30 November 2018
Lisa Tomasetti
Film Stills and Fine Art Photographer
Bachelor of Visual Arts (Photography & Cinematography)
Bachelor of Communication Studies (Literary Studies, Art)
Australian photographer Lisa Tomasetti makes portraits rich with cinematic drama. Her most recent body of work takes prima ballerinas from the Australian Ballet off the stage and on to the street, capturing their movement and grace in Paris, Tokyo and New York. Viewing these works, it is no surprise that Lisa has also been drawn to the spectacle of the film set.
Tomasetti first stepped on set in 1996 as the photographer for Scott Hicks' David Helfgott biopic, Shine. Since then, she has worked on films including Dead Heart (1996), The Dish (2000), Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), and The Sapphires (2012).
Many of her portraits of actors, their characters and the crew are currently on display in Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits at the University of South Australia’s Samstag Museum of Art. Samstag Associate Curator Joanna Kitto sat down and spoke with Tomasetti about capturing the essence of a film on set.
Joanna: As an artist with a photographic practice spanning three decades, what first drew you to film?
Lisa: I was raised in quite a theatrical family. From the age of five, I was attending Bunyips Children’s Theatre and going to drama school at Carclew in Adelaide. It felt like I was always in the theatre—most of my holidays were spent putting on pantomimes—so I felt very comfortable with actors and fiction and creating stories.
Later, I went to the University of South Australia’s South Australian Art School [now called the School of Art, Architecture and Design] and graduating I wanted be involved with photography so I began photographing theatre. I worked on a TV series in Adelaide and then in 1996, worked on Shine and it all happened from there!
Fine art photographers have long-held roles within the film industry, from Rennie Ellis and Max Dupain to Robert McFarlane and Carolyn Johns. Despite this, the on-set stills photographer is perhaps the most underrated of all in the industry. Starstruck turns this idea on its head, drawing our attention to the photographer and giving the portraits the opportunity to be assessed as works of art, still integral to but now also independent from the film. What was it like to see your film stills in the gallery?
That’s true. Starstruck really brings film stills photographers out into the open. After seeing the exhibition, people are actually talking about what we do! Starstruck gives them an insight into our work; it is incredibly important to have a good image to sell a film, but not many people know about what the job actually entails.
This exhibition also gives the audience a glimpse behind-the-scenes on set, and shows images from wellknown films people never have seen before. They’re not always the obvious choices!
What are the key differences between your work as a film stills photographer and a fine art photographer?
My two roles are incredibly different. With my arts practice, I have control over the image. I am able to set up my own tableaux and dictate the direction of the outcome. With film stills, I am part of a much bigger team and don’t have the same sense of autonomy. You have to be as quiet and discrete on set as possible and work in the ‘shadows’—with sixty people in a small space it’s so easy to get in people’s way! You really do have to pick your battles, reading the atmosphere and the mood of the actors and finding a balance between asking for the shot you need and letting the moment pass as to not cause stress.
In Starstruck, we see behind the scenes on film sets through your camera. Across your career, has there been a particular actor or director you have admired, or stand-out performance you have witnessed?
I have always loved working with Cate Blanchett. I photographed her in Little Fish and Truth and her attention to detail and ability to transform into her characters is a privilege to watch and a joy to shoot. I recently worked with Bruce Beresford on Ladies in Black and that was like having a masterclass in brilliant directing!
There is a striking shot in the exhibition from the set of Shine, taken in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, can you tell me about this moment?
This still was taken early on in the Shine shoot, and was my first day on set taking stills for a feature film. [Director] Scott Hicks was lining up his view-finder on [lead actor] Geoffrey Rush, deciding which lens to use. The entire time the crew were there setting up equipment and cameras around Geoffrey and he just stayed in character, seemingly oblivious to any distraction. This photograph shows a truly trusting relationship between this director and actor.
Another film in Starstruck that has been hugely successful internationally is The Sapphires, following the story of four young Aboriginal girls who leave their rural mission community to sing for US troops during the Vietnam War. What was it like to work on that set?
Working with Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, Miranda Tapsell and Chris O’Dowd made my job incredibly enjoyable. They immersed themselves so deeply in their characters, which allowed me to capture truly beautiful portraits. When you have the honour of trying to convey the mood of such sensitive scenes, I feel compelled to do justice to the actor’s performance. The story itself is a personal one as well. [Writer] Tony Briggs based The Sapphires on his mother’s experience, and everyone who worked on set developed a deep connection to her life. It was wonderful to be a part of.
