FROM CINEMA FLOORS TO HOLLYWOOD SETS: SAMANTHA DAVIES’ JOURNEY IN SOUND

Samantha Davies on the set of Love Divided By Eleven.

As a teenager, Samantha Davies dreamed of working on Hollywood film sets. Today she is working in the sound department on some of the most exciting film projects with some of the biggest names in the industry, and right here in her own backyard of Melbourne. 

From the age of 18 Samantha Davies worked at—and then managed—her local movie theatre in Dandenong, but after almost a decade of selling movie tickets, she decided to take a leap of faith and return to her birthplace in Northern Ireland to study film and television. “I've always wanted to work in this industry, since I was very, very young. So, I quit my job. It was one of those moments where it was like, I have to do it now or never.”

After graduating with a new skill set and an enhanced passion to work behind the scenes in filmmaking, Samantha returned to Melbourne and started networking in an industry where she knew no one. “I was on Seek and saw this ad which looked like a scam. It said: do you want to work on a film set, helping to cater and serve food to the stars? And I thought, yeah, I'll do that.” 

Two days later, Samantha was on the set of Michael Gracey’s blockbuster biopic, Better Man. “I'd never been on a film set before…I couldn't believe what was happening, and I loved every second of it.”

As a catering runner, Samantha was responsible for setting up lunches and breakfasts for everyone on set. “It a great place to start because it doesn't throw you right in the deep end, but it gives you that organisation that you need to learn, and it also gives you the benefits of meeting everybody on set. No one's off limits to you, and everyone's so nice because you're running around with food.” Stars Catering took Samantha to Sydney to work on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Fall Guy – two productions that solidified her passion for the screen industry. 

From catering, and some very strategic networking with key personnel on the set of Better Man, Samantha found herself working in grip and production running roles on La Brea and Planet Lulin, both filming in Melbourne. Whilst both were rewarding experiences, Samantha felt inspired to explore other areas of production. “I kept returning to that feeling of wanting to venture into the sound department, but I felt intimidated and like I didn’t have the right skills.”

Despite a sense of imposter syndrome, Samantha was encouraged to apply for VicScreen’s Professional Attachments Register, specifying her desire to work in sound. “It wasn’t long after that I received a call from VicScreen asking if I wanted to do a professional attachment with sound mixer and recordist Roger van Wensveen on Love Divided By Eleven. I said, ‘Absolutely’”. 

“I got to set the first day and it was like a lightning bolt. I felt at home. It was the first time being in this industry that I thought, ‘I love this. This is me. This just fits.’” The sound department offered the right balance of technical know-how and creativity, Samantha explains. “It offered everything that I wanted out of film. Sometimes you have to put on your technical hat and ask: ‘How does this equipment work?’ And sometimes you have to put on your creative hat and ask, ‘How am I going to mic this cast member up if they're wearing X, Y and Z?’ You end up building an amazing rapport working with cast, which I find very rewarding because you feel like you’re impacting the industry.” 

Samantha Davies in her VicScreen-supported Professional Attachment placement on Love Divided By Eleven. 

Samantha quickly adapted to the demands of on-set sound, learning from seasoned sound mixers and boom operators and gaining hands-on experience with sophisticated equipment and new technologies. Her early sense of imposter syndrome quickly dissipated when her six-week VicScreen attachment was extended to see out the remainder of production. 

Industry sound veteran Dean Ryan—a highly respected sound mixer in Melbourne—took notice of Samantha’s work and consulted with Roger van Wensveen to help secure the next best opportunity for Samantha, this time on the set of Liam Neeson’s latest thriller, The Mongoose.

"Every day, I had to pinch myself. Working with someone like Liam Neeson—someone I've admired for years—was a dream come true. And it wasn’t just him; the director and the entire cast and crew were incredible,” Samantha said.

These professional attachment opportunities solidified Samantha’s confidence. "It feels easy for me now. I’m not stressed about mic-ing up actors or managing equipment. I’ve had the opportunity to work with different mixers, learn different styles, and understand the nuances of various microphones."

This confidence was tested on the set of The Mongoose, where the team faced challenging conditions on a variety of diverse locations, including closing down the Calder Freeway for car chase scenes and shooting in regional Victorian locations like Bacchus Marsh, Little River, and Castlemaine. "One of the first days on set, we arrived at a quarry that had flooded. It was just mud everywhere and 34-degree heat. Moving equipment through that wasn’t easy," Samantha remembers, "But honestly, it felt like an adventure. And that’s how I approach every challenge—just appreciating the moment and knowing it’s all part of the experience."

For those looking to break into the industry, Samantha’s advice is simple: "Just do it. It sounds cliché, but you truly don’t know where one opportunity will lead. I never thought I’d be working on a Liam Neeson film so early in my career. If you’re passionate, take the risk. Email people, introduce yourself, put yourself out there. Even if some people don’t reply, someone else will."

Looking ahead, Samantha is excited about her new career in the screen industry. "I love what I’m doing right now, and I don’t want to rush to the next thing just yet. But I also have bigger goals. I want to write a script one day. I’d love to work on documentaries, maybe even travel overseas and see where this career can take me. I feel confident now that I can do all of it."

Would you like to follow in Samantha’s footsteps and pursue a career in the screen industry? Sign up for VicScreen’s Professional Attachments register here.