Good News!

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I had a holiday in November but it seems such an age ago, having arrived back to the turbulence of the New Zealand screen industry.

But as we close out 2022, some good news for a change.

Avatar: the Way of Water is worth seeing, and it will transport you away from everyday life to, as film critic Mark Kermode puts it somewhat derisively, the world of the wet smurfs. Fortunate to have seen it yesterday prior to its NZ premiere today, I’m much more complimentary of the film than Mr. Kermode.

If you are into fantasy, this one is definitely for you. There were a couple of moments where my suspension of disbelief was interrupted, but I was soon transported back into the world by the film’s driving pace. It’s visually astounding, and to know that much of it has been made here in New Zealand is a source of pride, for me at least. Considering an estimated 2400 kiwis worked on the film, the credits went by surprising quickly—Seeing them on an Imax screen made them so much easier to read. Overall, a rollicking good time where good wins out over evil with some teary moments. Just what was needed.

Out my way in West Auckland, the official opening of the two new sound stages at Auckland Film Studios is a cause for celebration. Thankfully the damage from fire to one of them was not devastating. They’ve added an additional 44,000 sq ft of space to Auckland’s studio infrastructure, and already have bookings for 2023.

Meanwhile down South, UK-based Target3D has announced it will construct a multimillion-dollar digital studio in a $45 million Queenstown research and innovation facility. This, on top of the proposed massive Silverlight Studios to be built near Wanaka and the University of Canterbury’s Digital Screen Campus including a virtual production studio, is going to transform the South Island’s studio offering.

On the local production side, we are still seeing funding flowing into projects from the latest NZ On Air, NZFC and TMP funding decisions.  A special nod to the Guild’s illustrious President Robyn Paterson and DEGANZ member, editor and now Robyn’s business partner, Jai Waite. The two have secured funding for their new production entity Sweet Productions for their documentary series Wheel Blacks: Bodies on the Line. Swish! Further good news about other members’ efforts later in the newsletter.

As I recently wrote in an email to someone recently, 2022 has been a demanding year for us all. We certainly need a break and Christmas and New Year will hopefully give you all time to rest, recover, and get inspired and creative for 2023.

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hau

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

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Director Chantelle Burgoyne: How I Got Started in the Industry

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Growing up in Auckland in the late 80s and 90s, the idea that filmmaking was in my future seemed like an impossible dream.

On my mother’s side I come from an Afakasi German-Samoan family that migrated to NZ in 1965 and my father’s side a working-class Pākehā and Māori family from Auckland’s South-Eastern suburbs that my dad was adopted into. Neither side were creatives; my mum was a Policewoman and my dad’s lifelong love of Rugby League had led him to the Kiwis in the 70s, so whenever the question ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’ was asked my answer was usually very practical – a lawyer or doctor.

But I always remember the love of film being there. My parents split up when I was a baby, so my sister and I only saw our dad on Sundays, but I vividly remember him taking us to the movies and getting lost in another world. It wasn’t until I was a teenager seeing Jane Campion making films on the world stage that I secretly wondered if I could do that, but it felt out of reach.

I put the dream aside, went to uni to study law and ended up meandering through various courses while taking film theory papers on the side. When I finished, the flicker of that teenage dream remained, so I enrolled in an 18-week Film Production course and haven’t looked back since.

The course gave me the opportunity to write and direct my first short film Sunday’s Child, a far from perfect film that confirmed filmmaking was what I wanted to do. I then got into the MA programme in Screen Production at the University of Auckland where I was fortunate to be taught and mentored by Vanessa Alexander and Dr. Shuchi Kothari. I made more short films and mistakes, learnt many lessons, and made my thesis film Tatau which got into festivals in NZ and overseas and won a couple of awards.

Director Chantelle on set of her short film Tatau / Photo: Supplied

After I finished, I found myself in a position of not knowing what to do next whilst figuring out how to make a living, so I worked as a freelance editor and interned at DEGANZ before getting a one-year contract at the NZFC looking after Fresh Shorts working with Lisa Chatfield. It was a role that gave me insight into the NZFC and connected me with many filmmakers in the industry. One connection, Andrew Cochrane who had produced a Fresh Short, offered me a production role on the Crouching Tiger sequel shooting in Auckland. That job led to many more working on Hollywood Film and TV productions here in NZ giving me a first-hand view of what goes into making those types of productions which is incredibly valuable for me as a filmmaker. One of the most important roles I’ve had was as the executive assistant to Barrie Osborne who I learnt so much from in terms of his wealth of experience as a Producer navigating Hollywood and as a person.

I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had working on these productions and the people I’ve met, but my filmmaking dream has never left me. I have continued to apply for funding and opportunities and have been lucky to get accepted into the DEGANZ Woman Filmmakers Incubator and Script to Screen’s Film Up programme and was mentored by Tusi Tamasese. I also received Fresh 30 funding for Sista which I directed and co-wrote with my sister Leilani under the mentorship of Dana Rotberg. Sista was a film that had many challenges, but one of the best and invaluable experiences I had was working with the wonderful Annie Collins as an editor.

Director Chantelle on the set of short film Sista / Photo: Supplied

Most recently, I directed part of the indigenous anthology We Are Still Here, a co-production between the NZFC and Screen Australia that opened the Sydney Film Festival and had its international premiere at TIFF. It was a film that faced many obstacles (not the least of which the global pandemic) but overall, it has been an incredible film to be a part of and I have really valued working with so many other indigenous filmmakers and creatives.

Director Chantelle on We Are Still Here set / Photo: Supplied

Looking back, my journey into and through the industry is one that has oftentimes felt circuitous with many ups and downs; but truthfully, I think the biggest obstacle I often face is myself and my own sense of confidence. Yet despite that I’ve kept forging ahead as there’s nowhere else I want to be.

So, I’m still holding on to that dream which no longer feels quite as out of reach.

About Chantelle Burgoyne

Chantelle is New Zealand-born filmmaker of mixed European and Samoan descent. She has directed award-winning short films Tatau and Sista. Chantelle was also one of the directors on feature anthology film We Are Still Here, which opened the Sydney Film Festival this year.

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.

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Where To Now?

I’ve been away on holiday for ten days, so have had the opportunity to push anything work-related out of my mind for a time.

Arriving back at my desk and engaging in work once more, however, I’m reminded of the considerable challenges facing the screen sector right now.

One of the more significant shifts going on is the coming together of TVNZ and RNZ as Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media, destined to come into being on 1 March 2023.

The reallocation of $42 million in contestable funding from NZ on Air to ANZPM has already occurred, which has meant that from July 1 2022 NZ On Air had a reduced pool of cash to fund content with.

To adjust to this significant change, NZ On Air is having to chart a new direction for the organisation. It has put out a strategic think piece, which you can read here.

The document is simple, straightforward and shows a clarity of thinking that’s encouraging. Essentially, in determining their strategic direction from here on in they are going to develop a model based around Laser Focused and Ideas Factory thinking, while longer term looking at Critical Mass to achieve greater effectiveness through partnerships. (Please follow the link for more detail on this.)

This bodes well I believe, while it is still upsetting that NZ On Air have had their funding reduced, with no planned increase in sight for them.

Another key element they identified to enable this possible new direction is a need for changes to the Broadcasting Act. The Act has governed NZ On Air’s direction since 1989, and just like the NZ Film Commission Act 1978, is past its use-by date.

The screen industry has changed globally and New Zealand is well behind the eight ball when it comes to keeping up. Rather than being proactive and outward looking we have been reactive and inward looking. Just look at what’s happening across the ditch.

Screen Australia’s 32nd annual Drama Report released last week reports that overall, $2.29 billion was spent across 162 drama screen productions that commenced production or post production in Australia in 2021/22 compared to $1.94 billion spent across 163 productions in 2020/21. The increase was driven by a record spend on Australian theatrical features ($786 million up from $495 million last year), as well as a record spend on Australian subscription TV and Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) – for which number of titles, hours and budgets have tripled from 2020/21.

Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV+ and local SVOD Stan are helping to drive this growth, with commissions flowing to local production companies, and not just for drama.

New Zealand? Not so.

Yes, Australia has got a larger market, a lot more bankable stars, and better writers. But still. We’re not helping ourselves.

Look at the mess that MCH and MBIE are proposing, for example, in their draft paper for the Screen Sector Investment Review. If that goes through we’ll be going backwards not forwards.

Back to NZ On Air. They’ve been a well-run and pretty effective organisation to now, most people would agree. Their thinking about their future direction is positive in a bad situation.

I’m hoping that the same king of sound thought exhibited by NZ On Air will guide the outcome of the legislation intended for ANZPM. But I’m not holding my breath. It’s a political football being rushed towards the election-year touchline.

It seems like New Zealand’s domestic production sector is under threat from multiple sides right now. And we don’t really have anybody to blame but ourselves.

I’m hoping that those shaping our destiny have a great Xmas break and come back refreshed, invigorated, and really take on board the feedback they are getting from us and everybody else.

We need pragmatic and positive changes that will grow our local talent and local IP, and increase local production, while keeping international productions coming here. Now that would be a late Xmas present worth waiting for.

 

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

 

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Editor Shailesh Prajapati: How I Got Started in the Industry

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Go With The Flow

My journey in the film, television, and performing arts industries was unplanned. However, my instincts have worked towards goals and dreams with a “Go with the flow” attitude.

One day, I visited a dance academy called Darpana Academy in Ahmedabad, India. I’ve been a natural dancer since childhood and wanted to learn the Indian classical dance Bharat Natyam. It was the evening of 28th October 1982. I still remember it as it was the day I entered into the world of theatre as an “actor” instead of a dancer. From then, up until about 1989, I was crazy busy with acting jobs for theatre, television, and films. Also during that time, I got an opportunity to graduate in performing arts from the National School of Drama (NSD), in Delhi. But due to family commitments I had to say goodbye to my acting career, at least for the time being.

I did get a Government Job in 1989 in Doordarshan Kendra, India (State TV broadcaster) as a production assistant for television programmes in the Gujarati language. It was a great time to learn to edit, direct, and produce because of the staff shortages to create TV programmes for local audiences. I was lucky enough to get intense filmmaking training at the Film Institute of Pune (FTII), India, which is equivalent to the South Seas Film School in Aotearoa. I quit that job in 1993. I was missing acting and theatre due to that job, so I resigned and started my own production company named “Bermuda Telefilms” to produce films, television programmes for local tv stations, and stage plays/dramas in the Gujarati language.

From 1993 to 2003, before I migrated to NZ, I produced, directed, edited and acted in several stage plays/dramas, TV programmes, and films in India. I left India in 2003 to make Aotearoa, New Zealand, our second home to give our daughter a better life. My wife and I left all our loving jobs/work to settle in NZ with the same attitude “Go with the Flow”.

Editor Shailesh on set / Photo: IMDB

2003 to 2008, for five years, I tried hard to get work in the film and television industry and tried very hard to convince many producers and production houses so I could become a part of the NZ film and television industry. However, everything was a struggle with no money, no recognition, language difficulties, the colour of my skin, and my thick accent. I did odd jobs without losing hope and confidence.

I was lucky enough to have a good old friend in Auckland from my home town to rescue me by showing me the right path to get into the industry, DR. Shuchi Kothari (Thanks heaps, Shuchi). She asked me to do a post-graduate diploma in screen production from the University of Auckland, and I did it in 2007-2008 to develop an awareness of the NZ film and television industry. After my PG diploma, my first job in NZ was with The Walt Disney Company (New Zealand) Ltd for fantasy drama series The Legend of the Seeker season 1 & 2, as an assistant editor, recommended by Vanessa Alexander and Zane Homes (Thank you both).

I have worked as an assistant editor and editor, plus an actor (with Auckland Actors) in the NZ film and television industry, Since 2008. I have held myself back from directing and producing in New Zealand because of my lack of confidence with my english and racial biases in the film and television industry.

My love for my own Gujarati language pushed me to go back to India (after the graduation of my daughter) in February 2018, where:

  1. I acted in a Gujarati feature film Hellaro, which won the 66th National Film Award for Best Feature Film in 2018.
  2. I directed a Gujrati feature film Saheb, which was released successfully in February 2019. It’s available to stream on Amazon Prime. Saheb was critically acclaimed in regional cinema.

I returned home in August 2021, after 18 months, as I felt that Aotearoa New Zealand was my first home. Being stuck in lockdown due to the pandemic meant I couldn’t return to India in December 2021 for another feature film project. I did begin working in post-production again whilst in lockdown.

Now again, back in India due to the sad demise of my father in the last week of June 2022. I’ll start working on my next project once everything gets back to normal in my life.

 

About Shailesh Prajapati

Shailesh is an editor, director, and actor originally from India and now residing in Aotearoa New Zealand. He has worked on tv shows, films, and short films including award-winning short film Perianayaki, which won Best Short Film at NZIFF.

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.

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It’s Finally Here—The Screen Industry Workers Act

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The Governor General recently gave the Royal Assent to the Screen Industry Workers Bill, making it an Act that will come into force on 30 December 2022.

I know I’ve said it before, but I am going to say it again:

“This is the single biggest thing to happen to the New Zealand screen industry.”

It will affect a large part of professional screen production from marketing content, commercials, web series and short films to television and film production.

Every new contract presented to screen workers by producers/production companies from 30 December 2022 on must have the mandatory requirements of the Act. You can learn what they are in the blog I wrote here. For a simple 101 explainer on the Screen Industry Workers Bill, click here.

The Screen Production and Development Association (SPADA) is doing its best to educate producers before the Act comes into force—they will be required by the Act to conform.

For you as a screen production worker likely to be engaged by a producer/production company, here is what you should expect.

  • To receive a written contract with sufficient time before the contract starts for you to consider, take advice on and negotiate the terms and conditions presented to you.

In other words, no more getting contracts the day before you start, the day you start, after you start, or not at all.

This includes on low-budget short films, low-budget web series or other qualifying low-budget screen productions.

Any new contract from 30 December 2022 on will need to include:

  • A term saying parties will comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act, and Human Rights Act
  • Bullying, discrimination, and harassment processes
  • Dispute resolution processes
  • Termination notice periods and payments

We will issue a notice about the mandatory clauses that you can expect to see in your contract—all the guilds DEGANZ (directors, editors, assistant editors), NZWG (writers), Equity NZ (actors), SMSG (Screen Music and Sound), SIGANZ (Techos), VEPGNZ (Visual Effects) and MDGA (Motion Designers and Animators) are working with  SPADA (producers/production companies) to agree on these mandatory clauses.

One of the key rules for all parties (the contractor [worker] and the contracting entity [Engager]) with the new Act is:

  • Duty of Good Faith

This sounds like a benign term but it has an important meaning that everyone will need to understand and apply, on both sides (worker and engager):

Duties of good faith for parties in workplace relationship

(1)  Parties in a workplace relationship must not, whether directly or indirectly, do anything—

(a)  to mislead or deceive each other; or

(b)  that is likely to mislead or deceive each other.

The idea that you had to get the express permission of the producer or production company before you showed your contract to an advisor (guild, lawyer, professional advisor) has always been an unacceptable clause put forward under the guise of confidentiality.

If you are a Full member of DEGANZ, you will be able to come to the Guild to have your new contracts checked to ensure that they conform.

For those with existing contracts under which they are working, the producer/production company has 12 months from 30 December 2022 before they will be required to incorporate the mandatory terms of the Act.

DEGANZ collective bargaining will take some time to start and conclude. We expect to enter bargaining around the middle of next year.

It’s vitally important that we start preparing for this now, so that when we move to collective bargaining we are truly representative of all directors, editors and assistant editors. Everyone should have an opportunity to participate in the democratic process required for collective bargaining over the minimum payments, and terms and conditions of their work.

To this end we want all directors, editors and assistant editors to be covered by the Act as a Full member of DEGANZ.

For those of you reading this, please actively encourage everyone you know who is not a member of a guild to become a Full member.

The power of numbers will be very important as we all move forward from here. And it’s our Full members that DEGANZ will represent in any discussions with engagers over contracts, once collective agreements are in place.

A note here: Ngā Aho Whakaari (NAW), Pacific Island Screen Artists (PISA), Pan-Asian Screen Collective (PASC)  and Women In Film and Television NZ (WIFT) are not guilds representing workers under the recognised occupational groups of the Act. Members of these associations should also join the guild that best represents their occupation as a worker.

 

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

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