Tony Tilse

When Tony Tilse was in high school in New South Wales, Australia, where he grew up on a farm, his high school math teacher taught him how to shoot and edit Super 8 film. It changed his life. Because he had no previous technical training, he was able to get into the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's training program, where he studied all aspects of production. Eventually he fell into directing, first working on episodes of the children's show "Bananas in Pyjamas," then the critically acclaimed hospital drama "G.P.," which he directed regularly from 1992 to 1996. His work on that show brought him to the attention of the public, and he became known for being behind high-quality television dramas. Throughout the years he has directed programs like the romantic comedy "Love Is a Four-Letter Word," the sci-fi series "Farscape," and "Lockie Leonard," a children's show based on the books of the same name. Tilse has also been behind many TV movies and miniseries. In 2008, his program "Underbelly," a 13-episode miniseries, began airing everywhere but Victoria, where an injunction prevented it, as it contained fictionalized versions of events surrounding real-life gangland characters about to go to trial. The program, which the director says was influenced by the work of John Woo, went on to be declared Australia's best-ever crime drama. Tilse has said that part of the art of working in television is pushing the boundaries of the medium's budget and time constraints.