The Indigenous Voice

View from the Top banner

I was fortunate to attend the Māoriland Film Festival on its 10th anniversary yesterday.

There were around 200 of us there for the powhiri, including indigenous filmmakers from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, a solid turnout of staff from NZFC, reps from the immagiNATIVE Film Festival in Toronto, and someone from Diversity & Inclusion from the European Film Market at the Berlin International Film Festival. We all got a chance, both formally and informally, to share about ourselves, our organisations, and our thoughts about film.

Film festivals, first and foremost, though, are always a celebration of film. The excitement of the film makers to have their films on screen at a recognised film fest—and Māoriland certainly is one in the indigenous film world—was palpable.

Māoriland had humble beginnings, but in its ten years, it has grown to become a significant event on the New Zealand film calendar. There’s a special wairua that permeates the fest, which sets it apart from any other film fests I’ve been to, including those of Berlin and Cannes, and even immagiNATIVE in Toronto. It’s very inclusive, there are a lot of youth involved, and it lacks the hard business edge so common at others, which in this case is a good thing. And, of course, it’s driven by Te Ao Māori, Te Reo, and Tikanga, which makes it so very special to us.

I was fortunate to run into two filmmakers from Hawaii who I had met previously when I was asked to speak at the University of Hawaii by a film lecturer there about a short I had produced that had gotten into the Hawaii International Film Festival. They have come a long way with their work, and it was good to both reminisce and learn what the other had been up to in the ensuing years—networking and connections are another big plus to come out of such events.

But it’s the films everyone is ultimately there for, and the opening night film and its filmmaker, Etienne Aurelius, reminded us all of the power of the indigenous filmmaking voice.

Aurelius’ film Ka Pō is a raw film that overcomes its limitations by exhibiting elements that make the indigenous perspective unique, with spectacularly cinematic locations, framing, and metaphor. Aurelius said that he shot it with a crew of five, with the majority of cast non-actors, and with the production spread out across a long production period interrupted by the COVID pandemic. Māori producer Chelsea Winstanley helped him craft it into the distinctive debut feature that it is.

Here in New Zealand, we know that films with Māori stories, content, and characters set us apart and help to make these films often critically and commercially successful, as exhibited most recently by Paula Whetu Jones and James Napier Robertson’s Whina and Tearepa Kahi’s Muru. Australia has just as much success with their first nations films, the likes of Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country and Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson.

The success of New Zealand and Australian indigenous filmmakers provide a shining light to those from other countries around the globe, which Aurelius paid tribute to in the Q & A following the showing of his film. But indigenous filmmakers from elsewhere are now making their own marks with their own films, and this is fantastic to see. I look forward in the future to seeing a film from Aurelius that has a decent budget, as I’m confident this Hawaiian filmmaker from Kauai is someone we’ll be hearing a lot more from.

 

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

/by

What An Annus Of A Time It’s Been So Far

View from the Top banner

If Queen Elisabeth were still alive, she’d be telling us what an annus of a time it’s been so far for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Our thoughts at DEGANZ go out to those of our members and all others impacted by the weather events we have experienced in recent times. For many, it’s been devastating. There have, though, been some rays of sunshine for the screen sector in what’s been a truly miserable summer to date.

While the Guild supported the idea of bringing RNZ and TVNZ together in a merged entity, we expressed our serious concerns about the manner in which it was being done, with little real detail provided as to what exactly was going to happen and what it meant for us all in the screen industry. It was with some relief, therefore, on my part at least, that Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media was canned. However, while the Prime Minster did say that:

  • RNZ will receive additional funding to strengthen its public media role,
  • New Zealand on Air will also receive more funding to support public media content,
  • funding will be available to a wider range of broadcasters, and that
  • remaining funding will be redirected to other Government priorities,

it’s still decidedly unclear as to what ‘public media content’ actually is. Is it News and Current Affairs? Documentary? Scripted Comedy? Drama? Reality? Other? Our screen industry is still operating in a vacuum at this point.

NZ On Air’s recently released commentary in its Shorts Newsletter doesn’t engender much positivity either: “We remain very energised by the strategic shift we had articulated in the Transitional strategy and feel this is still a valid direction, albeit with more funding than was going to be available.” For those of you who haven’t read their Transitional Strategy, you can find it here.

On a more positive note, we now have the Screen Industry Workers Act (SIWA) in place, although you wouldn’t think so based on the contracts I’ve seen so far this year from producers—elements required by law have been missing. You can learn what needs to be in contracts now and a great deal more in the comprehensive resource on our website about SIWA—thanks to the Screen Industry Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand, who provided us with much of the information. You can access it here. You will be hearing from us frequently from here on in about SIWA as we move forward with education, training and preparations for collective bargaining.

And then, of course, there was Te Matatini. What a fabulous event it was, although TVNZ’s coverage could have been better. That teams from cyclone-hit regions were there to compete was a testament to the desire of many to lift the spirits of Māoridom and the whole country after such a trying time. The call for greater financial support from the Government for this exceedingly popular showcase of artistic talent is fully justified.

 

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

/by

Editor Jai Waite: How I Got Started in the Industry

,

Editing – Cutting a Path

I’ve been an editor for 17 years – and the majority of that is in the documentary space. For those that don’t know me, I am also a wheelchair user – the result of an accident 22 years ago. That hasn’t burdened my career at all. In fact, as a wheelchair user, you have to become a problem solver and think outside the box – a handy skill when you’re trying to connect a scene or thought in a timeline.

Tuning Your Skills

My career began after the 2004 Athens Paralympics. I competed in Wheelchair Rugby, and after returning home with the shiny medal, I received a letter that allowed me financial help to study anything I wanted. I opted to complete a post-grad in film and television. Upon completing my course, I was lucky enough to step into an edit assist role at Attitude Pictures. Initially, my role was ingesting analogue tapes and shot listing. After about 6 months, I had started rough cutting some of the short stories that used to make up the magazine style programming – each roughly 5-6 minutes. The short length meant you had to get creative in transitioning from scenes and joining movement. Here I got to start online editing too. This really fine tunes your eye to any irregularities in shot.

Editor Jai (centre) at the 2004 Athen Paralympics / Photo: Supplied

After 3-4 years of cutting presenter led storytelling – the progression to longer form editing began. Here is where you start to think about story flow and what I like to call ‘riding the waves’ – taking the audience on a ride of emotions. This skill set isn’t something easily developed, and it takes time to know your craft and how to get the best out of the audio and vision. When doing jobs like this, it’s important to talk to your director or producer early on that you need time to work through the scenes. It gets quicker over time, but you need time to try things initially. There’s nothing wrong with kicking people out of the booth to try things on your own.

I feel you really start to trust your instincts by year 10. Again this comes back to how much leeway you’ve been given to tune your skills. It’s equally important to have snowballed all the skills from edit-assist to onlining to editing, so you understand the process and how best to do your job – and not make others’ difficult. You’ll get more work if you’re not costing producers extra $$$ after you’re finished.

Editor Jai at his editing desk / Photo: Supplied

In terms of software – I use it all. There’s no point limiting your potential work by being solely Avid or Premiere. Heck, I even edit in Davinci if I have to (great freeware, BTW).

My best advice is to be open to change and challenge yourself to do it differently.

About Jai Waite

Jai is an award-winning editor with an extensive background in documentary and factual projects, with a particular strength in storytelling. His accolades include two Apollo Awards for Best Editing in a Documentary/Factual film (2014 and 2016) and two Asian Academy Creative Awards for Best Editing (Australia/New Zealand 2018 and 2019). He currently works as a freelance editor and has a production company, Sweet Productions, with fellow member and long-term collaborator, Robyn Paterson.

How I Got Started in the Industry is a guest blog series from the Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand (DEGANZ). 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. Get in touch with admin@deganz.co.nz if you’re a member and would like to share your story.

/by

2023 – What A Year! (And it’s only Feb.)

View from the Top banner

Our thoughts go out to everyone adversely affected by the recent weather. We have emailed all members with information that we hope will prove helpful if you are suffering from damage to your home or rental property, or you need assistance. Please check your Inbox if you haven’t already seen this.

Meanwhile, we remain in a state of flux with so many other things in the screen industry.

Although the Select Committee has come back with a revised Bill following submissions on Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media, we still do not know as of today what is happening with the proposed coming together of TVNZ and RNZ. An announcement is expected soon. You can read our submission here, and the revised Bill here. Little seems to have changed at first glance. Better Public Media NZ is doing its utmost best to prevent the whole thing being canned by Chris Hipkins. Even amongst many of its supporters—and certainly amongst its detractors—however, there is a general feeling that the Government hasn’t got it right, and that the best choice for now would be to take it off the agenda. One can only hope that if that were the case, the money taken from NZ On Air would go back, rather than go somewhere else.

Over at the New Zealand Film Commission, we understand that interviews have been held for a new CEO, but there is zero fact/rumour/gossip about any new appointment. The former CEO David Strong went on ‘special’ leave in April of 2022, so it’s now 10 months that the org. has been without a permanent head. Much hope was pinned on new NZFC Chair Alastair Carruthers to sort the mess out. I’d suggest he doesn’t have a lot of time left to right the boat before some in the industry start baying for his blood as well. There is, though, a new appointment to the NZFC board in lawyer, Jane Meares, who we understand will replace long-time legal beagle John McCay from Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, whose board term is coming to an end. You can read about Jane here.

Submissions have gone in to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment/Ministry of Culture and Heritage on the Screen Sector Investment Review. Ours is here. Their proposals for changes prompted outright condemnation from most of the screen industry. Like the ANZPM plans, it’s now seen by many that staying with the status quo is a better outcome than anything that’s been put forward. There’s a sense of dread in some quarters about what MBIE/MCH come up with next. We should be finding out soon about this, too.

On a positive note, there is further movement on the Screen Industry Workers Act. MBIE announced today that registration is open for parties who wish to engage in collective bargaining. If you are interested in learning more go here. At the Guild we are now working on both education and feedback mechanisms on the Screen Industry Workers Act, so that you can understand and participate in shaping our approach to collective bargaining for directors, editors and assistant editors. More to come on this down the track.

In the meantime, we hope that from here on in, things improve for you all both personally and professionally. And remember, we are here to help members as much as we can, so do reach out if you need to.

 

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

/by

Gonna Be A Big Year

View from the Top banner

Welcome to 2023. It’s going to be a big one.

Why?

Because on 30 December 2022, the Screen Industry Workers Act (SIWA) came into force.

Under the Act, all new contracts from 31 December 2022 forward in the screen industry
must:

  • Be in writing
  • Have a term requiring compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and
    the Human Rights Act 1993.
  • Have plain language explanations of:
    • The process for making a complaint about bullying, discrimination, or harassment, and how the engager (production company/producer) will respond to the complaint. Individual contracts must also state that this complaint process will not prevent the worker from making a complaint about bullying, discrimination or harassment under any Act
    • the processes to resolve any dispute
  • in relation to termination of the individual contract, have:
    • a term stating whether parties need to give each other notice to terminate the contract, and if so, how much notice must be given
    • a term stating whether compensation is payable to a worker if the engager terminates the contract, and if so, what that compensation is.

Engagers (production company/producer) have 12 months before any existing contract is required to include the above.

AS A MEMBER, you can now bring to DEGANZ any new contract you receive for work to ensure that it complies with the new requirements, before you sign.

We will also offer ALL MEMBERS advice about the rates, and terms and conditions of their contracts prior to concluding any collective agreement.

And, we will represent ALL MEMBERS in any dispute over either an existing or new contract.

This year, DEGANZ will be seeking to negotiate collective agreements with the Screen Production and Development Association for directors, editors and assistant editors in feature film (documentary and narrative), TV drama, Factual and Entertainment, and Advertising and Marketing content (under five minutes)—all work covered under the Act.

In other words, we will be looking to set minimum rates of pay and terms and conditions for those roles across those genres of screen content.

And how will we know what to negotiate and whether or not you will be happy with the outcome?

That’s where you all come in.

And when I say all, I mean ALL OF YOU—every single, screen director, editor and assistant editor working in New Zealand as a contractor.

We need to know what you want and what you don’t want in regards to minimum rates and terms and conditions in your contract. And you need to help us to decide what to accept.

In other words, ALL OF YOU need to actively participate in the decision making that will be required to set the collective agreements because they are going to be locked in place for a minimum of three and a maximum of six years.

And the best way to do that is for every director, editor, and assistant editor in New Zealand to be a member of DEGANZ.

In this way, we can easily communicate with you, and you can easily communicate with us – throughout the whole process of preparing for negotiation, during negotiation, and after collective agreements are in place.

If you and your colleagues are not in our loop at DEGANZ, then you will be out of our loop, although we will do our best to promote widely everything we are doing. This is important to understand, especially when it comes to policing negotiated collective agreements.

You will not be alone anymore if you are a member of DEGANZ.

We will step in for you, and stand up for you—We are a membership organisation and union that will represent our members to the best of our ability.

Start to get a good understanding about the Screen Industry Workers Act (SIWA) by reading the info here from Employment New Zealand.

And stay tuned. There will be much more to come both online and with hui to inform you about SIWA and how you can get to have your say in the collective agreement process.

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

/by