Kia Ora. I'm Chris.
I’ve been directing for decades across all film specialities, which has taken me from my base in New Zealand, to shooting all around the world. I appreciate my career of creative adventures, and the chance to make powerful pieces that emotively move people. From my early years of directing, I decided to embrace all creative categories of filmmaking, as you’ll see in the diverse range of work below. I feel rich from my varied experiences, and I’m always hungry for what’s next.
Commercials
I love all the challenges of each discipline. Like my TV commercial reel above, I embrace the challenge of short precision shots to maximise the emotive storytelling within a tight exact duration. Commercials are the shortest of short films, and I thrive on creatively conducting them into their most memorable potential.
Documentaries
I honour telling human stories that inspire and move the audience. So recently I’ve gravitated towards long form documentaries for TV, and also short portraiture series, yet with the most cinematic cinematography that suits the subjects. I then persue the most authentic moments from both interviews and the actuality, navigating the person to be the most open and vulnerable version of themselves on screen. As this is what touches, and ideally, inspires our audience.
TV Series
Directing truthful performances is my happy place. Whether it’s psychological drama scenes, high energy action, or authentic comedy, I love working with actors to draw the best out of their personal potential. Nowadays, TV series is like the new cinema. As a director, I adore creatively collaborating with others to elevate the dramatic storytelling within this long form playground.
Music videos
Are freeform visual poetry to me. I built my creative foundation and young reputation through these award-winning music videos, starting my catalogue directing hip hop videos in NYC in the golden era of the 90’s. As a Director, it also allows me to be the writer, imagining a concept that will elevate the meaning or themes of a powerful song. My video adventures have taken me to shoot for both local and international artists in Samoa, LA & NYC. Soon after, these music videos brought me high-end commercial work, and then also approached to direct box office hit feature films.
I started my younger commercial career at the internationally renowned company FlyingFish, and some of my award-winning commercials have featured on bestadsontv.com. I thrive from working with new talent, and directing people to be the fullest versions of themselves that they can be on screen.
Of my three major feature films, our acclaimed rom-com ‘Sione’s Wedding’ is New Zealand’s 6th highest grossing movie yet, with the biggest box office opening weekend of a NZ film ever. I then embraced an opposite genre, with the psychological horror film, ‘The Ferryman’, starring John Rhys Davies and Kerry Fox. For my third film, I co-directed the HipHop dance feature, ‘Born to Dance’ starring Stan Walker and the world renowned choreographer Parris Goebal. My next feature films are currently in development.
More recently in TV land, I directed 12 episodes of ‘Power Rangers / Dino Fury’ for Netflix, and the final 2 episodes of ‘The Panthers’ for TVNZ - where I was nominated for ‘Best Drama Director’. I then turned to long form documentaries, directing ‘Kia Ora, Good Evening’ with Mike McRoberts for TV3, and then ‘Scribe, Return of the Crusader’ for TVNZ, which won ‘Best Factual Director’ at the NZTV awards, in 2022.
Having lived and worked in New York for 7 years, then London, Los Angeles and Auckland, I’m a global multi-genre director with a back catalogue of filmmaking spanning 30 years. I’ve been told I’m a rare breed, spanning across all genres and disciplines, embracing the challenge of each form. I’m always searching for the next emotive and powerful project, to direct it towards its fullest and most memorable potential.
