DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER / CINEMATOGRAPHER / FIELD PRODUCER
Documentary storytelling and field production for broadcasters, UN agencies, NGOs, governments and purpose-led organisations.
Based between Australia and Saudi Arabia, working internationally, independently or with trusted regional crews.
AT THE TIDE LINE
DOCUMENTARY FILM (2026)
SEA SHEPHERD AUSTRALIA
On Cape York’s remote Gulf of Carpentaria coast, Sea Shepherd Australia’s crew travels by 4WD and barge to work alongside Mapoon Land and Sea Rangers. In punishing heat and with no shade, they clear and catalogue marine debris from an important turtle nesting ground. In a single day, they removed a record 2.98 tonnes from just 800 metres of coastline.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN BIOSECURITY
EIGHT-PART DOCUMENTARY SERIES
AGRICULTURE VICTORIA
Across eight short films, a Wurundjeri Elder, farmers, Landcare volunteers, a home gardener, transport operators and a marine biologist share how they protect land, animals and waterways from pests, weeds and disease. Together, their stories show biosecurity as a shared responsibility carried out through practical, everyday action.
DAKAR AT DAYBREAK
FIELD FILM (2025)
INDEPENDENT PROJECT
Filmed along Stage 6 of the 2025 Dakar Rally, this short observational piece moves from a pre-dawn departure in Ha’il to sunrise over the open desert and competitors racing through a dry riverbed. A study of stillness, scale and speed on the route to Al Duwadimi.
THE QUIET FRONTIER
VISUAL ESSAY (2023)
INDEPENDENT PROJECT
Filmed in Pyramiden, a former Soviet mining settlement in Svalbard, this short visual essay pairs the town’s stark architecture and largely abandoned spaces with excerpts from Mikhail Gorbachev’s 1991 resignation address. The result is a reflection on political transition, historical memory and what remains after an ideology recedes.
Story first. People always.
Good field production begins with trust, time in place and a clear understanding of what the story needs. I work closely with contributors and clients to create grounded, visually strong documentary work while managing the practical demands of each assignment.
With more than fifteen years across film production and visual communication, I work independently or assemble trusted small crews around each project. Depending on the assignment, I can support the process from story development and field planning through filming, photography, post-production and delivery.
Professional memberships
About
I’m an Australian–New Zealand documentary filmmaker, cinematographer and field producer with more than fifteen years’ experience across film production and visual communication. My work has taken me across APAC, the Gulf, Europe, Central Asia and the Arctic, often in remote or logistically complex environments.
I have produced work for UNFPA and WHO, the Red Cross and other international NGOs, First Nations organisations, Australian government departments and commercial partners. Recent assignments include maternal health communications across Samoa and Tonga, marine conservation on Cape York and community and environmental stories in Nepal.
My background in design also informs how I structure stories, maintain visual consistency and deliver work across formats, from individual documentary films to wider communication campaigns.
PHOTO STORIES
THE QUIET FRONTIER
Pyramiden - Soviet coal mining settlement on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard
CLIENTS & EXPERIENCE
Copyright © Paul Laurance Studio. All Rights Reserved.
Independent documentary and field production led by Paul Laurance.
Available for assignments internationally.
