Watching 2006's Xbox "Cops and Robbers", helmed by Garth Davis for McCann-Erickson through Anonymous Content, one can't help but get caught up in the spot's frenzied recipe of parkour-inspired acrobatics and a high-tension car chase. But it wasn't only the stunt crew that risked life and limb to pull it off - just ask DP Greig Fraser, who followed the actors on foot as they scaled apartment ledges and traversed the urban "playground".

"For a person like myself, with an incredibly strong fear of heights, standing on a ledge 10 stories up and looking at an actor or stuntman jump at you was reasonably frightening," he recalls. "Working with the grips and stuntmen, we worked out ways I could shoot this convincingly, yet not pass out due to vertigo."

Thus, while it was the value of teamwork that saved him from the potential embarrassment of puking on set, it was also what appealed most to Fraser about shooting film. "I was a photographer for a number of years, but was drawn into film when I saw friends making their own film projects," says the 31-year-old. "Photography can be a very singular affair."

He's particularly enjoyed working with Davis on a range of projects, including Tooheys "Catapult" and Boots "Moment of Truth". They first collaborated on a documentary called PINS, which followed the home and work lives of three parking inspectors, a piece that Fraser says showcased Davis' ability to "explore the beauty of all the people he films, with amazing skill." It's a skill that Fraser aims to keep front and center, even with "seemingly monumental undertakings" like "Catapult" and "Cops and Robbers". The most challenging part of shooting them, according to Fraser, was "trying to not let the logistical elements adversely affect anything that Garth was trying to do with his character representations."

He's equally at home with post-heavy jobs such as "Party" for the Yellow Pages as with vivid visual spots like Panasonic "Guatemala" (helmed by Mark Molloy). He prefers "cameras and lenses that help me shoot the world like I see it." Cameras such as the lightweight Arri 235 and Arricam LT are virtual "extensions of my eye", helping him move spontaneously.

Freedom of movement also comes in handy career-wise. Repped Stateside by UTA and by HLA for the Asia-Pacific region, Fraser says he practically lives in LA now, as well as London and Sydney. "My life consists of a lot of travel," he says. "Paying rent in any city is probably not a good idea."

UTA http://www.utaproductions.com
HLA http://www.hlamgt.com.au