View source for Brian Trenchard-Smith


{{British barrelled name|Trenchard-Smith|Smith}}

{{Use British English|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Brian Trenchard-Smith
| image              = Brian Trenchard-Smith.jpg
| caption            = Trenchard-Smith in 2010
| birth_name         = Brian Medwin Trenchard-Smith<ref name=Alice />
| birth_date         = {{birth year and age|1946}}
| birth_place        = [[England]], United Kingdom
| citizenship        = 
| years active       = 1965—present
| education          = [[Wellington College, Berkshire|Wellington College]]
| spouse             = {{marriage|Margaret Trenchard-Smith|1975}}
| children           = 2
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| occupation         = [[Film director]], [[film producer]], [[screenwriter]], actor, author
}}

'''Brian Medwin Trenchard-Smith''' (born 1946) is an English-Australian filmmaker and author, known for his idiosyncratic and satirical low-budget [[Film genre|genre film]]s. His filmography covers [[Action film|action]], [[science fiction]], [[Martial arts film|martial arts]], [[dystopian fiction]], [[Comedy film|comedy]], [[War film|war]], [[Family film|family]], [[Thriller (genre)|thriller]], [[Romance film|romance]] and [[erotica]], and his works tend to be [[cross-genre]] pieces.

After gaining experience as a writer and editor of [[film trailers]], Trenchard-Smith made [[documentary films]] for Australian television, many of which focused on [[stunt performers]] and [[martial artist]]s, including his frequent collaborator [[Grant Page]]. He made his [[directorial debut]] with ''[[The Man from Hong Kong]]'' (1975), the first film to be produced as an [[international co-production]] between [[Cinema of Australia|Australia]] and [[Cinema of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]]. Many of Trenchard-Smith's films over the next decade became notable examples of the [[Ozploitation]] cycle, including ''[[Deathcheaters]]'' (1976), ''[[Stunt Rock]]'' (1978), ''[[Turkey Shoot (1982 film)|Turkey Shoot]]'' (1982), ''[[BMX Bandits (film)|BMX Bandits]]'' (1983), ''[[Frog Dreaming]]'' (1986) and ''[[Dead End Drive-In]]'' (1986).

Trenchard-Smith moved to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] in 1990, and has since primarily directed [[made-for-television]] and [[direct-to-video]] films. His other notable works include ''[[The Siege of Firebase Gloria]]'' (1989), ''[[Night of the Demons 2]]'' (1994), ''[[Leprechaun 3]]'' (1995), ''[[Leprechaun 4: In Space]]'' (1996), ''[[Happy Face Murders]]'' (1999), [[Britannic (film)|''Britannic'']] (2000), ''[[Megiddo: The Omega Code 2]]'' (2001), ''[[DC 9/11: Time of Crisis]]'' (2003), ''[[Aztec Rex]]'' (2007), ''[[Chemistry (TV series)|Chemistry]]'' (2011), ''[[Absolute Deception]]'' (2013) and ''[[Drive Hard]]'' (2014). His [[debut novel]], ''The Headsman's Daughter'' (later retitled ''[[Alice Through the Multiverse]]''), was [[self-published]] in 2016. Several of Trenchard-Smith's films have garnered [[Cult film|cult followings]] and have been subject to critical re-evaluation, and he has also been cited as one of [[Quentin Tarantino]]'s favourite directors.<ref name=theaus>{{cite web| url = http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24168396-15803,00.html| title = Larrikin streak| access-date = 30 September 2008| date = 16 August 2008| work = [[The Australian]]| first = Tony| last = Moore| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090805181243/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24168396-15803,00.html| archive-date = 5 August 2009| url-status = dead| df = dmy-all}}</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
Trenchard-Smith was born in England, the son of a senior officer of the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF), and lived for a time in Libya, where his father was stationed.<ref name="grind">[http://dailygrindhouse.com/thewire/brian-trenchard-smith-the-daily-grindhouse-interview/ "Brian Trenchard-Smith Interview", ''Daily Grindhouse''] accessed 8 February 2013</ref> His family moved to [[RAF Odiham]], Hampshire and he made his first film at the age of 15 on [[8 mm film|8mm]], a 2-minute short called ''The Duel''. The following year he made the ten-minute ''The Chase'' about a lunatic who escapes from an asylum and chases a boy around the countryside with a bayonet.<ref name="joblo">[http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/interview-director-brian-trenchard-smith--02 "Interview with Brian Trenchard Smith", Joblo.com, 5 August 2011] accessed 8 February 2013</ref>

He was commissioned to make a film about his school, [[Wellington College, Berkshire|Wellington College]], for prospective parents. He showed this around once he left school, and it helped him get work as an editor's assistant and camera assistant with a French news company in London.<ref name="Jones p27">Jones p27</ref> However he was unable to get into the union so he moved to Australia in 1965 (his father was Australian).<ref>[http://soldierofcinema.blogspot.com.au/2010/12/my-interview-with-brian-trenchard-smith.html "My Interview with Brian Trenchard Smith", ''Soldier of Cinema'', 26 December 2010] accessed 24 October 2012</ref>

===Australian television and trailers===
Trenchard-Smith worked at [[Network Ten|Channel Ten]] as an editor, doing news, documentaries and station promos. He moved over to [[Nine Network|Channel 9]] to work as promotions director, then in 1968 he returned to England and went to work in London as a junior writer/producer of feature film trailers at the [[National Screen Service]].

In 1970 he returned to Channel 9 as network promotions director, and made his directorial debut with a French TV special ''Christmas in Australia''. He followed it with a series of other specials: ''Marty Feldman in Australia'' (1972), ''The Big Screen Scene'' (1972), ''For Valor'' (1972), ''Inside Alvin Purple'' (1972).<ref>Brennan p599</ref>

===Documentary filmmaker===
After two years at Channel 9 Trenchard Smith formed his own production company, Trenchard Productions, borrowed $16,000 and made a one-hour television special about stuntmen called ''[[The Stuntmen]]'' featuring [[Grant Page]]. This was a success.

Trenchard-Smith was going to Hong Kong to make an $8,000 documentary on [[Bruce Lee]] called ''The World of Kung Fu'' but arrived on the day Lee died. He turned the documentary into a tribute on Lee, and in the course of making it met [[Raymond Chow]]. Trenchard-Smith made another TV special, ''[[Kung Fu Killers]]'' (1974), featuring Page and [[George Lazenby]].<ref>[http://www.acmi.net.au/oz_essay_kungfukillers.htm Brian Trenchard-Smith, 'Kung Fu Killers', Australian Centre for the Moving Image – Australian Perspective Essays, August 2008] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328100939/http://www.acmi.net.au/oz_essay_kungfukillers.htm |date=28 March 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43600032 |title=BATTLING IT OUT— HUNG FU STYLE |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=41 |issue=48 |location=Australia |date=1 May 1974 |access-date=29 August 2018 |page=21 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Throughout this decade Trenchard-Smith also worked cutting trailers.

Trenchard-Smith made the sex-orientated semi-documentary ''[[The Love Epidemic]]'' (1975) which was made for $33,000. It was theatrically released and made a small profit.

===''The Man from Hong Kong''===
Trenchard-Smith's Hong Kong connections enabled him to make his dramatic feature film debut with the action movie ''[[The Man from Hong Kong]]'' (1975), the first Australian-Hong Kong co production. Starring [[Jimmy Wang Yu]], George Lazenby and Grant Page, the film was made for The Movie Company, a production company half owned by Trenchard-Smith and [[Greater Union]], and Golden Harvest. The film sold well around the world and established Trenchard-Smith as an action director.

Trenchard Smith then made the TV documentary ''Danger Freaks'' for the Movie Company before Greater Union pulled out of the organisation and it was wound up.

Trenchard Smith then made another action feature film, ''[[Deathcheaters]]'' (1976), starring Grant Page, which performed disappointingly at the box office. He spent nine months on a proposed film that never got up, ''The Siege of Sydney'' (aka ''Pillage Squad'').<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article213734248 |title=WHO'S DOING WHAT |newspaper=[[Filmnews]] |volume=7 |issue=6 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=1 July 1977 |access-date=29 August 2018 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article213735352 |title=WHO'S DOING WHAT |newspaper=[[Filmnews]] |volume=7 |issue=3 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=1 April 1977 |access-date=29 August 2018 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

However he then made a dramatised short, ''[[Hospitals Don't Burn Down!]]'', which won a number of awards and was highly successful.<ref>{{YouTube|YXaqN5pCl3Q|Complete copy of film}} at [[Film Australia]]'s You Tube channel</ref>

===First American films===
Trenchard-Smith then made a film in the US called ''[[Stunt Rock]]'' (1978) which he once called "probably the worst film I have made"<ref>Brennan p602</ref> although it has become a cult classic. It starred Grant Page and the US band Sorcery.

He followed this with ''Day of the Assassin'' (1979), where he replaced the original director just before filming began. He later said making the movie was one of his craziest directing experiences:
<blockquote>All directors, at some point in their career trajectory, find themselves hanging on to a runaway train; despite best efforts, things turn to custard on a daily basis. More often than not, The Movie from Hell is a co-production. Foreign locale, fast money, giant egos, high pressure schedule – all make a volatile witches’ brew, even before you factor in deep rooted national resentments.<ref>[http://www.screenhighway.com/the-wizard-of-oz-an-interview-with-brian-trenchard-smith/ James Chappell, "The Wizard of Oz: An Interview with Brian Trenchard-Smith" 22 May 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034635/http://www.screenhighway.com/the-wizard-of-oz-an-interview-with-brian-trenchard-smith/ |date=4 March 2016 }} accessed 29 January 2013</ref></blockquote>

===10BA era===
Trenchard-Smith returned to cutting trailers for various Australian films. Producer [[Antony I. Ginnane]] hired him to cut together footage of films during production to raise additional finance. These included ''Harlequin'' and ''The Survivor''. Ginnane then hired Trenchard-Smith to direct ''[[Turkey Shoot (1982 film)|Turkey Shoot]]'' (1982).<ref>[http://www.acmi.net.au/ozploitation_essay_briantrenchardsmith.htm Brian Trenchard-Smith, 'No Film for Chickens', Australian Centre for the Moving Image – Australian Perspective Essays, 23 June 2008] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328095325/http://www.acmi.net.au/ozploitation_essay_briantrenchardsmith.htm |date=28 March 2012 }}</ref>

His work on that film got him the job of rewriting and directing the children's film, ''[[BMX Bandits (film)|BMX Bandits]]'' (1983), which starred [[Nicole Kidman]].<ref>[http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/03/06/16-year-old-nicole-kidman-with-exclusive-video/ 'Check out a 16-year-old Nicole Kidman! Her first director says she had 'IT' by Chris Nashawaty, ''Inside Movies'', 6 March 2011]</ref><ref name="david">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|date=2 August 2025|access-date=2 August 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/a-tribute-to-david-argue/|title=A Tribute to David Argue}}</ref> He was announced as director of ''[[Blowing Hot and Cold]]'' but did not make it in the end.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article125006756 |title=Whitely to star in film |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=58 |issue=17,744 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=28 April 1984 |access-date=29 August 2018 |page=18 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Trenchard-Smith began directing episodes of Australian TV shows such as ''[[Five Mile Creek]]''. He was hired by the producers of ''[[Frog Dreaming]]'' (1985) to replace the original director during the shoot.

He followed it with a melodrama which he co-wrote, ''[[Jenny Kissed Me (film)|Jenny Kissed Me]]'' (1985), then another action film, ''[[Dead End Drive-In]]'' (1986). Neither was successful at the box office but the latter has developed a strong cult reputation.

Trenchard-Smith was hired for another "rescue operation" when the decision was made to sack the director of ''[[Day of the Panther]]'' (1987) during filming. This film was shot back to back with a sequel ''[[Strike of the Panther]]''.

Trenchard-Smith did a straight-to-video thriller, ''[[Out of the Body]]'' (1988) then travelled to the Philippines to make a Vietnam War film, ''[[The Siege of Firebase Gloria]]'' (1989).

===Move to Hollywood===
In January 1990 Trenchard Smith moved to Hollywood. He has said that when he left Australia "I was possibly a medium-sized fish in one of cinema's smaller ponds" and when he arrived he "immediately became plankton."<ref name="daily">{{cite news|title=HOLLYWOOD SURVIVOR|first=Brian|last=Trenchard-Smith|date=11 August 2001|newspaper=Daily Telegraph}}</ref> (In 2001 he wrote "I believe I have now evolved into a sardine. My career goal is to become a dolphin, playfully cruising through a variety of genres on adequate budgets."<ref name="daily"/>)

He established himself by attaching himself "to as much material as possible. Sling enough mud at the wall, something will stick." He also earned a reputation for reliability. "Deliver the goods, above and beyond creative and fiscal expectations. Mr Reliable is a popular guy. Specialise in the difficult. No task too great, no budget too small. Work breeds work, particularly if you leave your producers smiling rather than unhappy. Low-budget genre film making does not mean you have to check your personality at the door."<ref name="daily"/>

He returned to Australia to make ''[[Official Denial]]'' (1993) on the Gold Coast. Back in the US he did ''[[Night of the Demons 2]]'' (1994) and ''[[Leprechaun 3]]'' (1995). He went back to Australia to make ''[[Sahara (1995 film)|Sahara]]'' (1995), then did ''[[Escape Clause (film)|Escape Clause]]'' (1996), ''[[Leprechaun 4: In Space]]'' (1996), ''[[Doomsday Rock]]'' (1997), ''[[Atomic Dog (film)|Atomic Dog]]'' (1998), and ''[[Voyage of Terror]]'' (1998).

Trenchard-Smith made the true crime film ''[[Happy Face Murders]]'' (1999), which is one of his favourite movies. Trenchard-Smith says the 2000 [[List of ABC Family Original Movies#Fox Family|Fox Family]] Channel movie [[Britannic (film)|''Britannic'']] was the best of the three disaster movies he made around this time. It got him the job directing ''[[Megiddo: The Omega Code 2]]''.<ref name="daily">{{cite news|title=HOLLYWOOD SURVIVOR|first=Brian|last=Trenchard-Smith|date=11 August 2001|newspaper=Daily Telegraph}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=March 2024|reason=Unable to find any mention of Trenchard-Smith in this edition of the telegraph (or any edition of the paper from 2001)}}

In 2011, Trenchard Smith said his passion project is to do a revisionist history of [[Richard III of England|Richard III]].<ref>[http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/03/21/brian-trenchard-smith-interview/ 'Brian Trenchard-Smith on 'BMX Bandits,' Forgotten Gems and the Current State of the Film Industry' by Peter Hall, Cinephone, 21 Mar 2011]</ref>

===Personal life===
Since 1975, Trenchard-Smith has been married to Dr. Margaret Gerard Trenchard-Smith (née Enger), an American [[Byzantine]] historian and retired actress whom he had cast in ''Deathcheaters'', ''Stunt Rock'', ''Out of the Body'' and ''The Siege of Firebase Gloria''. They have two sons, Eric and Alexander,<ref name=Margaret>{{cite web| url = https://independent.academia.edu/MargaretTrenchardSmith|title=Margaret Trenchard-Smith| access-date = 28 February 2020| work = Academia.edu|first=Margaret|last=Trenchard-Smith}}</ref> and live in [[Oregon]], where they own pet [[deer]]. His hobbies include history and [[épée]] [[fencing]], for which he has held a lifelong passion.<ref name=Alice />

==Career appraisal==
Trenchard Smith once said this of his own films:
<blockquote>There is something you always get in a Trenchard-Smith movie: pace, a strong visual sense, and what the movie is actually about told to you very persuasively. Whatever I do, I'll still be applying a sense of pace: trying to find where the joke is and trying to make the film look a lot bigger than it cost.<ref name="Jones p27"/></blockquote>
He says his main advice for directing is:
<blockquote>Be a good leader, kind father, energetic brigade commander to your cast and crew; no one gives their best in an atmosphere of blame and fear, as happens on big star driven movies; humour is much more effective in team management; try to make your own enthusiasm for the project contagious to everybody. Then pick locations that have natural production value... Plan well. Shot list. Make every hour of shooting count.<ref name="joblo"/></blockquote>
His favourite among his own movies are ''The Man From Hong Kong'', ''BMX Bandits'', ''Dead End Drive In'', ''The Siege Of Firebase Gloria'', ''Night Of The Demons 2'' and ''Happy Face Murders''.<ref>[http://www.screenhighway.com/the-wizard-of-oz-an-interview-with-brian-trenchard-smith/ "The Wizard of Oz: An Interview with Brian Trenchard Smith", ''Screen Highway'', 22 May 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034635/http://www.screenhighway.com/the-wizard-of-oz-an-interview-with-brian-trenchard-smith/ |date=4 March 2016 }} accessed 24 October 2012</ref>

His main influences growing up were [[Alfred Hitchcock]], [[Henry Hathaway]], [[Anthony Mann]], [[J. Lee Thompson]], [[Robert Aldrich]], [[Raoul Walsh]], [[King Vidor]] and John Ford.<ref>[http://www.ithaca.com/arts_and_entertainment/article_9ef34ff8-2f44-11e2-b924-001a4bcf887a.html Bryan Van Campen, "Interview with Filmmaker Brian Trenchard-Smith", ''Ithaca.com'', 14 November 2012] accessed 8 February 2013</ref>

==List of works==
===Filmography===
====Film====
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! width=65 | Director
! width=65 | Writer
! width=65 | Producer
|-
| 1975
| ''[[The Man from Hong Kong]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Uncredited}}
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Deathcheaters]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Stunt Rock]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Uncredited}}
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Day of the Assassin]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1982
| ''[[Turkey Shoot (1982 film)|Turkey Shoot]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Uncredited}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1983
| ''[[BMX Bandits (film)|BMX Bandits]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Uncredited}}
| {{no}}
|-
| rowspan="3"|1986
| ''[[Frog Dreaming]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| ''[[Jenny Kissed Me (film)|Jenny Kissed Me]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| ''[[Dead End Drive-In]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| rowspan="3"|1988
| ''[[Day of the Panther]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
| ''[[Day of the Panther|Strike of the Panther]]'' 
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
| ''[[Out of the Body]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1989
| ''[[The Siege of Firebase Gloria]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Night of the Demons 2]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Leprechaun 3]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Leprechaun 4: In Space]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Megiddo: The Omega Code 2]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2006
| ''[[In Her Line of Fire]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Pimpin' Pee Wee]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Arctic Blast]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2013
| ''[[Absolute Deception]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Drive Hard]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
|}

'''Documentary works'''
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! width=65 | Director
! width=65 | Writer
! width=65 | Producer
! width=65 | Himself
! Notes
|-
| 1975
| ''[[The Love Epidemic]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| [[Semi-documentary]]
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Hospitals Don't Burn Down!]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| Semi-documentary short film<br>Roles: Doctor/Voice of Cleaner (uncredited)
|-
| 1980
| ''The Dangerous Summer''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Short film
|-
| 1989
| ''Dangerfreaks''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Compilation film
|}

'''Acting roles'''
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1975
| ''[[The Man from Hong Kong]]''
| Martial Arts Heavy
|
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Deathcheaters]]''
| Hit & Run Director
|
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Stunt Rock]]''
| Himself
|rowspan=3|Uncredited
|-
| 1982
| ''[[Turkey Shoot (1982 film)|Turkey Shoot]]''
| Officer arresting Paul
|-
| 2013
| ''[[Absolute Deception]]''
| Police Commissioner
|}

'''Other credits'''
{|class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
|-
| 1977
| ''[[The Last Wave]]''
| Promotional consultant
|-
| 1982
| ''[[Blood Tide]]''
| Co-producer and creative consultant
|-
| 1990
| ''Deathstone''
| Executive producer
|-
| 1991
| ''[[Delta Force 3: The Killing Game]]''
| Creative consultant
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Crash and Byrnes]]''
| Second unit director and creative consultant 
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Ice Spiders]]''
| Creative consultant 
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Turkey Shoot (2014 film)|Turkey Shoot]]''
| Executive producer
|-
|}

==== Television ====
'''Documentary series'''
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! width=65 | Director
! width=65 | Writer
! width=65 | Producer
! Notes
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1972
| ''[[Marty Feldman]] in Australia''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| ''The Big Screen Scene''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| ''For Valor''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
|rowspan=3|1973
| ''[[The Stuntmen]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| ''The World of Kung Fu''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| ''Inside [[Alvin Purple]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1974
| ''[[Kung Fu Killers]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| ''The Making of [[Stone (1974 film)|Stone]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| 1976
| ''Danger Freaks''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Miniseries<br />Also additional photography and self
|}

'''TV series'''
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Notes
|-
| 1984–85
| ''[[Five Mile Creek]]''
|rowspan=3|2 episodes
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Special Squad (Australian TV series)|Special Squad]]''
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Mission: Impossible (1988 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]''
|-
|rowspan=2|1991–92
| ''[[Tarzán]]''
| 10 episodes
|-
| ''[[Silk Stalkings]]''
| 5 episodes
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Time Trax]]''
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1994
| ''[[High Tide (TV series)|High Tide]]''
| Episode "Sitting Ducks"
|-
| 1995–97
| ''[[Flipper (1995 TV series)|Flipper]]''
| 5 episodes
|-
| 2000
| ''[[The Others (American TV series)|The Others]]''
| Episode "Unnamed"
|-
| 2009
| ''Fusion''
| Webseries pilot
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Chemistry (TV series)|Chemistry]]''
| 7 episodes
|-
|}

'''TV movies'''
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! width=65 | Director
! width=65 | Writer
! width=65 | Producer
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Official Denial]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
|rowspan=2|1995
| ''[[Sahara (1995 film)|Sahara]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| ''[[The Last Bullet]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Escape Clause (film)|Escape Clause]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Doomsday Rock]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Atomic Dog (film)|Atomic Dog]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2002
| ''[[Voyage of Terror]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Happy Face Murders]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Britannic (film)|Britannic]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
|rowspan=2|2002
| ''[[Seconds to Spare]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
| ''[[Sightings: Heartland Ghost]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
|rowspan=2|2003
| ''[[The Paradise Virus]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| ''[[DC 9/11: Time of Crisis]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Phantom Below]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 2006
| ''[[Long Lost Son]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Aztec Rex]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Malibu Shark Attack]]''
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 2011
| ''The Cabin''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|}

===Bibliography===
* ''[[Alice Through the Multiverse]]'' (2016, originally published as ''The Headsman's Daughter''): {{ISBN|978-1983540868}}
* ''Adventures in the B Movie Trade'' (2020): {{ISBN|979-8674846086}}

===Unrealized projects===
*''Bad Fruit'' (1976) – he was to be executive producer on this proposed $350,000 Keith Salvat project about people in Sydney in the early 1950s.<ref>"Production Survey", ''Cinema Papers'', June–July 1976 p61</ref>
*''Siege of Sydney'' (1977) – project written by Michael Cove which Trenchard-Smith wanted to make after ''Deathcheaters'' about ex-CIA operatives who plant a nuclear device on [[Fort Denison|Pinchgut Island]] and demand $5 million. The intended budget was $450,000, and Trenchard-Smith raised $200,000 from [[Cinema International Corporation]], but they pulled out after the box office failure of ''[[Black Sunday (1977 film)|Black Sunday]]'' (1977)<ref>Brennan p601</ref>
*''Time Warp'' (c. 1980) – a $20 million science fiction film for [[The Walt Disney Company]] which was to be made in 1982 but was put on the back burner after the disappointing performance of ''[[The Black Hole (1979 film)|The Black Hole]]'' (1979)<ref>Brennan p603</ref>
*''[[Blowing Hot and Cold]]'' (1984) – originally announced as director<ref name="production">"Production Survey", ''Cinema Papers'', August 1984 p259</ref>
*''Avengers of the South Seas'' (1984) – $4.6 million action adventure to be set in South China seas to reunite him with the producer and writer of ''BMX Bandits''<ref name="production"/>
*''Roadwars'' (circa 1987) – film about modern gladiators set in the near future from the producer and writer of ''BMX Bandits''<ref>"Production Survey", ''Cinema Papers'', September 1987 p66</ref>
*''The Executioner's Daughter'' (2003) – a "time-twisting paranormal thriller" for which Trenchard-Smith wrote a screenplay that was twice [[Option (filmmaking)|optioned]] for considerable amounts of money, but could not enter pre-production when neither [[Scarlett Johansson]] nor [[Keira Knightley]] could be engaged to play the protagonist. The rights were sold back to him, and he rewrote the screenplay as a novel that was self-published in 2016 under the title of ''The Headsman's Daughter''.<ref name=Headsman>{{cite web| url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/dongroves/2016/06/19/tarantino-favorite-brian-trenchard-smith-publishes-the-headsmans-daughter-novel/#41130aae363e| title = Tarantino Favorite Brian Trenchard-Smith Publishes 'The Headsman's Daughter' Novel| access-date = 27 February 2020| date = 19 June 2016| work = [[Forbes]]| first = Don| last = Groves}}</ref> A revised and expanded edition of the novel, ''Alice Through the Multiverse'', was released in 2018.<ref name=Alice>{{cite web| url = https://www.amazon.com.au/Alice-Through-Multiverse-Brian-Trenchard-Smith-ebook/dp/B0791W6KPC| title= Alice Through The Multiverse Kindle Edition| access-date = 27 February 2020| work = [[Amazon.com]]}}</ref>
* ''Weekend Warriors'' (2013) – thriller about a young soldier who must save his comrades and brother from his vengeful mentor, announced as an Australian/UK co-production between Trenchard-Smith's frequent colleague [[David Hannay (producer)|David Hannay]] and The Spice Factory. Although casting was announced to be underway in 2013, no further announcements have been made.<ref name=UK>{{cite web| url = https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2013/06/20/trenchard-smith-boards-weekend-warriors|title=Trenchard-Smith boards Weekend Warriors| access-date = 28 February 2020| date =20 June 2013| work = [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]]|first =Naman | last=Ramachandran}}</ref>
* ''Sword Point'' (2013) – [[sports drama]] about a Chinese gymnast who takes up fencing; the project was intended to be Trenchard-Smith's tribute to the sport. Although he and ''Stunt Rock'' producer Martin Fink shopped the film to several Chinese production companies to have the film made as an Australian/Chinese co-production, no further announcements have been made.<ref name=China>{{cite web| url = https://www.if.com.au/brian-trenchard-smith-looks-to-china/| title = Brian Trenchard-Smith looks to China| access-date = 28 February 2020| date =24 June 2013| work = [[IF Magazine]]|first = Don| last=Groves}}</ref>

===Trailers===
Dring the late 60s and 1970s, Trenchard Smith was one of the leading makers of [[Trailer (promotion)|film trailers]] in England and Australia. Among the films whose trailers he edited are:<ref>Brennan p674</ref>
*US/UK movies: ''[[Landraiders]]'', ''[[Crossplot (film)|Crossplot]]'', ''[[Mission: Impossible vs. the Mob]]'', ''[[Once Upon a Time in the West]]'', ''[[A Man Called Sledge]]'', ''[[Destiny of a Spy]]'', ''[[Run a Crooked Mile]]'', ''[[Take a Girl Like You (film)|Take a Girl Like You]]'', ''[[The Last Grenade]]'', ''[[The Virgin Soldiers (film)|The Virgin Soldiers]]'', ''[[The File of the Golden Goose]]'', ''[[Hell Boats]]'', ''[[Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed]]'', ''[[The Horror of Frankenstein]]'', ''[[Moon Zero Two]]'', ''[[The Vampire Lovers]]'', ''[[Julius Caesar (1970 film)|Julius Caesar]]'', ''[[Kill Them All and Come Back Alone]]'', ''[[The Bellstone Fox]]'', ''[[The Italian Job]]''
*Australian movies: ''[[Libido (1973 film)|Libido]]'', ''[[Sunstruck]]'', ''[[Picnic at Hanging Rock (film)|Picnic at Hanging Rock]]'', ''[[Mad Dog Morgan]]'', ''[[The Love Epidemic]]'', ''[[The Man from Hong Kong]]'', ''[[Deathcheaters]]'', ''[[Petersen (film)|Petersen]]'', ''[[Break of Day (film)|Break of Day]]'', ''[[Summerfield (film)|Summerfield]]'', ''[[The Irishman (1978 film)|The Irishman]]'', ''[[Snapshot (film)|Snapshot]]'', ''[[Thirst (1979 film)|Thirst]]'', ''[[The Survivor (1981 film)|The Survivor]]'', ''[[The FJ Holden]]'', ''[[The Journalist (1979 film)|The Journalist]]'', ''[[The Last Wave]]'', ''[[Money Movers]]'', ''[[Blue Fin]]'', ''[[Long Weekend (1978 film)|Long Weekend]]'', ''[[My Brilliant Career (film)|My Brilliant Career]]'', ''[[In Search of Anna]]'', ''[[The Fourth Wish]]'', ''[[Stone (1974 film)|Stone]]''

==Collaborations==
Brian Trenchard-Smith had cast certain actors in more than one of his films.

{| class="wikitable"
|-  style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! 
! ''[[The Love Epidemic]]''
! ''[[Kung Fu Killers]]''
! ''[[The Man from Hong Kong]]''
! ''[[Deathcheaters]]''
! ''[[Stunt Rock]]''
! ''[[Turkey Shoot (1982 film)|Turkey Shoot]]''
! ''[[BMX Bandits (film)|BMX Bandits]]''
! ''[[Frog Dreaming]]''
! ''[[Dead End Drive-In]]''
! ''[[Jenny Kissed Me (film)|Jenny Kissed Me]]''
! ''[[Out of the Body]]''
! ''[[Day of the Panther]]''
! ''[[Day of the Panther|Strike of the Panther]]''
! ''[[The Siege of Firebase Gloria]]''
! ''[[Night of the Demons 2]]''
! ''[[Leprechaun 3]]''
! ''[[Sahara (1995 film)|Sahara]]''
! ''[[Leprechaun 4: In Space]]''
! ''[[Happy Face Murders]]''
! ''[[Megiddo: The Omega Code 2]]''
! ''[[Absolute Deception]]''
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|[[Angelo D'Angelo (actor)|Angelo<br />D'Angelo]]
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|[[John DeMita|John<br />DeMita]]
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|[[R. Lee Ermey|R. Lee<br />Ermey]]
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|[[Noel Ferrier|Noel<br />Ferrier]]
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|Paris<br />Jefferson
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|[[George Lazenby|George<br />Lazenby]]
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|John<br />Ley
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|[[Grant Page|Grant<br />Page]]
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|[[Rick Peters|Rick<br />Peters]]
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|[[Steve Rackman|Steve<br />Rackman]]
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|Jim<br />Richards
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|[[John Stanton (actor)|John<br />Stanton]]
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|Margaret<br />Trenchard-Smith
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|[[Roger Ward|Roger<br />Ward]]
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|[[Tamsin West|Tamsin<br />West]]
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|[[Wilbur Wilde|Wilbur<br />Wilde]]
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==See also==
*''[[Not Quite Hollywood]]''
*Brennan, Richard, 'Brian Trenchard-Smith', ''Cinema Papers'', Dec-Jan 1979-80
*Jones, Brian, 'A Horse for all courses', ''Cinema Papers'', March 1986 p 27-28

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://briantrenchard-smith.com/ Official website]
* {{IMDb name|id=0872062|name=Brian Trenchard-Smith}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140905101801/http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/09/04/drive-hard-john-cusack-thomas-jane-brian-trenchard-smith/ 2014 interview] at ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
* [http://www.outlawvern.com/tag/brian-trenchard-smith/ Brian Trenchard-Smith reviews] at Outlaw Vern
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120314091346/http://filmindustrybloggers.com/thegenredirector/ Brian Trenchard-Smith] at Film Industry Bloggers
* [https://trailersfromhell.com/?s=%22Brian+Trenchard-Smith%22 Brian Trenchard-Smith]/[https://www.youtube.com/@trailersfromhell/search?query=Brian%20Trenchard-Smith Videos] at [[Trailers from Hell]] 
* [https://www.nfsa.gov.au/search?q=Brian+Trenchard-Smith&client=nfsa_govcms&proxystylesheet=nfsa_govcms&site=default_collection&filter=0&getfields=* Brian Trenchard-Smith] at [[National Film and Sound Archive]]

{{Brian Trenchard-Smith}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Trenchard-Smith, Brian}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:English film directors]]
[[Category:English-language film directors]]
[[Category:Australian film directors]]
[[Category:German-language film directors]]
[[Category:British horror film directors]]
[[Category:English television directors]]
[[Category:Australian television directors]]
[[Category:English screenwriters]]
[[Category:English male screenwriters]]
[[Category:Australian screenwriters]]
[[Category:English film producers]]
[[Category:English television producers]]
[[Category:Australian film producers]]
[[Category:Australian television producers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Brian Trenchard-Smith|access_date=2026-02-27}}