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News Blues

Television is the bread and butter of the screen industry. More; What we see on our screens reflects who we are as a nation and its peoples. News and current affairs play a vital role in this, telling us what’s going on in our little…
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A Dismal Failure By All Concerned

The proposal by Warner Bros. Discovery to shut Newshub highlights the dismal failure past and present by successive New Zealand governments, bureaucracy and those in the screen sector to grasp the seismic changes that have flowed through…
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Missing in Action

There’s a coalition government in power now whose focus is on the economy and righting what they see as the wrongs of the government before. I decided to go trawling to see if there was any hope for the arts, culture and heritage or the…
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Still Crazy After All These Years

You’d have thought things might have settled after the COVID years. But, no, it’s still crazy. And what a year it’s been. The long mooted merger of TVNZ and RNZ finally fell over. The $60 million taken away from NZ On Air returned…
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Director Josh Frizzell: How I Got Started in the Industry

I was expelled from Penrose High in the fifth form after getting caught wagging for a month (I faked the absentee notes from Mum and Dad). I ended up going on the dole (unemployment benefit) for a year. At the dole department you had to show…
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The Levy Ain’t Dry

I’m personally thrilled to see SPADA coming out strongly for a levy on streamers recently. It’s something I’ve been advocating for in this column going back four years, 'Show Me the Money', 'Time for a Reset', 'An Answer to NZ’s Broadcasting…
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What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening?

NZ On Air’s Where Are the Audiences Survey 2023 confirmed what previous reports have been warning of—the death of linear television in New Zealand. (WATA research here.) Three telling points were highlighted in the document that attest…
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Editor Luke Haigh: How I Got Started in the Industry

Hey there! I'm Luke Haigh, a freelance film editor who's worked in both the commercial and feature film worlds for the last 20 years. I first fell in love with editing around the age of 15 or 16. It was a Media Studies class in high school…
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TVNZ’s Woes, Our Pain

TVNZ has to find another $30 million in savings. Advertising revenue fleeing to offshore companies operating digital platforms is just one of the broadcaster’s major issues. While audience viewing habits are stabilising on platforms…
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Director Justin Scott: How I Got Started in the Industry

I remember being asked in university what I wanted my career to be. Many of my peers were saying Director, Producer or DOP- my answer was Production Assistant (I think I was a bit realistic about what opportunities were available to me leaving…
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Signs of Life?

As always, the New Zealand On Air 'Where Are The Audiences?' research provides interesting insights into our behaviour when it comes to content on screen. And stimulates interest in what else is affecting our sector. Broadcasters are possibly…
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A Timely Reminder About SIWA

We had our first Check-In Tuesdays this past Tuesday and a number of editors were in the Zoom room. One of the topics that came up was the mandatory clauses in the Screen Industry Workers Act. It seems that many producers are still in breach…
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Postcard from MIFF

I’m writing this in my hotel room. I arrived today at lunchtime and got thrown into the fray with the three NZ directors attending the MIFF Accelerator Lab, Awanui Simich-Pene, Vea Mafile’o and Te Waiarangi Ratana, and about 40 Australian…
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Where’s Feature Doco At?

It’s encouraging to see NZ feature documentary alive and well, with five docos screening at the New Zealand International Film Festival. You wouldn’t think so if you went to TVNZ+, though. Not a single NZ documentary feature sits in the…
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ANZSE Career Spotlights

Read about the illustrious careers of ANZSE-accredited editors.

A Kōrero With…

In this guest blog series, we speak to screen professionals to find out more about their job and what most people might not know, including those working in the industry. This blog offers an inside look into different parts of the industry and offers insights into how directors and editors can be successful in the collaborative process of their mahi.

How I Got Started in the Industry

In this guest blog series, our members reflect on how they made their way into assistant editing, editing, and directing—with no two stories the same. They offer advice for those starting out.