FEBRUARY 2012 $7.10 incl gst
NZ’S SCREEN PRODUCTION INDUSTRY MAGAZINE onfi l m . co . nz
Struggling for Existence 9 421902 251047
NZFC’s Escalator low budget feature scheme Higher and hire: NZ hire and services feature One week in Bangkok A peek into China
Loren Taylor as Freya in Existence.
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contents Views
FEBRUARY 2012
4 A private view Onfilm columnist Doug Coutts and cartoonist Barry Linton on raising chooks and The Hobbit’s casting call. 5
Letter to editor
6
Short cuts
A reader queries NZFC funding decisions; Cartoonist Andy Conlan pokes fun at ‘found footage’ films.
Philip Wakefield rounds up NZ box office and television news from the NZ screen industry.
10 COVER: Photo: Loren Taylor in Existence, shot in Wellington mid-2011 and due for release in 2012. Photo credit: Existence Limited © 2012. Photographer Nick Swinglehurst.
12 One week in Bangkok: notes on the Thai Screen sector
Entertainment lawyer Michael Stephens recalls his recent visit to Thailand, where he received a warm welcome from their thriving film industry.
12 Through the looking glass: a peek into China
Producer Tui Ruwhiu reports from the MPA/CICE Film Workshop in Beijing, where the industry is set to explode.
Feature
10
14
18
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10 The struggle for Existence
Producer Mhairead Connor reports from one of the productions operating under the New Zealand Film Commission’s new Escalator low budget feature film scheme – a day-after-tomorrow fantasy called Existence.
Hire & services 14 It’s growing
To cater for an increasing number of international film and TVC productions, Queenstown’s film production sector has adopted a one-stop shop approach. Peter Parnham checks out Central Otago’s playground.
18 Hire and higher
Onfilm talks with NZ hire and service companies, providers of everything from cameras, lighting and sound recording equipment through to props, studios and hydraulic platforms.
Regulars
9 Film review: Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business
Onfilm reviewer Helen Martin reviews the long awaited sequel to Sione’s Wedding.
27 Across the ditch
James Bondi, our ex-pat spy based in Australia, rounds up industry news from the Lucky Country.
28 A legal view 29
Legal expert David McLaughlin delves further into the importance of merchandising rights.
Production listings
Volume 29, Number 1
Est 1983
Editor: Steven Shaw (editor@onfilm.co.nz), 021-905-804 Contributors: Doug Coutts, Helen Martin, Peter Parnham, Philip Wakefield Ad Manager: Kelly Lucas (admanager@onfilm.co.nz) 09-366 0443 Production Manager: Fran Marshall Designer: Cherie Tagaloa New Subscriptions: www.onfilm.co.nz/subscribe Subscriptions Enquiries: subs@mediaweb.co.nz, 09-529 3000 Pre-press and Printers: PMP Print Onfilm is published 11 times a year by Mediaweb Limited, which also publishes The Data Book. Mediaweb Limited, PO Box 5544, Wellesley Street, Auckland 1141 Phone 09-529 3000, Fax 09-529 3001 Website: www.onfilm.co.nz
The contents of Onfilm are copyright and may not be reproduced without written permission. © 2012: Mediaweb Limited While Onfilm welcomes unsolicited contributions addressed to the editor, no responsibility can be accepted for their return unless accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope. All letters addressed to Onfilm will be assumed to be intended for publication unless clearly marked “not for publication”.
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February 2012
3
A private view
Learning by doing Crikey, another new year and it’s almost halfway through. Time’s a-wasting and by doug coutts there’s a lot to get done, which unfortunately means all those resolutions we’ve spent ages developing will just have to go on the back burner. Pity, as some of them looked almost achievable. What sets this year apart from the others for me is that it’s back to the uncertainty of freelancing. The preceding 12 months of a regular gig have somewhat blunted my senses to the ugly truths of working for oneself, such as no annual leave, stat hols or a health plan. The verruca will have to wait. So in the face of potential adversity – which I’d managed to get through previously over the last decade and a half relatively unscathed – I’ve decided to try something new. I’m going to become a smallholder. In my case, it’s going to be very small, at least for a kick-off. I’ve been inspired, you see, to strive for self-sufficiency by one of the heftiest instruments of the consumer society, television. It’s through programmes like The Good Life, the River Cottage series and Te Radar Pretends to Live in a Tent While Sneaking Back Home Every Night to Paritai Drive that I’ve been inspired to fill in the outdoor spa, dig up the tennis court, and turn the whole section over to sustainable living. Yes, a quartet of brown shavers has been housed in a purpose-built
plywood and netting enclosure just off my deck, and they’ve settled in well. They spend the day walking around in a group, pecking, peeping and regarding the world with a puzzled, possibly vacant gaze, much like network executives. At night they huddle closely together on just a foot of the four feet of available perch, presumably also like network executives. They arrived at nine weeks old and will, allegedly, start laying at 18 to 20 weeks – an egg a day each the man said. That means, taking into account all my costs so far and those to come, that for the first year each egg will only cost $2, which is markedly different to the price at the supermarket, but not in a good way. Of course, the pleasure I get from tending my flock will be priceless. At the moment it doesn’t seem all that rewarding, because no matter how hard you try it’s very difficult to get any sort of response back apart from
a peck to the knee or a splodge of poop on the sandal. (And that’s the third network executive metaphor, in case you missed it.) Unless you have a bucket of crumbles with you – then you’re everyone’s friend. Crumbles is what chickens eat, at this age. Crumbles comes in large sacks and looks like a mixture of AllBran, dry muesli and reject popcorn, and it goes down a treat. And out as well. Luckily I was ready for that, having watched Felicity Kendall deal with wheelbarrows of dung on a weekly basis. And it’s good for the garden, while chickens are not – unless your idea of a garden is a vast tract of bare earth. Just the other day I noticed we were running short of both edible garden and crumbles, so I set off to the grain merchant’s. There you can buy everything you could possibly need for raising hens, and then some. Not just hens but horses, rab-
bits, llamas and alpacas, although you would probably need a few more acres for those. And a bigger wheelbarrow. The traffic was unusually heavy for a Saturday, at least in Lower Hutt where all the drivers are on a first name basis, and along the banks of the river parking was at a premium. Young people seemed to be ditching their vehicles and heading in their hundreds for a school hall. And then I remembered – it was the now-famous for having to close early casting call for The Hobbit. I looked at the eager young faces and was struck by something – the similarity between them and me. We were all inspired and on a journey, we’d already invested vast amounts of energy and enthusiasm and yet the best we could hope for was chickenfeed. And a decent feed at the end.
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Views
Letter to ed
Andy Conlan’s view
Dear Mr Steve Shaw It was with great joy in my heart I read in the NZ Film Commission’s December 2011 newsletter that John Barnett had been awarded a talent award of $50,000. I have often driven past young John standing at a bus stop in the rain, his ripped jeans flapping in the wind, water dripping down his nose on to a script he is fervently scribbling on while waiting patiently for public transport to carry him off to his job running South Pacific Pictures. And many times I have thought, “You know, that boy could be someone if only someone would recognize his talent.� Now finally someone at the Commission has seen this young whippersnapper’s potential and is willing to bankroll the bloke. With this $50k under his belt hopefully John will be able to give up his multitude of other demeaning part-time jobs washing dishes, cleaning cars, appearing on National Radio, and really focus on developing his craft. It is my prediction that in a few short years we’ll be hearing a lot more about the deeds of this developing artist. This outstanding decision to award Barnett this cash shows what great heart the NZ film industry is in. I mean if a struggling artist like little Johnny can defy the odds and pick up one of these there is hope for all New Zealand’s underfunded filmmakers. Bravo NZ Film Commission Bravo! G.W. – anonymous filmmaker The NZ Film Commission responds: Whilst enjoying the writing and appreciating the light touch employed to criticise our decision, there are some fundamental issues raised which we obviously need to clarify. Firstly, a mistake in our announcement of the grants. We stated that one of the recipients was John Barnett when the application was from, and the grant was given to, South Pacific Pictures. The distinction is key and appears to have added to a misconception within some of the industry of what the grants are for. In past years, the NZFC awarded separate Writer and Producer Awards to assist experienced practitioners with devolved development and overhead support. Last year, partly in response to the Jackson/Court review, the Awards were redefined to include directors and renamed (for want of a better name) the Talent Awards Programme. The intention of the Awards remains the same, though with a much friendlier description – to support established, experienced filmmakers (with at least one film credit on a New Zealand film that has received theatrical distribution) to develop their slates independently. The Awards Programme is a limited fund awarded annually in November, based on application criteria clearly explained on the NZFC website. Last year there were a large number of applications, most of which, however, did not meet more than one of the criteria. Whilst recognising that it is very tough to finance the time required to develop personally, this is not the core aim for this grant and this is where most of the applications fell down and a mistake seemingly underpinning the letter you have published. As always we welcome responses and challenges to what we are doing. In this instance the message we do take from this is that we need to rename the programme – deleting the reference to talent – as it appears to be misleading.
As an aside, we would perhaps take issue with G.W.’s inference that “talent� and “young� should be so strongly linked. Graeme Mason, CEO NZ Film Commission John Barnett responds: I was somewhat surprised to receive the news that I had been awarded $50k, particularly as I didn’t apply for it. However it appears to be a clerical error as South Pacific Pictures did apply and my name was in the application as the contact person, but not the recipient. On seeing the piece in the NZFC newsletter we did ask them to correct the information. I should say that over the years we have received some of these grants and our policy is that none of the NZFC development funds we receive is spent on any internal costs, labour or overhead, or my bus fares or fixing my ripped jeans. We use every dollar of these grants on 3rd party costs, rights acquisitions, writers’ fees etc, and the NZFC will be able to verify that in case your unnamed inquirer queries this. And the NZFC records also show that South Pacific has had a very high success rate of developing projects that actually get made and thereby reimbursing the NZFC development funding pool. I guess that was why they granted us and a number of other filmmakers that sum. I’ve always felt that our industry would be a healthier place if people came out from behind the veil of anonymity and so I’m disappointed that “GW� can’t fess up to his/her real persona. I don’t think the NZFC is going to ‘punish’ “GW� for a fair question. John Barnett, CEO South Pacific Pictures
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february 2012
5
Short cuts
By Philip Wakefield
Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business. © 2011 South Pacific Pictures Ltd
Tintin tops with Kiwis
O
scar may have snubbed The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn but not Kiwi filmgoers, who are expected to make the Belgian sleuth’s adventures the hottest box office hit of the summer. At presstime it had grossed nearly $4.9 million in four weeks and had just slipped from second to fourth place. Peter Garner of Paramount Pictures says grossing $5 million-plus will make the film the number-one title for 2011/12 summer holidays. It opened on nearly $1.3 million, which was more than three times its nearest Boxing Day release rival, Happy Feet Two, and $185,000 above Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows the following week. For the week ending January 18, its NZ result ($4,078,364) was 33% of the Australian take (A$13,699,477) over the same period – or twice what a movie’s NZ release would typically gross compared to Australia. About 70% of the business has been driven by 3D sessions and, distributors say, reflects the “incredible support” for Peter Jackson-produced product in his home territory. This loyalty and the 3D factor are also why the movie wasn’t as exposed to pirated downloads over the internet, despite opening here two months after Europe (the average gap between a major movie’s NZ and US release is 16 days). “As The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is a broad family film, it was necessary for Paramount to hold the film back for the important Christmas holiday period,” Garner says. “The risk of piracy was a concern with our release not going day-anddate with the early releasing territories, and it is an issue we continue to combat as an industry.” While Tintin was overlooked for an Academy Award best animated feature nomination, it did win a Golden Globe in that category and has been Oscar-nominated for Best Original Score (John Williams). However, Joe Letteri’s Weta Digital team is in the running for a vfx Oscar for their work on Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Sione’s 2: fabulous business
T
he Duckrockers still rock! Despite largely lukewarm-to-negative reviews, Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business opened 15% higher than the original: $772,371 on 88 screens. It was number one for the weekend of January 19-22, and claimed the year’s third highest weekend opening after The Adventures of Tintin ($1,284,098) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows ($1,099,007). “We could only be delighted with the opening,” says distributor Andrew Cornwell of Sony Pictures. “The numbers for Manukau were double the original’s, which perhaps justifies the piracy concerns re the first.” At presstime, Cornwell was awaiting the results of the second weekend before speculating on whether the sequel will gross more than the original’s $4 million, particularly in the face of less-than-glowing reviews. “Reviews are largely irrelevant now, as audience numbers have been large and word of mouth is now more important,” Cornwell says. “The reviews have not been a help but they are less important for this type of movie.” While Stuff’s Steve Kilgallon thought the
belated sequel “worth the wait” and rated it 4/5, The Dominion Post’s Graeme Tuckett awarded it 1½ stars: “What was fun and subversive has become mean spirited, tasteless, and reactive. “Sione’s Wedding had a good time turning the stereotypes upside down. This film is happy to chase a few cheap laughs with portrayals of child-like Polynesian men, always on the verge of alcohol-fuelled violence, acting out a story without a plot, a soul, or any particular reason to exist. “It’s not often a film succeeds in insulting its own cast. Sione’s 2 does just that.” NZ Herald reviewers were slightly more charitable with 2½ star appraisals. Russell Baillie said it “lacks the spark and the smarts of Sione’s Wedding” while his Sunday paper counterpart Dominic Corry was moved to write an essay explaining “the critic’s conundrum” of bagging popular local talent. “From my perspective, Sione’s 2 (which isn’t without merit) ultimately failed to live up to its own promise. And I felt a duty to report that in my review. “I gave the film two-and-a-half stars, which hopefully didn’t stop anyone who read it from seeing the movie, but perhaps adjusted expectations.”
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn © Paramount Pictures
NZ movies contribute 2.1% of box office
K
iwi movies grossed nearly $3.5 million last year – virtually a third of what Boy grossed alone in 2010. So unremarkable was last year’s slate that the NZFC’s list of the top 15-grossing NZ movies hasn’t changed since September 2010. The biggest drawcard was Billy T: Te Movie, which grossed $794,000, followed by The Orator ($750,000), My Wedding and
Other Secrets ($688,253) and Love Birds ($588,063). There was a big gap between Love Birds and the next highest-grossing release, the documentary, When a City Falls ($280,000), which was still in release through January and is due on DVD this month. After Love Story ($132,610), everything else grossed below $70,000: The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell ($68,976), Tracker
($65,745), The Devil’s Rock ($25,906) and Rest for the Wicked (estimated $25,000). As a result, NZ movies contributed only 2.1% of a box office worth $161.8 million. Business wasn’t much better for filmmakers across the Tasman, where Australian movies accounted for only 3.9% of the box office, compared to 4.5% in 2010. Meanwhile, the top 10 all-time highest grossing NZ releases remain:
Boy ($9,294,450), The World’s Fastest Indian ($7,047,000), Once Were Warriors ($6,795,000), Whale Rider ($6,400,000), Sione’s Wedding ($4,075,000), What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? ($3,200,991), Footrot Flats ($2,420,000), Second-Hand Wedding ($1,910,000), The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls ($1,813,572), Goodbye Pork Pie ($1,600,000).
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By Philip Wakefield
Short cuts
35mm’s days projected to end
Fast, but not Mega-fast
K
D
odak’s filing for bankruptcy protection last month heightens how quickly celluloid is fading as a cinematic commodity – and how urgently NZ cinemas need to convert to digital projection. There are 141 digital installations nationally, of which 134 are 3Dcapable. But distributors would like to see at least three-quarters of the country’s 400-plus screens digital by year’s end. Some fear if there’s a jump in the price of raw material for film, this territory could struggle to get 35mm product. “It’s that precarious,” says one. “I don’t think film suppliers will be able to sustain the business. Other territories have been much quicker to take up digital. “With the demand for 35mm diminishing and volume rebates disappearing, the cost of securing 35mm is
becoming prohibitive.” Limiting digital installations to date have been delays in negotiating agreements between studios and exhibitors over the joint funding of digital projection’s deployment. Resolution looks likely within the next two to three months but some of the country’s smallest cinemas that run more on goodwill than grosses may suffer as the digital roll-out accelerates. These are in small towns where councils help to run the local cinemas as community services and distributor terms reflect this. There’s doubt over how long these can remain operable once the world goes digital, as there will be a lag between next-generation installations and the price of second-hand equipment becoming cheap enough for the tiniest indies to afford. If the cost of dealing in 35mm film does skyrocket, then these cinemas will struggle for content.
istributors were quick last month to challenge comments about the speed at which Hollywood movies open in NZ. They called InternetNZ chief executive Vikram Kumar “outdated” in his views and expressed concern that “this information and myth is being used to justify and excuse ongoing copyright infringement”. Kumar told the NZ Herald the demise of the Megaupload file-sharing site wouldn’t stop people wanting quick and easy access to movies and games. Kiwis in particular downloaded copyrighted materials because “Hollywood has made up its mind to give it to us six months or two years late. It isn’t available to us quickly, legally or at an economic cost.” But of the movies that topped $1 million at the NZ box office last year, the average gap between the US and NZ release was 16 days and 44% of these titles opened here ahead of the US, the Motion Picture Distributors Association pointed out in a statement. It acknowledged the glaring exception of True Grit, which took 104 days to open here and said school holidays were a key factor in the likes of The Smurfs being held back two months. The MPDA’s assertion is valid for
the most popular US titles but ignores Kumar’s point about TV shows, which typically do take up to two years to land free-to-air slots. A handful spring up within days or weeks, either because of their “event” nature (The X Factor, American Idol) or buzz factor (True Blood). The only channel that consistently airs US TV content within weeks of US transmissions is Sky’s premium drama option, SoHo. That’s because FTA programmers still want the luxury of being able to map out schedules that suit them and their advertisers, in terms of marketing, materials and timing, rather than accommodating viewers desperate to see the latest episode of their favourite shows as soon as possible or in HD – a format that Prime has still to adopt and TVNZ has yet to embrace as keenly as MediaWorks, at least on TV3. MediaWorks’ youth-skewing entertainment channel Four appears no closer to switching to HD, despite having top HD product like The Simpsons that its target audience will seek elsewhere. As Kumar said in the Herald: “Most teenagers in New Zealand have heard of Megaupload, even though older people haven’t – that’s where they get their TV shows and movies from.”
Hallowed Boy rivals Harry Potter on disc
Rialto gung-ho despite SoHo
B
R
oy was the third highestselling DVD of 2011. According to Video Association of NZ figures, it finished behind Harry Potter Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 & the Deathly Hallows Part I © Warner Bros Ent. and its sequel. Rounding out the rest of However, if you include Blu-ray sales, the top 10 DVD sales were: the biggest seller on disc last year was HarDespicable Me, season one of Downton ry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Abbey, The King’s Speech, Cars 2, The Blu-ray sales increased 74% and Lion King, Transformers: Dark of the their sales value jumped 52%; the averMoon and Fast & Furious 5. age price of a Blu-ray release dropped The next three most popular Kiwi 13%, to $24.87. DVDs after Boy were Rugby World Cup Overall, the DVD/Blu-ray market Final 2011: Official Review, Billy T: suffered a 12% fall in sales and a 14% Comic Genius and Billy T: Te Movie (the decline in value. last after only three weeks of release).
ialto Channel is holding its own with the launch of Sky’s premium drama channel Soho, says programming and publicity executive Donna MacKenzie. “With Soho running its first month free in November, we are only just able to begin to analyse figures, but are very confident [Rialto] will not be hugely affected on a subscriber level. “Our subscribers are particularly loyal to the brand and we are always looking at new programming initiatives.” They include this month’s screening of the TV series The Trip, which debuts on Rialto soon after the edited theatrical release comes out on DVD and Blu-ray. Rialto is airing it in three doubleepisode instalments from February 13,
as the 11th hour replacement for This Is England ’88, which couldn’t have its music rights cleared in time for broadcast. This month it also offers Music Masters documentaries and a French film season, while next month the curtain rises on the 2011 Rialto Oscars Collection. Highlights include the NZ TV premieres of Blue Valentine, Winter’s Bone, The Kids Are All Right, Rabbit Hole and The King’s Speech, along with 10 other premieres, 11 encore screenings of earlier Oscar nominees and winners, and a Jacques Tati season. In April, Rialto will run an unencrypted weekend for all Sky subscribers and in May it will launch Rialto Romantics.
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february 2012
7
Short cuts
By Philip Wakefield
Earthquake and rugby pummel box office
T
he box office plummeted nearly $15 million in 2011 as the Christchurch earthquake and the Rugby World Cup took their toll. The nine percent fall was nearly three times that of Australia’s and compounded by 2010 being a record-breaking year – $176.5 million – because of Avatar ($12.3 million) and Boy ($9.3 million). In comparison, 2011’s highest-grossing release, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, had to be satisfied with $7.9 million, while Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($6.5 million) and The King’s Speech ($5.2 million) were the only other releases to top $5 million. The last time the box office slumped this much was in 2005, when it fell just over $10 million to nearly $143 million. Distributors blame the Christchurch
earthquake of a year ago for as much as seven percent of the decline. Particularly hard hit were art house distributors, who were unable to secure enough sessions because of the squeeze on limited screen space by multiplex product. “We always expected 2011 to be challenging because of the Rugby World Cup’s impact on discretionary income but no one anticipated Christchurch,� says Motion Picture Distributors Association president Robert Crockett. “Taking these two factors into account, the industry is pretty comfortable about the final result.� However, it was disappointed its Golden Ticket initiative failed to lift business out of the RWC doldrums. “It wasn’t the catalyst we’d hoped for
nationally but it was better to do something than nothing,� Crockett argues. “While it didn’t succeed on a national level, individual locations and provincial markets that did a fantastic job with it got a fantastic result.� He says with the RWC ending just two months before Christmas, the box office was caught in a “perfect storm of consumer conservatism�. And while the Golden Ticket campaign didn’t deliver the “2%-3% kicker� hoped for, “it did bring cinema back into the public’s mindset and got people in front of trailers for Christmas product�. Crockett describes Christmas/New Year box office as strong, with The Adventures of Tintin, Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
and Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked meeting or exceeding expectations. Indeed, the weekend ending January 4 returned the sixth-largest seven-day revenue. However, the Aussie blockbuster, Red Dog, flopped, Happy Feet 2 and Puss in Boots disappointed, and The Muppets was only satisfactory. “What I like about our business now is the consumer has a lot of options,� Crockett says of 2012’s prospects, which include The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hunger Game, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Snow White and the Huntsman and Titanic 3D. “They can choose to see a film in 2D or 3D in a multiplex, boutique cinema or Gold Class lounge. This diversity is great for the business.�
Rating a mention
All go on the Universal front
I
A
f you thought natural history was dead as a dodo on free-to-air TV because of the predominance of cable channels like Animal Planet and Discovery, think again. TV One has proved otherwise with its new-season launch: among the channel’s top-rating shows were Frozen Planet (for which TVNZ outbid Prime), Ocean Giants and Natural History NZ’s Primeval NZ. They, along with new seasons of Piha Rescue and Rapid Response, contributed to TV One averaging more 25-54 year-old viewers than chief rival TV3 for the week ending January 21 (25% vs 19.2%) ‌ The spectacular success of Frozen Planet – the premiere rated a whopping 15% of 25-54s with episode two at 14.1% – hopefully will persuade programmers there is room in primetime for more quality content ‌ At presstime, TV2 and TV3 were rolling out their new-season big-guns after a Christmas/New Year period in which the MediaWorks channels increased their primetime shares at the expense of TVNZ’s: over the three weeks ending January 15, TV3’s 25-54 share rose 2.9% year-on-year to 21.2% while TV One’s dropped 16.7%, to 21.5% and TV2’s fell 17.1% to 17.5; with 18-49s, TV3’s share rose 3.3%, to 21.8%, whereas TV One’s fell 15.4%, to 19.3%, and TV2’s was down 17.3%, to 19.6%. But year-on-year Four had the biggest 24-54 gain (51.4%, from 3.7% to 5.6%) and Prime the biggest 18-49 gain (35.9%, from 3.9% to 5.3%) ‌ TV ad revenue rose 1.9% in 2011, by $11.4 million to $618.1 million, with broadcasters attributing much of the growth to increased marketing investment and confidence in TV by major banks, retailers and car manufacturers.
ll Quiet on the Western Front and To Kill a Mockingbird are the first restorations Universal Pictures NZ will release on Blu-ray to mark the studio’s centenary. They bow next month, in collectible, book-style packaging showcasing rare memorabilia and new 10-minute video featurettes.
Eleven more of the studio’s “most beloved� movies will follow in commemorative packaging, many on Blu-ray for the first time: Jaws, The Sting, Out of Africa, ET: The Extra-terrestrial, Schindler’s List, The Birds, Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Pillow Talk and Buck Privates.
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Review
Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business Duckrockers in K Road. Despite the difficulties demanded by the script, the lead actors’ characters are intermittently engaging. As taxi driver Eugene, Mario Gaoa is charged with executing the chase. Successfully mining silent comedy conventions, he raises a lot of laughs without uttering a word. Responses to the fundamentalist cult leader send-up in the person of Cardinal Hoani, played by Kirk Torrance, have been mixed – Hannah Tamaki objected to it because, she said, her husband would never go to a strip joint – but I loved it. More of that! The production values are also superb. The cinematography is crisp and nicely lit, serving the richly-coloured and meticulous production design well. Also striking is the inventive use of the Auckland locations; K Road, Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, our beautiful harbour. Myers Park has never looked so good – watching the night scene there you wonder why the park’s potential as a brilliant location has been so overlooked. And of course the soundtrack from Don McGlashan and Dawn Raid artists provides, as is to be expected from these consummate professionals, an upbeat, perfectly judged accompaniment to the action.
– Reviewed by Helen Martin
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he MacGuffin in the popular and successful Sione’s Wedding (2006) turned on the highly unlikely notion that a bunch of troublesome Samoan friends would be permitted to attend an important wedding only if they were each accompanied by a woman with whom they were in a serious relationship. Audiences bought it – that these irresponsible, wayward but lovable boys in men’s clothing could, when they worked at it, attract any number of beautiful, sensible, grownup women in double-quick time and secure their affections. Elements of farce provided much of the humour, but skilful balancing of the film’s tone kept it grounded.
a realistic performance style and a carefully managed pace. When you mix the two styles because your purpose is split two ways, you can become unstuck. In Sione’s 2 there’s so much going on that the centre doesn’t hold. Added to that, there’s way too much dialogue. The one liners that characterise the writers’ style sometimes crackle (“When you’ve given up booze, sex and girls, fear is as good as it gets,” bemoans Stanley), but there are too many misses for comfort. Too many of the one liners sound “written”, rather than organic to the characters saying them. And too much of the plot is revealed creakily in mouthfuls of explanatory dialogue, telling not showing. In a “have your cake and eat it too” moment, after milking the outrageous boyish stuff for laughs all the way through, will anyone believe the final Duckrocker pronouncement, “All men are dicks. Women help us make it” to be sincere? Nah. Still, there’s a lot to like about this film. It has a buoyant spirit. There are some nice set piece scenes – the Duckrockers sorting Albert out on a basketball court, the women sharing thoughts while preparing funeral food, the wannabe homies facing down the
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Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business uses the same principles – the boys still haven’t grown up, the lovely, sensible women are still hanging in there, and there’s a fragile MacGuffin to spur the action, this time in the form of a wild goose chase around Auckland looking for a friend whose presence is required at a funeral the following morning. Working towards the common cause is much more fraught this time around because the Duckrockers, as Michael, Albert, Sefa and Stanley like to call themselves, now five years older, are all preoccupied with their own life-stage issues. So the chase, staged with all the gusto of a full-on farce – improbable situations, cover-ups, quick fire wordplay, physical humour, numerous plot twists and revelations, a breathless pace and an elaborately choreographed climax – has to also bear the weight of the Duckrockers making personal rite of passage transitions, in other words, growing up. “Maybe we’re too old to be boys,” one eventually says, “have you thought about that?” Farce requires broadly stylized performances and a frenetic pace. Dramatic character journeys, even in comedy, need a believable back story,
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Feature NZ 2011 prod co South Pacific Pictures exec prod John Barnett prod Paul Davis dir Simon Bennett script James Griffin, Oscar Kightley DP Marty Smith ed Bryan Shaw production design Tracey Collins costume design Kirsty Cameron sound Myk Farmer, Chris Burt, Stefan Brough composer Don McGlashan music selection Don McGlashan, Dawn Raid cast Oscar Kightley, Robbie Magasiva, Shimpal Lelisi, Iaheto Ah Hi, Teuila Blakely, Madeleine Sami, David Fane, Kirk Torrance, Nathaniel Lees, David Van Horn, Mario Gaoa 92 minutes
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The struggle for Existence Rider, played by Matt Sunderland. Existence, shot in Wellington April/May 2011 due for release 2012.
The New Zealand Film Commission’s new Escalator low budget feature film scheme offers new filmmakers a budget of $250k. Producer Mhairead Connor reports from one of the productions operating under the new scheme – a dystopian fantasy called Existence, starring Loren Taylor, Gareth Reeves and Matt Sunderland.
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Photos: Existence Limited c 2012 /Photographer Nick Swinglehurst.
nfilm readers are probably familiar with the New Zealand Film Commission’s low budget scheme – Escalator. It was announced to great fanfare in 2010 and offered three groups of New Zealand filmmakers the chance to make a feature film with $250K. It is an unashamedly low budget scheme, the idea being that appropriate scale films could be made by early career filmmakers without the years of development and hoopjumping they would usually face. There was an audible intake of breath from across the industry. While some of the criticism amounted to little more than another excuse to bash the Film Commission and their support of new and/or young filmmakers, seasoned players raised legitimate concerns about how realistic it was for relatively inexperienced teams to produce feature-length projects on $250K and what precedents it might set. Technicians correctly pointed out that they would, in effect, be subsidising the scheme by offering extreme discounts on their time and equipment, and some very wise operators opined that not requiring any market attachments was disconnecting new producers from the realities of sustainable filmmaking – which surely wasn’t great for
their long-term career prospects. The one group that didn’t have much to say about the scheme, at least publicly, was the Escalator filmmakers themselves. The truth is – at that point we didn’t feel like we had much to say. This is hardly surprising. On one hand, given the increasingly rare opportunities to make a feature film in New Zealand, new producers, writers and directors are less and less willing to bite the only hand that’s likely to feed. Escalator is far from perfect but there was always a simple alternative – don’t do it. The fact is that none of the filmmakers, actors or crews had to make a low budget film. The choice to participate was and still is up to the teams and the individuals involved. In addition, the sheer, unremitting level of effort required to realise a 250K project barely leaves time for sleep and food, let alone engaging in a discourse around the politics of state finance for low-budget films. Filmmaking is hard. Low budget filmmaking is very hard. There will never be a scheme that will change this. Existence, the feature film produced by Melissa Dodds and myself, has certainly been hard. When we were initially approached by the three remarkable creatives behind the film
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Rocket Rentals Red One with DOP Jess Charlton and crew.
Juliet Bergh directs the action.
Crew at work on Makara Wind Farm Wellington.
we had deep reservations about how achievable a post-apocalyptic parable about consequences was on a quarter of a million dollars. The film required a very distinctive aesthetic – one that required a high level of design work and the ability to film in the most cinematic yet inhospitable locations we could find, with a cast who could turn largely silent characters into compelling, empathetic individuals that an audience would stay with for the length of the story. Despite all of this we felt we had to do it. It was such an original and evocative premise, it felt so relevant to the fears and preoccupations of the 21st century world, and it seemed just possible that in Wellington, with the collective connections and experience we all had, we might be able to pull it off. And it seems we almost have. In preproduction the faith and guidance of people like the dearly missed screenwriter Graeme Tetley and casting director Tina Cleary helped us refine our script and attach an incredible cast. The vision and tenacity of our production designer Philip Thomas and our costume designer Kate Trafford literally salvaged a world that was believably “other” and echoed the story our DOP Jessica Charlton and director Juliet Bergh had written. Meridian Energy and Wellington Regional Council gave us unprecedented access to Wellington’s most rugged and beautiful edges. In production, our crew came from across New Zealand to film in rain and mud and Wellington’s irascible winds, capturing incredible images on a Red camera kindly provided by Rocket Rentals, who demonstrated great generosity and faith in our camera department. Andy Rennie brought his Brightlights gear and crew from Christchurch and gave
up accommodation at the fabulous Museum Hotel so his young assistants didn’t have to stay at the somewhat less salubrious offering of a bunk at a producer’s house. In post, Simon Price, fresh from editing the widely acclaimed The Orator, settled into a windowless room for weeks, working with the director to find our story again and preparing it for all the passion, subtlety and magic that Nic McGowan and Grayson Gilmour created with their sound design and music, and that Frank Rueter of OHUfx added through his vfx. Almost a year and a half later, thanks to support and investment from even more extraordinary individuals and companies that I have not mentioned here, we are soon to finish post-production on our beautiful film at Park Road Post. The aroha shown to us by many professionals who are struggling to manage themselves in these new, much leaner times was humbling. Every filmmaker that has worked in New Zealand knows this story. And the reality is, to a greater or lesser extent, this is how New Zealand producers get most of our films made. We are very, very good at delivering remarkable production value for remarkably little. Existence is an excellent example of this. So what would we say about Escalator now? We get asked that a lot. The answer is – we still don’t know. The Escalator scheme has been framed on some levels as a training exercise or professional development. While it’s true that we have learnt a tremendous amount during the last eighteen months, I believe the most valuable lessons for Melissa and I are yet to come. In order to get through the myriad of challenges a low-budget film throws up, in order to inspire, cajole and motivate all the individuals that are involved, the filmmakers
The aroha shown to us by many professionals who are struggling to manage themselves in these new, much leaner times was humbling. must inherently believe that their film is much more than just professional development. We must believe that we can take our film out into the world and make good on the contracts we made with our cast and crew. Offering points in a training exercise is at best a meaningless gesture, at worst a cynical one. As the Film Commission has rightly required that 50 percent of the producers’ share of net profit be allocated to the cast and crew involved in the film’s creation – acknowledging their contribution as an investment rather than a donation – we hope the Commission has some expectation of these films beyond just development. We would prefer higher expectations to low ones.
To us, the real value of the Escalator scheme is in the long game because the biggest challenge lies in front of us – to bring our film to the audience we know it has and to do it without the direct support of the Film Commission. While this feels daunting, we are undertaking the challenge at a time that offers more opportunities, via digital distribution and viral marketing, than low budget NZ filmmakers have previously had the chance to exploit. If there are lessons to be learned from the Escalator scheme it is likely to be these ones that are the most valuable. We’ll keep you posted. – Mhairead Connor www.existence.co.nz
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One week in Bangkok: notes on the Thai screen sector Invited to Bangkok to look at the prospect of greater links between the Thai and New Zealand screen sectors, Wellington-based film and entertainment lawyer Michael Stephens encountered a thriving screen industry and some Kiwi connections already in place.
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ollowing on from working with the Korean and Chinese Screen sectors, I welcomed an invitation to visit Thailand as part of a New Zealand business delegation in January, getting to see a side of Thailand rarely seen by New Zealand tourists. This was a first trip to Thailand and it was an eye opener in terms of what appeared to be a very well developed film, television and TVC (including animation) screen sector, with real interest in international partnerships. By way of a little context, Thailand has a population of over 65 million including a substantial middle class, and is at the hub of the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, with a total population of 600 million. Bangkok is one of the larger Asian cities with over 12 million people. During the week in Bangkok and by way of first impressions, I was struck by the warmth and friendliness of the Thai
people. They call it “the Land of Smiles” and the two striking things in evidence were the widespread and very public high regard of the Thai King, who celebrated his 84th birthday in December, and the aftermath of last year’s extensive floods. It was clear that the Thai people had bounced back from the floods and the message was it was now very much “business as usual”. We had a number of visits while in Bangkok to film, TV, animation and post production companies (see the handy web links at the end of this article). From these visits it was apparent that the mainstay of the Thai screen sector is television and TV commercial production, but Thailand also produces around 50 mainly digital feature films a year, and has built up a substantial industry servicing overseas film, TV and TVC productions coming to shoot there (including the recent hit The Hangover: Part II). In 2011 there were 606 inbound shoots including 296 TV commercials and 35 feature films, primarily from Europe, Japan and India.
Of possible interest to New Zealand filmmakers is Thailand’s value not only as a shooting location, but also its strength in 2D and 3D short and long form animation, and expertise in the martial arts genre, as seen in the Ong bak trilogy of films. A number of companies we met expressed interest in developing projects with NZ filmmakers and have followed up on that since the visit. A major highlight of the trip was visiting the filming location of the King Naresuan Thai historic epic films, by leading Thai director His Serene Highness (HSH) Prince Chatri Yukol. Situated north of Bangkok at Kanchanaburi on a two square kilometre site, the location has been set up as a hard back lot recreating parts of the ancient kingdoms of Burma and Siam. We were able to sit in on an interior set shoot and it was great to see the meticulous research and craft that had gone in to making the locations and costumes as historically accurate as possible. It is interesting to note these films have been made with ongoing techni-
cal support and collaboration from Sir Richard Taylor and the team at Weta Workshop. Richard and members of Weta Workshop’s specialist crew have travelled to Thailand to assist Prince Chatri with a number of technical challenges. They also hosted the Prince and his senior art department, mentoring in the areas of armour, weapons, chainmail fabrication and other effects work. Through kind arrangements by the NZ Embassy and NZ Trade & Enterprise Office we had a chance to network with local Kiwi expat businesses including Bangkok-based Kiwi and Massive Software founder-CEO Stephen Regelous, who developed Massive for animating crowd and battle scenes in The Lord of the Rings and was rewarded in 2004 with an Academy Award for Scientific and Engineering Achievement. Massive software has since been used in a number of Thai films including both King Naresuan and the successful Khan Kluay 2 animated feature. Continued on page 27
Through the looking glass: a peek into China Producer Tui Ruwhiu reports from the MPA/CICE Film Workshop in Beijing, where the industry is set to explode.
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hina is BIG! Obvious, I know, but worth reviewing to understand its film industry. China’s population exceeds 1.3 billion. Shanghai, its largest city, may have recently passed 23 million. Over 170 cities in China top a million people, and by 2025 it is estimated that eight cities will have populations exceeding 10 million. I didn’t realise how big China was until I went via Shanghai to the Motion Picture Association (MPA)/China International Copyright Expo (CICE) Film Workshop in Beijing from 1-4 December 2011. Eleven years in Tokyo and a lot of travel in South East and East Asia still hadn’t prepared me for China. The workshop was big too… in status. It drew many of the major Chinese film players, such as Han Sanping, chairman of China Film Group; Madame Zhang Xun, president of China Film Co-Production Corporation; Wang Zhongjun, founder and chairman of Huayi Brothers; and Yu Dong,
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founder and chairman of Bona Film International. Equally impressive were the international speakers including Sid Ganis, past-president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Paramount, and former chairman of Columbia Pictures; Ira Deutchman, renowned US indie producer/ distributor/marketer and chair of Columbia University’s Film Program; Jon Kuyper, senior vice president of Physical Production for Warner Bros in Australasia; and Pauline Chan, an Australian-Chinese writer, director and producer with two China pics under her belt (Dragon Pearl, 33 Postcards). This workshop was one of a number organised by MPA since 2006. It achieved some firsts: first joint sponsorship between MPA, which polices copyright on behalf of the big six Hollywood studios and CICE; first with such a stellar list of speakers; and for the first time, 11 Asia Pacific filmmakers (including myself) were invited to participate.
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The workshop was well timed as the Chinese film industry is about to explode. In the last 10 years the industry has grown dramatically. It is about to hit a new level. In 2010 there were 6256 cinema screens. Estimates are that four new screens are being built each day, with screen numbers of 25,000-30,000 likely in the next five to eight years. The Gross Box Office (GBO) increase in 2012 is expected to pass 30 percent (2010, GBO over US$1.5 billion). Film production in China, which in 2010 was 526 films, will near 700 in 2012. This growth hasn’t gone unnoticed. Hollywood, restricted to releasing 20 films each year in China, is clamouring for more. While official pressure continues in an effort to raise release numbers, Hollywood seeks joint ventures, coproductions, and other opportunities to increase box office returns. At the same time, domestically strong Chinese produc-
tion companies and studios are charging onto the international stage. The workshop focus was to connect the established film industry and the next generation of filmmakers to share current trends, volunteer new ideas and participate in constructive debate. Topics covered included Promising Co-Production and International Business Opportunities; Working with the Government, Creative Partnerships, Conducting Good Business and Legal Tips; A look at Films Being Produced with China; and Doing Business with Hollywood and the International Community. Key notes were: Government controls the film industry, administered through the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). The two largest players are China Film Group (CFG) and Shanghai Film Group, both government entities. They are film and TV behemoths with major distribution Continued on page 27
It’s
growing Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds GM Steve Gould. Photos: Peter Parnham.
Like a snowball rolling down the side of a hill, Queenstown’s film production infrastructure has been growing. Peter Parnham checks out what Central Otago’s playground has to offer.
I
n the clean sunlight near the bus stop in Queenstown’s faux cobbled Athol Street, three men in Italian suits climb out of a Mercedes. A Kiwi woman in heels, testing the seams of her own suit, leads them into a real estate agent. My local contact shrugs. “Another bunch of investors who thought they could get a property bargain. They are too late, all the bargains went years ago,” he laughs. Welcome to Queenstown, the buzzy town that has the knack of projecting itself as a much bigger
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place than the official population of 10,500 permanent residents suggests. But then, during the tourist season, visitors outnumber locals by three to one. At the height of the filming season last year there were five television commercials shooting in Queenstown on one day – but again the official numbers disguise what that feels like for the town, since Statistics New Zealand simply reports 126 New Zealand production companies spending some $35 million annually in the
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whole Otago Southland region. The majority of the commercials coming through the area were overseas productions, says Kevin Jennings, the cheerful American-born face of the local film office, Film Otago Southland. While the average shampoo or beer commercial is good business, it is the scale of the overseas car commercials that’ll take your breath away. When a new model car, plus a couple of spares, flies into Auckland en route to Queenstown, it’s a sure bet
the advertising agency thinks there is something special about the region. The spectacular scenery has been drawing in television commercials for decades, but in the last few years the infrastructure to service visiting production companies has advanced considerably, despite highly seasonal cash flows adding an element of risk to infrastructure investments. These seasonal highs and lows are a fact of life, a consequence of Queenstown’s counter-seasonal vistas fitting into Northern Hemisphere summer and
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Left: The ice tunnel at Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds. Below: Simply cover in snow and shoot commercial.
winter campaign schedules. Jennings says the growth means Queenstown is now central base and turnkey solution for location shooting TVCs in the region, and that has made a big difference to competitiveness. “The equipment and infrastructure is crucial to the health of the business here,” says Jennings. “In the old days people had to bring everything in, which put us in the borderline cost-prohibitive basket. You used to have the cost of freight for cameras and other gear and on top of that you would have to pay for travel days. It’s more cost effective now because with all the equipment that is based here, all the productions have to do is hire for the daily rate.” He adds that shooting is not confined to television commercials, but says they do provide the industry’s bread and butter. “It is the majority of our work, and if we did not have a feature film in a given year we would be fine, because the TV commercials are a consistent foundation. But when we do get a feature or a TV series it is the icing on the cake.” Even if local companies don’t tend to hire much camera, lighting
and grip out to large productions that are only shooting a small part of their movie in the area (like The Hobbit), Jennings says it is still good to have this kind of production in town, thanks to them spending on everything from accommodation and vehicles to portaloos and aerial photography. Getting feature or television productions to rent more camera gear locally is now on the horizon for Queenstown Camera Company, thanks to a rapid boost in the company’s camera inventory since the new generation of ARRI Alexa digital cinematography cameras appeared. The company has 35mm film cameras too, but it is the array of five Alexas that has even seen its gear start to find its way north into the Auckland rental market – a total reversal of the position a few short years ago. It was less than ten years ago that founding partner Brett Mills joined with camera operator Ian “Turtz” Turtill and focus puller Paul Turtill to start the company. Mills says having working camera crew making decisions within the company gives them an important edge in selecting which gear to invest in, a critical factor in growth financed from their
own resources. “It has never been about money, it is about the passion,” he says. Justin Marshall, another area local, shares the same kind of commitment. “The thing with being born here, is that the majority of us don’t want to go out of here, and if do, we have already been. We live here because we
love the place, not because we have to be here. It changes your whole attitude because if you don’t have that commitment then your business relationships don’t develop the same way.” Since setting up a decade ago, Marshall’s company Picture Vehicles has worked on over 250 car commercials and now has a warehouse near
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A Southern Hemisphere Proving Ground facility built to accommodate interior sets.
Auckland International Airport, a facility in Queenstown and another in Cromwell. “We also work in Australia and the business keeps five of us busy pretty much full time,” he says. “We do everything from importing the vehicles to transporting them around New Zealand and to Queenstown. We take them to location, we precision drive them, and we then take them back to where they came from, to Singapore Airlines or whoever to fly them out.” Enclosed transporters ensure yetto-be-released models will not appear on the internet courtesy of mobile phone cameras and although they can handle up to ten cars at once, Marshall says the average number of cars on a commercial is three. “When we bring them in, let’s say they want the windows all tinted, or they want the cars painted – we can do all of that. We even pull the engine and transmission and interior out of them so they can be lifted under a helicopter,” he says. He agrees the turnkey solution approach has been behind a lot of growth in the region. “We have to be a one stop shop. The great thing about the Queenstown film industry is we all help each other out. We know the clients are pushing up against the dollar. They
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want plenty of bang for their buck and they don’t want to hear the word ‘no’. So we don’t say no.” It’s a can-do attitude that encourages repeat business and the results are evident about 45 minutes away on the high rounded slopes on the opposite side of the valley from the Cardrona ski field.
and ice test tracks, serviced by 14 stand-alone test facilities, including a curved roof ice “tunnel” building measuring two football fields long. There is the same no-going-back commitment to flying cars to New Zealand for testing as there is for flying them in for television commercials. General manager Steve Gould says it has taken years to build the right reputation in both sectors. “Clients know they can book their hundreds of thousands of dollars of air fares and accommodation and the rest of it with the confidence that the conditions are going to be what they want, the facilities are going to be set up as they need, and they are going to get the shooting done in the snow,” he says. Right now filming is a minor part of the overall business but Gould says it is growing as it becomes known as an easily accessible place where you can get into an exclusive mountain environment without the expense of having to helicopter equipment and crew into remote mountain locations.
It’s more cost effective now because with all the equipment that is based here, all the productions have to do is hire for the daily rate. Locals seem to call the whole area the Snow Farm, although the Snow Farm itself is a cross country skiing area criss-crossed with trails. Adjacent to the Snow Farm is a separate operation called the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds, a counter seasonal winter ice and snow testing facility for new cars. The 400ha proving ground has over 30km of compacted snow
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“A lot of productions are after that pristine and untouched snow with the Southern Alps in the background, but two minutes away on-site is a seventy bed lodge that can be set up with green rooms and art departments and all that,” he says. “We’ve done all sorts of stuff, all the way up from snowy crevasses. We’ve got snow machines, big dump
trucks, loaders and we can pretty much make whatever they want wherever they want it.” Interest from the film industry initially came from film location scouts who did flyovers around the area. The first major production was Roland Emmerich’s 10,000 BC, followed by vampire horror 30 Days of Night. They were reasonably large features that wanted an alpine wasteland area with a bit of snow and mountains in the background. But one of the things about working in the mountains is you have to allow for bad weather days. “There is another movie called Ice that has not come out yet,” says Gould, “if they had a bad weather day or the light wasn’t right, they would just go inside to where another set had been built with all the lighting rigged up and do their close ups, and then after lunch they would go out again for exterior shots.” Interest from television commercial productions now extends to summer, says Gould. “Last year we did a job with a Japanese company that wanted to set up a prison camp set, so they built a whole lot of buildings and still had the feeling that they were in the mountains while at the same time they had three phase power available.” Both car companies and production companies have similar desires for privacy and confidentiality but with different individual proving grounds carved out of the hills, a film crew can work a few hundred metres away from a car testing crew without being disturbed. Yet the scale of the whole complex only becomes fully clear as your aircraft climbs north out of Queenstown. From 10,000 feet, without winter snow the whole place looks like a stupendous sandpit filled with sheds and toy diggers. From that height you also get a sense of the scale of the whole region, and a sense of proportion. They might sometimes have five crews shooting in a day down there, but there’s no way they’ll find themselves in another crew’s shot.
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W
ith over 12 years’ experience and more than 30 major productions, Imagezone has remained at the leading edge of initially digital on set playback solutions, and currently the data eccentric world of digital imaging cameras as the motion picture industry has transitioned away from film. Imagezone’s Dean Thomas talks about their choice of Sony F65s: “The decision to expand with the purchase of two Sony F65 camera systems came as a result of looking very closely at off board RAW data recording solutions, which included systems from Codex and S.two. Whilst looking at those systems we had a limited look at how we could support the then emerging Sony RAW with these solutions, which in turn meant we had to look closer at the Sony RAW format. The closer we looked the clearer it became to us what a significantly superior solution the Sony RAW format is in comparison to other current offerings in the market.
or ‘K’ count but about the value and quality that any given imaging solution brings to their production. “So by providing a digital ‘Lab’ service for this platform that is robust, reliable and plugs simply into our clients’ existing workflows, we hope to help our clients raise the quality of their finished product without having to resort to significant cost increases. “With our Imagezone ‘Lab’ solutions we will be able to offer all the same functionality that we do with current camera technologies, eg, RED and ARRI, with the Sony platform. This includes... • The protection (duplication) and archiving of the master files. • The creation of dallies files for Avid or FCP with master sound sync and a colour look applied. • Viewing dallies for key creatives and producers in typically a Quicktime format with the same colour telemetry as the editorial dallies.
The closer we looked the clearer it became to us what a significantly superior solution the Sony RAW format is in comparison to other current offerings in the market. And we’ve worked with every major available camera in New Zealand. “Our next question was how we apply this technology simply to our existing clients’ workflow in a package that was robust, cost effective and at the end of the day gave our clients a better quality end product. This had us calling Sony New Zealand and insisting that they send us an F65 camera to test. “The intention is not to get too technical here but the numbers and results we got off the F65 were very impressive, to the point that we were looking at lens resolution as a limiting factor! Anyone have any ‘good friends’ at Leica? “At Imagezone we understand that for our clients it is not about the pixel
• Plus for the first year at least we are expecting to have to export a master format in DPX or possibly HDCAM SR to make the master files plug very simply into existing post workflows for finishing. This is only until the major post production manufacturers release their planned native Sony RAW support and these solutions are implemented by the various post houses. “At the end of the day what we are talking about here is a more immersive motion picture and a higher quality finished product, from a solution that is stable, dependable and predictable. This is what we are offering at Imagezone with the Sony F65 and Sony RAW platform.” www.onfilm.co.nz
february 2012
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Hire & Services
Hire and higher Onfilm talks with NZ hire and service companies, providers of everything from cameras, lighting and sound recording equipment through to props, studios and hydraulic platforms.
Nutshell’s Sony PMW F3 production rig. Images: Supplied.
T
o kick the year off, Onfilm asked industry professionals in the hire and services area for an update on their state of play – how was business in 2011 and what does 2012 have in store for them? We received answers from the following companies; listed below are their names and specialist areas. NHNZ, Dunedin: Field equipment hire and post facilities. Cameraworks, Wellington: Camera equipment rental and accessory sales. Kingsize Studios, Auckland: Stills and HD-DSLR equipment, with four studio spaces. For the cine division, the company focuses on small camera packages / HD-DSLRs and has built
up a sizable inventory around this. Paired with a specialist lighting and grip inventory, it is a one stop shop offering everything from unit gear to generators, green and blue screens, and much more. Niche Cameras, Auckland: A multitude of broadcast and digital cinema video cameras, lenses and accessories. Sound Techniques, Auckland: Hires location audio recording equipment including wireless microphones, portable recorders, portable mixers, microphones, playback systems and accessories. Rocket Rentals, Auckland, Wellington: Offers a range of camera gear and production accessories aimed at the broadcast market. Able to
support productions ranging from documentary and drama through to TV series and corporates, TVCs and low budget feature films, as well as EPK work. An extensive range of cameras and accessories for hire, with the latest in technology from the world’s leading manufacturers. Rocket also provides crew, who shoot across the entire production spectrum. Nutshell Camera Rentals, Auckland: Video equipment rental for the NZ TVC, drama and television market. Studio West, Glen Eden, Auckland: Film and television studio facility. Xytech Film Rentals, Auckland: Lighting, audio, grip, rigging and power distribution. Rentals and consumables sales. Hirepool, branches nationwide (incorporating Portaloo, Henderson Rentals, Rhodes Rentals and Castles): Access equipment, scaffolding, generators, lighting, pumps, power tools, excavators, portable toilets/ showers/buildings, fencing, traffic management, marquee and event equipment, vehicles. European Antiques & Furnishings, Auckland: Hires European antiques, mid-century furniture and original industrial furniture. Redwood Industries, Taupaki, Auckland: Make up, wardrobe, production vehicles, swing drivers. ONFILM: How was 2011 for business? How did it compare with previous years? John Crawford, general manager, NHNZ (NHNZ): Overall our business was up for the year, with our core production business up on 2010 and a higher volume of equipment hire and post bookings from external customers.
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Chris Hiles and David Paul, Cameraworks (CW): 2011 was good considering how quiet things were in Wellington in general. We were busier than we were in 2010. Phil Grindle, Kingsize Studios (KS): 2011 was a growth year within the industry, though certainly not without its challenges. We were disappointed by the negative impact the Rugby World Cup and the election had on the NZ photographic and film industries. Julian Boshier, Niche Cameras (NC): 2011 was great for us. To cut a long story short, we had great jobs all year including three drama series. We worked with a bunch of new customers and had the opportunity to purchase a mammoth amount of new equipment. Amid the general doom and gloom that some suffered we seem to have had our best year yet. Sounds a bit sick I know, but it’s true. It’s hard to compare with the previous two years, but we felt like 2011 was the year we got our heads above water and could actually breathe for a bit. Most of the time the oxygen levels are a bit thin when dealing with the associated risk and debt of building a camera company. To get that under control temporally can really feel like a holiday. Stephen Buckland, general manager, Sound Techniques (ST): 2011 was a busy year for us despite the Rugby World Cup providing little benefit. Rocket Rentals (RR): The Rugby World Cup was a very good period for us and we’ve been involved in a number of international jobs that have come through recently. 2012 has started off with a bit of a bang, with higher work volumes than normal for this time of year, so we feel
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Hire & Services
Budgets are still tighter than a 1000mm lens. – Cameraworks.
Cameraworks – nice gear mate.
the tide is turning and 2012 will be another solid year. Paul Richards, Nutshell Camera Rentals (NCR): We’ve had a very successful year at Nutshell Camera Rentals with the arrival of a pile of new gear and many new clients. Several drama productions and a bunch of TVCs were some of the challenges – as a small company, we try really
The showroom at European Antiques.
hard to provide the best gear, best prices and personal service. Studio West (SW): We have been consistent over the last three years. Stephen Pryor, Xytech Film Rentals (XT): Very busy. Up on both 2009 and 2010 in terms of turnover. Craig Booth, Hirepool (HP): Business in 2011 definitely improved over 2009 and 2010 with stronger levels of
Auckland Film and Television Production Facility STAGE 1
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activity across the industry. Meredith Lee, European Antiques & Furnishings (EA): It was a good year – steady as she goes! My business is quite a niche market so I have not noticed a big decline in business with the recession. Neil and Cat Askew, Redwood Industries (RI): Up on 2010 but down on 2009. It was very quiet when the World Cup was on.
What sort of productions required your services in the last year? Can you name some of the productions you were involved with? NHNZ: Documentary production and a small amount of corporate video. Productions include I Survived, Primeval NZ, Built for the Kill, Beyond Continued on page 20
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february 2012
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Hire & Services
Rocket’s latest Epic.
Hire and higher Continued from page 25
and Back, Wild, Wilder, Wildest, Croczilla, Gem Hunter, Megafactories, China Revealed 3D, Jewels of the Earth 3D and America’s National Parks 3D, Aerial Assassins, Strike Force, Man Hunt. CW: Pretty much the whole lot! Kiwi Flyer, Rage, Tangiwai, The Cure, Alone against the Tasman, The Banker the Escort and the 18 million, Just Add Cash, TVNZ 7 Innovation Series, Highway Cops, Tales from Te Papa, Davis Cup 2011 to name a few – and then there
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are all those happy sales customers too. KS: We have supplied equipment and studios to so many different productions – documentaries, music videos, features – we are lucky to be able to work with such a varied range of people from NZ and abroad. Kingsize has been working with hybrid stills-cine client work, several motion picture productions plus all the traditional stills and video work we have always supported. We can’t be name specific due to our client confidentiality policy. NC: Our mainstay type of production generally for 2011 was drama and
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High quality images are now able to be shot and then manipulated during editing at resolutions and qualities for prices previously unimagined. – Rocket Rentals.
Hire & Services
documentary. Nothing Trivial with [cinematographer] Dave Garbett wrapped in December, and early January saw Dave Cameron shooting Hounds. The epic Go Girls 4 with DJ Stipson was next, and the third was Atamira Maori Plays with Fred Renata as DP. We also provided gear for about five or six documentaries of various shapes and sizes throughout the year. So including the multitude of other jobs that came in as well we were generally very happy with our lot in 2011. ST: We provided equipment across the board. While our clients often have the essential equipment they augment it by renting. We rented to major features, TV drama, reality shows, TV shows, sports broadcasters, TVCs, documentaries and low budget productions. We supplied equipment for productions from The Hobbit, Mr Pip and Spartacus, to DIY productions such as the 48 Hour Film Festival. RR: Rocket was involved with a wide range of productions last year, including but not limited to: corporates, documentary series, live broadcast with the Rugby World Cup, music videos, short films and a couple of features, as well as the standard television, corporate and TVC work. Our clients are many and varied. NCR: We provided gear for Underbelly, Strongman, Wild Coasts, Shortland Street, plus TVCs, music vids, TV shows and offshore funded New Zealand shoots. SW: Series, documentaries, commercials, movies, music videos. Productions include Power Rangers, Journey to Darkness, Avalon High, and Siege. XT: A mix of features, TV productions, TVC, entertainment, events and concerts – also a lot with the Rugby World Cup.
HP: We were involved in a wide range of productions in 2011, from feature films such as The Hobbit and Mr Pip, TV productions Spartacus and Go Girls, locally made documentaries, television dramas for overseas countries, and various TV commercials, to supporting local film producers on the Escalator Low Budget Film scheme. EA: Hires have covered film work, location shoots for advertising agencies and prop hire for magazines on a very regular basis. Latest hires have been for The Emperor and Oncle Charles. RI: Small film, drama, TVC, and a little bit on larger projects. Players, Nothing Trivial, Gill, Spartacus, Underbelly, Sione’s 2, The Hobbit, Go Girls 4, Kiwi Flyer, Mr Pip, Almighty Johnsons, Siege, What Really Happened – The Women’s Vote. Have you invested in new equipment or facilities over the last year? NHNZ: We invested in new 3D rigs and cameras and post upgrades, primarily for our own use to meet international demand for 3D television programmes from our clients. We’ve continued to upgrade our post facilities. CW: Equipment yes, facilities no. We seem to never stop buying or upgrading the gear, but we love the gear! KS: We continue to expand our inventory with new equipment: new cine gear such as Kessler Cinesliders, Vocas rigs, OConnor support gear, ARRI camera accessories, plus LED lighting and many other specialist and core gear. NC: We had plenty of jobs throughout the year and so with that we had the ability to purchase new equipment over the subsequent months. When the rental companies are
Julian Boshier from Niche Cameras.
supported, providing they haven’t already crashed, burned and sunk to the murky depths (I’m serious), new gear can be purchased. That’s it! But you know that already and I don’t have to explain the flipside, which can be a very much darker affair from the result of non-support. We kind of went nuts. Zeiss lenses, Illumina lenses, Sony F3 cameras, more OConnor and more Ronford with the addition of many other necessary evils such as Lockits and Microforce units. It’s really about catering to the preferences of the DP, and they do tend to have quite different preferences. When it comes
to handlebars, you can’t just have the one brand, you have to have the three brands, and so forth. Anyway, then towards the end of the year after mulling around for a while, we purchased RED Scarlet and Epic equipment, with more spent on accessories. And so now we can provide you with the tools and ability to shoot your own Hobbit, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc, because all of those are shot on RED. ST: We’re always buying more headphone receivers for use on set, Continued on page 22
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we’ve expanded our range of equipment offered, increasing quantities of some existing stocks. We have a range of new LED products including ARRI LoCaster kits; Litepanels Sola 6; a range of LEDz Brute fixtures (including the Brute 30); ChromaQ Colour Web, Colour Block, Colour Force. HP: Over the last year we have continued to invest in new assets to improve our product offering to the film industry. This includes boom lifts, cherry pickers, lighting towers, compressors, generators, cargo vans, minibuses and portable buildings. We are finalising the acquisition of an access hire business which will further expand our fleet of scissor lifts, telehandlers and boom lifts. EA: Always investing in new stock with my latest container from Europe on the water as we speak! RI: Yes, we put a Nissan Caravan on the road, set up for ADs.
Hirepool access equipment at work.
Hire and higher Continued from page 21
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adding to our radio microphones, mixers and recorders and to our kits for use with DSLR cameras. Now we have Sound Devices PIX240 video recorders. They’re primarily to back up units we’ve sold, but all rental opportunities are considered. RR: We are always adding bits and bobs to our extensive inventory. Early on in the year we invested in the Sony F3 and late in 2011 our long awaited Red Epic X #23 rolled off the production line and into the Rocket office.
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NCR: The equipment cupboard has grown rapidly with new toys arriving every month, requiring a change to larger premises, which has created a much larger equipment testing area. Nutshell has increased the equipment arsenal with new ARRI Alura Zoom lenses, ARRI Matte Boxes and Follow Focus units, Sony OLED monitors, DP-6 and DP-4 EVFs, TV Logic monitors and OConnor tripods. XT: We have a new bulk storage warehouse located north of Auckland and
Did you notice any trends in what’s being used? Any new gear that’s highly sought after in the hire area? NHNZ: There’s still considerable interest in hiring our Phantom High Speed camera and we are starting to attract more southern clients who have realised that you don’t need to leave the South Island to hire highend video and audio post facilities. CW: It’s continually shifting; perhaps more productions are starting to hire the camera that suits each specific shoot now as good HD cameras are becoming more affordable. This is quite different to the old days when pretty much everything was either DigiBeta or film. KS: Our small camera package accessories / HD-DSLR equipment is very popular, including the Kessler cineslider, which when accessorised with the motors opens up all kinds of creative possibilities. The other bit of kit that is getting a good workout is the Matthews Promount Car Kit: you can set up a car rig in around five minutes. It’s too easy.
Hire & Services
Neil Askew – Redwood Industries.
NC: Trends have always been apparent from a camera point of view. You could say it was a pretty flat line for the first 85 years or so with film cameras, but the speed in which these trends change now is rapid. I’m certain that is called fashion. And quite
often fashion can be wrong and just bloody sad. ST: We never seem to have enough IFB headphone receivers and kit to get better audio when shooting with DSLRs. RR: There are more calls for DSLRs,
F3s and large/full sensor cameras using prime lenses, which is a continuing trend. Solid state is where everything is heading; options available today from the major manufacturers are greater than ever for image acquisition. One camera doing well is the
Epic. It has a firm following due to the great quality of the pics available, relative to the low cost of hire. NCR: Continual announcements of newer, cheaper, smaller products Continued on page 24
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Hire & Services
We are starting to attract more southern clients who have realised that you don’t need to leave the South Island to hire high-end video and audio post facilities.
Hire and higher Continued from page 23
has compounded and confused the choices for clients. Nutshell’s choice is the Large Sensor PL Mount Super 35mm SONY F3 cameras, and they’ve attracted huge interest. Especially when S Log provides an incredible 14 stops of latitude!! XT: Greater use of LED technologies. We have over 400 LED fixtures in rental to cope with demand. HP: No particular new trends in our area – what is most sought after is good quality gear at affordable prices. Are there any new or ongoing issues in the industry affecting your business? CW: Budgets are still tighter than a 1000mm lens and the uncertainty of funding for locally made shows doesn’t help either. KS: We enjoy working closely with our partner rental houses. We are seeing a return to an emphasis on the old style of production community that supported its members, helping each other out. This is important when we are weathering tough economic times.
John Crawford, GM NHNZ.
NC: A big issue we as a collective are facing is the dumping of TVNZ 7. Wrong, wrong, and wrong again. ST: An ongoing issue this year will be the phasing out of analogue TV for a fully digital television service and how this affects the available spectrum for radio microphones. It’s an expensive major exercise to retune our existing wireless systems to work within the limited spectrum that’ll be available by the end of 2013. RR: The industry has changed markedly over the last 10 to 15 years. High quality images are now able to be shot and then manipulated during editing at resolutions and qualities for prices previously unimagined. This raising of the quality, combined with the lowering of the cost, is the main driver of the changes that are shaping the
– John Crawford, NHNZ. camera rental equipment industry. The future holds more of the same as technology will continue to improve and the price will continue to fall. It’s this reality that will be a powerful force in shaping the industry in the years to come. NCR: The ongoing issues in this industry, like most others, are increasingly tight budgets which inevitably cause compromises for shoots. This is balanced out by increasingly smart technology and interesting options in camera gear. SW: Lack of infrastructure in the film industry. Fifteen years of government questionnaires about the industry and nothing has changed. HP: No new issues – the issue is always trying to get the right balance of equipment and vehicles to service this dynamic film industry where forecasting the future is difficult. RI: Hire prices and wages are behind inflation so we are progressively going backwards. What does 2012 hold in store for you? NHNZ: NHNZ has started 2012 with a large slate of new productions. CW: Life is a box of chocolates... needless to say that it will be a good year one way or the other. KS: 2012 is looking to be a great year for Kingsize. We are excited by the number of productions shooting in New Zealand. We feel this enthusiasm is shared by the rest of the industry, and we’re looking forward to supporting some of the great new work being produced. NC: We have one series booked in already – a good old fashioned cooking show. We don’t have $97 billion in the bank like Apple does, but we are solid. And from the
Studio West, nestled in a cul de sac close to Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges and West Coast beaches.
general feedback and the amount of work that has come our way, we are confident that we are on track to avoid those murky depths. ST: We’ll strive to continue to provide the best tools for the job to new clients and old. In this industry it pays to take nothing for granted. RR: 2012 has got off to a good start for Rocket. We have a number of quite big jobs in the pipeline, so stand by for updates throughout the year. NCR: This year looks okay so far. SW: Change. XT: Always optimistic. The year has started in a busy fashion and looks like continuing throughout the year. HP: We are expecting a reasonable year in 2012 with The Hobbit and other projects already in production but you never know when a feature film may arrive – and there is always talk of new projects in the pipeline. EA: A new WORLD store in Britomart which will be full of my antique and mid-century stock. This will be the fifth WORLD beauty store that I have collaborated on and it is a great opportunity to mix WORLD fashion and beauty products as well as my antiques in one store. All the products I source are on my website so that hireage companies know where the stock is located. My latest shipment is on its way from Europe now so it will be time to start sourcing for the next container very soon. A huge challenge in my area of expertise is the sourcing of exciting and interesting furniture and decorative items which has become a harder task year by year, but it makes the thrill of finding great items that much more enjoyable. RI: The usual – we’ll wait and see what the year brings.
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Adapting to the market in 2012 Freelance sound recordist and rental specialist Ande Schurr offers tips on staying on top of your game.
A
dapting to the market is not a business strategy but an entire overhaul of your work ethic. It means being aware of anything pertinent to your business. From eyeing the competition, keeping in close relations with clients and keeping up with the latest tools of your craft, to knowing the small criteria changes emanating from the funding bodies. Certainly, there is never a dull moment for a freelance company or individual in the film, TV and advertising industry. Even when there is no work on per se, there is always the business to work on. The great news is that there is a general positive feeling in the air with everyone I talk to. Perhaps it is more acceptance and moving on in this new landscape where digital demarcation lines are blurred. Perhaps it’s just a
new year. Regardless, long may it last! Producers are looking at ways to diversify their business, and transmedia is by now surely becoming a staple diet for traditional production houses and advertising agencies. It’s demanding but as long as we are not too slow to adapt to the market we will survive. What kind of adapting is required? Here are four kinds: 1. Know your market, your clients and your competition We each have our eye on a different ball. Producers of dramas or documentaries watch to see which shows are funded by NZ On Air and Te Ma¯ ngai Pa¯ ho so they know what the flavour of the month is, so to speak, and that may help them shape their own scripts and
The person who successfully adapts to the market is able to because they are already moving at a tremendous rate. proposals for the next submission date. At a deeper level, relationships need to be developed with the commissioners at major TV stations so any incoming proposals are not seen purely as a cold call. Advertising agencies seem to move at a very rapid pace. Based on my experience with agencies on TV com-
mercials, they are often very large companies who look after a medley of NZ and world famous brands. Those people in charge of winning new business at the ad agencies would look carefully at the results of their competitors’ campaigns.
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Continued on page 26
february 2012
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Hire & Services Adapting to the market in 2012 Continued from page 25
If they feel that the creative on a particular brand is consistently being rehashed and lacking flair and appeal, it may be appropriate to put together a pitch to the brand’s marketing team to show why they could do a better job. Of course, that might be easier said than done. With very strong loyalties, such a move could backfire if confidentiality was breached. It might be easier to wait until these brands come to the natural end of their contract with their ad agency and the job is put up for pitch again. Line production TVCs is another whole market by itself. Those successful NZ companies which focus on this business will have developed strong relationships with the big production companies overseas. Their calling card will of course be NZ’s beautiful locations and highly skilled crews. Some prefer to focus on the US market, others on Europeans and still others on the Chinese, Japanese or Korean markets. Each has its own idiosyncrasies and should be studied carefully over a long period of time. Those in the business of corporate videos have formidable competition. Because the budget of a corporate video can be anywhere from non-existent to $50,000 and beyond, it attracts a huge range of producers – some have been here for decades and others are fresh out of film school. However, if you break up the market into large companies (500+ staff), medium companies (50+ staff) and small businesses (1-49 staff), then it may be more time efficient to hone in on one of those levels, and pitch solely to them. Or perhaps choose a
common theme such as “employee morale� and become the national expert in producing those videos for companies of all sizes. The feature film market is for the truly brave at heart. Hopefully you have some private funds or investors because I really feel sorry for those people who wait years to get their film made because the funding round keeps leaving them behind. However, I know from my friends who are seeking to make their own films – it pays to look at successful examples of small movies that worked well overseas. In this case, looking purely at the market in NZ may limit you. 2. Be better at what you do: take on board the client’s feedback instantly and be receptive When your client wants you to change something on the spot, do it without question, if it’s feasible of course. Within the scope of my sound work there are not too many variables. I either boom or radio mic the talent. Yet still it is left to the sound person to decide what is best. In a recent example, when the director saw I was going to boom a two-talent interaction, they adamantly said I should radio mic both. Without hesitation I did that and it turned out to be a good decision. I don’t take any of that personally. I value my client, and I appreciate that I do not know the whole picture nearly as well as them. In this case, both performers did a lot more moving around in their particular scene than I had anticipated, so radio mics made the process much easier for me. The variations to this rule are important. When a director is working with actors on a TV commercial, they need space to carefully craft the actors’ performances into the time frame allowed (15, 30 or 60 second commercial) without missing any important beats. If
Ande Schurr at work. Image: Supplied.
the client or ad agency creatives keep making suggestions during the take, it may interrupt the director’s train of thought and momentum. Some directors have bizarre yet very effective ways of bringing out the best in their talent, be it through a funny story, a metaphor or some other technique that helps to put the talent in the right mind-space. That is why directors often ask me to turn down the sound inbetween takes when they are discussing performance changes with the talent. That way, the director knows that when the agency has some feedback to pass on, it is not coming from a misunderstanding caused by hearing an isolated comment over their wireless headset, rather from an objective observation of the talent’s performance on their playback monitor. This clean line of communication with the agency would give the director the ability to respond immediately and receptively to their feedback without fearing they had been misunderstood.
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february 2012
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3. Develop an ‘active patience’ My business advisor, David Samuel (www.entrepreneurmonk.com) tells me, “Those who patiently wait for the right opportunity and for things to be just right, end up with other people’s leftovers.â€? His attitude of “making your own breaks in lifeâ€? does not however mean to adopt an aggressive stance or to rush into something in a thoughtless kind of way. Instead, it means that we are very active in seeking out new opportunities but are fully aware that great patience is required until a client is truly comfortable with you, enough to trust you with the sound, camera, directing or whatever it is that you do. I find a practice such as meditation good for this. Meditation, in the way I understand it, is simply training your mind to focus on one point. I think it is great for developing patience. To summarise, the “active patienceâ€? required to successfully adapt to the market is riding that fine line of “nature never acts in hasteâ€? vs a proactive, “hungryâ€? attitude for more business. 4. Resolve to achieve your goals, whatever they may be You may ask, “How does a resolution to fulfil my personal or professional goals help me adapt to the market?â€? The answer is that this resolve fills you with such great desire and enthusiasm that you become almost a different person. The person who successfully adapts to the market is able to because they are already moving at a tremendous rate. It’s very easy to change direction – veer to the right or left – when you are already moving. It’s much harder if you have no energy behind you to make the turns necessary. • Ande Schurr is a location sound recordist specialising in TV commercials, feature films, documentaries and TV dramas. His “How Freelancers Can Succeedâ€? series is inspired by doing business as a freelancer in the New Zealand film and TV industry. Visit Ande’s website at schurrsound.com for audio gear hire.
Across the ditch
Heroes and villains Our expat spy provides his idiosyncratic take on the Aussie film and television industry.
T
he troubles of Matt Newton, who played Kiwi drug lord Terry Clark in Underbelly: by JAMES BONDI A Tale of Two Cities, continue. He was charged with common assault after allegedly punching a 66 year old cab driver in December, just three weeks after an emotional tell-all interview on Channel 9’s A Current Affair, when Newton claimed he was “strong and focused” and that his troubles were behind him. He spent months in voluntary rehab at Sydney’s Northside West Clinic after assaulting then girlfriend, actress Rachael Taylor. He also previously assaulted another actress girlfriend, Brooke Satchwell. Newton goes to court on January 31 to defend the charges. But whatever the verdict, the industry feeling is that his chances of working again are pretty much gone. A sad story of a talented actor and filmmaker’s fall from grace, and equally sad for his victims. A story that has no good bits to it at all. ***
Q
ueen Cate Blanchett and playwright husband Andrew Upton
have announced that 2012 will be their last year running the Sydney Theatre Company (STC). They have taken the company to new heights since taking over from actress/director Robyn Nevin in 2009. Blanchett’s star power attracted big sponsorship deals from the likes of designer Giorgio Armani, and her stellar performances in plays like Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, Botho Strauss’ Gross Und Klein and Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya have ensured sell-out seasons, rave reviews, and have put the company into profit. After quietly scrapping Ms Nevin’s “ensemble” company, Blanchett called on a range of excellent actors and directors, including offshore mates like Steven Soderbergh, Liv Ullman and William Hurt, to work with the company for the edification of Sydney audiences. The STC also sends shows overseas to great acclaim. Upton is better known for his astute adaptations of classic plays from the likes of Ibsen and Chekhov for Sydney Theatre Company productions than for original works. His play Riflemind, after a successful Sydney Theatre Company season, was cruelly savaged by the London critics when it was performed
in the UK. One critic even had the audacity to refer to him as Mr Blanchett. Silly, we know him as Denis Thatcher. It will be interesting to see who takes over the reins, but it will take a class act to better the achievements of Upton and Blanchett. ***
Y
ou never know who is going to pop out next from the revolving doors to the offices of the multiple State and Federal film and TV funding bureaucracies. Tania Chambers resigned as CEO of Screen NSW in September, igniting the usual wild speculation from those who depend on the money, and wild indifference from the rest. After we’d all forgotten who we’d tipped anyway, the ever popular Maureen Barron was announced in January as the new head of Screen NSW. Her appointment is a relief to local filmmakers. She has years of experience in NSW film and TV, and in wrangling skittish governments. So Ms Barron moves back south, leaving another revolving doorway open for the new CEO of Screen Queensland. Presumably the usual suspects have
consulted Google Maps and are revising their resumes. ***
L
ots of changes are underway in the lead personnel of the Australian industry. Hot on the heels of the resignation of Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) executive director Simon Whipp is the news that Geoff Brown, the executive director of the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA), will also step down. While Brown is still to announce his future plans, Whipp will take a senior position with Sydney actors’ agency Shanahan Management. The producers who openly gloated that they had seen the last of him will now be calling him, asking very nicely if they can hire one of Shanahan’s stable of top actors, which includes Geoffrey Rush, David Wenham, Nicole Kidman and Miranda Otto. Brown and Whipp frequently crossed swords in a very adversarial relationship. The end of an era? Maybe! As we are yet to find out who their replacements are, maybe it’s still not safe to get back in the water.
One week in Bangkok: notes on the Thai screen sector
Through the looking glass: a peek into China
Continued from page 12
Continued from page 12
Regelous thought there were very good opportunities to mutually benefit Thai and New Zealand filmmakers and animation studios as both countries have great creative talent, although he says New Zealand would have “an edge in terms of technology and production”.
The large population of Thailand and the fact that the New Zealand dollar goes far there would make Thailand a valuable and creative partner for New Zealand and co-productions. • Michael Stephens travelled to Thailand courtesy of the Thailand Board of Investment.
Some useful references for any NZ screen companies interested in Thailand. Thailand Film Office: www.thailandFilmOffice.org Prommitr Film Studio: www.prommitrfilmstudio.com Fame Post (effects, production services): www.famepost.com Imagimax (animation designs): www.imagimax.com Shellhut Entertainment (TV, long form animation): www.shellhutentertainment.com Work Point Entertainment (TV, film and animation): www.workpoint.co.th Kantana Group (TV, film, animation, post production): www.kantana.com Massive Software (VXF Software): www.massivesoftware.com
and exhibition arms. The China Film Co-production Corporation, another government body and a subsidiary of CFG, oversees all official international coproduction, including script and final cut signoff. Hollywood is the focus. The major Chinese players are making aggressive plays to acquire the knowledge required to operate in the international film business. Private enterprise is blossoming. Huayi Brothers Media Corporation is China’s leading independent film and TV production company and largest studio. Huayi and Legendary Entertainment (The Dark Knight, Inception) established a joint venture this year to
produce global films. NASDAQ listed Bona Film is the largest independent film distributor in China and operates an integrated distribution, production, exhibition and talent representation business. There are others. China is well resourced to fund film. There are many government and independent sources for investment. Getting money is the least of the problems. Coproductions can stumble or fail on a number of issues, from poor communication and lack of crosscultural understanding to censorship restrictions and complex financial and legal requirements.
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Continued on page 28 february 2012
27
A legal view
The legal issues of merchandising In his December/January column, legal expert David McLaughlin discussed the importance of acquiring merchandising rights for your production. This month he takes a look at the legal issues relating to the creation and selling of merchandise.
R
egardless of whether merchandise is a well-planned and implemented component of the exploitation of your production or just an afterthought, from the legal perspective there are still a number of issues that should be considered. What follows is a general checklist of the type of issues to think over before you proceed with your merchandising plans. Merchandise these days is no longer just about producing copious amounts of T-shirts, coffee mugs and key rings. Even if you are looking at doing something on a very small scale, perhaps even just as simple as an iPhone or iPad branded app, you could still potentially be straying into the domain of what is considered to be merchandise. One of the first and most obvious issues touched on in the last issue of Onfilm is whether you actually have the necessary rights to create merchandise in relation to your production. For example, if you’ve based your film on an already published book, then you need to very carefully check the rights you acquired from the author and/or their publisher in regards to making your production, to determine if these will extend to the creation of merchandise. If you are serious about merchandise on any significant scale then you should give some consideration to any trade mark issues that may be involved. Just because you produce a film or TV programme with a certain name doesn’t automatically mean that you have a right to produce other products under that branding. The database of registered trade marks maintained by the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (www. iponz.govt.nz) is the best place to
Through the looking glass: a peek into China Continued from page 27
There is a lack of creative and technical talent. China is struggling to find talent and stories that can break away from traditional storytelling and deliver new approaches to films that 28
february 2012
search when it comes to registered trade marks. However, leaving the issue of registered trade marks aside you should still always at least thoroughly search Google in relation to the types of merchandise you wish to create and the names and phrases you’re planning on using in the merchandise. Here you want to make sure there is no one else out there already legitimately creating the same type of thing that by some fluke may be branded in a similar way to what you are proposing to create. If you are serious about potential trade mark issues then there are also other searches that a trade mark lawyer can
vide for in this regard? If it’s unclear then further consideration of how best to proceed may be required. Similarly, if there are any particular props featured in your production which you intend to feature as merchandise then you need to carefully consider the rights of use you have with them. If the props have been created by or for you in relation to the production then it’s likely that the ownership and intellectual property rights you have acquired in them will also cover you for the production of merchandise. However, if the prop in question has only been hired on a temporary basis for use in the filming of the production, then it needs to be
If a video game was created based on your original film but new unique storylines, characters or other elements were created as part of this process, what further rights outside of the context of the video game would you have? undertake for you to try and identify any potential issues upfront. Another key consideration in the creation of merchandise is to what extent you are seeking to use the voice, image or likeness of cast members in the creation of merchandise. What do your contracts with cast members pro-
will have international appeal. If it wasn’t for Peter Jackson, New Zealand and its film industry would barely rate a mention. The panel discussions touched on many salient points over the three days, providing fantastic insight into doing business there and in Hollywood. The workshop ended with a pitching competition. Australian Brendon Skinner won an all-expenses paid trip to Hollywood to meet with studio execs. Most of the Asia Pacific and Chinese
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more carefully considered. If merchandise is to be created with another party in some kind of joint venture then careful consideration should also be given to protecting and retaining your pre-existing rights utilised in the creation of the merchandise. You’ll also need
filmmakers invited were either in film school or just starting their careers; the content was aimed at them. But off to the side, industry practitioners were pitching, doing deals, seeking alliances, coproduction partners, investors and networking to advance projects. This is where I focused my attention and where I made the greatest gains while absorbing everything the sessions had to offer. Reviewing my first encounter of what undoubtedly will be the most dy-
to clarify what your rights will be in regard to any new intellectual property arising as part of producing the merchandise. For example, if a video game was created based on your original film but new unique storylines, characters or other elements were created as part of this process, what further rights outside of the context of the video game would you have to further exploit and commercialise these new ideas and elements? And finally, when it comes to the creation of merchandise consideration should always be given to the provisions of any applicable legal agreements governing the overall production and the rights between the various investors and other parties involved. Do the existing production agreements make any specific mention of the creation of merchandise and how the merchandise is to be funded, or provide for any particular splits or treatment of merchandising income outside of just applying the income towards the recoupment position of the production as a whole? • David McLaughlin (david@mclaughlinlaw. co.nz) is the principal of McLaughlin Law (www.mclaughlinlaw.co.nz). • Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide a general outline of the law on the subject matter. Further professional advice should be sought before any action is taken in relation to the matters described in the article.
Got a legal issue you’d like examined in an upcoming column? Then email David McLaughlin (david@mclaughlinlaw.co.nz).
namic film market for the foreseeable future, the words of Sid Ganis come to mind on how to get ahead in Hollywood: “The system is a big business. To succeed you need communication skill, talent, and passion.” Film in China is decidedly a BIG business. The workshop was a good heads-up on what is needed to succeed there. • Tui Ruwhiu attended the MPA/CICE Film Workshop with the assistance of MPA/CICE and the NZ Film Commission.
Production listings
How to get your production listed Because all listing information is voluntarily supplied by the production companies concerned, these pages are indicative of production activity rather than being an exhaustive record.
Film
James Hayday foley art Jonathan Bruce colorist David McLaren cast Donogh Rees, Stephen Ure, Mitchell Hageman, Thomas Hageman
SQUASH
POST PRODUCTION EXISTENCE NZFC Escalator salvage punk Western prod co Existence dir Juliet Bergh prods Mhairead Connor, Melissa Dodds writers Juliet Bergh, Jessica Charlton based on concept by Juliet Bergh, Jessica Charlton, Philip Thomas script adv Graeme Tetley 1AD/asso prod David Norris prod asst/trainee Jess McNamara prod acct Lyndsay Wilcox casting dir Tina Cleary, The Casting Company DP Jessica Charlton DP/1ac cam Aline Tran 1ac cams Kirk Pflaum, Matt Tuffin 2ac cams Marty Lang, Josh Obrien vid asst Laetitia Belen, Shane Catherall 3AD Dan Lynch chaprns Miranda Harcourt, Stuart McKenzie, Julie Roberts prod des Philip Thomas lead hand Geoff Goss stby prps Ryan Roche set drssr Ryle Burden prop byrs Ryan Roche, Ryle Burden prpmkrs Izzat Design prpmkrs asst Yohann Viseur r/player prp mkr Nick McGowan art dept assts Shane Catherall, Ian Middleton, Tom Mchattie, Amohia Dudding, Ivan Rooda art dept mentor Joe Bleakley thanks to Chris Streeter, Russell Murray gfx des Nick Keller armourer Hamish Bruce livestock wrangler Hero Animals, Caroline Girdlestone asst horse wrangler Monique Drake rider dble Mark Kinaston-Smith cos des Kate Trafford asst des Kristiina Ago m/up art Tess Clarke m/up asst Chrystal script sup Karen Alexander snd rec Nic McGowan boom op Dylan Jauslin onset PA/trainee Nick Tapp gaffer/grip Andy Rennie grip Graeme Tuckett grip/lx asst Ray Eagle, Buddy Rennie Ben stunt coord Augie Davis, Shane Rangi safety Scene Safe Rob Fullerton vfx Frank Reuter unit mgr Hamish McDonald-Bates unit asst Zoe Studd catering Blue Carrott EPK/stills Nick Swinglehurst assembly ed Paul Wadel, Gretchen Peterson ed Simon Price snd des Nick McGowan comp Grayson Gilmour adr/foley facility Underground Sound/Production Shed post fac Park Road Post cam Rocket Rentals grip/lx Brightlights insure Crombie Lockwood mentors prods Leanne Saunders, Vicky Pope dir Mike Smith DP/cam ops Phil Burchell, Rob Marsh, John Chrisstoffels prod des Joe Bleakley thanks to Museum Hotel, Gail Cowen Management, Johnson & Laird, MAC Cosmetics, Celsius Coffee, Meridian, Wgtn Regional Council, Toi Poneke Wellington Art Centre, Loose Unit/Gabe Page Chris Streeter, Russell Murray & Film Wellington Nicci Lock cast Loren Taylor, Gareth Reeves, Peter McCauley, Matt Sunderland, Thomasin McKenzie, Peter McKenzie, Aaron Jackson, Rachel Roberts, Gentiane Lupi, Richard Freeman
FRESH MEAT Feature NZFC prod co Gibson Group prod Dave Gibson dir Danny Mulheron writer Briar Grace Smith line prod Chris Tyson ed Paul Sutorius CGI sup John Strang online ed/colourist Adam Sondej fac mgr Rex Potier snd post prod Mike Hopkins post prod fac Park Road pub Anna Dean EPK Mischa Malane p/grphr Helen Mitchell cast Temuera Morrison, Nicola Kawana, Hanna Tevita, Kate Elliott, Jack Sergent, Leand Macadaan Ralph Hilaga, Kahn West, Will Robertson, James Ashcroft, Richard Knowles, Andrew Foster, Phil Grieve, Thomas Rimmer, Jed Thian, Tim Mansell, Brad Harding, Spencer Greenham, Pete Doile, Acushla-Tara Sutton, Flo Wilson
RUNAWAYS 35mm NZFC funded short prod co Candlelit Pictures prod Alix Whittaker writer/dir Jordan Dodson co-writer Oliver Page DP Matt Meikle 1AD Tony Forster prod coord Emily Van Wichen prod des Lyn Bergquist strybd Glen Christie cam op Dana Little f/puller David Shope loader Raymond Edwards clapper/vid split Alan Waddingham snd rec Mark Williams boom op CJ Withey gaffer Paul Eversden key grip Jim Rowe gaffer asst Richard Schofield, Sean Loftin grip asst John Whiteside script sup Shana Lang m/up/hair Paige Best sfx/m/up Sean Bridle w/robe Krysta Hardaker sfx rain Raymond Allen stunt coord Albert Heimuli catering Luscious Catering unit mgr Roan Lewisham making of Ilai Amir ed Kerri Roggio 4k scan Pete Williams, Nick Booth snd des
Short prod co NZ Film & Television School prod John Reid line prod Alison Langdon exec prod Tommy Honey dir Sky Adams writer Priscilla Rasmussen 1AD sched/prod wrap/grad sup/prod mgr Ants Faifai ed/1AD Jesse Moriarty asst ed James Wypych DP Oren Graham art dir Bex Djentuh loc mgr Sam Spooner prod coord Kate Hooker cam op Tony Stewart 1stAC/f/puller/post prod sup Nikita Baines c/loader Natasha Tylee grip Duncan Pacey gaffer Tim Wells vid asst/rush Natasha Tylee snd rec/snd post sup James Carroll boom op/snd ed/foley Sam Bryant cont Jen Metcalf art dir Rebecca Djentuh props/art asst/making of Steve Goodwin m/up Sasha Rees w/robe Elliot Stevenson thanks to Brett Mills, Film Queenstown industry mentors Nicola Marshall, Charless Edwards, Ken Saville, Andreas Mahn. Graeme Tuckett cast Christine Raki-Noanoa, Theo Taylor, Rangimoana Taylor, David Lamese, Robert Hartley, Kahu Taiaroa, Shane Poihipi, Amalia Calder, Shaun McCluskie, Jacob Kerr, Jazz Calder
SUNI MAN Short prod co Opposable Thumbs writer/dir/prod Hamish Mortland prod mgr Nikki Baigent DP Andrew McGeorge 1AD Darren Mackie 2AD Sez Niederer casting dir/extras co Jay Saussey loc mgr Jeanette Bremner prod asst Alix Whittaker prod runner Rachel Ross prod des John Ioane art dir Sarah Beale art asst Lisa Ioane illustrator Niamh Purcell 1st cam asst/f/ puller Dave Hammond 2nd cam asst Dave Steel vid split/ data wrangler Alan Waddingham steadicam op Dave Garbett snd rec Mike Westgate boom op Shardae Foden gaffer Gilly Lawrence b/boy Merlin Wilford lx asst Mana Lawrence key grip Tommy Park b/boy grip Adnan Taumoepeau grip asst Hamish Young script sup Shana Lang m/up/hair Vee Gulliver w/robe Sarah Aldridge safety off/onset co Dr Rebecca Mackenzie-Proctor catering Jenny Mortland, Katie Heath & Ainsley Allen unit sup Ronnie Hape unit mgr Nicki Tremain unit asst Wayne Hooper ed Simon Price asst ed Dena Kennedy script ed Kathryn Burnett stills p/grphr Mark Gore cast Beulah Koale, Murphy Koale, Maggie Tele, Mauri Oho Stokes, Patrick Tafa, Ben Timu, Andy Bryers, Aleni Tufuga, Stacey Leilua, Madhu Narsai
THE CURE Digital action/thriller prod co David Gould Studios sales agents Archstone Distribution, Joker Films writer/dir David Gould prods Alex Clark, David Gould prod coord Olivia Scott prod asst Amanda Berryman runners Alistair van Hattum, Steven Charles acct Marc Tyron prod des Gim Bon art dir/sby Haley Williams byr/dress Chris Chandler art dept assts Hannah Sutherland, Heather Winship, Josh Cleary set bldr Richard Klinkhamer painter Stine Wassermann gfx Larissa McMillan intern Ruby Fitzgerald 1AD Marc Ashton 2AD Jack Nicol 3AD Keryn Johns cast dir Liz Mullane script sup Marian Angeles DP David Paul equip hire Cameraworks; David Paul, Chris Hiles f/puller Matthew Tuffin 2AC Graham Smout 3rd AC/grip Gene Warriner data wrang Josh O’Brien 2U cam Ross McWhannell 2U cam asst Manuel Czepok cost des Gabrielle Stevenson byr/sby Estelle Stroud asst/sby Rose McIntyre gaffer Adrian ‘Wookie’ Hebron b/boy Alan Wilson b/boy add Chris Murphy lx asst Jared O’Neale fx m/up lead Naomi Lynch fx m/up art Tanya Barlow m/up intern Sarah Elford snd rec Benoit Hardonniere stunt sups Rodney Cook, Shane Rangi stunts Allan Henry, Luke Hawker spfx sup Paul McInnes vfx sup Frank Rueter fluids/fire Bodo Keller concepts/ gfx Felicity Moore sci consult George Slim experiments Richard Hall weapons Paul McLaughlin EPK Brendan Dee unit pub Sian Clement cast Antonia Prebble, Daniel Lissing, John Bach, Stephen Lovatt
THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING BREAKFAST Short prod co NZ Film & Television School dir Jen Metcalfe writer Kate Hooker prod John Reid exec prod Tommy Honey asso prod Alison Langdon DP Jesse Moriarty prod mgr/prod wrap/grad sup Ants Faifai prod asst
Please see www.onfilm.co.nz or contact crewlists@onfilm.co.nz for everything you need to know about getting your production listing/s in Onfilm, including deadlines, submitting new entries and updates, and abbreviations.
James Wypych loc mgr Tony Stewart 1stAD Priscilla Rasmussen cam op Steven Goodwin 1stAC/f/puller Sky Adams c/loader/vid asst/snd ed/foley Duncan Pacey grip Sam Spooner gaffer Oren Graham gaffer asst Sam Bryant snd rec Rebecca Djentuh boom op James Carroll cont Francesca Brooks art dir Tim Wells props/art asst Elliot Stevenson w/robe /prod coord Kate Hooker unit/post prod sup Nikita Baines ed Elliot Stevenson asst ed/making of Natasha Tylee snd post sup James Carroll tech sup Sam Spooner m/up Kerry Taylor industry mentors Nicola Marshall, Charles Edwards, Adrian Hebron, Ken Saville cast Robert Tripe, Alison Walls, Robert Hartley
IN RELEASE
Allpress, Elisabeth Easther, Stephanie Tuaevihi, Ian Mune, Helen Moulder, Sara Wiseman
THE PSYCHOLOGIST Short prod co Zodiac Entertainment dir/prod Dimi Nakov writer/exec prod James Crompton exec prod Dimi Nakov prod mgr Graeme Cash DP Jarod Murray cam assts Kevin Luck, Lars Quickfall, Peta Douglas snd Richard Dugdale boom op Josh Finnigan sndtrack Cap Gun Hero, Kevin MacLeod, Dano Songs art dir Peta Douglas m/up Celeste Strewe cont Peta Douglas ed Logan Swinkels cast Stanislava Balkarey, James Crompton, Miho Wada, Pascal Roggen, Kevin Luck, Lars Quickfall, Tim Butler-Jones
WHEN A CITY FALLS
BLINDSIDE Short prod co Zodiac Entertainment dir Dimi Nakov writers Chantal Rayner-Burt, Sean O’Connor prod Dimi Nakov, Graeme Cash 1AD Tim Butler-Jones add AD Kate Carver DP Jarod Murray cam ops Sam James, Stephen Morris, Lydia Stott cam assts Dinesh Chelat, Peta Douglas, Jamie Drummond, Lars Quickfall snd Richard Dugdale boom ops Josh Finnigan, Lars Quickfall, Daiyaan Rhoda sndtrack Unsub, Dano Songs, Kevin MacLeod, Valdi Sabev vfx Kathy Kenndedy, Jill Round art dir Kevin Luck asst art dir Natasha Luck stby props Peta Douglas, Rokhshana Lang, Henric Matthiesen stills Nichola Gilchrist, Tim Butler-Jones, Robert Aberdeen gfx des Jose Gilabert m/up Celeste Strewe, Victoria Haines cast dir Beren Allen loc mgr Daiyaan Rhoda safety Phil Greeves stunt coord Melvin Te Wani cont Brooke Macaulay, Anjula Prakash, Peta Douglas ed Martin Collyns cast Jordon Buckwell, Tonci Pivac, Sarah James, Paul Thomas Lewis, Lulu Bell, Tessa Jensen, Tara Eloise
PLAYMATES Short prod co Zodiac Entertainment dir Dimi Nakov writer Tonci Pivac prod Graeme Cash exec prod Dimi Nakov, Tonci Pivac post prod Samuel Wheeler 1AD Tim Butler-Jones DP Stephen Morris cam ops Levon Baird, Jarod Murray cam assts Dinesh Chelat, Paul Hudson snd Sudarshan Badrinarayanan boom ops Daiyaan Rhoda, Richard Dugdale score Tim Butler-Jones, Samuel Wheeler tech dir Jarod Murray m/up Celeste Strewe stby props Peta Douglas stills Nichola Gilchrist, Simon Long cont Jess Maitland, Brooke Macaulay catering Yagoda Pivac, Tim Bulter-Jones ed Samuel Wheeler cast Delaney Tabron, Tonci Pivac, Phil Greeves, Simon Long, Thomas Moon, Aleisha Moore, Jesse Miller, Sean O’Connor
REST FOR THE WICKED Feature NZFC 16mm prod cos RFTW, Antipodean Films, Esidarp Prods prod Maile Daugherty dir Simon Pattison writer Bob Moore line prod Judith Trye DP Jos Wheeler ed Paul Maxwell 1AD Simon Ambridge 2AD Reuben Van Dorsten 3AD Hannah McKenzie 2nd unit 1AD Hamish Gough prod coord Angela da Silva asst prod coord Donna Pearman prod acct Naomi Bowden prod runner David Cowlrick prod des Shayne Radford art dir Zach Becroft art dept coord/byr Anna Jordan art asst Dominic Miles f/puller Graham MacFarlane c/loader Tammy Williams v/split Alex Campbell B cam 1stACs Dean McCarroll, Jason White stdcams Rhys Duncan, Grant Adams, Dana Little script sup Kat Phyn script con Nick Ward dramaturg Aileen O’Sullivan dir trnee Elena Doyle cast dir Sally Spencer-Harris cost des Kirsty Steele cost stby Ylona McGinity cost dssr Anna Reid cost asst Pearl Jolly key grip Jim Rowe grip Chris Rawiri gaffer Graeme Spence b/boy Regan Jones lx asst Ben Corlett snd rec Myk Farmer boom op Eoin Cox loc mgr Damion Nathan m/up&hair Natalie Perks m/up asst Hannah Wilson safety Anthony Pennington, Safe Scene pub Sue May EPK Alistair Crombie stills Matt Klitscher, Marc Mateo sfx sup/armourer Gunner Ashford stunt coord Paul Shapcott unit mgr Nicki Tremain vfx sup Zane Holmes asst ed Kerri Roggio mus sup Amine Ramer comp David Long colrist Paul Lear snd des Ray Beenjes snd fx ed Hassan Lahrech dial ed Jeremy Cullen post prod Images & Sound, Park Road Post vfx house Eklektik Design lab Film Lab stock Kodak cast Tony Barry, John Bach, Teresa Woodham, Irene Wood, Ilona Rodgers, Elizabeth Mcrae, Ken Blackburn, Bruce
prod co Frank Film writer/dir/prod Gerard Smyth prod Alice Shannon eds Richard Lord, Ken Sparks cine Jacob Bryant, Gerard Smyth rsrchr Rhys Brookbanks, Cate Broughton, Jennifer Dutton, Brent Fraser, Jo Malcolm sup snd ed/snd des Chris Sinclair snd des/mus dir Ben Edwards creative con Alun Bollinger exec prod Paul Swadel sndtrack by Tiki Taane & Aaron Tokona, Te Taonga Puoro & Richard Nunns feat Caroline Blackmore, Carmel Courtney, Ben Edwards, Mark la Roche, Serenity Thurlow, Ariana Tikao thanks Christchurch Symphony Orchestra dev Garth Campbell, Greg Jackson prod asst/ snd asst Jennifer Dutton snd asst Carrie-Jo Caralyus, Rob Jamieson, Jake Sheldrake, Maggie Smyth, Jake Stanton footage supplied by Archive NZ, Simon Baker, Scotty Behrnes, Sam Britten, Nigel Brook, Steven Goodenough/ Photo NZ, Mike Harvey, Richard Lord/Caravan Media, Brian McCausland, Logan McMillan/Gorilla Pictures, Joe Morgan, Dan Watson, Peter Young/Fish Eye Films, YouTube user Bugsandal, Anthony Dean, Wendy Ingram, Richard Harris, Tim McDonald, Finn & Sally McMillan, Shaun Ryan, Daniel Szesniak, Dawn Walsh stills supplied by David Barrell, Richard Jongens/GNS, Carys Monteath/The Press, Gillian Needham/Getty, Philip Pearson, Geoff Sloan/The Star, Malcolm Teasdale/ Kiwirail stills p/grphr Richard Lord/Caravan Media pub Alice Shannon, Sue May dist Gordon Adam/Metropolis gfx des Andrew Ashton, Aaron Beehre art dep Michael Dell, Denali Lord, Rosie Smyth lx Andy Rennie/Bright Lights, Park Road gen mgr Cameron Harland HO prod Dean Watkins snd prod Amanda Heatley fac mgr Nina Kurzmann HO pic David Hollingsworth sen online ed Rob Gordon colourist Matt Wear HO snd John Neill sen re-rec mix Mike Hedges, Gilbert Lake digi mast sup Victoria Chu digi mast op Steve Deuburguet projctnst Paul Harris HO tech Phil Oatley data wrang Natalie Best, Clare Brody, Jennie Yeung
Television pre PRODUCTION BOTH WORLDS 10x26min special interest prod co Notable Pictures prod Julia Parnell dirs Dane Giraud, Stephen Kang, Zia Mandviwalla DP Richard Harling snd op Cameron Lenart ed Tim Grocott prod mgr Zanna Gillespie res Angelique Kasmara
GOLDEN Series 1, 6x30min comedy prod co SPP (09 839 0999) exec prods John Barnett, Chris Bailey prod Charlotte Hobson line prod Sharron Jackson writers Lucy Schmidt, Stayci Taylor acct Lee-Ann Hasson dir Katie Wolfe 1AD Jimmy Scott 2AD Michelle Sowman script sup Lisa Cook loc scouts Ian Goldingham, Charlotte Gardner DP Marty Smith snd rec Daniel Loughnan boom op Craig O’Reilly prod des Clayton Ercolano art coord Lia Neilson cost des Sarah Aldridge cost s/by Ciara Dickens buyer/dresser Ruth England m/up des Vanessa Hurley, Shannon Sinton m/up art Ana Ah Kuoi stunt co Mark Harris cast dir Andrea Kelland safety Lifeguard & Safety ed Jochen Fitzherbert post prod sup Dylan Reeve pub Tamar Munch pub asst Lucy Ewen cast Lucy Schmidt, Jesse Griffin, Joel Tobeck, Jennifer Ludlam
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29
Production listings NEW ZEALAND FROM ABOVE 5x43mins n/wrk ZDF Arte dist Naked Flame prod cos Making Movies, Gebrueder Beetz, Bear Cage co pro New Zealand/Germany/Australia exec prods James Heyward, Michael Tear prod Andy Salek dir Bruce Morrison writer James Heyward res prod Hugh Barnard, Liz DiFiore
WHAT NOW 120min weekly live kids show pres Gem Knight, Adam Percival, Ronnie Taulafo, Johnson Raela eds Michelle Bradford, Tyler King, Stuart Waterhouse audio post Whitebait Facilities, Vahid Qualls, Dave Cooper props Warren Best, Rosie Taurima w/robe Wilma Van Hellemond stylist Lee Hogsden asso prod mgr Joshua Pollard writers Andrew Gunn, Jeff Clark dirs asst Jenny Murray post prod dir Franc Bol prod mgr Sharyn Mattison studio dir Kerry Du Pont creative prod Jason Gunn asso prods Rebecca Browning, Josh Wolfe prod Reuben Davidson exec prod Janine Morrell-Gunn n/wrk exec Kathryn Graham
WILD AT HEART 6x60min HD doco prod co NHNZ (03 479 9799) for TVNZ, NZOA Platinum Fund exec prod John Hyde series prod Nicky Hammond prod mgr Suzanne Lloyd rsrchrs Marcus Turner, Claire Clements, Amy Anderson, Joey Bania prod asst Michael Henríquez cam Alex Hubert
Sam Jellie key grip Kevin Donovan b/boy grip Chris Rawiri grip assts Winnie Harris, Chris Tait grip trainee Sam Donovan spfx Film Effects Company Ltd spfx sup Jason Durey spfx office co-ord Tanya Bidois spfx snr tech Mike Cahill spfx techs Graham Nixon, Rowan Tweed, John McLaren, Eliot Naime, Michael Lawton spfx runner Gavin Ravlich cost des Suzanne Sturrock w/robe stdby Cathy Pope w/robe asst Charlotte Turner m/up des Davina Lamont m/up arts Michele Barber, Tash Lees, Hayley Oliver safety coords Scene Safe Chris Griggs, Sam Armitage nautical adv Kevin Donovan unit mgr Sam Shelton unit asst David Shope caterers Bonifant & Saxby epk/stills Cristobal Araus Lobos, Andy Salek cams Panavision prod acc Kylie Strain ed Tim Woodhouse cmpsr John Gibson post prod sup Grant Baker vfx prod Cris Casares vfx sup Brenton Cumberpatch vfx arts Brenton Cumberpatch, Richard Borg, Dale Pretorius, Carlos Purcell vfx interns Richard Neal, Brendon Chan, Josh O’Donnell cast Craig Parker, Charles Pierard, Hugh Barnard
I ESCAPED A CULT
1x60 min pilot HD doco prod co NHNZ (03 479 9799) for Nat’l Geographic Channel series pro Alan Hall dir Sally Howell post prod Mark Orton ed Owen Ferrier-Kerr DP Chris Denton rsrchrs Bridget Baylin, Amy Tenowich
I SURVIVED 5
IN PRODUCTION prod co Greenstone TV ho prod Andrea Lamb prod Saffron Jackson prod mgr Jani Alexander prod coord Carita de Jong fund TVNZ
20x60min HD doco prod co NHNZ (03 479 9799) for A&E TV exec i/c of prod Michael Stedman series prod Alan Hall prod mgr Dayle Spavins rsrchrs Stephanie Antosca, Bridget Baylin, Amy Tenowich, Amy Kagelmacher, Karen Price, Tucker Bowen, Hillary Heath dir Sally Howell DP Kris Denton prod coord Dwayne Fowler
COASTWATCH
OPERATION HERO
BORDER PATROL
prod co Greenstone TV ho prod Andrea Lamb prod Megan Jones prod mgr Laura Peters prod coord Carita de Jong fund TVNZ
COUNTRY CALENDAR 2012 26x30min rural NZ lifestyles prod co TVNZ exec prod Tina McLaren prods Julian O’Brien, Dan Henry prod mgr Robyn Best dir/reps Frank Torley, Jerome Cvitanovich, Carol Archie, Kerryanne Evans, Katherine Edmond, Dan Henry res Vivienne Jeffs
10x30min prod co The Gibson Group exec prod Dave Gibson prod Bevin Linkhorn prod mgr Inga Boyd dirs Dan Henry, Michael Huddleston pres Dayna Vawdrey prod coord Kristen Rowe prod asst Sadie Wilson DP Grant Atkinson cam op Gary Hopper cam asst Matt Henley snd Craig Mullis, Michael Kerslake data wrang Rajeev Mishra fac mgr Rex Potier safety Neal Luka chaprns Chris Lam Sam, Angelique Poczwa prod acct Kathy Regnault n/wrk exec Kathryn Graham
POLICE TEN 7
GEM HUNTER 1x60min pilot HD doco prod co NHNZ (03 479 9799) for Travel Channel exec prod Craig Meade prod/dir Scott Sinclair prod mgr Jill Soper DP Rob Taylor rsrchr Rob Bridgman host Ron LeBlanc co-hosts Diane Robinson, Bernie Gaboury
40x30min prod co Screentime exec prod/prod Philly de Lacey, Mary Durham dirs Scott Hindman, Les Dawson prod Sarah-Luise Whatford asso prod/rsrch Katherine Birchall prod coord Olivia Lynd gfx Kathy Kennedy pres Graham Bell offline ed Malcolm Clarke online ed Keith Mclean
PRAISE BE 2012
GOOD MORNING 2012 prod co TVNZ exec prod Tina McLaren prod Sally-Anne Kerr line-up prod/ed Melanie Phipps script ed/line up prod Dominic Smith prod mgr Terri McFarlane dir Barbara Mitchell DA Samantha Fisher line up prod Erina Ellis advt prod Amber Smith advt mgr Donah BowersFleming advt prod asst Isabella Stimpson spnsrship mgr Merril Thompson rsrchrs Cinna Smith, Daniel Hood, Fiona Cumming, Liana McPherson, Marilyn McFayden script ed/rsrchr Adrienne York prod asst Julia Lynch 2nd floor mgr Giverney Cootes stylist/props Anna Clark greenrm host Rosi Wilde segment pres Matai Smith rnnr Tavis Hughes
HINDSIGHT SERIES 3 13X30min current affairs prod co TVNZ prod unit TVNZ n/wrk exec Philippa Mossman exec prod Tina McLaren prod Damian Christie ed Gary Young res Sofia Wenborn prod mgr Stewart Jones pres Damian Christie
ICE CAPTAIN 90min feature prod cos Making Movies, Gebrueder Beetz prods James Heyward, Andy Salek line prod Liz DiFiore writers James Heyward, Leanne Pooley dir Leanne Pooley dir asst Kelly Krieg prods pa Katie Bolt 1AD Hamish Gough 2AD Katie Tate prod assts Ellie Callahan, Rachel Choy prod intern Lisa Brown prod runners Jasmine Rogers-Scott, Emma Behrns, Nathaniel Sihamu prod des Roger Guise on set art dir Geoff Ellis propmster Paul Dulieu props mker Phil Gregory art assts Clarke Gregory, Jim Anderson constr mgr William Schmidt DP Simon Baumfield 1st cam assts Graham MacFarlane, Roger Feenstra 2nd cam asst Kim Thomas vid splt/data intern Leigh Elford 2nd unit DP John Cavill 2nd unit ac George Hennah 2nd unit 2nd ac Meg Perrot cont Rachel Choy gaffer Thad Lawrence b/boy Tony Slack lx assts Merlin Wilford, Gilly Lawrence, Steven Renwick, Ben Corlette,
prod co TVNZ prod unit TVNZ exec prod Tina McLaren prod/dir Ron Pledger prod mgr Dawn Bowater pres rsrch Chris Nichol mus dir Peter Averi
SAFEHOUSE 1x90min drama prod co Screentime exec prod Philly de Lacey prod/dir John Laing prod Bridget Bourke prod coord Jo Finlay prod sec Sarah-Jane Vercoe cast dir Terri De’Ath 1AD Mark Harlen 2AD Sarah Rose 3rd AD Esther Clewlow prod rnr Melinda Jackson prod des Chris Elliot art dir Brant Fraser on set art dir Adam Bilik art dept coord Megan Robertson stby props Sam Evans props asst Kylie Harris constr mgr Mathew Thomson DP DJ Stipsen cont Hayley Abbott gaffer Phil Totoro b/ boy Danny Fepuleai gene op Puna Patumaka key grip Evan Pardington b/boy grip Mike Coney snd rec Adam Martin boom op Kyle Griffiths stunts Mark Harris cost des Tracey Sharman w/robe sup st/by Carmel Rata drssr Adele Hing m/up sup Stefan Knight m/up stby Shannon Sinton cost rnr Marina Serrao loc mgr Sean Tracey-Brown safety coord Robert Gibson on set safety Steve Jennings unit mgr Nod Anderson caterers Luscious Catering prod acc Barbara Coston ed Allanah Milne ed asst Kerri Roggio legal Karen Soich
SCU – SERIOUS CRASH UNIT prod co Greenstone TV ho prod Andrea Lamb prod Kate Fraser line prod Kylie Henderson post dir Nicola Griffin prod asst Rochelle Leef fund TVNZ
SIEGE 1x90min drama prod co Screentime exec prod Philly de Lacey prod Ric Pellizzeri dir Mike Smith co prod Bridget Bourke prod coord Jo Finlay asst prod coord Kate Moses prod sec Elise Billington cast dir Terri De’Ath 1AD Natasha Romaniuk 2AD Sarah Rose 3rd AD Richard Silvester on set PA Ngaire Woods prod rnr Ben Sutherland prod des Chris Elliot art dir Brant Fraser art dept coord Megan Robertson
set drssr Sven Wiig prp master Seth Kelly st/by prps Adam Bilik st/by asst Sam Evans art rnr Bonnie Kells art asst Adrian Thornton sfx/armourer Gunner Ashford sfx asst Tim Watson constr mgr Matthew Thomson constr asst Phil Hathaway vehicle wrangler Sven Bieringa DP DJ Stipsen cam op Peter Janes 1st cam 1st AC Bradley Willemse 2nd cam 1st AC Ben Rowsell 2nd AC Jacob Slovak cam trnee Nina Wells DIT Chris Lucas cont Hayley Abbott gaffer Phil Totoro b/boy Danny Fepuleai lx asst Aaron Tomlinson gene op Puna Patumaka key grip Evan Pardington b/boy grip Mike Coney grip assts Chris Smith, Andy South snd rec Adam Martin boom op Kyle Griffiths stunts Mark Harris cost des Tracey Sharman w/robe sup st/by Carmel Rata w/robe st/by asst Emma Ransley drssr Adele Hing m/up hair des Linda Wall m/up hair arts Aly Webby, Pilar Alegre loc mgr Sean Tracey-Brown loc asst Anna Boyack safety coord Robert Gibson on set safety Steve Jennings unit mgr Dominic Jones unit asst Murray Ball caterers Fit Cook Club prod acc Barbara Coston ed Margot Francis ed asst Nicki Dreyer legal Karen Soich cast Darren Young, Joel Tobeck, Mark Mitchinson, Toby Leach, Will Hall, Miriama Smith, Alistair Browning, Mark Clare, Laurie Dee, Jon Cummings, Peter Feeney, Phil Brown, Andrew Robertt, Fred McFall, Edward Peni, Kelson Henderson, Nathalie Boltt, Ray Woolf, Christine Bartlett, Stephanie Liebert, Kirk Torrance, Ross Stokes, Kim Michalis, Ross McKellar, Stephen Hall, Edith Poor, Bede Skinner, Michelle Leuthart, Peter Muller, Mark Warren, Will Wallace, Damien Avery, Lisa Chappell, Rohan Mouldey, Ingrid Leary, Greg Smith, Geraldine Brophy, Jason Whyte, Geoff Dolan, Adam Gardiner
THE ALMIGHTY JOHNSONS 2 13x60min drama/comedy prod co SPP (09 839 0999) exec prods John Barnett, Chris Bailey, James Griffin prod Simon Bennett line prod Tina Archibald writers James Griffin, Tim Balme, Ross Hastings, Fiona Samuels, Tiffany Zehnal prod mgr Jo Tagg prod coord Mariya Nakova prod sec Tim Burnell script coord Rachael McMahon prod run Olivier Campana acct Elisha Calvert asst acct Sheree Silver dirs Simon Bennett, Murray Keane, Charlie Haskell, Geoff Cawthorn 1ADs Gene Keelan, Craig Wilson, Shane Warren 2ADs Kate Hargreaves, Kylie McCaw script sups Lisa Cook, Gabrielle Lynch 3AD Ant Davies loc mgr Benny Tatton loc asst Rick Waite unit mgr Amy Russo unit asst Carlos Santos DP Marty Smith cam op Ollie Jones A f/ pullers Bradley Willemse, Peter Cunningham B f/puller Frith Locke-Bonney cam asst Fiona Young cam train Ben Firman gaffer Nare Mato b/boy Jason Kerekere gen op Trent Rapana lx asst Eruera Sutherland key grip Gary Illingworth grip asst Conrad Hoskins snd rec Myk Farmer boom op Nikora Edwards snd asst Sandy Wakefield prod des Tracey Collins art coord Jenny Morgan art dirs Davin Voot, Greg Allison, Nick Williams set dec asst Angela Durbin s/by props Nick Williams, Ollie Southwell art asst Tom Willis art run Leah Mizrahi cost des Katrina Hodge cost co Rewa Lewis cost buy Sally-Ann Mullin cost dress Petra Verweij cost s/bys Ylona McGinity, Hannah Woods m/up des Kevin Dufty m/up arts Jacqui Leung, Jo Fountain, Hannah Barber stunt co Mark Harris catering Rock Salt Catering cast dir Annabel Lomas safety Lifeguard & Safety eds Bryan Shaw, Eric De Beus, Nicola Smith, Sarah Hough asst ed Gwen Norcliffe post prod sup Grant Baker post prod snd Steve Finnigan post prod coord Anna Randall vfx Peter McCully comps Victoria Kelly, Sean Donnelly pub Tamar Munch pub asst Lucy Ewen stills Jae Frew cast Emmett Skilton, Tim Balme, Dean O’Gorman, Jared Turner, Ben Barrington, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Hayden Frost, Fern Sutherland, Rachel Nash, Michelle Langstone, Eve Gordon
february 2012
www.onfilm.co.nz
prod co Greenstone TV ho prod Andrea Lamb prod Tash Christie dir/loc coord Candace McNabb prod mgr Lauren Lunjevich fund TVNZ
UNSUNG HEROES prod co Greenstone TV exec prod Cass Avery prods Bridgid Davis, Saffron Jackson prod mgr Jani Alexander rsrchr Kirsten Warner prod asst Siobhan Kelly fund TVNZ/NZOA
POST PRODUCTION CROCZILLA 1x60min HD doco prod co NHNZ (03 479 9799) for Nat’l Geographic Channel exec prod Craig Meade dir Kate Siney DP Rob Taylor post prod Job Rustenhoven ed Marilyn Copland prod mgr Christina Gerrie
MAAHARO 6 50x26min Māori language, educational prod co Tūmanako Prods exec prod Kay Ellmers prod Kim Muriwai prod mgr Moana-Aroha Henry prod coord/ art/res Casey Kaa prod asst Miria Flavell res/ comp dirs Summer Wharekawa, Jo Tuapawa pres/ dir Huria Chapman pres Whatanui Flavell reo con Hohepa Ramanui dirs Kent Briggs, Kewana Duncan, Dan Mace, Lilly Panapa, Paora Ratahi, Tui Ruwhiu, Orlando Stewart, Jan Wharekawa, Lanita Ririnui-Ryan, Ngatapa Black, Mahanga Pihama, Jo Tuapawa trnee dir Monowai Panoho cam ops Samarah Wilson, Greg Parker, Daniel Apiata, Te Rangi Henderson post prod RPM Pictures ed Charlotte Wanhill comp ed Jason Pengelly illus Zak Waipara snd post prod/anim Phill Woollams comps Joel Haines, Ngatapa Black
SHACKLETON’S CAPTAIN
30min wkday youth show prod co Whitebait-TV pres Erin Simpson reporters Kimberley Crossman, Katy Thomas, Isaac Ross, Mark Dye, Eve Palmer prod coord Kim Johnston studio rsrchr Nicola Eton dir asst Tom Dyson art dept Lennie Galloway cam op Matt Martini ed/cam op Nathan McKinnon w/robe Lee Hogsden website Kieran Granger eds Stu Waterhouse, Tyler King audio post Vahid Qualls gfx Mike Boulden rsrchr Juliana Murphy post dir Tracey Geddes dir Nigel Carpinter prod mgr Jo Eade asso prod Penny Watson prod Emma Gribble exec prod Janine Morrell-Gunn n/wrk exec Kathryn Graham
85min feature prod cos Making Movies, Gebrueder Beetz n/wrks TVNZ, ZDF, ARTE dist ZDFE writers James Heyward, Leanne Pooley, Tim Woodhouse prods James Heyward, Andy Salek line prod Liz DiFiore dir Leanne Pooley dir assts Kelly Krieg, Olivia Garelja prods PA Katie Bolt 1AD Hamish Gough 2AD Katie Tate 3AD Andrew Burfield prod assts Ellie Callahan, Rachel Choy, Shannon Ween prod intern Lisa Brown prod runners Jasmine Rogers-Scott, CJ Withey, Emma Behrns, Nathaniel Sihamu prod des Roger Guise on set art dir Geoff Ellis propmster Paul Dulieu props mker Phil Gregory art assts Clarke Gregory, Jim Anderson constr mgr William Schmidt DP Simon Baumfield 1st cam assts Graham MacFarlane, Roger Feenstra 2nd cam assts Kim Thomas, Jacob Slovak vid splt/data intern Leigh Elford 2nd unit DP John Cavill 2nd unit ac George Hennah 2nd unit 2nd ac Meg Perrot snd Myk Farmer conts Rachel Choy, Katie Theunissen gaffer Thad Lawrence b/boy Tony Slack lx assts Merlin Wilford, Gilly Lawrence, Steven Renwick, Ben Corlette, Sam Jellie, Jack Gow key grips Kevin Donovan, Jim Rowe b/boy grip Chris Rawiri grip assts Winnie Harris, Chris Tait grip trainee Sam Donovan spfx Film Effects Company spfx sup Jason Durey spfx office coord Tanya Bidois spfx snr tech Mike Cahill spfx techs Graham Nixon, Rowan Tweed, John McLaren, Eliot Naime, Michael Lawton spfx runner Gavin Ravlich cost des Suzanne Sturrock w/robe stdby Cathy Pope w/robe assts Charlotte Turner, Amber Rhodes m/up des Davina Lamont m/up arts Michele Barber, Tash Lees, Hayley Oliver, Debbie Watson, Levonne Scott safety coords Scene Safe, Chris Griggs, Sam Armitage nautical adv Kevin Donovan unit mgr Samuel Shelton unit asst David Shope caterers Bonifant & Saxby epk/stills Cristobal Araus Lobos, Andy Salek cams Panavision prod acc Kylie Strain ed Tim Woodhouse cmpsr John Gibson post prod sup Grant Baker vfx prod Cris Casares vfx sup Brenton Cumberpatch vfx arts Brenton Cumberpatch, Richard Borg, Dale Pretorius, Carlos Purcell vfx interns Richard Neal, Brendon Chan, Josh O’Donnell archive res Sarah Bunn cast Craig Parker, Charles Pierard, Hugh Barnard
THE HEALTH STORY
TANGAROA WITH PIO SERIES 7
THE ERIN SIMPSON SHOW
1x90min Platinum fund doco prod co PRN films prods/ dirs Paul Trotman, Malcolm Hall DP Scott Mouat cam Peta Carey
THE INVESTIGATION prod co Greenstone TV ho prod Andrea Lamb exec prod Cass Avery prod Sam Blackley line prod Kylie Croft rsrchr Nicola Wood prod coord Siobhan Kelly fund TVNZ
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THE ZOO
26x26min fishing/lifestyle b/caster Mäori TV prod co AKA Prods prod/dir Aroha Shelford pres Pio Terei cam op Richard Curtis u/w cam Dean Savage snd Colleen Brennan te reo Mäori Tumamao Harawira ed John Fraser aud post Reade Audio mus Reo Dunn, Woodcut gfx Lettica Shelford prod acct Lee Ann Hasson prod mgr Karen Sidney prod asst Lettica Shelford n/wrk execs Reikura Kahi, Melissa Wikaire
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