Aaron Smith

about

Aaron Smith is a freelance cinematographer, director and producer working across documentary, drama, comedy and commercial productions. A cinematography Masters graduate of the Australian Film Television & Radio School, he has collaborated with a diverse range of respected, innovative and awarded producers throughout Australia and across the world.

Aaron co-created, produced, directed and shot all four series of the ABC’s groundbreaking series You Can’t Ask That, winner of the prestigious Rose d’Or.

He shot Sarah Ferguson’s AACTA and Walkley award-winning documentary series Hitting Home, the Walkley-nominated investigative documentary The Queen and Zak Grieve, the ABC’s Employable Me and the primetime arts documentaries Matilda & Me and Making Muriel.

Aaron was the director of photography on the narrative comedies Plonk, How Not To Behave and ABC Fresh Blood: Be Your Own Boss.

Aaron directed and shot the provocative documentary series Dumb, Drunk and Racist and Head First for ABC2 and entertainment series The Checkout, The Hamster Wheel, Myf Warhurts’s Nice and Hungry Beast for the ABC.

His work has been recognised with Australian Cinematographer Society Awards, United Nations Association of Australia Media Awards and numerous Logie and AACTA nominations. He was also a finalist in the National Portrait Gallery's National Photographic Portrait Prize.  

He has shot commercial content for brands including The London Symphony Orchestra, The Sydney Opera House, The Commonwealth Bank, Samsung, Optus, Citibank, JP Morgan, IBM, Blackmores, Mitsubishi Electric, Vic Roads, Alzheimer's Australia and Lipton and collaborated on productions for National Geographic, TEDx Sydney, ACMI, GetUp, Griffith University, The Queensland Government and Destination NSW.

Select credits:

Cinematographer/DOP

• You Can't Ask That (39 x 20-30min doco series, ABC)
  Directed by Aaron Smith and Kirk Docker
  WINNER - Rose d'Or Best Reality and Factual Entertainment Program 2017
  WINNER - 3 x United Nations Association of Australia Media Awards 2017
  NOMINATED - AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program 2018
  NOMINATED - AACTA Award for Best Direction in Non-Fiction Television
  NOMINATED - Logie Award for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program 2018
  NOMINATED - Australian Human Rights Awards 2018

• ABC Fresh Blood: Be Your Own Boss (30min narrative comedy, ABC/Giant Dwarf))
  Directed by Henry Stone

• The Queen & Zak Grieve (6 x 13min doco series, The Australian online + In Films)
  Directed by Ivan O'Mahoney
  NOMINATED - Walkley Award for Television/Video Camerawork 2017
  NOMINATED - Walkley Award for Production 2017
  NOMINATED - Australian Screen Producers Awards - Documentary Series Award 2017
  NOMINATED - AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program 2018
  NOMINATED - Logie Award for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program 2018

• Making Muriel (1 x 60min doco, ABC + In Films)
  Directed by Nel Minchin

• Employable Me (3 x 60min, ABC + Northern Pictures)
  Directed by Cian O'Clery
  WINNER - AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program 2018
  NOMINATED - Australian Human Rights Awards 2018

• Hitting Home - With Sarah Ferguson (2 x 60min doco, ABC + In Films)
  Directed by Ivan O'Mahoney
  WINNER - Walkley Documentary Award
  WINNER - AACTA Award for Best Television Documentary
  WINNER - Amnesty International Media Award

• Hello Stranger (10 x 20min doco, ABC iView)
  Directed by Aaron Smith and Kirk Docker

• Matilda & Me (60min doco, ABC + In Films)
  Directed by Nel Minchin
  NOMINATED - AACTA Award for Best Television Documentary

• Optus - In The Pool with Ian Thorpe (Rio Olympics branded content, Jungle)
  Directed by Craig Melville

• Plonk - series 1 & 2 (12 x 30min narrative comedy, One Stone Pictures)
  Directed by Nathan Earl

• I'm You, Dickhead (short film)
  Directed by Lucas Testro
  Official selection - Flickerfest, Melbourne International Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival, Austin Film Festival

• Stop Laughing... This Is Serious (series 1-2, 6 x 60min doco, ABC + Screentime)
  Directed by Stephen Oliver and Craig Anderson

• How Not To Behave - sketches (ABC + Screentime)
  Directed by Craig Anderson

• What's The Catch? (SBS + Essential Media)
  Directed by Stephen Oliver

• Country Town Rescue (ABC + Zapruder's Other Films)
  Directed by Debbie Cuell

• L.A. Noire - cut scenes (video game, Rockstar Games + Team Bondi)

Director or Shooter/Director

• You Can't Ask That (series producer/director/cinematographer, 22 x 30min doco series, ABC)
  WINNER - Rose d'Or Best Reality and Factual Entertainment Program 2017
  WINNER - 3 x United Nations Association of Australia Media Awards 2017
  NOMINATED - AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program 2018
  NOMINATED - AACTA Award for Best Direction in Non-Fiction Television
  NOMINATED - Logie Award for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program 2018
  NOMINATED - Australian Human Rights Awards 2018
  Most watched non-fiction show on ABC iView 2016
  International format sales to USA, Brazil, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, Spain & France

• Hello Stranger (series producer/director/cinematographer, 10 x 20min doco, ABC)

• Filthy, Rich and Homeless (shooter/director, 3 x 60min doco series, Blackfella Films + SBS)

• The Full Brazilian - Brazil sketches (producer/director/cinematographer SBS + CJZ)

• Making Families Happy (shooter/director, 3 x 60min doco, Heiress Pictures + ABC)

• The Checkout (director, series 1-2, ABC + Giant Dwarf)
  NOMINATED - AACTA Award for Best Light Entertainment TV Series
  NOMINATED - Eureka Prize for Science Journalism

• Head First (series director/cinematographer, 5 x 45 min doco, ABC + Mushroom Pictures)
  NOMINATED - United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award

• Dumb, Drunk & Racist (series director, 6 x 30min doco, ABC + Cordell Jigsaw)

• The Hamster Wheel (director, series 1, ABC + The Chaser)
  NOMINATED - AACTA Award for Best Light Entertainment Television Series
  NOMINATED - Logie Award for Most Outstanding Entertainment Program

• Yes We Canberra (director, ABC + The Chaser)

• Myf Warhurst's Nice (series director, 6 x 30min doco, ABC)

• Hungry Beast - series 1-3 (shooter/director, ABC + Zapruder's Other Films)
  WINNER - Walkley Award for TV Current Affairs (under 20 minutes)
  NOMINATED - AFI Award for Best TV Light Entertainment
  NOMINATED - United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award