A love for storytelling transformed Griffith Film School alumnus Maeve McKenna into a prominent director in advertising and reality TV.
Ms McKenna has been directing Griffith University’s ‘Make It Matter’ campaign, highlighting the diverse motivations and purposes that drive students to study.
“So many aspects of the ‘Make it Matter’ campaign genuinely resonated with me because I had such a great experience at the Film School myself,” Ms McKenna said.
“The years I spent at Griffith were really formative in terms of setting me up with great connections and opportunities while I was studying, and I definitely found my purpose there.
“This campaign isn’t about degrees – it’s about the different purposes driving these people to achieve what’s really important to them – whether that’s career goals or something really personal and intrinsic, and knowing Griffith is here to support that.
“We had so many incredible Griffith students involved and I loved getting to know them.
“I went in thinking I’d have to bring them out of their shells but they were all so sure of themselves and confident.
“I was honestly so impressed by them.”
While she had loved storytelling from a young age, Ms McKenna said she had never previously seen herself as a director.
Her film school experience allowed her to explore filmmaking in depth, from pre-production to post-production.
“I fell in love with the process,” she said.
“Being able to direct actors in the moment on set, and then take it all into post-production and piece it together was so fulfilling.
“I got hooked.”
One of Ms McKenna’s most memorable experiences at Griffith was her participation in the Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival in Winton – a now-annual pilgrimage for Griffith University students and staff.
As an undergraduate student, she was the only one from her cohort selected to travel to the Outback Queensland town where she produced a short documentary with minimal resources.
The hands-on experience in a challenging environment was pivotal in shaping Ms McKenna’s approach to filmmaking, teaching her to focus on the essence of storytelling, stripped of technical luxuries, with the screening of her film at the close of the festival affirming her passion for the craft.
“That trip was a complete turning point for me,” she said.
“I sat with an audience as my work played in a cinema for the first time, and probably learned more about storytelling in one pressure cooker trip than I could’ve imagined.
“I had never felt so sure this was the career for me.”
