Industry Updates From Wellington
Greetings and salutations NZTECHO readers. G.T is currently working on a film The Pa Boys, in the nether regions of the East Coast with no phone or internet coverage, so I am doing my best to fill this space in his absence.
As seems to be the reoccurring theme everywhere, things are rather quiet in our neck of the woods at the moment. Apart from, of course, the mighty Hobbit pick-ups (or ‘catch-ups’ as a non-film friend inadvertently called them the other day) bringing some much-needed work to a good portion of crew here, which, along with sightings of famous dwarves, hobbits, wizards etc., all makes for a bit of a buzz around town.
Gibson Group, the vanguard of Wellington TV production, manages to keep the home fires burning. They have recently wrapped on their Street Hospital series and a Nancy Wake docu-drama, but they also have another confirmed production in the pipeline.
We’re all still waiting to see what the new purchasers of Avalon Studios might get up and going, but it seems to be a bit of a waiting game right now.
There have been a couple of TVCs through Welly in recent months, and there’s a big telco TVC shooting in the CBD this month, over 1,200 extras – it shouldn’t be hard to miss!
Weta Digital continues to dominate in the VFX world of film; apparently, they are the second largest VFX facility in the world, no small feat given the recent closures of many others in the US and Australia. Whilst we’re on the topic, the Techos’ Guild VFX workshop at The Film Archives here in Wellington went very well with about 30 people attending… that’s a lot more than we get at Guild meetings!
Just in case you missed it, the Wellington branch got a new chairperson not so long ago – the right, honourable Richard Bluck, and new secretary Jen Metcalfe. Come along to our next meeting to say hi and see what’s up.
In other news, crew 25 graduate from The Film and Television School New Zealand at the end of this month. Alongside the closure of the film processing lab at Park Road Post, this will be the last crew to make their graduate films on actual film. One of these films to look out for is Bird Song, which piqued the interest of a composer recently returned from London who then successfully raised the money to record an original score for it by a live professional orchestra. Well done!
G.T will be back for the next issue, so drop him a line at info@crewwellington.co.nz if you have an opinion on the New Zealand Film Commission Escalator Scheme, the state of television drama in NZ, or any other burning industry-related news or views to get off your chest.
Belindalee Hope,
Wellington branch member
