Biography

With 20 years of experience in the film and television industry, Sam Collins is an award winning freelance Cinematographer based in Sydney, Australia.

If one word could some up Sam’s career it would be diversity, with his vast experience including commercials, promos, documentaries, TV series and drama.

Working his way through the Camera Department to DOP, Sam also worked as a stills photographer, predominantly in the music industry, shooting for magazines such as Rolling Stone and with world recognised artists including Faith No More and Midnight Oil.

As a cinematographer, Sam’s work has traversed from DOP at MTV Australia to children’s programs for both Channels 9 and 7, reality series, commercials for multiple advertising agencies, music videos, docudramas for the History Channel and the BBC, feature films, as well as over 100 Promos and a 10 year association with the National Geographic Channel taking him all over Australia and the world.

With a range of clients so broad, Sam is always working with different formats, experimenting with new techniques and staying abreast of the latest cutting-edge technologies of the industry. His vast experience includes film, Red, Weisscam, Alexia, Phantom, F65/35, C300 and 5D cameras.

In 2008, Sam shot his first feature film, the critically acclaimed Bitter and Twisted. The film received several AFI nominations and premiered at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York, winning the ‘Sleeper Hit’ award. In 2012, Sam completed filming of the yet-to-be-released horror feature The Jungle.

Sam relishes the opportunity to work closely with his Directors and prides himself on always bringing that little bit extra to any project he works on, no matter what the budget. The Australian film industry is renowned for breeding creative and adaptable professionals who are adept at making small budgets look huge on screen and who get things done no matter what the circumstances.