All Blog Posts
What’s Happening?
BlogLooking out my window I can see pohutukawa blossoms on my tree. Spring really is here. An interesting time to take the temperature on the industry, I thought. So I decided to ring around the other guilds and pose a simple question: What’s…
Post Insights
BlogThis weekend DEGNZ is running a two-day workshop with award-winning film editor David Coulson. David has a working relationship with director Niki Caro that has seen him edit her last five films, including her latest The Zookeepers Wife, starring…
Gender Matters
BlogI was at the Melbourne International Film Festival’s 37 South Financing Market last week when Graeme Mason, CEO of Screen Australia and former NZFC CEO, launched the final two parts of their $5 million Gender Matters plan—a $1 million incentive…
A Feast For The Eyes
BlogThe New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) is almost upon us. It’s usually my opportunity to catch up on as many films as I can jam in; films that often don’t get a release here but have achieved significant recognition in festivals,…
Foreign Imports
BlogA few issues around foreign imports have my attention at the moment. One is that I am after a new car. I’ve been bidding on cars on auction in Japan, and if successful, it will be sent to New Zealand by boat. Another is the news that…
Where Are All Our Auteurs?
BlogWith Hunt for the Wilderpeople setting the all-time box office record in New Zealand this week, we can acknowledge the remarkable talent of Taika Waititi as a director who not only has a singular voice but also a golden touch. Box office…
Cutting Loose
BlogI have had more than one occasion lately to discuss a number of issues over what some regard the plights of editors and others the realities. A number of senior editors convened recently over a drink and lamented the lack of an assistant…
Behind the Scenes at DEGNZ
Blog(A reworked version of this article appeared for an industry audience in today’s edition of Screenz.) As the Executive Director of the Directors & Editors Guild of NZ and a board member of Ngā Aho Whakaari I get to see a lot of what…
Pictures Worth a Thousand Words
Advocacy, BlogIn my last blog editorial I wrote of Fair Remuneration and the meetings DEGNZ President Howard Taylor and I attended in Tokyo at the General Assembly of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) and Executive…
Fair Remuneration Efforts
Advocacy, BlogLast week, Guild President Howard Taylor and I attended the General Assembly of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), and the Executive Committee meeting of Writers & Directors Worldwide (W &…
Cannes: Is it All it’s Cracked Up to Be?
BlogEvery year, tens of thousands of film industry people gather in Cannes for the world’s pre-eminent display of film industry gauche and sublime—the Cannes International Film Festival. Or at least that’s what used to happen. According…
The Realities of a SVOD World
BlogI’ve been watching the debates raging across the Tasman as the Austalian screen industry seeks to ensure the future of Australian content in the face of the realities of SVOD. Research company Roy Morgan reported in March 2019 that nearly…
6 Key Developments to Note
Advocacy, BlogThere have been a significant number of developments that have occupied our time recently that are worthwhile highlighting. Firstly, the Copyright Act Review Issues Paper submission. DEGNZ made a submission, the primary focus of which…
Intimacy Guidelines a Win-Win
BlogUK based Intimacy Coordinator Ita O’Brien spent three days in Auckland last December sharing her highly acclaimed approach to intimacy on set. The events gave actors, directors, producers, writers and crew from the stage and screen industries…