Member Spotlight: Sally Cunningham

What was your very first job on set and what did youlearn from it?

My first job after film school was a weird comedy show from America that came here to film some farm skits. I remember driving them out to Pencarrow Lighthouse in Wellington and watching the main character try to climb electric fences and herd sheep without a dog. I never saw it screen anywhere. To this day I have no idea if it actually made it to a show of any kind.

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

I could credit this lesson to the film industry or my Mum, but I'm not afraid of change. The film industry teaches you resilience and adaptability. You never really know what's going to happen so you don't dwell on things when they don't work out or you have to come up with an entirely new plan to the one you had. It also teaches you to be financially literate.

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

I'm looking forward to when the screen guild has a standard contract that is the basic working standards for film workers. When SPADA comes to the table as an engager organisation under SIWA will be a giant step forward for the NZ industry. In the next five years I would like to see funding levels being looked at against the realistic cost of production. More and more Producers and Line Producers are put under enormous pressure by trying to stay on budget and produce the desired content. Sometimes these goals are more aspirational than realistic, putting Producers and Line Producers between a rock and a hard place, between facing crew that are being underpaid and the bottom line that investors expect them to meet. Funding really needs to start to address these discrepancies.

What’s one thing you wish every crew member knew about the Guild?

I would like more people to know that the Screen Guild is not only about representing crew. Yes, that’s our main focus, but we’re also about fostering great relationships and communication throughout the industry so it continues to thrive and grow. An industry where we all respect each other and the work we’re trying to achieve is an industry that becomes an attractive prospect for both domestic and international productions. We need to stamp out the ‘us vs them’ mentality once and for all.

Favourite filming location in NZ?

Any time I get to film in or near my home town in Central Otago is the best.

 A film or show that inspired you to get into this industry?

Jurassic Park was the first film where I found myself thinking 'I must do this'. Then, I found out Sam Neill was a kiwi and I thought, hold on just a minute, kiwi's can be IN the movies? Sign me up!

 If you weren’t in film, what would you be doing instead?

If I wasn’t in film, I’d be doing something else in the arts. If I couldn’t work in the arts at all, I’ probably be in the medical field, maybe a paramedic or an orthopaedic surgeon. I once broke my ankle gripping on a job, and it made me think that putting bones back together must be a great

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