NAIDOC Week Spotlight: Director Tristan Houghton

In celebration of NAIDOC Week, Campaign Brief recently sat down and spoke with visionary director Tristan Houghton. Here, Houghton speaks about his experience entering the film industry and his approach to sharing stories and culture through a First Nations lens.

Evolving from humble beginnings on the West Coast of Australia, Houghton’s passion for filmmaking began when he started making rollerblading films with friends. Snap forward in time and Houghton is now a seasoned commercial director, formally represented by Taxi Film Production & Oombarra Taxi under the umbrella of the rapidly growing The Taxi Group.

With years of experience in the commercial industry, Houghton has developed a unique visual style that resonates with a large audience. His recent documentary project, Yindjibarndi Stories, showcases his connection to his culture as a First Nations filmmaker and a commitment to preserving First Nation’s knowledge.

Read on to learn more about his approach to filmmaking and why agencies should consider working with him and Taxi Film Production for their next project…

Campaign Brief: Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got started in the film industry?

Tristan Houghton: Sure thing, I started off making rollerblading films in Western Australia with mates. A few of them were sponsored by an international skate company which meant we were able to travel nationally and internationally to film. This provided such a great training ground to play and experiment with directing, camera work and editing.

This lasted a few years, and then a time came to try and make a serious career out of filmmaking. I moved to QLD from WA and landed a job at a camera store where I met a few commercial directors who opened my eyes to the world of commercial advertising.

I was offered an opportunity to do some work experience on set and never looked back!  I absorbed as much information as possible working with various directors.  I worked on castings, location scouts and behind the scenes films while running unit on set and offering to help any and all departments for further experience. All that experience allowed me to jump straight into directing commercials when the time came.

CB:  What inspired you to become a director, and how did you develop your unique style and approach to filmmaking?

TH: In between official gigs, I constantly aspired to better my work through spec projects where I had a lot more creative freedom to experiment and develop my own style. From every spec project I would gain more and more experience while strengthening my style and process.

Getting married and having a family has been the other largest influence. Learning to listen, the importance of clear communication and helping to guide my children, has had a huge impact on not just what I put on screen but how I go about it with my crew and creative collaborators.

CB: Being a proud Yindjibarndi man, First Nations storytelling and representation in film is something you can speak first hand about. An interesting piece that you directed, and shot was the Yindjibarndi stories project. Can you tell us more about this project and your involvement in it?

TH: I have aspired to work more and more with First Nation peoples so I can better understand my culture. Growing up

Indigenous back in WA through the 90’s was difficult and far from being celebrated so I missed out on a huge opportunity to learn from family before moving East. Recently returning to WA to work with my mob was amazing, learning about country through the lens was a dream come true. I’m committed to working more in this space as it is a field, I’m deeply passionate about.

CB: How important do you think it is to tell stories that showcase Indigenous cultures and perspectives, and what role do you believe filmmakers have in this process?

TH: Filmmakers have a huge role in preserving knowledge, but we must ask ourselves if we are preserving it in a way that makes it digestible? I think we can gain even more interest in our culture if we were to present it in a way that the next generation wants to learn from. Is it shareable, does it connect with our audience, does it hold up against other First Nations content?

CB: When you are not working on documentary pieces like this, your primary job role is directing commercials. Can you talk us through some of your other notable projects and what you learned from them?

TH: From all of my commercial work I would say that I have been able to create a unique visual style that resonates with a large audience. Creating visuals that make people stop and watch.

Working on Vanuatu Tourism really helped me understand more about other cultures, finding the beauty in tradition.

Working with international clients such as Corona, IBM and Lindt taught me how to play on the international stage. Navigating large boardrooms with multiple layers of approval improved my ideas and how they’re communicated to ensure we have a smooth process from pre-production through to delivery.

CB: How do you approach the process of working with clients or collaborators on a project, and what do you think makes for a successful creative partnership?

TH: The biggest thing for working successfully with collaborators is transparency, clear lines of communication and having a safe environment to question and respectfully challenge.

CB: In your opinion, what are some of the most important skills and qualities that a director needs to have to succeed in this field?

TH: A director must have great organisational skills, the ability to clearly communicate and great vision with conviction to follow through.

CB: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers or directors who are just starting out in their careers?

TH: Play, play, play!  Shoot as much as you can and develop your reference library with work you aspire to create. Spec ads should be a huge developmental focus but just keep in mind not to overly complicate the production or the idea to ensure you can actually execute well-crafted ads.

To view Tristan’s reel, please visit www.taxifilm.tv

Tristan Houghton is represented nationally by Taxi Film Production and Oombarra Taxi, the latter being a formally recognised First Nations owned entity, recognised on a national level by Supply Nation and ICN Gateway for Black Business Finder – https://oombarrataxi.tv