By Bella Francis
Movies and books have always been my escape from reality, it is what has shaped me into the person I have become and the passions I now pursue. My inspiration from an early age was Peter Jackson, a director originating from the coast of New Zealand
I grew up in a small country town in Australia called Tea Gardens, listening to stories of my mum’s childhood in New Zealand. She told me stories about road trips with her family to Fitzroy Beach and adventures to the Bay of Islands. Even tales of her hiking up Mount Taranaki, climbing so high until she could touch snow
My imagination soared, I dreamt of fantastical worlds, with dragons, fairies and knights in shining armour. I decided I wanted to go into the film industry to bring my visions to others with the same wild imaginations.
Then one story came out of the blue, a story that gave me hope and inspired me. Peter Jackson’s story, a man who started making films in the cornfields in rural New Zealand then went on to create some incredible things. Things like Lovely Bones, Heavenly Creatures, and his most famous, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings franchises.
I still can remember the exact moment I knew I wanted to go into a career in the film industry. It was 2012, I had just turned 12, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was just released.
Watching Jackson’s creation, I was gobsmacked. The cinematic beauty, the characters, and the direction he took the film were all incredible.
To people like me, who dream big, stories like his are essential.
When I finally got to visit New Zealand; driving past rolling grassy hills, sparkling blue rivers and sharp mountains capped with snow; it was easy to see how Jackson envisioned this as Middle Earth, how he could grow up in such a place and let his imagination be inspired like that.
I take that inspiration into the future, to the work I will make and the worlds I will invent.
Feature Image: Exploring Hobbiton. Photo: Bella Francis
