Navigating Industry Changes

Daylight Savings is upon us once again, and with that naturally comes the possibility of shooting lengthier days on set! As most crew around New Zealand are already in the throes of working on one of the many television series or feature films that Auckland is currently hosting, it is particularly important that you watch for signs of burnout. After a couple of years of interrupted income, it is wise not to overdo it to a point of exhaustion.

Auckland is struggling to fill a lot of departments required to make productions run smoothly and efficiently, so it has never been a more important time to continue to mentor those that are younger than you by teaching them the skills required to make a film set tick. It is also imperative that crew who are thinking about stepping back in the future are lining up capable and enthusiastic teams to help take over their equipment. While Auckland is in a position of boom rather than bust, and studios are being built to help house many productions simultaneously - none of this is helpful without the ability to provide the personnel. The Guild has been particularly busy over the last year putting together various pathways for industry workers to utilise in the event of onset harassment, bullying or unfair treatment, so please don’t be afraid to bring it to the attention of one of the Executive Members of the Guild if you need to find further help in these areas. Soon, it looks like the Film Industry Workers Bill will be passed through Parliament, which will mean that collective bargaining will become a new industry practice that all contractors (Guild members or not) will fall under the umbrella of. This will provide you with some security in terms of employment terms and conditions and will force productions to provide you with contracts prior to work commencing (not during, or after as has often been the case over the last 30 years). You will, however, still be responsible for negotiating your own daily or weekly rates directly with the production company that is looking to hire you.

Workshops will be taking place over the next year, hosted by members of MBIE (Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment) who are helping the Government with the writing of the new Bill. They will walk all of us through how the new Bill will affect all areas of the industry, and who is covered under the new legislation once the Bill is passed through.

Sioux Macdonald, Guild vice president and executive committee member