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I’ve been writing View from the Top almost every two weeks now for the last ten years. With AI such a topical issue, I thought I would task AI to write the blog for me this week to see what it came up with. I gave it one prompt, and here’s what it delivered:

New Zealand Screen Industry: What’s Shifting

  1. Major boost to the Screen Production Rebate / Incentives

In Budget 2025 the NZ Government committed NZ$577 million over four years to bolster the International Screen Production Rebate (now part of the NZ Screen Production Rebate or NZSPR). Mirage News The Beehive The Big Idea

  2. International Engagement & Trade Missions

The NZ Film Commission (NZFC) has been active in supporting NZ filmmakers at international markets and festivals (Cannes, Toronto, India, UK, etc.). New Zealand Film Commission+2New Zealand Film Commission

In parallel, there’s a new International Placement Initiative aimed at emerging‐to‐mid‐career writers, directors, and producers to take internships or placements with overseas companies (Australia, UK, Ireland etc.). Scoop

  1. Domestic Hits with Strong Cultural & Box Office Impact

A recent example is Tinā (directed by Miki Magasiva), a Samoan‐led NZ‐story film, which has done very well locally: wide release, strong ticket numbers, and overtook Whale Rider to become one of NZ’s highest grossing domestic films. New Zealand Film Commission

Also Mārama, a gothic horror with Māori cultural and historic angles, premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, showing how even genre work drawing on indigenous narratives is getting international attention. Wikipedia

  1. Co-productions & Treaties

NZ has formal co-production treaties or arrangements with many countries (Australia, Canada, China, UK, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa etc.). New Zealand Film Commission+2The Beehive+2

Official co-productions allow projects to gain “national film” status in both countries, making them eligible for funding or incentives in both jurisdictions, helping with financing, distribution, risk, and pooling of creative & technical resources. New Zealand Film Commission+2New Zealand Film Commission+2

  1. Sustainability & Green Practices Increasingly Material

The organisation Greenlit launched in late 2023 and in its first year has been involved with over 50 productions (domestic and international) helping them embed sustainability practice: mandatory sustainability action plans, employing sustainability managers, measuring emissions, etc. Greenlit+2Greenlit+2

Screen Auckland also released a Screen Sector Emissions Study (“Kua takoto te mānuka”) aimed at helping NZ work toward halving carbon emissions by 2050 in the screen sector. aucklandeconomicdevelopment.com

  1. Challenges: Workforce, Capacity & Stability

Despite the incentives and international successes, there are concerns:

    • Many crew report inconsistent work and uncertainty: surveys suggest that production work has dropped in mid-2025 compared with 2024, with many “crew” not knowing what their work pipeline looks like. Screen NZ International
    • There is a skills / labour supply issue especially in certain crafts, editing, post production, VFX etc., particularly for large international work that expects very high standards. The perception of career pathways is unclear for many. aucklandeconomicdevelopment.com+1
    • Domestic content ‒ even with rebates ‒ still needs stronger creative control, ownership, and infrastructure if local directors and editors are to build sustainable careers rather than rely only on international or co‐production projects.
  2. Policy & Screen Sector Review

The government (MBIE & Manatū Taonga / MCH) has initiated a screen sector review, with goals including:

What This Means for Directors & Editors

Given the above, here are some implications and strategic takeaways.

  • Strong incentive to aim for mid‐to-higher budget projects: The rebate scheme favours “hefty spend” productions (feature films, big TV), and the additional uplift for those that meet specific criteria (sustainability, local economic impact) means that projects that scale up tend to reap greater benefit. Directors who can package projects at that scale (financially, creatively) will find more opportunity.
  • Editing & Post Production Boom Potential: With more international productions choosing NZ (e.g. Avatar sequels etc.), there is growing demand for domestic post‐production, visual effects, sound, color grading etc. Editors who maintain high technical standards, familiarity with international workflows (e.g. remote collaboration, VFX pipelines, etc.) will be in demand.
  • Co-production is a lever: Projects structured as official co-productions can unlock more funding, access new markets, hire specialists, etc. Directors and editors can benefit from these through broader teams, varied crew, and cross‐border collaborations. Knowing the treaties (which ones NZ is signed with and what their criteria are) is valuable. New Zealand Film Commission+1
  • Sustainability is no longer optional: The rebate rules increasingly require sustainability plans / metrics if you want the uplift. Editors and directors need to be able to plan for greener production and post-work (e.g. power usage, travel, etc.). Understanding what a Sustainability Action Plan looks like, measuring emissions, etc., will increasingly be part of the workflow. Greenlit
  • Domestic storytelling is being rewarded: Films like Tinā show that local stories, especially from underrepresented communities, can succeed both critically and commercially. For editors and directors, authenticity, community connection, and strong local voice have value — and may help with funding, distribution, audience draw.
  • Need for clarity in career pathways: For editors in particular, the uncertainty of work and the competition from larger international projects can create unpredictability. There’s opportunity in becoming specialised (genre, VFX editing, color, remote collaboration) and staying current with tech and standards. Also, networking via NZFC trade missions, placement initiatives etc. helps. Scoop

International Comparisons & Risks to Watch

  • Other countries (Canada, UK, Australia, parts of Europe) continue to compete aggressively with generous incentives, often tied to tax credits, foreign spend, content quotas etc. NZ has been boosting its game but must keep the rebate scheme competitive. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • Trade and policy shifts matter: e.g. proposals in the U.S. for high tariffs on foreign films could ripple out to affect demand and how international productions allocate budgets. NZ is already taking that into account in policy. Reuters
  • Global supply chain and labour issues remain: cost pressures, inflation, exchange rates, travel restrictions, location access can all have impact. Editors and directors might need to plan for contingencies.

Strategic Tips for Directors/Editiors

Here are some suggestions (based on the context) to take advantage of current dynamics:

  1. Build projects knowing rebate / incentive criteria from the start.
    If you want the international rebate with uplift, or want your production interpreted as a co-production, structure your creative, budget, location, crew etc. to satisfy those requirements (e.g. sustainability, percentage of NZ content, etc.).
  2. Plan for post-production excellence domestically.
    If editors can be involved early in planning (workflow, VFX, color, remote collaboration tools), you’ll have more control over quality, schedule, budget. Also, consider scaling up editing VFX partnerships since NZ’s reputation is strengthening in these areas.
  3. Engage with co-production partners.
    Identify treaty countries that align creatively. Co-productions may also allow you to use crew, facilities, subsidies abroad. This may allow flexibility in where some parts of editing or post workflows happen, or bring in additional talent.
  4. Invest in sustainability literacy.
    Learn what a sustainability action plan includes; keep track of emissions; consider production decisions (travel, local vs overseas VFX, power usage etc.). Being ahead of this curve may help your project get the rebound uplift & also prepare you for wider international standards.
  5. Network internationally, use placement & trade mission opportunities.
    NZFC’s new placement initiative, trade missions etc. are chances to build global contacts. For editors, working occasionally with international teams or on co-productions (even remote) can widen your experience and reputation.
  6. Stay alert to domestic content demand.
    While big international work is good, there is increasing appetite (from funders and audiences) for stories rooted in NZ culture, indigenous perspectives, underrepresented voices. Finding ways to tell local stories with strong editing, directing could lead to both funding & audience success.

 

ChatGPT for Tui Ruwhiu, Executive Director

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John Barnett CNZM, ONZM 1945 – 2025

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Producer John Barnett was at the heart of the NZ film and TV industry pretty much from its formative years through to today. He’s made multiple films, documentaries and TV series, employing thousands of above and below the line people along the way.

Starting out as Endeavour Productions, through South Pacific Pictures and full circle back to Endeavour, he’s produced projects with directors and editors including John Laing, Michael Horton, John Reid, Roger Donaldson, Murray Ball, Niki Caro, David Coulson, Chris Graham, Paul Maxwell, Roseanne Liang, Eric de Beus, Allanah Bazzard and many other highly reputed NZ screen pracitioners—a veritable who’s who of New Zealand screen.

Barney was as good a businessman as he was a producer. He joined the mad rush to exploit the tax loophole that witnessed the biggest output of New Zealand films we’ve ever seen in the period from the late 70s to 1984, when the government shut it down. Nearly every Kiwi producer and director at the time was in on this heyday of NZ films, which saw the setup of the NZ Film Commission and the establishment of the industry we have today. Later, he went on to make South Pacific Pictures the dominant New Zealand production company for decades, picking up a stake in Kura Productions, Satellite Media and rescuing hip-hop label Dawn Raid along the way. He eventually sold his remaining shareholding of SSP to the UK’s All3Media, which had acquired a majority of it previously.

Barney was always a force to be reckoned with. He was highly opinionated about what he thought was good and bad about the New Zealand screen industry. He went a long way in pursuit of his vision for the industry—sometimes too far—but he approached it with a passion for film and TV that was undeniable.

Across his successful career, he earned the friendship and respect of many, and the enmity of a few. I’ve encountered him many times over the years, but I wouldn’t say I knew him well. He was, though, always cordial to me whenever we ran into each other.

He seemed as active as he ever was before he passed, chairing the Vista Foundation, producing his latest TV series Dark City, lobbying government ministers to see things his way about NZ screen, actively developing projects, and I’m sure a multitude of other screen matters I have no knowledge of. Social media posts by screen industry people over the last couple of weeks highlighted the many good turns he did for them.

At his funeral service, I became aware of some of his other pursuits and the esteem in which he was held by those from different communities he belonged to. His wife made a remarkable speech that so eloquently spoke of the man she knew and loved.

John Barnett was certainly indefatigable. And he’s left an indelible mark on New Zealand’s screen industry.

Moe mai rā, John.

 

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

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Editor Jesse Dixon: How I Got Started in the Industry

I didn’t always want to be an editor. I loved film and the moving image, but I was put off by the big crews and the “art by committee” feel of it all. Like many artsy teens, I thought I was a revolutionary artist with something profound to say, so I did a fine art degree.

Three years later, I graduated broke, back at my parents’ house in a small town in rural England, with no idea what to do next. The art world looked like a terrible way to make a living. I’d made short films during my degree and realised I enjoyed editing, mostly because it let me muck about on computers for hours, but also because it was a way to combine everything I liked: music, images and storytelling.

As luck would have it, someone in my small town ran a tiny corporate video company out of a barn. They needed an editor and, as probably the only person in the area who knew how to use Final Cut, I got the job. It taught me a lot, not just about how to cut, but about how to take a note. After a year editing corporate videos, I thought I was ready for the big league and set off to conquer London. Six months later, the only thing conquered was my overdraft. I had to accept that if I wanted in, I’d have to start at the bottom.

So I became a runner in Soho post houses, palaces of post filled with offline suites, audio rooms, VFX teams and finishing bays that looked like spaceships. I was serving teas, fetching lunches and sprinting DigiBeta tapes across London, but it was exciting to be involved. I worked my way up from tea boy to tape op in the machine room, where I learned the technical side of the craft: all the cables, codecs and late-night error messages. Outside work, I grabbed whatever scraps I could: no-budget music videos and unpaid short films, eventually stitching them into a reel good enough to land me my first real editing job.

It was cutting news for an experimental network called Current TV. Owned by Al Gore, it aimed to give young people a platform through short documentaries mixed with an early social media-style website. It was at the dawn of the social network: Myspace was king, Facebook and Instagram were just arriving, and everyone was wondering how the internet and TV could mix.

My job was turning whatever was trending online into TV news. Every hour, a new story had to be cut and exported straight to the server. It felt less like editing and more like playing Tetris at speed, with the added thrill of knowing that if I dropped the wrong block, it would air live. It was chaotic but groundbreaking; we were one of the first to put tweets onscreen in news packages. Inventiveness, creativity and taking risks were championed. 

Eventually, the channel realised it needed longer programmes to be able to get ratings, so I joined a tiny internal team making longer documentaries. It was like a filmmaking youth club: we pitched ideas, got a few greenlit each quarter, and got on and made them. We were terrible at scheduling and would never set ourselves realistic targets in the edit, so finishing often meant working until 2 a.m. for weeks on end. But it was fun and made me fall in love with long-form documentary.

Some of the long-form documentaries Jesse has gone on to work on.

I stayed at Current for five years, until it shut down, and I bounced around various projects in a similar space. Vice and BBC3 all tried to capture that young online audience on television with varying degrees of success. It had been a great place to start out. I had cut hours upon hours of television, learned how to make something from nothing, and how to make something cheap look expensive.

Since then, I’ve moved into bigger, more grown-up documentaries, but I’ve tried to keep some of the playful irreverence from those early youth films in my editing. Over the years, I’ve realised editing is about half technical skill, half managing relationships. You need to know how to cut, of course, but you also need to work with directors, execs and producers while keeping your sense of humour intact. Nobody wants to work with a grumpy ideologue, no matter how talented. If you want a career in editing, be the person people actually want to spend months locked in a tiny room with. Taking notes on the chin, even the bad ones, and trying to answer them with a smile and creative energy is what gets you asked back.

 

About Jesse Dixon

Jesse Dixon is a documentary editor with many years of experience crafting bold, cinematic, and character-driven stories. He began his career making innovative documentaries for a youth audience across Al Gore’s pioneering TV network Current TV, online platform VICE and youth channel BBC Three. Since then, he’s worked with some of the UK’s top production companies, editing a wide range of projects including archive-based documentaries, big-budget adventure series, observational documentaries, specialist factual and current affairs. Jesse’s films have featured on most of the UK’s broadcasters, including the BBC, Channel 4, and ITV, as well as major international streamers including Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+.

 

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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The Pursuit of Passion

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Last night I participated in the first of three sessions of the NZFC-supported Animation Matchmaking Series, put together by ourselves, the Visual Effects Guild and the Writers Guild.

One hundred and ten people turned out for the evening. Part of the event was for NZFC to talk about the He Kauahi Catalyst Fund and how it can be accessed for animation projects. Filmmakers also heard about how to put their best foot forward for both Catalyst and feature film development and production funding. The other part of the evening was dedicated to producers Fiona Copland and Angela Cudd speaking to their experiences of the animation projects they have worked on and are working on. The questions to all speakers were numerous. And humorous were some of the asides going on in the Chat.

What was reemphasised for me at the event was the absolute passion and thirst filmmakers have to make films. This is both a boon and a bane of our industry.

Without that absolute commitment, films don’t get made. It’s just so hard to do. And we see different expressions of it. From 48hours, which is about to start soon, to short filmmaking, microbudget features and beyond.

The film industry here and globally can’t survive without new generations of filmmakers willing to give their all to get their films made. And very few of them will be lucky enough to go on to have a career in filmmaking. 

What filmmakers sacrifice can be worth it. But they often give up a lot.

Getting paid a fee for one. Or letting go of the IP they laboured over for weeks, months, years, and not getting properly financially rewarded for it. Then there’s their health: the stress. The emotional, psychological and or physical toll. The list goes on. It all mounts up.

Nearly all of us—me included—enter into this maelstrom of highs and lows in the hope that we will be one of the ones that crosses the finish line of this creative marathon. But none of us escape unscathed. That’s why safeguards are important.

ScreenSafe is one of them, from education and making it safer on set to providing support when it’s needed. There are now intimacy coordinators and mental health first aiders running courses and providing input, and assistance when screen workers need help with issues.

On a bigger picture scale, the Screen Industry Workers Act (SIWA) is a safeguard, too. It’s there to set baselines for terms, conditions and rates of pay to help prevent exploitation and make our industry work in a more professional manner, as do most other countries with well-developed screen sectors. This is why having collective agreements in place is so important for both above and below-the-line workers.

Passion can then rule in a safer screen environment for everyone.

 

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

 

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A Kōrero with Colourist Damian McDonnell

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DEGANZ’s Izzi Hoskyn sat down with award-winning Colourist Damian McDonnell to take a peek behind the curtain of the craft of colour grading.

Damian has over twenty years’ experience as a colourist and editor in both Hollywood and Aotearoa. He began his career as an assistant colourist on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King. From there, he worked as a colourist at Laser Pacific and Technicolour Hollywood in LA for six years, working on blockbusters such as Life of Pi, TRON Legacy, and multiple Avengers films. When he returned to Aotearoa, he worked at Park Road Post for eight years, having a hand in various projects and taking on the role of on-set colourist and supervising colourist for Mortal Engines. His recent work includes Ti West’s X and Pearl and Taika Waititi’s Our Flag Means Death and Time Bandits. In 2024, Damian won the prestigious Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) award for ‘Outstanding Colour Grading – Live Action Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature’ for his work on Time Bandits.

In this first iteration of our new blog series, A Kōrero With…, Izzi and Damian discuss a colourist’s role and how the colour grade is the final piece of the puzzle on a project, taking it to the next level.

Izzi: In fairly simple terms, what does a colourist do? 

Damian: A colourist’s intent, at its most simple, is to put the filmmaker’s vision on screen. So whatever the director’s or cinematographer’s intent is, I help them achieve that look.

Izzi: Who else in the production do you work closely with?

Damian: When working with clients, the most important relationship is with whoever makes the creative calls in the room. Sometimes there are a lot of people in the suite, sometimes there’s just a director or a cinematographer. Whoever it is, that relationship is paramount. When a client gets to know you and how you work, then it becomes a fun environment and one where they can just trust you to work.

Izzi: And on the more technical side, you’re working closely with an online editor?

Damian: Yeah, the technical relationship with an online editor is also very important. Their main function is to translate the timeline into the grading system. There’s crossover with what they and a colourist do, so it’s important to work out what areas you each cover. That can be things like stabilisation or basic effects like paint-outs.

The online editor that I work with at the moment is a guy called Antonis who lives in Greece. He onlines for me overnight, and then I wake up in the morning, have a chat with him, and get underway. He’s a creative editor, but he’s also technically very, very good. And so we’ve got a great working relationship; it’s very efficient. And we use the time difference to our advantage.

Some of the productions Damian has colour graded.

Izzi: What’s your creative process in the role, and what do you bring to each project? 

Damian: Every film is different when you grade it. I don’t like to say I’m a certain type of colourist, because I’m responding to the demands of the client. I believe you can grade creatively for any genre or any type of film. I’ve worked on everything from tiny budget films to some of the biggest blockbusters in the world. But I approach them all roughly the same.

Firstly, you watch the film, do a continuity pass, and spot any issues. Then you do a creative pass. And then I do what I call a windows pass or a secondary pass where you start isolating various parts of the image. But at that stage, you’re improving the film bit by bit. I like to work on the whole film rather than get bogged down in tiny details at the start and leave that towards the end.

Left: Damian at work / Right: Damian’s suite while working on Kirsty Cameron’s ‘The Garden Room’

Izzi: Do you feel that you can bring your expertise in colour into the conversation from the get-go or do you leave it up to the director or DOP to first bring their thoughts forward?

Damian: It depends on the relationship with the clients. But I always think that people are hiring me for my artistic ability, not just my technical ability.

I like to put my point of view forward, but ultimately, I always understand that these aren’t my images. These are the director’s or cinematographer’s images and I’m there to help them achieve their look. But it’s best when it’s collaborative. 

And I like to make it an enjoyable experience. You’re at the end of a very long road when you get to the colour grading suite, and it’s the last stage before your film is distributed for everyone to see. I like to try and take that stress away from the final delivery and so people can finally see their film in its completion.

Izzi: It’s like the last piece of the puzzle. You can finally step back and see it all as one cohesive work.

Damian: I’m gonna steal that. It’s a really great stage of the process; it’s really fun.

Izzi: What has been a career high for you?

Damian: There have been a few!

My very first film was The Two Towers, and that’s how I learnt to colour grade. Digital intermediate (DI) was a new process, so there was no manual for the software and initially no one to teach me. I literally sat down, pushed buttons, and wrote down what it did. It was such an exciting time being part of something that you knew was going to be an important film.

More recently, I worked with Ti West on X and Pearl, which were shot in Wanganui. They were shot on the same camera three weeks apart, same main actress, same location, but they looked wildly different. Which mostly comes down to the grade. Ti wanted X to look like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Pearl was meant to emulate the Technicolour 3-strip look, and our reference was The Wizard of Oz. So our starting point was similar, but the end products were very different. I’m very proud of those two films. And I think it’s a good example of what you can do as a colourist. You can really bring a strong creative look to a film.

Side-by-side comparison of the colour grade of ‘X’ (left) and ‘Pearl’ (right).

Last year, I won an HPA award for colour grading the TV series Time Bandits. There aren’t many colour grading awards around. It’s an overlooked profession, so it was really nice to be there. I was sitting next to Dave Cole, who taught me to colour grade, and he won for his film. So that was a particular highlight, both of us being in LA and both winning awards.

Izzi: Congrats! That’s a massive achievement.

Damian: It was neat working on Time Bandits. Every time the characters went through a portal, it had to look quite different from the previous world that they’d been in. And so creatively, I was always being pushed to create more and more looks. As a colourist, it was kind of a dream job in that way. It was difficult because we were working on ten episodes at the same time, but it was an exceptionally fun show to work on.

Damian accepting his HPA Award for Outstanding Colour Grading for ‘Time Bandits’

Izzi: What’s something you wish collaborators knew when working with a colourist? 

Damian: One of the most important things a collaborator should know is the importance of being decisive. Colourists can develop and put forward looks, but if you change your mind a lot, you waste a lot of time redoing work.

By that, I mean, you never really finish a film, you just run out of time. So using your time wisely, even though that sounds boring, is really important. I always work out a schedule of targets for my passes so I know how long to spend on each one. Being able to make decisions upfront helps a lot.

The other thing is allowing me time to do something. It’s not a magic button. So, knowing that if I say it’s going to take a certain amount of time to do something, it’s going to take that amount of time.

Izzi: In terms of being decisive from the beginning, what can directors do to prepare for that?

Damian: It helps when people come along with a preconceived idea of what they want. I will often ask people to bring in their lookbooks if they want and try to use their ideas as a starting point. But being open to other ideas is great and fun. And they might be surprised by what I can do and what I bring to it.

Izzi: There’s that artistic touch to it. The colour grade is one of the parts of the film where it can elevate your film and take it to the next level. 

Damian: I think that you touched on something important.

It probably took me like three or four years before I felt comfortable being a colourist. It’s not just a technical skill; it’s a creative skill. And that’s what draws me to it. It’s sort of a merging of the two, but it is a discipline that you really have to learn, and it takes practice. There’s a lot more to it than just knowing how to use the software.

A good colourist can really add an amazing amount of value to a project, especially on low-budget films. It can take it from looking like a sitcom to looking like a piece of cinema.

Izzi: Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge of colour grading. It was super insightful and can hopefully prompt our members to seek out a strong colour grade in their own projects.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

 

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