James Cole has officially been part of the film industry since 1994 when he finished studying at RMIT and established his company Hysteria Productions. Unofficially he has been making movies since he was a young child and the name “Hysteria” began it’s association with his creations in his mid teens. Since then, James and Hysteria Productions have gained a high level of respect within the industry as both a talented story teller as well as an accomplished technician.

Throughout his career, James has proven himself as an exceptional Writer, Director, Producer, Editor and Visual Effects Artist. However it was his work as a cinematographer that developed his love for the lens and in the last few years he has been gaining a reputation as a talented, creative and thought provoking Photographer and Digital Artist combining passion with skill.

His thirst for knowledge has pushed him to be a pioneer at the forefront of film-making and creative technologies. He was one of the first to explore digital acquisition technology as a serious movie making medium and has worked his way from the days of mini DV, right up to current High Definition technologies and beyond.

Always on the cutting edge, his extensive knowledge and expert talent and skills have made him a highly sought after leader in the industry. He is often called upon to deliver specialist technical training and education for areas such as Editing theory and development, Final Cut Pro, Photoshop & After Effects tutoring and mentoring, as well as general film making guidance. He is also called upon as a Technology and workflow consultant to implement new systems into digital post-production facilities.

His work with visual effects has seen him push to develop and nurture an understanding of real-world physics within the visual effects community in order to achieve a higher level of realism. This often requires a look back at old-school methods and developing new techniques to integrate them with modern technologies.

James also has a natural intellect and passion for philosophy, ideas and problem solving and does on occasion consult on socioeconomic, environmental and sustainable future issues.

Despite his heavy integration within the technology areas, James never allows himself to lose touch with the real world. A self proclaimed ‘tree hugger’ he has a natural empathy to the life, both plant and animal, of our planet Earth and spends as much time as possible in the natural environment. It is his dream to combine his knowledge and passion for technology, the creative arts and the natural world, to help in the fight for a truly sustainable future where we live in harmony with all of our fellow Earth dwellers.

His passion for the natural world is key when bringing art and science together without ever compromising the true nature of what it is he does best. Telling a story and evoking emotion, through the manipulation of light and sound.

James is a recognized perfectionist and strives to be good, if not the best, at what he does, and his work is testament to that. Combining his talent, skills, knowledge and experience with his passion for Earth, animals and human advancement offers a rare approach to the design and application of multiple project types from film production to environmental design.