A short Introduction to a life in film:
Why I fell in Love with film: It all started with a small 35mm Kodachrome camera I received as a 4 year old boy, which I then used to take images of my ever distant Mother. This camera somehow gave me a wonderful ability to capture something I could not actually have, and I never forgot the strength of the feeling that left me with. When I was 11 I was cast in an American feature film and found myself on a real working film set. This was a huge experience for a curious lad: attentive make up women, ‘tough’ looking crew with all sorts of interesting tools, and free food all day. It seemed to me the people behind the camera were having much more fun than us in front of it, so I decided there & then to become a filmmaker. To the director’s surprise I wanted to start immediately (this was also to be my first lesson in long term patience). I got my real chance 20 years later after film production studies at the NFTVA – Amsterdam Film Academy. Since then I’ve worked with great filmmakers on major wildlife films. In 2000 a dream came true, and I had my first chance to write and direct Television & Film productions. In film I find it important to respect those in front of the camera, so that the surface where they face those in front of the screen reflect true Human stories, neither distorted by a camera lens or unfathomable distances that exist between all Human beings.
Who is Paul King? It’s a process I’m still working on – but I can say I’m London born yet somehow grew up in the Middle East & East Africa. I’ve always been curious about the World, and the pure versatility of creating film content in new and ever changing situations has created many opportunities to satisfy and manifest this curiosity. I’ve worked in many places including Asia, the USA and Australia. The life of a traveller taught me to get by in many ‘challenging’ situations, coupled with ‘survival’ ability to communicate in several languages at the same time.
In 1990 I started out with Discovery channel and then National Geographic as a Wildlife camera assistant, in Hugo Van Lawick’s film camp in Tanzania. Since then I had work experience in every crew task, from loading 35mm film, to sound recording Lions on a Nagra, and later on to directing cutting edge documentary crew’s with all the latest gadgets, including 5D AR drones. Over the years I’ve been called to produce content that involves bringing film crews in and out of many difficult to reach locations. Now I would describe myself as a Director/Producer, but I’m also active as a freelance line producer or script writing conceptual creative content. For the last 30 years I’ve made my home in the Heart of Amsterdam’s Jordaan, and traversed the planet many times to film in African townships, South American jungles, Indonesian sea’s or the Kalahari desert with Bushmen. In the last few years I’ve worked extensively in Palestinian & Israeli conflict zones. Films I’ve worked on recently have been broadcast on international television or Cinema Film festivals, and seen by many millions of viewers. Some even received International prizes.
‘I love using film to bring people together that will never meet in places they might never find.’
What’s next? My life work is constantly evolving beween film directing to story telling. My passion is to engage viewers with new perspectives of the Human experience, and inspire them to engage with the World we all live on. After travelling the World during the very cusp of monumental global change, I now feel inspired to go back to my first film love; ‘Wildlife – and Humanities Relationship with the Natural World’.
After these years working in film and gaining experience of the World, I feel like only now am I able to truly orientate where I want to go with my personal compass. Looking forward to the next years – and introducing the World to the stories of wild People, wonderful Animals & incredible Insects (especially Bee’s)..
Paul King
2024 – Amsterdam
info@paulkingfilm.com
00 31 (0) 6286 54197