam won the New Zealand Cinematographers Society’s “Best Student Cinematography” Gold Award for his work on Hark—a short film written and directed by fellow MFA(CP) graduate Karl Kessel. For that project, Adam says, he felt freed to use light, composition, and naturalistic cinematography to “delve into the mind of the main character.”

In terms of the future, Adam says that he hopes to “rise through the ranks” of New Zealand cinematographers as he continues his career in film. He likes to think his MFA(CP) puts him “head and shoulders” above other candidates for jobs.

“My career has only just begun,” Adam says. “Hopefully I get the opportunity to shoot more projects, be they short films, music videos, commercials, or feature films.”

So, what advice would Adam offer to aspiring members of the film industry? “Film is not an easy industry to get into… Expect to work hard to get to a position where you are actually working in film,” he says. “Work the hardest you possibly can.”