Member Spotlight: Julian Wagner

‍What advice you’d give to those starting working in the industry?

Learn to embrace the downtime and don't focus on the fact that other people are working when you're not.
I've been plagued by both of these issues and still am to an extent. If you're going to have a career in this industry you will inevitably have lots of downtime where you're not working. Use this time to upskill, network or just enjoy yourself. It's easy to spiral when weeks, if not months have gone by without work. It's taken me a long time to truly believe the saying that "the work always comes". 

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What keeps you passionate about working in film?

1. The people in this industry 
‍The New Zealand film industry is a melting pot of people from all different cultures, ages and experiences. I've met and made friends with people who I'd never say hi to randomly on the street. I have friends who are twice my age and some I would consider to be close friends, and that's really special.
 2. There's no job like it.
he fact that I'm able to make art for a living while being in a new place everyday, being active, social and in an environment that encourages teamwork and collaboration feels like hitting the lottery in my opinion. Also in my position as an owner/operator I'm able to run my own business and be my own boss which is the cherry on top. 

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What’s one lesson the screen industry has taught you?

No matter what you might think, you could always improve. I’ve left this answer vague intentionally as I wanted it not to be limited to a certain topic in the industry. It’s not about learning something new but about improving on what you already know. I’m constantly finding myself reflecting on jobs, relationships, gear and my systems which I know I could have done differently and will do differently next time around. The longer I spend in this industry the more I’m humbled by these things, which is attestimate to my growth both within myself and my career.

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How do you define success in your work?

By being happy with the work you get and by looking back at how far you've improved. It's easy in this industry to get caught up with the work you want to be doing or seeing other people doing that work, but sometimes it helps a lot to remember where you started and how far you've come. For the relatively little time I've spent in this industry I've managed to come a long way, and that feat is something I try to keep on my mind. The Julian 3 years ago wouldn't have believed where I would be in my career now, back when I was just starting to think about buying my first piece of lighting gear. Although I know I have a long way to go in my career I'm happy with where I'm at now, and I'm constantly reminding myself that it's a marathon not a sprint.

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What changes would you like to see in the next five years?

Changing the rules of NZFC funding to allow more junior crew access to Feature Film and TV Drama funding.From the basic knowledge I have about how local features and dramas are funded it seems like crew without prior feature or drama experience are systematically locked out of the very thing that could help propel, train and upskill so many careers in Aotearoa. I can understand why these systems are in place as having a safe bet on your crew both below and above the line can guarantee a good product, however times are changing and the NZ film industry has never been bursting with as much young talent as it is today. I believe that while you can't throw just anyone at a feature film or drama and expect them to deliver, there should be ways in which we can set up certain preferences in order to get lower budget indie projects across the line. 

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How has being part of the Guild supported you or your peers?

Without the guild myself, my friends and my peers wouldn't be able to have a lasting career and an optimistic future about this industry.Frankly we'd've been taken advantage of a long time ago in regards to a lot of the working rights and standards we have here in NZ. Everything from a standard 10 hr working day, Overtime, travel costs and the rest, without the guild being a force to reckon with all of these privileges wouldn't exist or at least be taken seriously. In the smaller commercial/music video/web series/short film space I'm currently in, I have a solid point of reference in terms of our working rights which I can communicate and educate to a lot of the people in this space who might not have even heard of the Blue Book before. 

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Coffee order or go-to snack on set?

I sweat like my body is a nuclear reactor, so an iced latte has been my go to for a while. I'm also a sucker for UpNGo's 

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What’s one skill or habit that helps you get through long shoot days?

Fueling myself with good food, lots of coffee and drinking lots of water throughout the day. Sometimes it's easy to forget the basics. 

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