Technicians pioneering innovation - NZ Film and Video Technicians

Transcription

AUTUMN 2014 | ISSUE 60
The New Zealand Film and Video Technicians’ quarterly
Technicians
pioneering
innovation
Tragic reminder of safety first
www.nztecho.com
Back in the day: Taking
chances in Sarajevo, 1984
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EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL
Welcome to issue 60 of NZTECHO magazine. Well done to all of you for
supporting us in reaching this fantastic milestone.
Each and every NZTECHO we send off to print feels like a bit of miracle.
We are a non-profit organisation and there is no denying that publishing on
a low budget is challenging, but somehow we always get there in the end.
The fact that NZTECHO hasn’t fallen over in recent years (as have some
other industry magazines) is a testament to the willing attitudes of members
and other contributors who help us out. Thanks guys and girls for believing
in this organisation and in this magazine. Thanks also to the advertisers who
support us.
Continuing on a positive theme, renewed enthusiasm for the film and TV
industry is certainly in the air as we head further into 2014. Well done
everyone for surviving 2013.
Our main feature article by Nicci Lock pays a tribute to some of our industry’s talent. Nicci finds out how Grow Wellington’s Callaghan Innovation
initiative is helping technicians reach their potential far beyond the screen
production industry.
Freelance production manager Dot Kyle writes about American 2nd AC
Sarah Jones, who died tragically and needlessly on set in the US. It is a sad
reminder about the importance of safety in this industry and how it must not
get lost in the process of filming.
CONTENTS
GUILD NEWS & VIEWS
2
3
Behind the scenes
Executive officer Karla Rodgers – positive vibes for 2014
President’s rave
Pres Alun ‘Albol’ Bollinger’ – safety, budgets and overtime…
INDUSTRY
8
12
16
Behind the scenes of the bigger picture
Technicians paving the way for others in innovation and technology
Safety first, always
A reminder that safety must always come first on set
Regional wrap
TECHOSPHERE
4
5
6
15
17 20 Fine print: The rebate state
Extreme close-up: Jennifer Butcher
Back in the day: Donald Duncan’s 1984 Sarajevo adventure
Newbie close-up: Michael Engelbrecht
Point of view: Waka Attewell
Tribute / Thanks
We also hear from cinematographer Waka Attewell who says despite the
commercial realities of making TV, the quality of content should not just fall
by the wayside.
All these articles are a reminder of what NZTECHO stands for and I love
it that most of the magazine’s content comes from its audience. Articles
written by technicians for technicians – it is awesome to see.
Remember NZTECHO exists for you and because of you. It is your magazine so feel free to tell us what you like about it or don’t like, what you want
to see more of or less of …
Thanks again for all the support, let’s hope we can make it last another
60 issues.
Cover shot: Kayne Horsham has patented the injection moulding technology he used for making
chainmail in the art department on set of the Lord of the Rings.
Carolyn Brooke, editor
ISSUE 60 AUTUMN 2014
Techos’ Guild phone number change
The Techos’ Guild new phone number is 09 8899522 (always dial 09).
You can reach executive officer Karla Rodgers on 09 8899522
(always dial 09) or [email protected]
We appreciate
the support of:
Editor
Carolyn Brooke
Publisher/advertising
Karla Rodgers
Design
Justin Westgate / biote
Printing
TP Printing Services Ltd.
Contributors
Alun ‘Albol’ Bollinger
Tim Riley
Karla Rodgers
Donald Duncan
Nicci Lock
Dot Kyle
Sioux Macdonald
Joshua Dunn
Graeme Tuckett
Waka Attewell
Advertising
Advertising queries, please contact Karla Rodgers on 09 8899522
(always dial 09), [email protected]. For a copy of our ad specs and
rate card, please visit our website.
All contents are copyright New Zealand Film and Video
Technicians’ Guild, 2014, unless indicated otherwise. May not be
reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form without permission.
The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the
views of the New Zealand Film and Video Technicians’ Guild.
www.nztecho.com
2 | NZTECHO Autumn 2014
BEHIND THE SCENES
With over 20 years in the film industry,
Karla Rodgers is now executive officer for the Techos’ Guild.
Positive vibes for 2014
Kia ora and a Happy New Year to all. Reflecting on the year just past, in
March 2013 the NZ film industry looked bleak. As the year progressed
the vision sadly became a reality with the worst year many have known for
a very long time. Although not completely healed, the industry definitely
appears to have a new positive and hopeful vibe.
Probably one of the most significant reasons for the turnabout in positivity
was the Government’s U-turn on the NZ screen incentive grants, with
the announcement made in December. This news was better than big
presents under the Christmas tree for many and the relief overflowed into
joyous industry Christmas celebrations and renewed hope for 2014, in
this industry that so many of us are passionate about.
The release itself was made with true political spin doctoring (clouding
the issue of the Government’s U-turn). It was jointly announced that three
Avatar movies were to be shot in NZ, as though this was always the status
quo. Not wanting to focus on the negative but the hit taken between the
announcement earlier in 2013 that screen incentives were not rising and
the December news was too hard for some and unfortunately some have
left the industry completely. Sadly this leaves me with a certain amount
of irritation as the media announcements set out to glorify Prime Minister
John Key along with ministers Stephen Joyce (Minister of Business, Innovation and Employment) and Chris Finlayson (Minister of Culture and
Heritage) as heroes having negotiated and secured Avatar movies to shoot
in NZ and then “oh and by the way we’re going to raise the screen incentives”. I have to wonder if the media reporting was once again askew. As
mentioned in the last NZTECHO magazine, I received a letter from Joyce
last year stating “emphatically” that incentives would not rise. The long and
the short of it is that NZ was not an option for James Cameron to shoot
the Avatar movies (although he is now a resident here) while the incentive
sat at 15%. There is something to be said about our various ministers who
display rather pitiful star struck fantasies, selective out-takes and memory
loss which appear to cloud the business of governing in the interest of
self-praise and promotion.
The positive flipside (apart from a rise in incentives) was that the Guild
(along with other major industry players) was invited to attend workshops
to help nut out how the new process was to be implemented. With changes scheduled to take effect on April 1st the window is small. Brendon
Durey, Richard Bluck and I attended workshop meetings in Wellington and
Auckland that were organised by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment (MBIE) in conjunction with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage
(MCH). The meetings covered a great deal around the implementation of
the incentive scheme but the main threads discussed were:
• The proposed new baseline grant of 20% qualifying NZ production
expenditure, which is to replace the current baseline of 15%, and
how that is established.
• Note this generated strong discussion in the workshops as to
whether the mandatory minimum Qualifying New Zealand Production Expenditure (QNZPE) needs to be re-evaluated with a general
consensus from those who attended that it may be too high at both
the top end ($200 million) and the bottom end ($30 million).
• How to qualify for the grant and proposed methods for productions to
be eligible for the additional 5% grant (bringing total grant to 25%).
• Note this produced healthy debate with a fairly unanimous agreement
from the attendees that the bar may be too high beckoning the question whether large studios would be prepared to go through or bother
with the lengths proposed.
We, as participating contributors, however will not be given the opportunity to view the outcomes of the workshops as the window to roll out
these papers is April. We must now rely on the Ministry’s employees to
get it right. So we hope, wait and see whether they do in fact get it right. I
asked one of the authors of the draft proposal whether what he had heard
over the past days had changed the structure and he said “there is lots to
consider”.
Overall there was a fairly positive and productive atmosphere at the workshops. A sense of accord of an industry working together and a willingness from the MBIE that Government would be entering this new phase
with a willingness to negotiate on behalf of productions that can show true
economic benefit to NZ and this offers encouragement and confidence.
The past has not been a great gauge so let’s hope this ‘truly’ is a new
phase, it is after-all election year.
If any members would like to know more detail about the screen incentive
workshop, please phone Karla Rodgers on 09 8899522.
Techos’ Guild needs big boots filled
At the 2013 NZ Film and Video Technicians’ AGM Alun Bollinger announced that he plans to stand down as our illustrious ‘el presidente’.
His term will take him towards the end of 2014. This decision has not
been made lightly by Al, but is timed with other factors that are coming together in his life.
Al is keen to stay active in the Guild and will take on the mantle of
‘immediate past president’ replacing David Madigan.
I urge all members to think now about some of the well respected
Guild members who may be able to fill the very big boots that will be
left by Al. It is a very important role for the Guild and given the early
acknowledgement by Al of his pending retirement from this position,
it warrants as much time as possible in considering a suitable
replacement.
If you have someone in mind, I will be happy to speak to them as to
whether they would be prepared to take up the mantle. Thanks, Karla.
NZTECHO Autumn 2014 | 3
PRESIDENT’S RAVE
Award-winning cinematographer and committed West Coaster,
Alun Bollinger NZCS has been president of the Techos’ Guild for an age.
Safety, budgets and overtime – never forget the basics
It is so sad to hear about the young camera assistant Sarah Jones who
was killed by a train when the crew of Midnight Rider were working on a
railway bridge in Georgia, USA. We would like to think we can trust those
who are organising our work lives but an incident like this goes to show
how vigilant we all have to be when it comes to keeping safe on any film
shoot. It can be too easy to get carried away with the task at hand and
forget that there is a real world out there operating with different rules,
different values and different priorities.
On the Techos’ Guild front there has been plenty to keep executive officer
Karla Rodgers and others busy. With the extended quiet time throughout
the industry last year many people put time and effort into lobbying for
positive changes to the incentive schemes. I was decidedly sceptical about
this Government’s commitment to our industry but we now know that the
lobbying efforts were worthwhile.
So good to discover that this Government is actually listening to our
industry and is prepared to make changes to the incentive schemes in
order to help lift production levels. Of course there will be no objection to
the bigger off-shore productions coming here but my personal hope is that
the changes can also encourage and help facilitate local production. As
I indicated in the previous NZTECHO magazine, I would like to see more
investment in local production through the New Zealand Film Commission.
Speaking of our film commission, it is great that Dave Gibson has been
given the CEO job. Good on Dave for putting his hand up for the job. I
don’t imagine for one moment that it is an easy task he has taken on but it
is good to have Dave in such a position, with his experience and his commitment to our NZ industry.
As I have said and written many times before, I am not a fan of shooting days anything longer than 10 hours (with occasional overtime to tidy
up a day’s work). We lead such materially aspirational lifestyles that the
desire for the extra money is always going to conflict with the desire to
keep working hours to within sensible limits. That has always been one of
the problems with the whole notion of overtime. And of course for some
people, particularly directors, their work is their life.
Anyway, what got me thinking about this was a link (see link at end of article) a South Island industry colleague sent me. The article begins like this:
Veteran line producer Robert Schneider budgeted a $40 million
below-the-line studio feature based on the usual 12-hour shooting day, then he decided to try an experiment. He re-budgeted the
film based on an eight-hour day. He was challenging the long-held
assumption that movie crews must work a 12 hour minimum day
to counter the high daily costs of stage, location and equipment
rentals.
He extended the 17 week shooting schedule to 20 weeks and
refigured the budget based on an eight-hour camera day with one
hour prep time and one hour wrap time.
The new budget came in one million dollars cheaper.
“I wanted to dispel the notion that working shorter, more humane
hours meant increased costs”, says Schneider. “I’ve suspected for
a long time that on many films it’s cheaper and more efficient to
shoot basically straight-time days than to shoot extended hours that
are inefficient and paid for at premium rates”.
Of course we know that not all productions are the same, in fact no two
productions are the same, but I continually hope that real life will be taken
into account along with budgetary considerations when film shoots are
being scheduled. That is one of the advantages of working on lower
budget jobs – they simply can’t afford the overtime.
Albol
Article link:
www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/dcp/news/eight-hours-hollywood/43374
FINE PRINT
Tim Riley is a lawyer with Dominion Law, a specialist entertainment law firm that
recognises that creative people need creative lawyers.
The rebate state
While Government rebates are very important when it comes to attracting foreign film spending, Tim Riley
reminds us that money is not the only reason that projects are shot somewhere.
The recent decision by the Government to increase our production rebate
to 20% got me thinking about Fiji. A year or two ago I was in Fiji on my
honeymoon. With my wife. In between drinking cocktails at the swim-up
bar I carried out research into the state of Fijian television. I discovered
there are two local stations, one of which (Fiji Super) only plays super 14
rugby, and the other (Fiji One) which carries a nightly news show, various
badly produced documentary style programmes and content from ABC.
I don’t know if Shortland Street is still on TV there, but I do know that the
locals love it.
During the week I caught up with my friend Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who is
the Attorney General (and according to Ratu Mara the real power behind
the throne). We met in the lobby of the Sheraton Denarau. Aiyaz had
two body guards who he introduced me to. They seemed like nice guys.
Quite large though. I asked Aiyaz about the state of the film and television industry in Fiji, as it seemed like a safe topic. Coincidentally, Aiayaz’
brother Riyaz (known to some here from his time as a reporter at Asia
Downunder) was recently appointed as the head of the Fiji Broadcasting
Corporation.
Aiyaz said that Riyaz was carrying out some much-needed reforms in the
broadcasting sector and was also looking at developing television production as part of the FBC (currently it just produces radio). Certainly, unless
you have a particular fondness for blurry clips of ceremonial road openings and the like, there is some potential for development in this area.
On the topic of film, Aiyaz informed me that they were going all out to
attract Bollywood productions to Fiji and had recently secured a project
with a $10 million budget. (I didn’t want to prick Aiyaz’ bubble by telling
him that as we found out with Players, having a decent budget still doesn’t
guarantee they will pay their bills). I asked Aiyaz whether the Fiji Government offered a production spend rebate. At that time we had just been
through The Hobbit debacle which put a lot of focus on our 15% rebate,
and of course our Government has now made the decision to increase
our rate to 20% (or 25% if you meet certain, as yet undefined, criteria).
NEW
663
Guess what Fiji offers? More than double our standard rate. 47% is the
production rebate provided by the Fiji government to foreign productions
carried out on Fiji soil. Of course, size isn’t everything when it comes to
rebates. The main problem when a production arrives in Fiji will be finding
skilled crews and studio facilities. Sure, you can get great location shots.
But it is not all about the scenery either. Given the state of the infrastructure, including the roads, mounting a film production in Fiji is not going to
be easy.
I don’t know if there is a maximum budget threshold beyond which the
rebate doesn’t apply. I wonder what Cast Away cost for example.
Actually, I just checked IMDb. It was $90 million. Not sure how much
of that related to the Fiji shoot though. Let’s say it was half. A rebate of
around USD$20 million would be a pretty big hit on the public coffers of
a country like Fiji I imagine. But maybe they have a pay through deal with
the Chinese.
I guess the point I am trying to make is that you can’t just offer more
money to film producers and expect them to come flocking on that basis
alone. And I think the corollary applies too. In a country like NZ, the
rebate, while important, is clearly only part of the story. We also offer a
resident population of highly-skilled, mobile, and hungry film workers. We
have composers, writers, and other creatives of all colours in abundance.
We have world-class studio and post facilities. We have great infrastructure, including transport, finance, and telecommunications. We have
some really good film lawyers… And of course everything is moderated
by exchange rates. If there is an adverse movement of the local currency
against the currency of the film financiers, it may not really matter what the
rebate is.
That is not to say the rebate is not important. It clearly is. And there is
certainly a more optimistic mood around since the change in policy was
announced. I just think it is important for us all to remember that money is
not the only reason projects come here.
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EXTREME CLOSE-UP
PROFILE: Jennifer Butcher – 1st AD
How long have you been in screen production and how did
you get started?
My first job in the film industry was a line production TVC for Jane
Gilbert in 1995. The job was massive – two jobs back to back (Suisse
Bank and Motorola mobile phones). Lisa Kissin hired me as an agency
driver/runner. So that means I have been in the Industry 19 years.
Yikes!
I had just graduated from University of Auckland with a BA in English
and Psychology. I had taken the stage two and three TV and film papers (under the umbrella of the English department at the time). I was
heading down the path of an academic career, but some very inspiring
lecturers (Roger Horrocks, Margaret Henley and Annie Goldson) made
me want to give working in our burgeoning industry a go.
After working in TVCs for a few months as a driver, runner and assistant, I noticed the loud, organised, bossy people who pointed a lot.
Being capable of pointing, being bossy, organized and loud, I decided I
would like to get in to assistant directing.
I had been advised that the best way to learn this craft was to work on
dramas, so the next six years was spent working on everything from
Shortland Street and The Tribe through to Hercules and Xena, honing
my AD skills and advancing up the AD ladder. In 2000, I started being
the 1st AD on the occasional TVC (thank you Murray Francis and Film
Construction for giving me a break), music clips and short films. I later
decided to work predominantly in TVCs and occasionally on dramas in
an attempt to gain more control over my personal time.
What genre(s) does your work tend to come from?
I have worked on everything from music clips, live broadcast events,
TVCs, TV dramas and documentaries, along with short and feature
films. Now I work mostly on TVCs, both line productions and local
with the occasional block or day on TV drama and the odd short film,
or additional specialised units on features. I think it is really important
to keep the drama skills and systems current. If you can work at pace
on a drama shooting 8 to 10 minutes per day (or 25 to 30 minutes for
Shortland Street) then you have many more problem-solving arrows in
your quiver. It is like training at altitude for an event, and then coming
down and being able to perform better at sea level. I also think it is
important to work on and support local content and in the instance of
short films, give back and nurture the grass roots level of the industry.
On the giving back side, and to perform some sort of ‘ethical cleansing’,
I have served on the executive of the NZ Techos’ Guild for eight years
and also as an advisory board member to Film Auckland.
Above: Jennifer Butcher on a recce at Deer Park Heights, Queenstown.
Photo: Kristian Eek
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continued on page 19
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BACK IN THE DAY
Sarajevo’s Winter Olympics: 30 years on
Cinematographer Donald Duncan’s adventure to Sarajevo in 1984 for the Winter Olympics takes the art of
adaptable filmmaking to a whole new level.
A month or so ago, I saw some
hilarious Twitter feeds from journalists who had just arrived at the Sochi
Winter Olympics in Russia. It was the
usual stuff about unfinished hotels
and badly assembled toilet seats and
wacky translations on signs.
It got me reminiscing back to February
1984 when I was making the transition from camera assistant to DOP,
and was lucky enough to find myself
and four companions in Sarajevo,
Yugoslavia, shooting a half hour documentary at the 14th Winter Olympics.
A doco idea had been fermenting in
the mind of producer/director Howard
Moses for two to three years and
while he had the foresight to apply for
official accreditation, he hadn’t been
Above: From left to right, Donny Duncan, Steve Latty and Steve Douché alongside the ski-jump – about to make a break to a forbidden zone.
able to raise much funding to cover such
an ambitious project. Drawcard for the story was a profile of Simon Wi
a film about winners, but a film showing extra-ordinary sports imagery
contrasted with the passion of the people who found themselves in the
Rutene, a very promising young Maori ski racer who was a great medal
midst of all this crazy hoopla.
hope for the NZ team. Our crew included good friend Steve Latty as
camera assistant, Steve Douché on sound and Charles Gordon as PA.
Arriving in Munich, we got a first-hand tour of the Arriflex factory, and
We left on a wing and a prayer and the smell of an oily rag – a moderate
grant from the late Sir Roy McKenzie, airfares going on Howard’s Amex
card, film processing temporarily arranged through John Laing’s National
Film Unit account, introductions to Arriflex in Munich from Graeme Cowley at Film Facilities, fees deferred by all, and an overwhelming optimism
from Howard that he would jack up contra deals and investment in the
film once we landed in the country formerly known as Yugoslavia.
Before we’d even hit the ground in Europe, it had become obvious that
the NZ Winter Olympic team management didn’t want the distraction of
a film crew anywhere near their prized skier, so the thinking caps went
on over a few in-flight duty-free miniatures, to come up with a completely
new approach that had international potential.
As aspiring filmmakers, we were intrigued by the 1960s’ Direct Cinema
approach of DA Pennebaker (Don’t Look Back and Monterey Pop), the
Maysles Brothers (Gimme Shelter), Les Blank (Garlic is as Good as Ten
Mothers and Burden of Dreams) with his wonderful films on food, music,
and crazy directors, and from NZ, Tony Williams and Michael Heath’s
great doco at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival, Lost in the Garden of the
World. Hence was born the idea of an impressionistic, behind-the-scenes
view, of the great five-ring Olympic circus – with not a shred of narration allowed. Let the people speak for themselves! This was not to be
walked out with our 16SR1 rental kit and a swag of 400ft rolls of 16mm
Eastman stock. We then embarked on a marathon 20-hour train trip to
Sarajevo with our shiny aluminium cases, and upon arrival caught a tram
to the press village and joined the throngs of foreign media setting up
camp for the next two weeks.
The accommodation was a very far cry from luxury, but I don’t recall any
dodgy toilet seats – our first impressions were of a recently repressed
socialist society trying exceptionally hard to show the western world how
capable and hospitable they could be.
First day, we condensed our shooting kit into backpacks and set off by
tram to gather some street images, while the producer went off in search
of sponsorship from the major corporations. True to form, Howard arrived
back that night with a sponsored 4WD Mitsubishi van and driver, and
some other funding deals in place.
Our point-of-view became the Olympics from a street-level perspective.
With this as our password we went walkabout, camera always in hand,
avoiding officialdom where possible, and discovered the nicotine-stained,
smoke-fugged night-time delights of Sarajevo’s backstreet cafes with
their sizzling charcoal grills, mellifluous accordion bands and exuberant
slivovitz-supping patrons.
Although we had press passes, this only gave us access to media mosh
Our favourite camera positions were always the most verboten places,
such as right under the lip of the ski-jump, on a treacherous icy slope
where slipping would have meant certain death – but the angle was
worth it – 5.7mm wide lens, handheld whizz tilt, 75fps, directly under the
ski-jumpers take-off path. Magic! Of course, once we had breached the
barriers and grabbed a few shots, an official would arrive to throw us out,
but director Howard would delay him with lots of gesticulating and babbling in Pidgin-Europa and demanding to speak to a higher ‘Kontroller’.
By the time the second official arrived to really eject us, we had snuck
a few more shots in the can and were ready to leave anyway. Similar
techniques worked well at the bobsleigh – getting trackside and hanging
dangerously over the edge of the course to get that real ground-rush
feeling as the bobsleigh hurtled past, mere inches away.
Another useful technique Howard taught us was the Buddhist ‘art of
invisibility’ – an old scammers trick for getting into concerts free. We
used this to get ringside at the now legendary Torvill and Dean ‘Bolero’
ice-skating performance, even though we had no passes for this event. It
works by standing close to the ticket-taker, perfectly still, making no eye
contact, until you blend into the back-ground and disappear – when he
looks the other way for a moment you slip through. Gone! One by one,
we all got in this way, and to have filmed this perfect performance in one
continuous take is a true goose-bump experience.
Top: Getting to the Downhill finish line early to secure a good camera position – Donny Duncan
and Steve Latty (obscured).
Above: From left to right, Charles Gordon, Howard Moses and Steve Douché on location in
Sarajevo, 1984.
pits at the major events. Competing against some of the world’s most
determined sports paparazzi meant front-line tactics became the name of
the game, with early arrival, long stakeouts for position and sharp elbows
becoming important weapons in the fight against the motor-driven Nikonfisted enemy.
Back in NZ, the film gained a title – ‘Zimska Olimpijada’, the DFC invested in the project, and it was cut together by editor John Gilbert. It sold
around the world and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Telluride
Mountain Film Festival in 1987. One of the judges commented “for all its
millions and minions the ABC didn’t unearth a fraction of the beauty that
this small film did”. Note that the ABC was the official filmmaker.
For me, Zimpska Olimpijada was a chance to immerse in the culture and
meet the kind and warm folks of Sarajevo. To see this beautiful city under
terrible siege in a civil war, less than eight years later was an awful shock.
Thirty years later I look back on our adventure and ponder how crazy we
were to travel to the other side of the world, on an unfunded project. But
that is the magic of being in your twenties and full of piss and vinegar!
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WIDE-ANGLE
Behind the
scenes of the
bigger picture
NZ is known for its technical and design led innovation, less known perhaps
is that many idea-based opportunities exist in the screen production industry.
Nicci Lock looks at Grow Wellington’s research and development initiative
Callaghan Innovation and talks to some of those paving the way for other
technicians.
Technicians should
pair up with nontechnical people with
business experience
right off the bat, and
have a focused vision
that transcends the
technical product.
With several thousand contractors needing consistent work to maintain an edge until the next
big show hits town, the TV and film industry is a
tricky one to be in – down times will always happen and technicians need to find ways to mitigate them. It is not realistic to expect that NZ,
given its size, can support more than two film
projects per year per region of a large enough
nature to literally employ thousands.
The outcry from screen production crew that
hit the headlines late last year around the lack
of competitiveness for fee-for-service productions highlighted several issues, most notably
the dependency the NZ screen industry has on
consistent location-based filming projects. Of
course given how the sector is made up (several
large companies, a few smaller companies and
the majority of independent contractors), it is of
no surprise.
Incentives for large offshore projects are mandatory to remain globally competitive and to
sustain what is a highly integral part of our sector in the medium term, but there is now further
opportunity to leverage the new incentives. The
new incentives are to be applied in a fashion that
will enable our sector to retain and exploit its
creative IP and we need a solid long-term plan
to make this work best. The most vulnerable and
key part of it all is our technical capability and
talent. Without our technicians and their IP we
lose our majority workforce and our competitive
advantage along with it.
Each of us needs to evaluate and analyse what
we consider to be our skilled contribution, how
we can safeguard this, improve it, invest in it and
then commercialise it. Our skills and the stuff we
create have got to become monetised, spun out
for other uses around the world.
A platform, or a pipeline, that gives techs access
to the resources, tools, knowledge and people to
do this is essential. Screen techs are generally not
experts in commercialisation and siloed ideas are
not usually realised.
Aside from the obvious notoriety NZ has with
regard to beautiful locations and blockbuster
VFX, the technology and craft we are so proud
of and awarded for has put NZ on the map as
the place to come to create fictitious worlds, their
creativity unrestricted by technology. We have
a veritable creative and tech sandpit. If we don’t
yet have a solution, then we will make one that
we can solve whatever the need is at that time.
We iterate.
Innovation
NZ is known for its technical and design-led
innovation. Innovation means modernisation,
improvement, originality and iteration. It has
allowed us to stand out in the global crowd
with a reputation for all sorts of things in every
sector – woollen clothing, waste-water technology, skincare, medical devices, VFX, sound and
accounting software, marine energy generation,
breast screening technology and the world’s first
iPhone app. But what can we do with this after
the initial need has been met? Simply put, when
the projects are not rolling into town, there is still
a way to pay the mortgage and contribute to the
NZ economy in a quantifiable way.
Tucked away on the fifth floor of the Grow Wellington office are two guys making a difference to
the NZ screen sector and to the future potential
of technicians. Matt Carrere holds a Master’s Degree in engineering and project management and
Simon Tuohy is a NZ patent attorney who holds
a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science in
biochemistry. Their job is to develop businesses,
with a focus on technological exports. In other
words to turn ideas into global businesses, their
products and technology sold or licensed to
other countries. They assess projects, products
and technology to determine their possible
commercial success, regardless of the industry
Top: Tom Kluyskens, right, with MatterMachine business partner Ross Kettle.
Above: VFX technician Tom Kluyskens has
taken visual effects software technology,
combined it with web technology, and applied
it to physical engineering, industrial design
and digital fabrication (3D printing).
in which they originated. As regional partners,
these two administer the Callaghan Innovation (CI) pipeline. This is part of a nationwide
network of organisations like Grow Wellington,
helping businesses access information, funding,
training and business development services. CI
administer more than $140m per year in business research and development (R&D) funding
through programmes, designed to help accelerate innovation by firms in NZ.
Above: Tom Kluyskens.
Two veritable rocket scientists in suits, they and
their Government counterparts, have great applied knowledge and awareness of the needs of
the innovation ecosystem. In other words, will
the concept or product work beyond a film set?
Who will buy it, how will it be sold and for how
much? What’s lying on the dock way floor that
could be explored and will it work outside of
making an Avatar or Lord of the Rings?
They understand why this stuff gets invented
on our film sets and that they are an important
part of how our sector can build more robust
businesses in other areas of our industry. The
technology and products coming out of the
screen sector have an advantage – there is lots of
market validation and proof of concept already
present. If it was used on a film set and solved a
problem or created a new way of doing things
then it’s proven. But does it have a use beyond
the film set and if so how else can it be applied
and who else might need it or an iteration of it?
Keep your product
simple at first, iterate
quickly, dare to fail
and change course.
There are parallels drawn between the screen,
defence and medical sectors. Many technologies
and products designed for each are then applied
in others with a bit of a tweak.
The CI pipeline is useful both for encouraging
and funding more research and development
but also for uncovering ideas and products that
can translate as solutions for problems in new
markets.
There are many stories (a couple follow below)
of technicians reinventing the wheel, where to
do so takes a product you believe in, the right
people in your team and a desire to take it to
the world.
In the words of Dr Seuss, “Oh the places you’ll
go! There is fun to be done! There are points to
be scored. There are games to be won. And the
magical things you can do with that ball will
make you the winningest winner of all!”
Tom Kluyskens – 3D printing
Civil electromechanical engineer gone rogue,
Tom Kluyskens enjoyed a frivolous yet forming
10-year career in digital visual effects for highgrossing movies. He can claim to have digitally
killed Gollum by simulating the lava he fell into.
Tom has taken visual effects software technology, combined it with web technology, and ap-
plied it to physical engineering, industrial design
and digital fabrication (3D printing).
MatterMachine narrows the gap between designer,
manufacturer and consumer, or between artist
and audience, through elaborate digital tools and
interfaces that stem from the high-end digital
graphics world, and tests those tools through daring physical production projects.
Tom says: “MatterMachine is a very general purpose, very complex product. We’re now looking
at a few killer market entry points for a simplified
version of what we have. Good customers have allowed us to bootstrap over the past two years, but
it’s now clear that we’ll need investment to scale
properly, so we’re starting efforts in that direction.
Matt and Simon really seem to grasp the importance of what we’re doing. As for the grant
process, it is really just about making a sound
business case. It forced us to do that. And once we
did, the application went through smoothly. Quite
prosaic. Not much drama or story there. A business plan is a business plan. You gotta do it, and
for us, the grant was a reason to review ours, and
solidify a roadmap.
Technicians should pair up with non-technical
people with business experience right off the bat,
and have a focused vision that transcends the
technical product. Keep your product simple at
first, iterate quickly, dare to fail and change course.
Don’t start without a good indication of an existing market for your product, but try not to be
burdened by demanding customers too early on.”
Lance Lones – online platform for filmmakers
Lance Lones exited VFX at Weta Digital and
started with company Film Convert in 2010 and
now has eHoncho. Film Convert gives digital camera footage the colour and grain of your favourite
film stocks. eHoncho is an online collaboration
platform created for filmmakers by filmmakers
that revolutionises the way content is made and
funded.
Lance says: “The beauty with this ability to do
daring technology-based ventures, is that it allows
us to shift the film and screen industry here in
Wellington away from just a fee-for-service model,
to a model where we own the intellectual property
rights of our technologies and content. I think in
the long run, this is massively more sustainable
than relying on essentially one or two producers
to bring big budget productions here. It takes the
pricing power away from the studios, and puts it
back in the hands of New Zealanders, which can’t
be a bad thing.
Although both of these new ventures are quite
perilous, having the sort of environment that
allows us to take these bold risks is vital to New
Zealand prospering in the future. I think that
organisations like Grow Wellington and Government interventions such as TechNZ and now
Callaghan have been pivotal in building this
environment where risk-taking is tolerated and
even encouraged. One of the real unexpected
and amazing things that I’ve also found through
this journey in Wellington, is the vibrancy of the
environment here for new technologies and start
ups. There’s this great optimistic view that you
can do anything, which I don’t think I expected
to find here in New Zealand.
For folks who are interested in this type of grant,
my one bit of advice with respect to approaching these projects would be to have a very clear
vision on what your ultimate product is. That
being said, as we learned more about the actual
scope of the problem it is research and development after all. We shifted our model just a bit,
and happily found the staff at the Foundation
for Research, Science and Technology, who were
doing the administration of our grant at the
time, were quite flexible and helpful in guiding
us through our particular changes.
Though I’m not directly working on the big
budget productions that we’re all aware of, I’m
currently building my next new technology
product, FilmHoncho.com, a cloud-based collaboration tool for filmmakers, which eHoncho
will launch next month.”
Kayne Horsham – injection moulding system
Kayne Horsham invented the unique and simple
technology to make the light-weight chainmail
used on the set of Lord of the Rings and now
many other films around the world, including
The Hobbit. The last 15 years has seen his company morph dramatically with among others, a
patent for an injection moulding system. It is a
far cry from the art department on Hecules and
Xena in the 1990s.
Kayne says: “If you compile a sound commer-
cially focused R&D plan with ‘go-kill points’,
measurable success, a realistic budget, demonstrate the level of technical stretch required, and
underwrite this with your own ability to fund
it without grants to grow internal capability by
employing New Zealanders and with a focus to
commercialise and export as a result, then you
will likely be supported.
If you can’t pull this together, then maybe it’s
not an investable opportunity, or maybe you
aren’t the right person to develop and front the
proposal. Find someone who is that person.
Following the R&D application process did
help solidify our commercial objectives, clearly
identify the competitors (or potential threats
to our brand), properly assess and forecast the
budget needed for the venture, stay focused on
key objectives in your messaging, and most importantly resourcing it properly without reliance
on Government grants to complete the proposal.
See it as a bonus.
If it’s not worth doing without a grant, then it’s
not worth doing with one.
Kaynemaile has over 50 invention patent claims
fully awarded in 80% of the world’s economic
regions without infringement or opposition (a
five-year process), so this robust global examination process assisted in clearly defining that I
had indeed ‘invented a platform technology and
which was a novel and original method of manufacture with commercial potential’.”
Nicci Lock is a writer and screen projects manager
with a background in producing sound, animation, live action and VFX for commercials, TV and
film. Her company Exes and Associates works with
vanguard individuals and companies, to create alchemy – mixing storytelling with new and existing
digital technologies.
Above left: Lance Lones left Weta Digital to
engineer online filmmaking tools Film Convert
and eHoncho.
Above right: Kayne Horsham’s architectural
mesh business Kaynemaile sprung from his
chainmail making days on Hercules, Xena
and Lord of the Rings.
IN FOCUS/SAFETY NOTES
Safety first,
always
Although Sarah Elizabeth Jones was not a NZ crew member, her death while filming
on location in the US serves as a timely reminder of the precarious positions we as film
crew put ourselves in. By Dot Kyle.
On February 20th Sarah Elizabeth Jones, an
American 2nd AC was tragically killed after being
struck by a train during production for the film
Midnight Rider in Georgia, US. Sarah was part
of a small crew on the first day of production
for the film when the accident occurred. Various
news sources have reported that the 27-year-old
was killed when a train smashed into a hospital
bed the crew had been using in a scene. Seven
other crew members were also injured as a result.
Although it is not 100% clear at this stage it sadly
appears the production company did not have
permission to be on the railway tracks and there
were no safety crew or train spotters on location.
Sarah’s death has resulted in a massive outcry
of support and grief on Facebook from technicians all over the world, including NZ. The group
‘Slates For Sarah’ on Facebook has attracted well
over 66,000 likes with crew from all over the
world, showing not only their solidarity and support to Sarah’s family but highlighting the importance of being safe on set. A-list Hollywood actors
also waded in and shared their support and
sadness. Dustin Hoffman, Jean Claude-Van Dam,
Ben Stiller, Quentin Tarantino and Betty White
where amongst all those held a slate for Sarah.
Opposite page: US 2nd AC Sarah Jones
died tragically and needlessly on set due to
basic safety measures not being in place.
In addition to the Facebook page an online petition was set up to have Sarah’s name mentioned
in the memoriam section of the Oscars at the recent Academy Awards. All news reports in the follow up to the awards indicated that this would be
near impossible. However with social media being the valuable vocal platform and the growing
media attention the Academy recognized Sarah
deserved the mention. Although Sarah’s photo
was not included in the memoriam montage, her
name was listed on a banner at the end of Bette
Midler’s performance. Many attendees including
some academy winners showed their respect by
wearing a black ribbon in Sarah’s honour. Sarah’s
picture has also been included on the Oscar’s official memoriam page.
It showed a sign of respect from Hollywood that
Sarah was not only a valuable crew member who
died tragically and needlessly, but that she is now
also a symbol of crew safety and the need for attitudes change surrounding safety on set.
At the end of the day Sarah could have been any
one of us. I can personally think of a few situations that have been less than ideal and far from
safe to shoot but at the time it was all about getting the job done and I thought nothing of it. It is
only in hindsight that you take stock.
The message here is to think before you act.
Think about the environment you are you in
and if you feel your safety is being compromised
to get that ‘perfect shot’ then don’t feel afraid to
speak out. No film is ever worth sacrificing your
life for. If ever in doubt of your obligations when
prepping your next shoot then consult the Safety
Code of Practice (as a Guild member you should
have this). You can also contact the Techos’ Guild
or a film safety company such as Lifeguard and
Safety directly.
Last but not least is to always take care of each
other.
Visit www.SlatesForSarah.org for more information
Dot Kyle is a freelance production manager.
12 on 12 off – taking action
The non-profit organisation 12on/12off Inc was formed in 2004 by
US filmmakers Roderick E. Stevens and Haskell Wexler to promote
three basic rules around work, turnaround and meals and also to
empower crew calls for more humane working conditions. The organisation was turned into a membership to spread the word that an overall
change in attitude and working practices in our industry must occur
and that change has to be voiced by the individuals most closely
affected, the crew.
Rule 1: No more than 12 hours of work
Rule 2: No less than 12 hours of turnaround
Rule 3: No more than 6 hours between meals
12on/12off statement of belief:
As individuals, we believe every human being working in the film industry
has a right to enjoy a life outside of their work, including family, friendships and sleep.
As managers, we believe that while occasional long days can be an
acceptable part of our work, repeated excessive shifts and frequent
insufficient turnarounds are not.
As crafts people and technicians, it is our responsibility to initiate discussions about these concerns and to look out for the well-being of everyone
on our sets.
As human beings, we believe that every person’s health, safety and life is
worth more than any product we can produce while jeopardising same.
As an organization, our responsibilities include developing and disbursing educational materials to promote these basic rules of humane and
responsible filmmaking.
Poem for Sarah
A poem left by a crew member on the Facebook page ‘Slates for Sarah’:
I want to give 110% at work
My name is crew member
I love to add my thoughts and Ideas
I am told where to go and what time to be there
Most have an eight-hour workday, for me this is just past lunch
I consider a 14-hour workday to be normal
Rain days, sick days, personal days do not exist
I’m lucky if I see my family more than just the weekend
I rely on others above me to know what is safe
If I complain too much I may not get hired on the next job
I have done some stupid and dangerous stuff to get a shot
We lost a great soul and member of our film family
Her name was Sarah Jones
It’s time we make a change
OUR name is crew member
No one should work past 12 hours
Safety on all production levels has to be number one
This tragic loss has brought us all together
Now is the time we unite and change the ways
Sarah Jones you will NEVER be forgotten
NEWBIE CLOSE-UP
PROFILE: Michael Engelbrecht – camera and lighting
How long have you been in the industry and how did you
get started?
I started about a year and a half ago when I decided to enrol at The
Film School in Wellington. Up until that point I had looked into other
careers and tried different courses, but nothing really seemed right for
me. I then started thinking seriously about working in the film industry.
I had very little technical knowledge at that time and knew nothing
about how the industry actually worked but The Film School prepared
me well for working in the real world. It was an intensive crash course
on all aspects of the filmmaking industry and I found myself drawn to
camera and lighting. The balance between technicality and creativity
is just right for me. I own numerous cameras now and honestly can’t
imagine life without one.
Michael Engelbrecht knew the
film and TV industry was never
going to be an easy option but
could not resist the pull toward
camera and lighting.
Why did you choose film/TV as a career?
What have you learnt about your department as a whole?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of your
department?
I have been interested in films for years but my passion came when I
started learning about how films are really made and how the industry
actually works. There are some aspects that stand out to me and I
love the freedom that this kind of industry provides. Travel is important
to me and this line of work has the potential to take me anywhere in
the world. I have learnt that no two jobs are ever the same. Every day
is different, exciting and brings a new set of challenges to overcome
and learn from. Finally, the short contract nature of the work keeps me
on my toes. I am always actively looking for new projects to work on
and trying out new things to keep me moving forward.
I have learnt that with the right camera work and lighting then anything
is possible as long as you work hard to make it happen. The ‘bad workman blames his tools’ analogy fits in well here, especially among inexperienced filmmakers who put far too much emphasis on the camera
instead of using camera and lighting to complement each other. Without light the camera is useless, so knowing how to use light effectively
is crucial in creating a good image, regardless of what camera is being
used. I regard this as a strength because it means there is always more
to learn. You are learning new things everyday and refining your skills.
Steer clear from anyone who thinks they know it all.
What has working experience taught you that study
didn’t?
How easy or hard is it as a newbie in the industry? What
are attitudes of other crew like to you?
The most important lesson that experience has taught me is that it
is all about people. You cannot make a film with only one person. At
times there can be hundreds of people working together to bring a
single vision into actuality and needless to say, there are many times
when not everyone agrees on what that vision should be. You need
to learn to work and get along with every kind of person whether that
means taking charge, letting someone else take charge or a compromise somewhere in between. It often isn’t easy, but it is vital to making
a project be the best it can be.
At the moment it is rather hard getting started in the industry but I have
found that it is due to the amount of work available and the competition
for it, rather than the attitudes of other crew. The majority I have spoken
to or worked with (both students and industry professionals) are very
supportive of us newbies and are always willing to lend a helping hand
when the opportunity arises. I appreciate that I would not even be
where I am now without the support of so many talented people that all
made the effort to help me.
Are you able to make a living in the industry? Do you work
outside of it at all?
As of yet I have had little paid work in the industry. I keep myself busy
with projects as much as I can (usually low-budget short films and
other projects of that nature) but I do have a day job to keep me going
each week. It is always a struggle finding time to make the money I
need while finding time to pursue the work I would rather be doing.
I am fortunate that my day job is fairly flexible and it also sits on the
edge of the film industry out in Miramar, so even when I am not working on set I am still immersed in a creative environment.
What strengths do you think the NZ industry has? What
could contribute to a more sustainable industry?
As well as the ‘can do’ attitude that is shared by most people in NZ
a lot of people I have met simply love what they are doing, even if it
means making films for no pay. This is a big part of how local stories
continue to be told. Local films would have a much harder time being
made if we did not want to make them. I think we are on the right
track but we need to push this further. We need to make sure that NZ
stories, both features and shorts, get the proper exposure in the media
that they need. I am often hard pressed to walk into a cinema and find
more than one NZ film screening, which is tragic because if the NZ
public aren’t watching these films then who is?
REGIONAL WRAP
Take one – Auckland
Take three – Queenstown
Howdy everyone. I hope you have all been enjoying the longer daylight
hours. I will cut straight to the chase and tell it like I see it from our end
at Filmcrews in Auckland. Post the announcement by the Government in
December that filming incentives were to rise (to help NZ compete with
the rest of the world), we definitely noticed a spike in crew being held for
quotes and possible feature film positions. January was abuzz with work,
but interestingly, it slowed down again in February in the commercial
market, even though there have been many long term things in production
such as Step Dave, When We Go to War, The Kick, Deadlands and Project L
in Wellington.
Greetings all, another year slaps me in the face and reminds me of the
inevitable passing of time. I try to live in the moment, but the moments have
become all so fleeting.
Last year we, as an industry, took an incredible hit with many crew leaving
our shores or leaving the industry to find other employment. The flow-on
effect has been big. We have found now that there is soon going to be
a shortage of skilled crew in some areas of expertise, so I guess that is a
silver lining for people who have managed to weather the storm, as they
will pick up whatever work comes in from now on.
There is no better time than now to make sure you have a current showreel,
portfolio or CV, (easily accessible to producers via your chosen websites,
agent, diary service or IMDb etc) to encourage further business to come
your way.
I predict the following months will be steady, and hope that once the incentives come into effect after April 1st the industry will be back to the way
we like it, with work flowing steadily with the normal seasonal peaks and
troughs through out the rest of this year.
Sioux Macdonald, Guild vice president and executive committee member
Take two – Wellington
Sometimes it feels like a very small town down here. There is Miramar,
which some years is hosting thousands of crew and working on films that
are among the largest productions happening anywhere in the world, and
then there is that odd and eclectic collection of people and jobs that we
call the Wellington film industry.
Anyway back to business, December was a beautiful dud, no work for
Queenstown at all really, but plenty of time to relax and enjoy life. Then
came January, the Korean market kicked the year in the guts with a run of
jobs starting with North Face, then Merrell (the shoe brand) and a huge job
for Discovery Korea, featuring lots of pretty people singing “boom de yah
da, boom de yah da” while doing extreme sports and proclaiming their love
for whatever particular sport they had been chosen to do. Lots of body rigs
and helmet rigs for us grips and my first boot rig to get a wider angle shot
of the dude on the zip line racing through the trees. It was great fun.
January was capped off with a Japanese beer TVC from Curious Film
which we had to fully rehearse before the actors arrived. It was directed by
a very intense Japanese lady who after 15 takes trying to get a very tricky
crane shot (with the hero actress running toward camera over the riverbed)
came up and grabbed my biceps and loudly proclaimed that I was very
strong but also overweight. She then hugged me and made me hug the
actress in an awkward three way embrace between a 6 foot 2 grip holding
a crane and two squealing 5 foot Japanese ladies. The rest of the grip
crew thought it was great entertainment.
February continued the run with a cluster of jobs all doubling up, more beer
with Batch Film, a last minute Joy Ride job for I don’t know what (as I was
tracking a Korean family on some very cheap looking bikes down a bumpy
dusty road with a stunning back drop). My wife ended up on a rather large
French project for clothing and camping gear for 10 days while I went off
to Oamaru to shoot another Japanese job about a little girl in a sunflower
field. So all-in-all it was a great start to the year for us.
Joe Bollinger took a lighting truck up to Banks Peninsula along with a unit
crew and art to work on the Z for Zacharia adaption and are on their last
week, I just read today that young Henry Aitken has hooked up with the
lead actress. Scandalously juicy. That is it from me for now, I do have more
but I have eaten all my word space! Cheers.
Joshua Dunn, Queenstown branch member and executive committee member
There are a couple of telefeatures rolling around town, a small bunch of
TVCs, and those ever swirling rumours of big jobs coming. We believe that
at least one long run/high budget series is coming to Avalon and we know
that sometime soon Avatar will begin crewing up too. But for now, Wellington hunkers down to what it is all too good at ... being between gigs.
We are happy though, to have set up shop with our latte swilling friends in
the north and started Crew Auckland, to run as a sister ship to Crew Wellington. If you are a member of Crew Welly then your membership of Crew
Aucks is free. Nice eh?
And apart from that, the sun is shining, the gulls are fishing, and it is good
to be around to see it. Sometimes, it is good to be reminded of that.
Graeme Tuckett, Wellington branch member
CREW REPS NEEDED
ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Remember to organise a crew rep on your next production.
A crew rep, preferably someone who is familiar with The Blue Book,
is the most efficient way to keep the lines of communication open
between the producer and the crew.
POINT OF VIEW
Picking up where we left off
Think 1980s’ Top Town and the days when TV shows could bring families and communities together.
Despite ongoing commercial challenges we face in this industry, content should still be king writes cinematographer Waka Attewell, or even just sometimes at least.
Gazing out on the windswept tundra of free-to-air TV and as people stay
away from it in droves, it is a hard push to find an argument for devoted
viewership. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet some of the best
quality TV ever is being created by the likes of HBO and AMC.
Could this not be us we have to ask? The answer is yes it could be us, yet
entrenched orthodoxy seems to be still dictating the requirements … more
cooking shows anyone?
These death throes of sane TV programming got me thinking. I am fairly
certain that my cultural and political awareness was formed in the Pacific
Film Unit’s tearooms. I would like to think with taste and good judgement too. The 1970s invited an excuse to fight, we tilted at windmills and
believed our opinions and self aggrandizing would make a difference.
Someone came up with the quaint notion of doing all the thinking before
the camera came out of the box - this dictum kept things pretty much
on track for a few decades. Ridiculous hours and unrealistic schedules
didn’t matter, the money was not all that regular but there always seemed
to be enough.
With our TV programme making there wasn’t a sense of ‘what does the
broadcaster want’ but a sense of ‘what can we offer’ – preferably something that would invoke thought and debate? The film and TV business
fitted nicely into the grand plan, with the desire of building something solid
and everlasting. A voice of the people-type ideal with community shows like
Top Town and Country Calendar ruling the ratings. Little did we realise that
the neoliberals were out the back filling the ‘Kool-Aid’ vats with their toxin
– we were fiercely ambitious and hopeful and everything seemed possible
until the late 1980s crashed and burned.
The notion of ‘just getting by’ was challenged by the commercial imperative
that came knocking. It went something like this, you conclude that the way
forward is this fancy new corporate model and you studiously obey (stopping just short of commissioning your own ‘mission statement’). Suddenly
you are quoting jobs on fast food, fruit juice, fashion and car commercials.
You quickly became horrified at the guy you once knew when you catch
yourself waxing lyrical in the advertising agency about ‘brand recognition’
and before you know it ‘you’re whisking up a treat’ and nodding sagely
along with the discussion about the ‘society we live in’ as you adroitly add
to the problem gambling while name dropping ‘demographic’ and pretending to know what ‘appetite appeal’ actually meant. You particularly like the
American accent in the room as it makes you feel worldly and while you
are having an out-of-body experience you agree to do the three 30-second
cut downs gratis. The yank has the economic speak down pat, he talks of
‘risk adverse’ and ‘cheap money’ (actually what he means is cheap people).
The ‘delusions of grandeur’ isn’t so obvious yet as half truth is the new currency. This quickly becomes the new normal as a $10,000 limit on a credit
card (you didn’t ask for) arrives in the fast post. The TV channels think it is
only about making money, which is quickly followed by formula programmethinking (a stencil imported from the US) – then the new radical concept of
‘cashflow’ is introduced to the mix (this tends to happen when the banks
get involved). Suddenly you are pitching like mad and churning out stuff for
Cinematographer Waka Attewell has been around long enough to know the turns and roundabouts of the TV and film industry.
the broadcasters they thought they wanted. Old problem here is if you give
a broadcaster what they ‘want’ it is usually not what is ‘needed’ – there is
an all but brief moment when a tax break makes NZ feature films possible.
We all look back fondly on this time as the ‘national cinema era’.
Well that was the last 30 years.
So as the economy heads again for that moment when the proverbial
‘they’ talk up the recovery whilst avoiding the words ‘train wreck’, ‘run away
debt’ or ‘fiscally challenged’ – let us spare a thought for when the boom
hits and what we want to rebuild and let us be careful with whom we crawl
into bed with and gift our craft skills and our finances to. As you already
know the final outcome will probably leave you hanging off the debt cliff
while just a few still prosper.
So rather than enslave ourselves again into a service-type role, how about
we think of these interesting times as just-interesting-times by firstly
resurrecting the wreckage of ‘national cinema’. Then let us make some TV
programmes that have a bit of content (if TV don’t want it then stream it on
the internet) and get back to the old wisdom of doing the thinking before
the camera comes out of the box.
Mick Sinclair
Ph +64 9 360-9995 www.sinclairblack.co.nz
NON-GUILD MEMBER CARD
I choose not to be a member of the NZFVTG as the Guild does nothing for me.
Therefore, I am exempt from all the benefits previously determined and agreed to between
producers and the Guild throughout the years.
7 Alterations to Engagement Rules
I am so grateful to have been chosen to work that I have no problem with being unable to
charge cancellation even if I am driving to the job. I additionally have no problem with other
work that may have been lost during this time.
7 Duration of the Working Day and Week
There is no limit – I will work till I drop.
7 Overtime Allowances
I will work for 24-hours at a standard daily rate that I will independently set, and which will
have no alignment with other industry rates.
7 Public Holiday Payments
I am prepared to work on Christmas Day and Good Friday at no additional charge.
7 Turnaround
I will work for the duration of the contract without sleep or rest.
7 Meal and Refreshment Breaks
I will bring my own flask and sandwiches.
7 Production Travel Allowances
7
7
7
Out of respect for my fellow work colleagues who are paid up members of the
Technicians’ Guild, I am prepared for this declaration to be forwarded to all
production companies so they can adjust the contractual conditions of my work.
I am prepared to fly, walk, drive or swim to any destination at my own expense and in my
own time.
I will additionally pay for my own accommodation, and do not expect any per diems for out
of town expenses.
Fees and Expenses
I am prepared to allow the production company to pay without limitation when they can.
The production company may also deduct any additional charges from my invoice as they
see fit without consultation.
Health & Safety Policies
I accept being personally placed into any situation the production company chooses to put
me in – albeit burning buildings, the middle of motorways, high-rise ledges, and I do not
expect to be provided with any fire protection equipment, reflective jackets or harnesses.
I require no safety support personnel.
Dispute and Resolution Services
There will never be a problem as I am prepared to be flogged.
7 Your signature here
Go it alone –
or sign up for the support and benefits of the Guild
As a member you’ll get all the benefits and support that the Guild provides, as well as the
satisfaction that you’re helping to support a safer and more productive industry for all techos.
Membership is just $243 (incl GST) per annum
Join the New Zealand Film and Video Technicians’
or $20.25 by monthly AP. Students and recent
Guild today – online at www.nztecho.com or
graduates can receive a 50% discount (no monthly
email [email protected]
AP option). You will receive a membership pack
including The Blue Book, the Safety Code of Practice,
a Techos’ Guild membership card (to access all our
wonderful benefits) along with ongoing support
www.nztecho.com
and advice.
Extreme close up continued
In my transitional year from 2nd AD to 1st AD, my income dropped by
50%. You have to trust yourself and stick to your guns though if you
want to progress. Assistant directing is a really tough, stressful and
political job which requires being both organised and creative. It is very
much an acquired taste and as a result, there are not that many of us.
On the subject of rates, I am very concerned that over all, crew rates
have not increased anywhere near inflation. I was recently offered a 1st
AD position on a NZ TV drama, but the rate was less than I had earned
as a 1st AD on dramas 10 years ago. It was less than half of what I earn
per day working on TVCs. I like the show and the production company
but with a crazy Auckland mortgage, I had to turn them down, as quite
literally, I couldn’t afford to work for them during the summer TVC
season.
How does your department work as part of the ‘whole’ that
other crew probably don’t realise?
As well as standing for ‘assistant director’, AD can also stand for ‘all
departments’. What I mean by that is that we are ‘the big picture’
department and need to have an understanding of the requirements of
all departments. Particularly when this comes down to putting things
in front of the camera, and being ready to rehearse or shoot. We need
to gather the most accurate information possible from all departments
to create the best plans regarding scheduling in prep, and then on the
shoot day, adapt as fast as possible as things invariably change from
that schedule. So when an AD asks you “how long will that take” please
understand that for us it is like that circus trick where the performer has
half a dozen plates spinning on top of sticks. We are just trying to keep
all the plates spinning in the same direction and ideally, at the same
speed, and to stop any one of them from falling. While departments
have mainly just their own requirements to consider, ADs have to balance every department’s requirements. Ultimately we are just trying to
get you all home safely and on time…
What sort of changes have you noticed? Have you noticed
any trends?
On the positive side, I see newbies coming through who have great
computer and IT related skills. Because of the increasing accessibility
and decreasing cost of digital equipment, many of them have made
their own films before ever stepping on to a professional set. Also with
the increasing number of ‘hands on’ film schools, more newbies are
coming through who are interested in pursuing careers in production,
camera, art, editing and post etc. There was a time 10 years or so ago,
when every newbie wanted to be a director…
The downside is that every year there are literally hundreds of graduates
trying to enter an industry where, in recent times, even my peers with 20
years plus experience are struggling to get enough work.
Another negative trend and a personal hate of ADs is the increased use
of mobile phones on set. Fine if they are being used as tools but that
is it. I am old school on this point I know, but I check my phone before
crew call, switch it off and put it away. Check it again at lunch, and then
turn it on again at wrap. It is not that hard – it is just a discipline. When
we have so much more competition in the international market place,
and even for our own jobs locally, it is really important now, more than
ever, that we crew present professionally on set. Checking your phone
for Facebook updates and sharing weekend BBQ photos every five
minutes looks very unprofessional and shows that you are not really
paying attention! Plus it makes it so much more likely that you will get
‘slabbed’!
What strengths do you think the New Zealand industry has /
what could contribute to a more sustainable industry?
The NZ screen industry has many strengths, including economic value,
NZ’s brand enhancement overseas and sustainability (we are comparatively non-polluting compared with say dairy and forestry).
To put my Techos’ Guild hat back on for a moment – the screen industry
has contributed massively to the country’s economy. The Screen Council Survey year ended March 2012 showed that the screen industry
earned $3.3 billion dollars for NZ. This was the third-biggest earner for
the country after dairy and tourism that year.
This does not even count the multiplier effect. The UK Screen Council
recently engaged the Oxford University economics department to do an
analysis of the multiplier (trickle down) effect i.e. for every pound spent
on the British Screen Industry what was the pound benefit back to the
economy? Their answer 12 to 1. That is, for every 1 pound spent in the
screen industry there is a 12 pound gain to the economy.
Granted, NZ is a smaller economy with fewer tiers to trickle down,
but even only a quarter of this would turn the overall benefit of the
international film industry to NZ, from $3.3 billion to $10 billion. That is
a lot of jobs, mostly high value – higher than the median wage, and a
lot of income tax and GST for the Government. This is why I found it so
infuriating and hard to comprehend why the present Government took
so long in readjusting the LBSPG incentive…
And that is just the undeniable economic value, there is also the development, exposure and promotion of ‘brand’ NZ internationally. This has
major beneficial spin-offs for tourism and other NZ companies trading
overseas. Over this summer I have had a number of friends visit from
overseas (UK, Germany, Australia and the US). All of them had seen
The Hobbit and know who Peter Jackson is, only one out of eight knew
or cared about last year’s America’s Cup.
Also, we are sustainable and (where ever possible) clean, green and
non-polluting. I think possibly this last aspect “clean, green and non
polluting” is an area that we have improved on but could probably do
better… Reducing paper usage and increasing paper recycling is an
issue that I face in my department for example.
I do feel that there is an increasing culture and awareness on productions about minimising our “green” footprint. The “Greening the Screen”
initiative that was released a few years ago is a really good starting
point. Also on set, in my experience, individuals do seem to be making
more of an effort, even if it just a simple thing like taking your own water
bottle or refilling your water from the unit table instead of just grabbing
a new bottle each time… It is a small thing but it definitely all adds up.
So to finish up I will answer why I am still in this game. I get to travel
and work in some beautiful and otherwise inaccessible places – I have
some amazing lunches and craft services, (thank you caterers and unit
teams). As an AD, my work is challenging every job is different and
every day brings new problems to be solved and I get to learn at least
‘three new things’ (my minimum requirement). But above all else it is
because of the wonderful, talented, interesting and diverse group of
people I am privileged to work with. Thank you all, and see you on the
next one …
Insurance clarification
TRIBUTE
At the recent Wellington branch meeting questions were asked around
clarifying contractor insurance liability.
Private vehicles used for work purposes
Independent contractors are responsibility to insure their own vehicle.
Be clear with your insurer of the intended use of your vehicle.
Your vehicle policy will be either a private motor vehicle with ‘some’
business use or a commercial vehicle. Crombie Lockwood informed me
that the policy price is about the same.
An incorrect policy runs the risk of possible refusal on any claim in the
event of an accident while using your vehicle for work purposes.
Production companies are not responsible for damage that occurs to
your vehicle in the course of your work contract.
Putting this in a different perspective. If a builder comes to your home
and has an accident while getting materials, is this your responsibility?
You may choose to charge for vehicle use, to cover wear and tear,
insurance.
Life insurance policies in choppers or other high-risk
activities
Kevin Magill
At the very end of last year we were reminded just how tight knit
we are in this industry when we lost one of our own. Kevin Magill
‘Kev’ was a location manager, location scout, transport captain,
and all round good bastard. To many of us, it seemed that Kev
had been around forever, and would probably see most of us off.
But someone up there took a look at the hours on his invoice,
and decided that Kevin had done enough OT for one lifetime.
Kev was the first face we saw on so many jobs, and if it was
4am in the morning, pissing down, and you had been up since
2.30am to get a truck to location, there was no face you would
rather see. Cheers Kevin, and thank you.
By Graeme Tuckett
This will differ for individual life insurance policies and is also your
personal responsibility
It is important to state to your insurer any perceived risk you feel they
should be aware of. If your job has changed since you first took out a
policy, check whether your policy needs reassessment.
There is another option of asking the production company for “personal
accident cover”. This is a fairly expensive policy in that the production
company has to pay a premium each time a helicopter takes off. Often
used if no coverage exists in your policy.
If you require further clarification on your insurance – give your insurance company a call.
GOLD STARS & CHOCOLATE FISH
Big thanks to the following people for supporting and helping the
Techos’ Guild:
N Dot Kyle, Nicci Lock, Waka Attewell, Donald Duncan, Graeme
Tuckett and Joshua Dunn for NZTECHO magazine contributions.
N Zara Hayden, Steve King, Nick Treacy and Ben Vanderpoel for
helping out with office furniture moving.
N Brendon Durey for providing storage and helping with office furniture.
N Sioux Macdonald for ongoing support to both Karla and Carolyn,
providing office space for Guild accounts and for NZTECHO
contributions.
N All the members that keep us updated with contact details and
other information.
N All members who pay their membership fees on time (remember
that unless we are notified otherwise your membership renews on
an annual basis as per your invoice month).
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/NZFVTG
NEW MEMBERS
Join us in giving the following new members a hearty welcome!
Auckland
Wellington
Steve Lawton, camera
Johnathan Guest, editor
Bruno Barrett-Garnier, sound
Richard Lee, camera
Tom Eagles, editor
Mark Robins, art
Felicity Letcher, art
Michael Engelbrecht, camera
Hayley Budulis, AD
Emma Olsen, production
Queenstown
Patrick Fallon, production (rejoin)
Bonny Crayford, AD
Alex Parsons, camera
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD
President
Alun Bollinger 03 732 8123
Vice president
Sioux Macdonald 021 969 609
Treasurer
Brendon Durey 021 866 977
Auckland chair
Nick Treacy 021 280 8950
Wellington chair
Richard Bluck 021 449 124
Queenstown chair
Joshua Dunn 021 229 1603
For full committee listing and contact
details please email: [email protected]
TECHOS’ GUILD OFFICE
Karla Rodgers, executive officer
Carolyn Brooke, accounts officer
Tel: 09 8899522
PO Box 68-294, Newton, Auckland 1145
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.nztecho.com
facebook.com/NZFVTG
Techos’ Guild office hours
Monday to Friday, 9am to 3.30pm
Outside these hours, please leave a
phone message or email us.
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Technicians pioneering innovation - NZ Film and Video Technicians

Transcription

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