The Creatives

Producer/Director/Writer/Actor and Founder of Toprock Productions.

With over 20 years training and working as an actor, Taysha made the move to the other side of the camera to bring more stories to life.  Since crossing to the other side, she has won awards for her short films; "A Song for You", "If Only" and "Shop Your Values".

In 2017, she founded Toprock Productions with the aim to create engaging, yet family friendly films, teleplays and more!  

Taysha has studied Meisner, Strasburg, Pulse and Chekhov techniques and has performed in both Australia and the United States.  

She has a strong belief that continual training and practice is the key to the ability to fully transform your whole self and bringing your character to life. 

Producer/Director of Photography/Colour Grader

Nicholson is an experienced and in-demand cinematographer who specialises in narrative, fictional filmmaking.  Through his films, he aims to create a very natural look with a preference to a low key lighting style to create the most appealing images.  He believes in making the best out of what is available.

With each shot, he takes pride in working out the finer details to enhance the overall story of the production.   He has a vast knowledge on cinematic production.

With many years of experience in colour grading films around the world, Nichoslon is always ready for the next steps and challenges in the film industry.

For updates on his new projects follow his page on Instagram.

Producer/Assistant Director/Art Director

Dee has a strong creative background in the arts.  As a ceramicist by trade, Dee has also achieved a scholarship to the Australian ballet school, Diploma in dance teaching and management, and a Certificate IV in dance performance.

She has recently found a passion for film producing and has since been a part of many films taking on various roles; mainly producer, art director and assistant director.  Dee hopes to continue working as a film and TV producer. 

Cinematographer/Gaffer/Camera Operator

Samuel is a cinematographer with an extensive background in the camera & lighting department; having worked on a variety of projects ranging from music videos, corporate branding & feature films.

Samuel graduated from RMIT, where he studied Screen & Media and contributed to over 15 different projects, where he worked on various styles including documentary & short film narratives.

Since graduation Samuel has continued to expand his knowledge of film & cinema by working with veteran members of the Melbourne film community, where he met & worked with Toprock Productions on several projects.

Samuel’s style is contemporary, eclectic & emotionally-driven. Drawing on a wide range of inspirations; old and new, Samuel can adapt to fit the needs of any story or project.

You can view some of Samuel’s previous work on his Instagram.

Gaffer

With a background in live music for domestic and international artists, Ian made the switch to film and TV in 2017.  Since then he has worked on many productions, specialising as a gaffer and location sound recordist.  Ian's sole focus is now on lighting and has built a solid reputation amung many Melbourne cinematographers.

Ian continues to improve his talents, moving into rigging and stage construction.  Not only that, but he is also a writer for both film and children's books.

Ian still works part-time as an audio engineer and lighting technician.

Makeup Artist/SFX Makeup

Coming from a performing arts background, Tessa's passion grew for the film and television industry.  It lead her to completing a diploma of Screen and Media in Specialist Makeup Services at Victoria University.  

While studying, Tessa began working on film productions and continues to grow her repertoire in both film and stage makeup.  She is trained in SFX makeup and enjoys getting crazy with some creative looks.

Check out more of her work on her Instagram Page.

Animation Artist

Nikki's fixation with animation and story-telling began when her dad brought back Studio Ghibli films when she was ten.  She then went on to explore animation with flip books,  sketching backgrounds and drawing more comics.

Halfway through college, Nikki made the switch from her science major to art. Following that, she went on to study animation, design and typography at SAE.  Her strengths are in storyboarding, concept design and 2D animation.

While studying, Nikki was able to collaborate with people in different fields to create games and short films.  One of which, "Comander Sam" was screened at Flickerfest 2019.  Another short animation, "Get It Right" by Diplo was created while she worked uder Viskatoons.

You can find out more about Nikki's latest and past work on her Facebook Page.

Production Design

Catherine likes to take a hands on approach when it comes to design.  She loves envisioning the space and decorating accordingly.  She has a wide range of knowledge of different historic periods as well as contemporary designs, which she is able to apply to the different productions she's worked on.

She studied at Melbourne Polytechnic where she obtained the diploma of live production and technical services for costume for performance.

Being a master of the sewing machine, she specialises in costume design.  To keep up to date or view some of Catherine's past creations, make sure to check out her Instagram page.

Editor/Assistant Camera

Since the age of 15, Mark has been editing.  He studied at SAE where he obtained a Bachelors degree in film.  He enjoys editing for narrative productions and currently does video editing for Cultural Infusion. 

Mark also enjoys working on set as a camera assistant.