Adrian Prospero (far right) on-set in between takes for a shoot in Perth, Australia, filming with the famous Red camera
Genre-bending director Adrian Prospero, known for his comedy work as much as his thrillers, sits at the top of an industry so few people manage to crack even at the lowest levels. To say he’s accomplished a lot is an understatement, but this Perth-native is never the first to admit his dazzling achievements.
“It’s incredibly important to stay grounded,” the prolific filmmaker declared over email, when our journalists reached out to him for comment.
That he managed to send his replies to our questions was surprising to say the least, as he’s known in Australian film circles as the busiest man working behind-the-scenes.
Directors traditionally aren’t profiled in the same way that actors are, and Adrian represents another example of a modest worker who simply likes to be a part of the process for the work and not the acclaim or power that being a director sometimes brings.
“Guys like Spielberg or Ron Howard are focused on getting the job done, so I try to align myself with that value,” Adrian elaborates. It also explains why he hasn’t been covered much in the media before, even though he’s been working in the upper-echelons of film for more than ten years.
Adrian, who was recently showered with awards and praise for a variety of projects - including Unrealty, The Hunt, The Market Place and feature The Dig - continues to show up in entertainment in a variety of ways. The SAE-graduate, who lectures and shares his expert knowledge with film students in published papers, consistently works as a director but is also known to produce, write and edit his films - sometimes two of those roles, and sometimes all of them.
Adrian thus holds a multi-layered business card - a wearer of many hats that he claims has helped him refine and hone his skills in each area.
“Knowing how to produce helps me with directing, and vice versa. Especially editing and writing - basically they all help each other or feed into each other,” the Once Were Heroes director quipped.
It probably has helped that he has continue to maintain these various roles, as his salary reflects it. Industry insiders suggest that a filmmaker like Prospero commands up to $1570. While this might sound astronomical to the average reader, it’s a figure that reflects 15 years of working in the industry to get there.
Prospero isn’t shy about admitting how hard he’s worked, and how hard he had to hustle in the early stages of his career.
“It’s a lot of low-budget stuff, or getting rejected. But ultimately if you work hard on what you’re doing that day, you have to trust that it’ll lead to the next thing.”
And on that note, we can be confident Adrian’s shared some pearls of wisdom from which our readers will learn a valuable lesson.