It was chance luck that at a dinner party in 1985, Jane was seated next to an art director who offered her a role creating the graphic props on a current production (a biopic about Nellie Melba). Two days later she was sitting at a desk in the old Sydney showgrounds, reading her first script.
Loving the process of researching and re-creating theatre programmes, bill posters and period newspapers had her hooked and saw her fill as many assistant positions as she could within that same art department, gaining invaluable insights into the machinations of how an art department functioned.
A flurry of similar period-dramas provided a steady flow of work for Jane after that first project, and helped to establish her in the industry at large.
Over a 30 year career, Jane has worked on a mixture of feature films, tele-movies, and TV series, each with their own unique challenges. She lists many great role models – Peta Lawson, Kerrie Brown, Lisa Thompson who all influenced and supported Jane.
For Jane, working on the first two hilarious, unique and hugely-satisfying series of Round the Twist for the Australian Children’s TV Foundation was a special moment. With Peta Lawson as Production Designer and Jan Kenny as D.O.P. - it was unusual to have women heading up the art and camera departments at that stage. Unfortunately it still is!
Shirley Barrett’s film South Solitary was another notable project for Jane along with The Dressmaker led by Director Jocelyn Moorhouse and Producer Sue Maslin.
Jane’s advice to young women entering this profession is to try to glean as much on-the-job knowledge as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask someone to mentor you, and don’t think you have to know everything before you start. If you like it, and it likes you, it can certainly become a brilliant career!
