Nicolette Freeman

Lecturer

Nicolette Freeman holds BAs from University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), where she specialised in cinematography. While at AFTRS, Nicolette worked with filmmaking colleagues such as Alex Proyas, Jocelyn Moorehouse, Paul J Hogan, Jane Campion, Alison Tilson and Sue Brooks. Nicolette's graduating film at AFTRS, Letters of Sylvia Plath, was a winner in the 1985 Greater Union Awards at the Sydney Film Festival, and a finalist that year at the AFI Awards. Since graduating in the mid 1980's, Nicolette has shot many acclaimed drama and documentary films, including Road to Nhill, the first feature film directed by her film school colleague, Sue Brooks.

After graduating from film school Nicolette produced and co-directed the documentary, Eclipse of the Man-Made Sun. This hour-long film, fully funded by the Australian Film Commission and a pre-sale to ABC Television, uses a visually rich palette of archival and experimental imagery to examine the language and symbolism of nuclear energy and weapons. It was widely screened and awarded at international film festivals, including the highly regarded Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival, the San Francisco Film Festival and the Yamagata Documentary film festival in Japan, where Nicolette was an invited guest. Eclipse of the Man-Made Sun screened on Australian television in 1991.

Throughout this period Nicolette taught 16mm film production at UTS, between her production commitments. In the early 90's Nicolette moved to Melbourne where she continued her work as Director of Photography for local filmmakers such as Sarah Watt, Sue Maslin and John Hughes.

Nicolette continued her involvement in screen education with teaching appointments at Melbourne University, School of Creative Arts, RMIT Department of Creative Media, and Open Channel.

In 1995 Nicolette participated, as a cinematographer, in the inaugural Indigenous Narrative Drama Visual Storytelling Workshop. This A.F.C. initiated filmmaking workshop for indigenous directors led to the production of the exciting drama and documentary series of films known collectively as From Sand to Celluloid.

Nicolette has also sat, several times, on judging panels for the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards and for the Dendy Awards for short film at the Sydney Film Festival.

In 2000 Nicolette produced and co-directed Leaping Off the Edge. This engaging documentary, which screened on SBS Television in 2001, follows Melbourne's innovative Women's Circus, as they prepare for their annual season of performance. Leaping Off the Edge tells the story of the circus's beginnings as a therapeutic vehicle for survivors of sexual assault and how the circus has grown over its ten year life.

In 1998 Nicolette took up a teaching position, in film production, at the VCA School of Film and Television and has worked sessionally in the School until her recent appointment as full-time lecturer in the under-graduate stream for 2006.

During 2004 / 05 Nicolette directed and co-produced a 2 part documentary series, The Lifestyle Experts, pre-sold to SBS Television and funded by investments from Film Victoria and the Australian Film Commission. The Lifestyle Experts follows frantic, time-poor families who are so off the rails that they call in professionals to help them rebalance work and family life. The series meets the two newest breeds of personal aides, the Lifestyle Manager and the Life Coach. The Lifestyle Experts is due for screening on SBS in late 2006.

Nicolette is currently enrolled in a Masters by Research at the VCA, looking at the use of metaphor in the documentary film.