A few years ago, Michael Williams faced his own mortality.
He had worked for a decade as a computer technician in retail.
"I found out that I have a genetic heart disease. A cardiologist gave me the news and said I have to be on medicine for the rest of my life," Michael, of Rutherford, said.
"I'm 35. I'm a little bit older to be starting something new, but I started to get philosophical. There's things I want to do."
The experience "scared the hell out of me".
"When you're young, you can do what you like - smoke, drink and be merry. Then one day you have a heart condition that could lead to something more severe," he said.
"In the six months afterwards, I got a little bit depressed. The thought I could die today was a very real concept."
He had always wanted to make a film.
"It was time to do something for myself, something creative," he said.
"It was in the back of my mind for 15 years, wanting to do it. Then you don't do it and after a while you start to get angry that you haven't done it.
"You work for other people to get money to support the family, but I wanted to accomplish something I could be proud of."
He was a little hesitant to tell his wife and friends.
"I felt embarrassed. But I told her I was thinking of cutting down on work and going to film school. She supported me. From there on, it got easier," he said.
He took a film course at TAFE Newcastle's creative media department.
"When I met the teachers at TAFE, they were so supportive. They were great.
"I thought it was a pipe dream to get into short films and writing."
He created a short film for his TAFE course, titled Meet Dr Wilson.
It's about Dr Henry Wilson, a prize-winning quantum physicist who goes missing. Teleportation and time travel are part of the plot. It was partly shot in Civic Park in Newcastle. Michael wrote, directed, acted in and edited the film.
"I wasn't happy with the first edit. I was quite upset about that, it got me down. I let it rest for a little bit. Then I came back to it and made it look like something that flowed quite well.
"I showed it to Chris Davies, our editing teacher, and he said it was really cool and works much better. He said I should submit it to festivals."
Michael was self-critical of the film.
"I thought it was OK as a student project," he said.
He submitted it to the Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival and was accepted in the short film category. He was thrilled.
Michael believes part of his creative impulse comes from his upbringing. He had noticed his storylines inevitably wind up being about father figures or older mentors.
He believes this idea of an older male providing guidance comes from his subconscious.
In the film, Dr Wilson escapes a murderous colleague and travels to the future to meet his grandson.
"The grandson is lost and alone and suddenly this larger than life character comes out of nowhere to put him on a straight path."
Michael's family life is bound to his writing.
"I never had a dad. My dad died when I was two in a car crash at Gillieston Heights at age 21. He was a heroin addict. It was all over the newspaper," he said.
Michael grew up with his grandparents in Morpeth.
"They always watched the old black and white stuff like Lost in Space. I revisit it quite frequently because I like how effective the stories are with minimal budget.
"It's almost like watching a play. It has a Hitchcock feel to it, too."
He was also influenced by The Twilight Zone from the 1950s.
"It had very minimal props and locations and worked with a low budget. I took inspiration from that."
Screen and media TAFE teacher Hannah Hartley said Michael's project was for a certificate four course in screen and media.
"They have to write, organise, schedule, plan, do call sheets and work with others. It's a major work," she said.
"They have to hit all the deadlines, then we have a screening at TAFE at the end of semester."
Hannah said Michael progressed to a TAFE diploma. He returned to his film, adjusted it and made it better.
"Michael wants to be a writer and director. One of the best things to do to get noticed is to enter film festivals. We're really proud of him," Hannah said.
The festival runs from August 22 to 28, with a travelling roadshow in September.
