Shannon Aroha
Films · Photography · Creative education

Storytelling in light & motion.

Watch the Films
Shannon in a field of tall grass
Hey, I'm Shannon

Let's collaborate.

I'm a filmmaker and photographer from Kansas, based in Aotearoa New Zealand — always chasing the light, and the stories hiding in plain sight.

Learn More
Born at Sea
Narrative short film
Winner, Grand Jury Prize — Raglan Arts Film Festival
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Panasonic
Commercial
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Lenovo
Commercial
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Whittaker's
Spec Ad
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Maui Dolphins
Environmental film
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Waves
Music video
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Enter the Cinema
Brands & festivals I've worked with
LenovoPanasonicSonyTourism New ZealandVirgin AmericaIntrepidRevlonJascoCampus Movie FestSTA TravelFestival of LightsEarth BeatWomen's Travel FestSolriseSolscapeRod Donald Banks Peninsula TrustIdeas UnitedMaster LandscapeWhāingaroa Environment CentreRVEarthbeat
Wanna collaborate?

“You bring the story, I’ll bring the camera —
and the popcorn.”

Work with me.

Brand Films•Music Videos•Photography•Web Design

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Start a project
Services

Ways to work together.

I take on a small number of projects each year for brands, musicians, festivals and conservation work.

01 Brand Videos & Commercials Full video production services, from concept to final mix. Enquire → 02 Documentaries & Events Short documentaries, interviews, festivals and gatherings, filmed with care. Enquire → 03 Photography Portraits, places and products, shot with a filmmaker's eye. Enquire → 04 Music & Social Video Live sessions, music videos and short-form content that still feels cinematic. Enquire → 05 Design & Web Websites, posters and brand pieces built around your own images. Questionnaire →
Shannon on the road, working on the course
Wanna learn about my latest project?
I'm working on a course teaching the
fundamentals of videography.

Learn to see in story.

Sharpen your eye, your camera skills and the story underneath your work.

Practical Filmmaking course
Online course · waitlist open
Practical Filmmaking
Join the waitlist

“The secret isn’t the camera.
It’s the glass in front of it.”

A murmuration of birds against a blue sky
Online courseWaitlist open

Practical Filmmaking

Twelve filmed lessons that take you from picking up a camera to telling a story with it — framing, light, movement, sound and the edit, through a storyteller's lens.

12 lessons · Self-paced · Filmed in New Zealand
Join the waitlist
Kids filming and photographing in a native forest during a camera and story workshop
1:1 coachingGroup cohort

Camera & Story Coaching

Work with me one-on-one, or join a small group of creators meeting weekly. Bring your footage, your questions and the project you're dreaming of — we'll shape it together.

Limited places · Tell me about you first
Express interest

The Books

Two field guides for anyone who wants to make images that move people.

The Art of Video book cover
Coming soon

The Art of Video

A field guide to seeing in motion — light, framing, movement and sound, and how they come together into a story that moves people.

Notify me at release
The Cinematic Handbook book cover
Coming soon

The Cinematic Handbook

A field guide to cinematic thinking — practical techniques for making your footage feel like cinema, from lenses and camera moves to colour and the edit.

Notify me at release

Journal.

Blog posts, movie lists, dream sequences — ramblings from a nomadic existence...

All posts ›
Blog Notes from behind the lens Read »
Movie lists Films that taught me to see Read »
Dream sequences Half-remembered images & ideas Read »
Postcards

Letters from the road

Movie recommendations & occasional stories from yours truly.

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Let's make something.

Got a story to tell? Even half an idea is a great place to start. Drop me a note about what you're dreaming up, and we'll figure out the rest together, over coffee or a discovery call.

Get in touch thestorytellersway@gmail.com
Follow along @shannonaroha @shannonaroha ›
A wooden boardwalk winding through beech forest