NZTECHO Summer 2022

The Screen Industry Guild Aotearoa New Zealand quarterly

EDITORIAL

Kia Ora!

And welcome to the last NZTECHO of 2022, which we are fighting like bastards to at least get to the printers before the big fella in red is sliding down the grip truck's exhaust pipe. But, we know that every courier and mail person in the country is carrying their own bodyweight in parcels this week, so the chances of this magazine arriving in your mailbox before New Year are still slim to bugger all.

I just wanted you to know that we did everything we could to make it happen!

In this issue, you will find all the usual contributions from around the country, plus a very welcome contribution from Mladen Ivancic - the acting CEO of the Film Commission. We also have a terrific collection of photos and words to announce that the country's newest studio and production facility - Lane Street, in Upper Hutt - is open for business. Bloody impressive it is too.

And we are proud and saddened to print a piece from Ian Mune, on the legendary talents and personality of designer Ron Highfield.

So, at the end of a year like no other - and maybe feeling like this journey through a pandemic that began for us about this time three years ago might finally be ready to roll the credits (no sequels necessary please) - all that is left is to wish you all the best Christmas and New Year of all time, and to say bring on 2023.

Love your work, Keep safe and keep looking out for each other, Graeme Tuckett.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Kia ora wonderful member!

We have finally arrived at the end of another very interesting year!

First of all, I would like to thank the Executive and Branch Committees for their incredible support and for volunteering their precious time to the Guild. Especially Brendon, Sioux, and Tyrone. I would also like to thank Jane, who runs our accounts. Our new team member this year, Tracey Sharman, has been tirelessly working as our project manager and all things Tech! - I could not do it without all of you and the knowledge you bring to the table. THANK YOU!!!

Another big thank you to Graeme Tuckett and Jason Bowden for their incredible work on the NZTECHO magazines and for bringing us all stories from the set.

Now to our fantastic membership!!

You are our backbone, it was lovely to hear that so many of you attended the Christmas parties! Next year we will grow more and more and be able to support you all with what we have planned. So much has been happening behind the scenes here at the Guild this year. We decided to hold off on launching these in the New Year when everyone is back on board and ready to kick off the year. In January, we have some exciting things: our new website will be launched, the first round of our Business Toolkit online workshops, and the Rate Card and just wait till you see what we’re doing with the Member Benefits!! A massive shout out to all of the departments that have contributed to this really important work! The revised Blue Book will follow this in early February. Another huge thank you to Brendon, Sioux, Christian and Nick

for all of the hours of work they have contributed to the new book. Exciting!!

Also, we will follow up with more indepth information on the Screen Industry Workers Act and how that will affect you as a Production Technician.

The Guild is also in the process of making its submission for the Screen Production Grant. Most of the industry is on the same page with their recommendations, so hopefully, this will be taken into consideration, and the best outcome for the industry will be decided.

On a mental well-being note, I hope you are all taking time out these holidays to rest, connect with whanau and friends and relax. The past couple of years has taken a toll on everyone, and having some RNR is definitely on the cards.

Looking forward to the year ahead, mental well-being is high on our list of priorities. We are looking at programs that we can bring to the sector so we can all work in safe environments.

The office will be closed from Friday 16th December to Monday 16th January. So once you receive this magazine copy, I hope you are sitting at the beach with your feet up! I will be.

In signing off for the year, I want to honor those who have passed, fellow crew members, and those in the sector. Our hearts are with you all and always remembered.

So please take care, happy holidays, and safe travels, and I look forward to another year working with you all in 2023.

Aroha nui, Kelly

As we come to the very wet end of 2022 it seems like time to reflect on the past year. Its ups and downs and the effect various events have had on the screen industry. We seem to have come out of the shadow of covid and a lot of the country seem to have moved on and are getting on with things. In the screen industry (and I also think the medical fraternity) we are still in the grips of covid damage control. We are one of the few industries for a number of reasons still holding onto mask mandates, surveillance testing. We have actors and specific crew who can cause the productions to lose a lot of money and time if they become covid positive. Nothing blows a good shooting schedule apart like covid running through a film crew. Unfortunately, it seems that these covid protection measures are looking to be remaining with us for quite some time and I think it’s going to be a long while before things become normal again if they ever do.

We have had lost a number of our members over this time and have had frequent mourning periods and obituaries in this publication and on call sheets and in safety briefings around the country. The NZ screen industry has remained buoyant and active across all its sub sections and markets. Infrastructure and capacity development for the NZ screen industry has continued and we are moving to an environment where there will be more studios and locations to shoot and

CM MY CY CMY Lifeguard & Safety 181mm x 65mm.pdf 1 22/09/17 11:36 AM

more training and skill development opportunities in the pipeline.

But there are some possible dark clouds on the horizon. There seems to be international headwinds that could slow down the industries momentum and growth. There is what seems to be an inevitable recession coming next year. There is talk of the insatiable appetite for content from the various streaming services and content developers seems to be waning with the increase in the cost of money and inflation is rising all around the globe. There are stories of the forward production slates for many of the content generators like Disney, Netflix, and Apple, being slashed and studio complexes in the UK, Canada and other regions having excess capacity. Locally the review of the SPG (Screen Production Grant) is said to be causing short term reluctance to consider NZ as a shooting location until knowledge of how the SPG is going to evolve is known and as we all know uncertainty is a dangerous thing in the screen sector.

It's hard to forecast the short-term future and even harder to predict what happening in a year. I’m optimistic that our ability to quickly react to change and the tent-pole nature of our industry will serve us well through turbulent times and allow us to take advantage of opportunities that come up in the new year.

Brendon Durey

If it’s the Health & Safety at Work Act 2015 causing you concern, we have been working with ScreenSafe, WorkSafe NZ & several legal companies & consultants to find the best solutions for the Screen Sector. Contact us if you have any questions regarding your next project.

With over 20 years in the film and TV industry, Kelly Lucas is now executive officer for the Techos’ Guild.

Executive Officer Kelly Lucas

PRESIDENT’S RAVE

Lifeguard & Safety have been working with Production Companies for over 20 years, on projects ranging from music videos & film school shoots, low budget television & features, up to major motion pictures. We can help in the following areas; Safety supervisors, on set medics, hazard identification & mitigation, WorkSafe NZ compliance, marine coordination, water safety, and divers for underwater support.

New Zealand Film Commission update

On the recent release of our 2021/2022 Annual Report I was reflecting on how agile, resilient and tenacious the screen sector has been through this uncertain couple of years. It is quite remarkable how our screen industry has continued to develop, create, produce and release world-class films.

In spite of the challenges presented by COVID-19 over the last financial year the NZFC actually recorded the highest level of expenditure in a single financial period, $67.7M. The vast majority ($57.8M) of this spend went towards screen production made up of up to $20.6M to 16 projects through our discretionary investment programme, $35.3M of Te Puna Kairangi Premium Fund investments to 13 new projects, and COVID-19 recovery grants of over $1.9M to 15 screen projects.

Locally we saw the reopening of cinemas after COVID-19 closures and Kiwi audiences showed support for local content on the big screen. Thirteen NZFC-funded films were released in cinemas in the 2021/2022 financial year and were seen by around 160,000 people. In the 2022 calendar year NZFC

financed films performed strongly at the New Zealand box office. Muru surpassed $1.51M, Whina totalled $1.33M, and Mister Organ achieved highest grossing documentary.

Internationally in 2022 we saw The Power of the Dog pick up an Academy Award, BAFTAs and Golden Globes; The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power broke viewership records on Amazon Prime; and the long-awaited Avatar: The Way of Water received critical acclaim. All were made with the assistance of the NZSPG. As always, a multitude of New Zealanders received nominations

for film awards around the world. This month we kick of the festival year with Punch and Juniper screening at the Palm Springs International Film Festival; and Bad Behaviour and short film Hawaiki premiering at Sundance. New Zealand continues to punch above its weight when it comes to screen industry talent.

Internally at NZFC in 2022 we bade farewell to CEO David Strong and Board Chair Dame Kerry Prendergast, and welcomed our new Board Chair, Alastair Carruthers. Applications have been sought for the new CEO role and we look forward to welcoming a new leader to our organisation this year.

Looking ahead, 2023 may bring change with the Screen Sector Funding and the DIA Lottery reviews. NZFC will continue to work with the industry, Ministries and Government as the review processes move forward.

2023 offers some certainties. We will continue to see New Zealand filmmakers, actors and crews excel in their work. Our stories will continue to entertain people locally and around the world.

I’m proud of the role that the NZFC plays in this industry and am looking forward to what we collectively are able to achieve over the next year.

Mladen Ivancic (NZFC Acting CEO)

Wayne (Westy) Subritzky // 021 134 9209 // nzcameracars@xtra.co.nz // www.nzcameracars.co.nz

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• Picture vehicle transporters

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Celebrating 25 years in the Film Industry

• Picture Vehicle fabrication

• We are the North Islands go to for anything vehicle related

Lane Street Studios open day

While the year may be wrapping up for most people and places, Lane Street Studios has been wrapping up their construction phase. On 13th October this year, the new facility opened its doors to some industry in one of the opening events they’re holding. Guests were invited on guided tours through the Totara Building (pre-production building), followed by speeches held in one of the new purpose-built soundstages (Miro Stage). It was exciting to see some of New Zealand’s talented screen sector crew come together to celebrate this significant milestone and addition to Wellington’s screen sector. Compiled below are photos captured showcasing the event.

Stephen A’Court Photographer

Melissa Conway (CSO) & Kristy Grant (CEO) Kauri Stage

Speeches in Miro Stage

John McKay of POW Studios Craig McIntosh & Jeff Hurrell

The Media Suite Lisa Devitt speaking with Rachelle Andrews

Tanya Black

Wattana Moeung

The Theatrette

Tony Drawbridge & Nicci Boucher

Chris Riley & Nick Trugly

Moa Studio

Jen Gasson speaking with Jack Harris & Lianna Shaw Sandy Gildea, Miranda Rivers & Gwen Isaacs

Yael Gezentsvey & Tom McLeod

Staying sane in a mad business

We all have a story of how we came to be here. How we finished up working in ‘the industry’. And for many – maybe most of us - it’s a story with a lot of twists and turns.

My own involves being between years at Waikato University and going to sign on for the ‘summer dole’. I already had an under-the-table job lined up for the summer. So – being a smartarse - I wrote ‘Lion Tamer’ in the ‘previous experience’ section of the form.

Nek minnit ... I’m offered a job banging in the tent pegs and driving a van for Ringling Brothers circus. Which led to building sets for a theatre company. And a few years later that somehow turned into running around the Marlborough Sounds with a crate of wedges being yelled at on my first ‘film job’. Some days I’m not sure I’ve come very far since.

To this day I still talk about film crew as ‘the ones who ran away and joined the circus’. And I reckon it’s a pretty accurate description.

Look around any film set and you’ll see a diverse collection of individuals. The ones who will work their guts out and smile right through it for an eighteen hour day if asked, sometimes for no money. But who would recoil in horror if you asked them to sit in an office or a shop doing bugger all for 8 hours in a ‘real job’.

I’ve met the smartest, hardest working, most competent and brilliant people in my life on film sets. There are stone-cold geniuses in every department and every strata of our industry. And – as with all the creative industries - also a lot of mavericks, eccentrics and outsiders. In fact, the geniuses and the mavericks are, as often as not, the same people.

Add to that mix the fact that we work sporadically, with no ongoing job security, the long hours, the weeks and months away from home and family and the film industry starts to look like an environment in which mental and emotional health issues would thrive. Which, as we all know, it is.

Mental illness is pretty damn common, especially in our industry. People are good at hiding it, and our professions make it easy to mask. We’re in an industry where all-nighters are normal, obsession can be called passion, and the momentum just keeps going forward so fast nobody can stop for a minute to realize that something real is actually wrong.

But these illnesses are like any other disease. They need time and support to heal, possibly under the guidance of a healthcare professional. Some of them need medication to manage, and that’s as okay as taking medication to manage high blood pressure or diabetes. There is no shame in asking for help, just as there’s no shame in going to a general practitioner with migraines or a podiatrist with foot pain. If you feel you need help, try to ask someone. If you know someone that needs help, offer to help. Or simply offer friendship and support without judgement. For some people, that can make all the difference in taking whatever next steps need to be taken.

Mental illness is often mistaken as a personality flaw, especially by the very person suffering from it: moody, shorttempered, weak, lazy. And that makes sense in our profession, where we’re harder on ourselves than any of the critique we face every day.

Kylee Pena. CreativeCow.net

Full disclosure. Ten months ago I got diagnosed with something that looks like a very low dose of bi-polar disorder. Which came as no surprise to anyone that knows me. It doesn’t stop me doing anything or get in the way of my work. But it’s a part of my life and probably always will be. In response, at a doctor’s suggestion, I put myself on a micro dose of Lithium (about 5% of what a clinical bi-polar patient would receive) and felt my life – or at least my brain –go through a transformation. For the first time in my life I can measure my

attention span in hours, not minutes. And the anxiety and anger that have been a constant white noise in the background for every day of my adult life have completely gone.

So when I sit down to write this, I do have an idea of what I’m talking about. Even if you don’t count yourself as one of the ‘outsiders and eccentrics’, then you still won’t have to look very far on your next job to see that you work with plenty of people who do.

So let’s talk about that.

A year back, Victoria University (the one in Australia) released a report into rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and ‘suicide ideation’ (thinking positively about the idea of suicide). The report found that the screen industry rates for all of the above were well above the national average. I’ve seen near identical figures from the UK industry. So until someone does the same research in NZ, I reckon it’s safe to assume that the same numbers will apply to us.

44% of industry workers reported moderate to severe anxiety. This is ten times higher than the prevalence of anxiety in the general population.

“The report – which focused on performing artists and composers, performing arts support workers and broadcasting and media equipment operators – was alarming. Levels of moderate to severe anxiety in the performing arts industry were 10 times higher than the general population; levels of depression in industry workers were up to five times higher; and workers were four to five times more likely to plan to commit suicide, and twice as likely to attempt it.”

The Guardian. February 9, 2017.

Graeme Tuckett has some thoughts about joining the circus and staying healthy while we’re there.

An indicator of depression suggested levels in industry workers may be as much as five times higher than the general population.

Australian Entertainment Industry Workers experience suicidal ideation 5-7 times more than the general population and 2-3 times more over a lifetime.

Suicide planning for Australian Entertainment Industry workers is 4-5 times more than general population. What attracted the headlines at the time were the statistics on the higher profile workers; the actors, musicians, dancers and writers. But what got lost was the fact that the technicians and road crew WERE EVEN MORE AT RISK THAN THE PERFORMERS. The public perception of the brittle, unstable performer and the cheerful, resilient crew working behind them is wrong. Or at least, never more than half right.

Kind of ironic I’d say, considering how often we have all worked on films with mental health issues central to their plots, that we hardly ever talk about the very real crisis that is happening behind the camera and in our workshops and production offices.

But, we are film wankers. We pride ourselves on our toughness, our resilience, our good humour and our ability to get through it, or at least drink enough to forget about it. Add to that cocktail of self delusion the great Kiwi national identity of being a tough pack of Bastards and Sheilas regardless of what industy we work in and you’ve got yourself a pretty lethal environment for anyone who really does need someone to talk to. There’s a parallel crisis of suicide

and depression in our farming industry too. I’m guessing the reasons are similar.

Also, in film we live from one job – and the dopamine high that comes with it – to the next. We experience days, weeks and months of great company, interesting, challenging work and a decent amount of money going into our bank account every week. And then... nothing. The withdrawal can be murder.

If you are in the absolute top tier of your department then you might usually know where the next job is coming from. But for most of our industry, massive work instability is something we live with every day. And it’s not as if we can plan a holiday in the downtime. Imagine not being available when the phone does ring with an HOD asking us to join a new project. You don’t just miss out on that gig, you might miss out on every other job with that HOD after. Or at least, that’s what the lack-of-worksecurity anxiety tells us.

And even if we are working, a personality clash or a change to schedule or budget can mean ‘Don’t Come Monday’ in film. It doesn’t happen often, and there’s usually something substantial behind it, but knowing it could happen is a source of far more fear than it really should be. From the runner straight out of film school to the producer on their twentieth feature film, this is the reality of our chosen profession.

Like most of you, I’ve listened attentively through a hundred Health and Safety briefings. I’ve prepared and delivered ‘site introductions’ to point out the hazards of a filming location. And I’ve rocked up to the on-set medics

We appreciate the support of:

and nurses with dislocated fingers, concussion twice, rolled ankles, a few flash burns and an ocular compression (don’t ask. It hurt.) I even managed to get myself hospitalised on a freebie, with hypothermia. But never in twenty years in the NZ film industry have I heard anyone say ‘I’m not coping with this shit. I’m going to talk to the shrink after work.’ ‘The shrink’ doesn’t exist, and probably never will. But clearly the need for help is there.

Listen, nine times out of ten, I reckon ‘hang in there, it’s lunch soon’ is exactly the right advice to give to a crew mate who is having a lousy day. But there’s the other times, when ‘harden up’ just isn’t enough. We don’t let our mates drive home pissed, and if we see needlessly risky behaviour on set we are happy to step in and help make it safe. But we are working every day with people who are at a higher risk of suicide, addiction and crippling depression than almost any other professional group. Look around. Can you help? Do you need help? Then say something. Because right now, all we have is each other.

Graeme Tuckett is a Guild member. He is the editor of NZTECHO and the owner and operator of Crew Auckland and Crew Wellington. He works in Grip and Locations departments.

Mick Sinclair

IN MEMORY OF Ron Highfield

You could always tell a Ron Highfield design - each movie would be its own complete world with its own colour pallet, its own atmosphere. He created two worlds for me - ‘Hot Friday’ and ‘Golden Weather,’ both in cahoots with the sublime Barbara Darragh on Costume. Oddly I never saw these two in the same room, but they must have talked to each other because between them they created unique and singular worlds.

Ron always enjoyed my colour-blindnessred/green. You had to be careful with Ron. His tongue was always firmly planted in his cheek, so when we were scouting the town of Eltham for Came a Hot Friday and stood in admiration of the classic old pub and Ron said “Be nice if it was red” I just assumed he was having a dig at me so I laughed and said “Yeah, Ron.” Then the night before our first day’s shoot, which was to feature our quaint colonial town and iconic pub with Prince Tui Teka up on the balcony with his sax, I was driving down the main street and nearly died of shock when I saw this vast red building squatting like some giant poisonous spider in the middle of my colonial town. I raced down to Design and grabbed Ron. “What are you doing to me?” “What?” “The pub! It’s red!” “Yeah. We agreed.” “I thought you were kidding. Can you repaint it?” “Well, yeah. But it’ll set your schedule back two days and really screw my budget. What’s wrong? I think it looks great.” I had no choice, so I approached the next day with a sense of dread. Until Paul Leach lined up the shot and I looked through the camera. As our heroes’ beat-up car rolled up in front of it, the pub was perfect. After that each new set, each new location, fitted perfectly into a world that had a garish red pub.

Ron was the guy who would always come out a different door to everyone else. He

was a creative artist just like Dick Frizzell or Michael Parekōwhai or Rita Angus or any other artist you want to name. The difference is that where they worked in a one-on-one relationship with the object they were creating, Ron was a fully engaged problem-solving artist in the movie business leading a team creating a world for other people to bring to life. When the rest of us were immobilised by an insurmountable problem, Ron would come up with a solution that made the insurmountable problem irrelevant.

On ‘Golden Weather’ I had the hero boy writing a romantic fantasy about a Princess running away from a Wicked Witch in her castle, pursued by knights on horseback - on Takapuna Beach! In the days long before the digital revolution the idea of building a castle on the cliffs overlooking the beach was an insurmountable budgetary problem. But Ron came up with a solution that cost about ten bucks. On the day, a bright yellow castle about three feet wide and a foot high sat on a C-stand at the foot of the cliff and, looking through the camera, it nestled comfortably on the top with the Princess and a dozen mounted Knights charging through the foreground. One didn’t even ask “Is there a bright yellow castle anywhere in the world?” In the world of ‘Golden Weather’ there wasRon had decreed on day one that the palette for ‘Golden Weather’ was to be yellow and blue.

I guess his tray of VBs and his irascible tongue-in-cheek humour didn’t go down well with Production people, and that’s a real shame, because Ron disappeared from our screens, which was exactly where his value lay - on screen!

I’m going to keep on missing you, Ron.

Ian Mune

REGIONAL WRAP

Take one – Auckland

What a strange old time we are in the middle of. This year has bought some great work opportunities to many crew, whilst those in the commercial market are suffocating in the wake of Covid. TVC advertisers and production companies are still having to navigate through the uncertainty of booking crew when key crew are still testing positive, sending production into complete turmoil, where on the flipside the long form jobs can replace that crew member for a few days at a time without the whole production coming to a halt.

I’d anticipate the commercial market is going to remain fragile for another 6-9 months, and hopefully by then we will see some stimulation from advertisers and once again some confidence in booking crew and going through with production. The feature film and drama series market still seems to be humming along nicely but this could have a slow patch in the second quarter of 2023 while we all eagerly await the Governments announcement around the large production screen grants. Any uncertainty around what this may be sends a ripple effect of nervousness to off shore investors as well as local producers, so it will be good to know where the NZ industry is heading sooner rather than later.

Take two – Bay of Plenty

In the meantime, it’s become obvious once again that Auckland is desperately needing to continue training up new crew in all departments to furnish what is already underway, and we look forward to hosting the remainder of Sweet Tooth, and welcoming Apple TV’s Chief of War along with other local films like The Bishop in the first quarter of the year. Many of you will be aware of the Screen Industry Workers Bill coming in to effect from the end of December 2022. No matter who you are, or which genre you work in, it will be a legal requirement from that point on for any engager to provide you with a contract PRIOR to engagement of your services. If you need a copy of a template, please contact the Executive Officer who will be able to help you with one. So, in the event that one is not supplied to you, you can forward foot it by politely providing a generic contract for them to check out.

Have a safe and happy holiday season, and be careful on those roads no matter how far you are travelling.

I think we all started this year hoping it was going to be easier than the last two but as the last few weeks speed towards us there is a feeling that it’s been another intense year and we are all in need of a some downtime.

The Bay has had it’s fair share of successes this year and we are poho kereū/proud to have been able to support the industry and it’s filmmakers.

The filmmaker’s and crew of the Bay are consistent and reputable. It is our honour to be part of their journey where and when we can.

on screen and behind the scenes with the revitalisation of Aotearoa’s first language.

When DEGNZ and Jennifer WardLealand were here for the Intimacy Coordinator workshop we interviewed her on the what is and the importance of an IC (more acronyms) on set. We will have more in the coming months. Make sure you tune in, we are on all your favourite podcast platforms and there is a link on our website.

Sioux

Macdonald,

Guild vice president and executive committee member

Speaking to which, locally made film Muru has done exceedingly well at the box office and not only that it has been nominated for an Oscar!

The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari was released to the Whakatāne audience recently and will be out on Netflix on December 19th. With the three year anniversary having just passed and the pain of the event still very fresh and raw, the documentary does justice to the terror and pain for those involved (either directly or indirectly).

In-house we have launched a podcast. Our first records ran for Te Reo o te Wiki Māori. They were specific in highlighting the importance of Te Reo

We’ve had multiple sell out workshops and are working on more workshops for next year. A workshop is not only a place to learn but a place to connect, meet industry professionals and ask those pertinent questions so you can pursue your dreams.

There are so many projects and items that take we have done this year, as important as they are it’s also important to stop and reflect.

We want to thank the industry for their perseverance and ingenuity that keeps the passion of production going, thank you to our funders, to all of the RFO’s around New Zealand, to the NZFC, the guilds and all our supporters. We look forward to seeing you in 2023.

Jade Kent and all the crew at Film BOP

VISIT

Health and Safety for the Screen Industry Helping create safe workplaces

Take three – Wellington

It's been a funny end to the year. With half the city out in Miramar on Our Flag Means Death, and the other half just about getting by on some interesting smaller productions, a few TVC's and one-off dramas and always the promise of more to come next year. Which seems to be the Wellington way.

I managed to injure myself for the first time in ages. Almost everyone I know who has ever jumped out of a grip or lighting truck has had a herniated disc, and this month it was my turn. All I can say is owww. If you can avoid doing it, please do.

Looks like yoga and pilates are going to be my new hobbies. Just don't expect to see me in lycra.

On a happier note, the job I hurt myself on was a shoot for the film office of Wellington, promoting this brilliant little city as an international destination for film-making. It's turned out well, and was a heap of fun to work on, right up until I stood up with a crane weight too fast!

From all of us at Crew Wellington, have a great break, GT and Crew Wellington

Take four – Queenstown

December? Again? How?

The last 12-months have been funnypeculiar. And It now looks like the next 12 will be similarly unusual. In fact it looks likely that 'usual' is over.

The Queenstown film industry used to be largely reliant on the International Line Production TV Commercials, but at this stage these beauties have not returned in their earlier numbers. Instead crew recently have enjoyed working on a cool variety of productions: NZ Commercials, Music Videos, Bollywood Feature Segments, Reality Shows.

I hear that the NZ wide pipeline for funded projects is causing some concern from mid next year onwards. And I'd not be confident that any potential change in

Take five – Christchurch

I’m currently camped out under my heat pump which is set to 18deg and snowflake mode. Summer has definitely arrived and I don’t like the heat. Could you tell?

And as the weather has been heating up, so has the features scene. December saw the very stylish 70’s-set Head South wrap a five week shoot. It was lovely to see some old faces and meet a few new ones from out of town.

government will come in time to change that forecast.

So my hope is with the army of producers across NZ who pitch relentlessly for jobs. And with the teams working in regional film offices who enable and encourage any and all film projects. And the innovators who dream up new ways of supporting this industry, and doing this film thing. And the crews who deliver the projects, and support and build the NZ Film Industry reputation.

Go you good things!

See you in 2023.

Fleece Navidad  Kim Godby, Queenstown

The opportunities for local crew to upskill in their departments and cut their teeth on long form wasn’t missed. And the friendly expertise imparted by those that came in for the job all helps the region build a better crew base. And that’s how we learn right? Picking up tips and tricks on set, working for or along side others who are more experienced, or have had different experiences. Its like "pay it forward” except rather than favours its knowledge, and instead of forwards it more like sideways or downwards… Anyway, it’s a good thing and we should all try to do it on set where we can.

Take six – Dunedin

While we reach the end of 2022 with continued uncertainty around the Screen Production Grant review and the new entity Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media legislation decision “to merge or not to merge” we here down south use this time to sharpen our tools and wits. Regionally all we’re aiming for is a sustainable future but with so many unknowns we can only just continue to collate, craft and collaborate good working relationships within our region.

The holidays loom and the phone rings constantly as everyone scampers to get things done before the break. Honestly, people are acting like Christmas/New Years is going to last for 8 weeks. But not the film industry. Two more productions kick off in early January. The Methvenbased kid's film Trolgar and Me, and the thriller TV series Dark City - The Cleaner. Two more great projects for the region. Two more great opportunities for local crew. Two more chances to show how nice it is to shoot in Canterbury.

It feels like the region has picked up a bit of momentum this year. And rumour has it that it will continue through most of next year too as other productions eye up 'the little region that could’.

Stay safe, on set and on your break. Be nice. Pass on a tip every now and then to the newbies. Don’t forget your sunscreen.

Zac Beckett-Knight

Some highlights for those locals who’s collaboration we commemorate – Jacinta Compton & Millie Cossou’s The Girl, The Lamb and The Man was selected for the Sydney Women’s International Film Festival while Rebecca Tansley’s The Finding was selected for the upcoming Canberra short film festival.

Good Company Arts film Equilbrist won best Art Music Video at International Music Video Awards in Budapest.

Additionally Best Independent Experimental Film at Asia’s Best Independent Experimental Film Festival, for their film Voyager / Tal.

The 20th year of 48 hour film competitions saw 500 entries around the country and though our numbers were smaller than other regions we say congrats to St Hilda’s High School team trio, Lily Knox, Kate McEwan & Courtney Lloyd (together make Cinnamon Cinemas) who took home the prize for best school entry. It was a great wee homage to Film Noir, equally funny and absurd.

Workshop wise, we were fortunate to see Miranda Harcourt come to town (thank you Dan Eady for arranging this) to present a Directing Masterclass which was hugely popular bringing in interested parties from all over the Otago region. We are hopeful this is not a once off. Locals Rose Jameison and Mark John were selected for the latest Share the Knowledge Production Sound Course, with FOS and DCC providing travel grants to attend.

Outside of the happenings generated within the city we saw Ki Studio drop a Bollywood shoot on our beaches at the end of November. Unfortunately minimal local crewing on this one which was a missed opportunity for them!

We did however welcome the chance to highlight our locations, Production space and crew capacity for the Domestic feature One Winter. While the core team were ex Auckland having begun production there we filled majority of the roles within Dunedin and Otago region. The largest day on set was for a riot scene where we had approximately 120 crew, 50% being Dunedin based, 25% Otago based and a riot crowd of 250 Dunedin extras who brought the look, the sound and the essence of the real deal Springbok protestors.

More talks had on possible future TV Series and Features sitting with blinking green lights for 2023… likely to be waiting for the final decision on where SPG review will sit before they push go. One hopes it will end with an agreed status quo. If it ain’t broke…

I hope you all have a peaceful, Covid free Xmas and a replenishing NY to welcome in 2023.

Rebecca Rowe

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