Wild, directed by Steph Miller, is about Tui's story, a young Maori woman struggling with issues of identity and grappling with reality in the wake of trauma. Although deep in the New Zealand wilderness, Tui soon comes to realise she's not alone and can no longer run from her past.

This ambitious project encompasses everything from underwater sequences to vast drone shots of the native NZ bush.

As Production Designer I worked with the director to create a visual style for the film, a challenging role as the story called for moments of timeless western culture as well as traditional Maori scenes - as if the land had been untouched by western civilisation. With in this role I lead the art department team in creating and building sets, sourcing and building props and advising the costume team to keep in tune with the films over all style. I also helped in location scouting and management to make sure the environments worked with the story and it’s visual style. The film is yet to be released, but here you can see a few glimpses into the work my team did.

This project was solely to explore what I could do with production design. The video is a cover of Muse’s Futurism, a song about a dark impending future. Each scene turns white to black, the content a metaphor for a changing aspect of our culture, most to do with pride and greed.

Crew:

Director, Production Designer, Cinematographer: Belle Gwilliam (Myself)

Camera Man and Special Effects: James Godfrey

Producer, Art Department: Vicky Aitchison

Singer, Guitarist, Bassist: Natalie Sherlock

Drums: Jason Renee