At Commtract, our community of experts are the lifeblood of our business. One initiative we are taking on is featuring more of our experts to showcase their unique talent, ready to be engaged on our marketplace. We interviewed Sue Roberts, a Commtractor, Videographer & Digital Storyteller – keep on reading to find out about her.

1. What are you famous for?

-My Great Grandfather was the famous impressionist Australian artist Tom Roberts.
-I worked for Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation on a series of video interviews with Holocaust survivors – a truly amazing project.

2. What interesting skills and experience do you bring to the table as a contractor?

-Strong project scoping, conceptualising, script writing & researching skills
-A strong emphatic nature enabling people to reveal their authentic stories.
-Excellent directing and interviewing skills enhanced by an ability to facilitate the revelation of truth through stories.
-Excellent camera, sound, lighting & editing skills informed by a visual sense that recognises authenticity.

3. Do you have any entertaining stories about this contracting life?

I worked on some amazing & inspirational digital stories last year for the City of Greater Geelong, interviewing women leaders, both experienced and emerging. We spoke to 20 women ahead of International Women’s Day 2018 and asked them, “What are the qualities of a good leader?” Check out the clip here.

4. What, in your opinion, are the most important qualities in a Videographer?

-It is critical to remain calm, & to be reassuring to the talent in front of the camera.

-Be prepared for any filming situation.

-Have an even balance of organisational, practical and creative skills.

-Excellent communication skills with clients.

-Excellent and intuitive shot making skills, lighting, sound recording.

5. What have been your favourite types of projects/engagements/roles/clients?

-I love working on digital stories that reveal a person’s passion, whether it be for their job, the organisation they work for, their family, their life experiences, their community, their ‘reason for being’.

-I love telling stories that will ultimately engage, inform, educate, illuminate and do good for a community of people and/or the broader community.

-I’ve enjoyed working at a local & state government level on stories around bushfire emergencies.

6. You’ve been in the industry for over a decade – what have been the major shifts in videography, and what do you think is set to change in 2020?

More and more videographers are favouring DSLR’s to shoot on and this seems to be a trend that is continuing. I think that these cameras will develop and become more sophisticated in order to cater for the need for high quality lenses, sound gear etc.

7. Who is/has been a great mentor to you and why?

When I was at Uni and studying History and Film my lecturer said I was naturally skilled at documentary film-making and encouraged me to apply for film school. Since then I have never looked back

8. If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I’d be: