Our Instructors

This short course will be led by AC legend, Thomas Formosa-Doyle, (or as we call him, TFD).

Thomas has been working as a 2nd AC for over a decade and also works as a 1st AC/Focus Puller. He is hugely accomplished and one the industry’s most sought after crew members. Apart from being immensely talented and technically brilliant, TFD is also a delight to work alongside. He will share his knowledge and experience with you throughout the course. There will be career highlights, challenges and anecdotal sharing you can learn from to launch your own career. Getting to share 10 days with someone of this calibre is extremely rare.

Additionally, there will be numerous specialist instructors and guest speakers involved over the 10 days. They are ALL actual crew and technicians currently working in the industry. While some of the people who will be sharing their knowledge and expertise with you have led formally-run courses in the past, they don’t spend the majority of their time teaching. And so, they have different approaches – but love to share.  You will find a mix of personalities. Some will be extroverts while others quieter. Some will have firm opinions about certain things while others more bipartisan. Some can talk underwater, others not so much. BUT every one of them is passionate and incredibly knowledgeable about what they do and if you take the opportunity, you will learn things others rarely have the chance to, even those who work with them. On set it is ‘all go’ and there’s rarely enough time to explain the “whys and wherefores”.

As it’s a 2^nd AC Course, most of those instructing are 1^st and 2^nd AC’s who are all very experienced. Facilitators have all been AC’s at some stage, and have a very thorough knowledge.

These very same people may be the ones you work with in your career, so the connections made over the 2 weeks are extremely valuable. Some may offer further consultation or mentoring at the conclusion of the course should you have follow-up enquiries.

* – Please note that our instructors are all active working crew and their daily bookings may change last minute. While they are fully committed to our events, occasionally work may demand they take a job on our dates. As a result, in some cases we may need to replace the instructors on a course, but rest assured, they will be top level replacements.

Marden Dean ACS is an award-winning cinematographer working across acclaimed television drama and feature films who has worked substantially with LED Volumes.

Marden shot the Australian and Irish co-production miniseries, Mixtape (dir. Lucy Gaffy) for Aquarius Films and Subotica, which won the TV Spotlight Audience Award at its recent premiere at SXSW. It is due to be released on Binge in 2025. Most recently, he was the set-up DOP on the highly anticipated third season of The Twelve (Easy Tiger, Warner Brothers, BINGE) which is currently in post-production.

Prior to this, Marden shot the hit television series Scrublands, which reunited him with acclaimed director, Greg McLean, for Easy Tiger and Stan. In 2021, he was the set-up DOP on the hugely popular Netflix series Clickbait (dir. Brad Anderson, 2021) for Heyday Production and Matchbox Pictures; Marden received an AACTA Award nomination for Best Cinematography in a Television Drama for his work on episode 6, with the series also picking up a nomination for Best Drama Series. Marden was also the set-up DOP on the landmark ABC anthology series, The Fires (dir. Michael Rymer), for TAP and Spirit Pictures – the series was nominated for Best Miniseries or Telefeature at this year’s AACTA Awards.

Learn more about Marden here

Ahren Morris is Dreamscreen Australia’s Managing Director and will lead the instruction regarding all facets of the interaction between the DP and the LED Volume. Other Dreamscreen instructors will include all the technical and creative team commonly used in virtual production at Dreamscreen Australia including renowned cinematographer Richard Hosking in the role of Floor Pilot. Their combined wealth of experience will afford you every opportunity to learn all the ins and outs of Virtual Production.

Jeremy Rouse ACS

is an internationally recognized Australian cinematographer whose experience spans feature films, commercials, music videos and Documentary. His highly regarded body of work has received awards both locally and internationally. 

In 2015 he shot the character-driven film “Jonathan” for Polish/German director Piotr J. Lewandowski, which premiered in the Panorama section at the 66th annual Berlin International Film Festival. In 2017 Jeremy shot the feature “Burden” for producer Robbie Brenner and director Andrew Heckler starring Forest Whitaker, Garrett Hedlund, Andrea Riseborough and Tom Wilkinson. ‘Burden’ went on to win the ‘Audience Award’ in US Dramatic Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and a Gold Award at the Australian Cinematographers Society. 

Jeremy’s work on short film ‘Blood Pulls A Gun’ with director Ben Briand attracted the attention of the prestigious cinematography publication, ‘American Cinematographer’, which published a piece on Rouse’s work for the film. 

In 2021, Jeremy’s most recent feature for acclaimed artist Del Kathryn Barton’s debut feature ‘BLAZE’, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2022. The films impressive look and striking originality was recognized earning an AACTA nomination for Jeremy in Best Cinematography in the Feature Film category. Jeremy was also recognized by the ACS winning the ‘Rob Copping – Judges Choice Award’ for best entry at the 2022 Awards.

Jeremy is also one of the most sought-after cinematographers in the commercial world having worked with directors including Rupert Sanders, Tom Kuntz, Johnny Green, Mark Molloy, Christopher Riggert, Michael Spiccia, Daniel Askill and Simon McQuoid. 

Jeremy was selected as a Judge for the inaugural Cinematography section at the Prestigious D&AD awards, judging alongside Bradford Young, held in London annually.

He is a graduate of the West Australian School of Art and Design.

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Warwick Field ACS

When he accidentally found himself lecturing film school students a few years back, Warwick realised how much he enjoyed sharing his passion with others. His love of cinematography – its art and its technicality – is contagious. Previous students have noted they were inspired by him to pursue a career in the industry, just as they were about to lose interest. He brings relatable experiences, anecdotes, knowledge and humour to his classes which creates an inclusive, enjoyable and engaging atmosphere in which to learn. During his 5 year tenure as President of the ACS (Vic), Warwick became aware of the lack of cinematography-focussed education. He planted the seed for high level masterclasses, running ACS events with the likes of Andrew Lesnie ACS ASC and Peter James ACS ASC which were a huge success.

In 2022, he established ShotClass to fill this void, curating educational events for serious cinematographers and camera crew.

Warwick Field ACS is an Australian-based, Australian Cinematographers Society Accredited cinematographer, camera operator and colourist.

He was inducted into the ACS Hall of Fame in 2025.

He was President of the ACS for 5 years. As a DP, his body of work includes Feature Films, TV Series, TVC’s, Music Video, Documentary and high-end corporate work. His specialties include narrative cinematography and visual storytelling and uses composition and camera movement to its full potential. Warwick operates both geared heads (wheels) and fluid heads. He is also an expert remote head operator, hand-held operator, gimbal operator and aerial cinematographer. Warwick’s passion for cinematography continues away from the camera as an educator and as a colourist, where he brings his eye and attention to detail to the grade to ensure the images reach their true potential.

Warwick Field ACS – DP/Camera Operator Instructor – Geared and Remote Heads

Warwick has been a Camera Operator using the ‘wheels’ for over 30 years and has worked with just about every remote head system out there. He has operated many films, series and TVCs using geared heads for both International and Australian productions. His experience also takes in shooting hundreds of hours of aerials for drama, sport and wildlife on the wheels, and this helped raise his ability to the next level. Credits as camera operator include Ghost Rider, Where The Wild Things Are, Blonde, Knowing, Lion and more recently All Her Fault, Better Man and Family Next Door.

Grant Sweetnam – Instructor – Gimbals

Having worked across all types of Film and TV projects for many years, Grant is an extremely experienced and knowledgeable Gimbal tech and Operator as well as 1st AC /Focus Puller. He is also a great communicator and ready to share his knowledge with all who are keen to learn.

Grant’s resumé is impressive. His work has taken him through TVC’s, TV Drama, Feature Films, Documentary and more. This wide selection of genres results in a person who is well-rounded and ready for anything – big or small. His credits as 1st AC include: The Clearing, Shantaram, Savage River, Spreadsheet, The Newsreader, With Intent, Preacher, Ride Like A Girl and Five Bedrooms.

It is hardly any wonder Grant is in such high demand and so well respected by his colleagues and the cinematographers he assists. Take advantage of what he has to share with you.

Chris Pollitt – 1st AC/Focus Puller Instructor

Having worked extensively as a Focus Puller in both the UK and Australia, Chris has a wealth of experience and knowledge. From a technical viewpoint, he has worked on shoots using all sorts of camera systems from ARRI 65 to Canon C300. He is very adaptable and creative with his camera builds and his knowledge of pulling focus. Credits include Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Courier, The Crown, All Her Fault, Newsreader, Love Me, Surviving Summer and Bad Behaviour.

Hazal Alakus – 2nd AC Crew

One of Australia’s top 2nd AC’s, Hazal is always in demand and working on the biggest shoot in town. She was the Instructor on our 2024 2nd AC Course and became an instant legend with the participants. Her knowledge and expertise is second to none. Her drama credits include Fake, Better Man, All Her Fault, Shantaram, Foe, La Brea, Ricky Stanicky and Newsreader.

Ryan Thompson – Key Grip/Dolly Grip Crew

With a passion for film, Ryan specialises in gripping services. Over the past 15 years, ha has worked on everything from Hollywood blockbusters to Australian dramas, helping productions and cinematographers achieve their vision. Ryan will provide dollies, sliders and camera support for you. He will also be involved in the decisions behind choosing the best camera movement system for the shot based on the block through. The Camera Operators and Focus Pullers will work with the Dolly Grip to build the shots.

Having worked across all types of Film and TV projects for many years, Grant is an extremely experienced and knowledgeable 1st AC /Focus Puller. He is also a great communicator and ready to share his knowledge with all who are keen to learn.

Grant’s resumé is impressive. His work has taken him through TVC’s, TV Drama, Feature Films, Documentary and more. This wide selection of genres results in a Camera Assistant who is well-rounded and ready for anything – big or small. His credits as 1st AC include: The Clearing, Shantaram, Savage River, Spreadsheet, The Newsreader, With Intent, Preacher, Ride Like A Girl and Five Bedrooms.

It is hardly any wonder Grant is in such high demand and so well respected by his colleagues and the cinematographers he assists. Take advantage of what he has to share with you.

See Grant’s IMDB here

Bonnie is a cinematographer who works across drama, documentary and video art. After shooting her first feature, My Tehran for Sale in Iran in 2008, her film credits include These Final Hours, Spear, Undertow, Palm Beach, Slam, H is for Happiness and most recently Run Rabbit Run, starring Sarah Snook and directed by Daina Reid, which continued their collaboration from drama series Shining Girls and The Veil, both starring Elisabeth Moss. Other series credits include Stateless, created by Cate Blanchett, Tony Ayres and Elise McCredie, and Fires which continued her collaboration with director Ana Kokkinos after the acclaimed Seven Types of Ambiguity, all three series won AACTA Awards for Best Cinematography in Television. Her documentary work ranges from observational to stylised, and recent credits include Step into Paradise and Freeman, both of which were nominated for Best Cinematography in Documentary at the AACTA awards in 2021.

Bonnie enjoys working across creative disciplines and has photographed screen work for iconic Indigenous Australian choreographer Stephen Page from Bangarra Dance Theatre. Spear, a visually stunning film told through movement and dance premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2015, and was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2016 AACTA awards. She has also worked with video artist Angelica Mesiti for over a decade, beginning with Rapture (silent anthem)which won the Blake Prize for Religious and Spiritual art in 2009, and more recently on Assembly for the Australian Pavilion of the 2019 Venice Biennale.