NZ | Movie Industry [Archive] - Page 2

SYDNEY

November 16th, 2009, 09:30 PM

TVNZ announces 2010 programmes
4:00 AM Tuesday Nov 17, 2009

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It is seen as the more serious terrestrial television channel but TV One is about to be sexed up with a series about a well-endowed man. Hung is a drama charting the life of a cash-strapped high-school teacher who resorts to prostitution after his house burns down. It is one of a number of new shows in TVNZ's 2010 schedule. General manager of programming Jane Wilson said the comedy drama "pushes the boundaries" - something the broadcaster was hoping to achieve with TV One. "We want to be a little bit edgier and a little less safe."

Ms Wilson said next year's line-up would feature a range of new series, mini-series and also favourites including Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Border Patrol and Packed to the Rafters. The TV One line-up includes a number of American imports, some New Zealand drama and rehashed versions of overseas 'reality' programmes:

The Vampire Diaries: An American supernatural series based on books in which a young woman falls in love with a vampire after the death of her parents.

Cougar Town: An American sitcom starring former Friends star Courtney Cox, who plays a recently divorced mother entering a dating scene filled with younger men.

The Apprentice NZ: A version of the reality series, but with Wellington businessman Terry Serepisos, which will see 14 contestants competing for a six-figure-salary job - possibly as Serepisos' deputy.

MasterChef NZ: Another take on an international reality series that will have 12 contestants showing off their talents in the kitchen.

The Pacific: A World War II drama mini-series from the creative team behind the award-winning Band of Brothers.

Leigh Hart's Mysterious Planet: A mock documentary in which the comedian travels the world to uncover the world's greatest mysteries, including Stonehenge and the Bermuda Triangle.

This Is Not My Life: From the writers behind popular series Outrageous Fortune and Go Girls, the action mystery drama series has already been bought by United States producers. The series is about a man who wakes up with no recollection of who he is, but soon finds clues that everyone is lying to him.

FlashForward: An American science fiction series starring Joseph Fiennes. Based around a future where a mysterious event makes everyone in the world black out. As people gain consciousness, the world starts changing because people know their future.

I hope that we get the new "V" series soon, it is going to be awesome.

KiwiGuy

November 17th, 2009, 12:22 AM

My favrourite show at the moment is that 7 Days show in which current events are given that satirical view. It's on TV3 on Friday nights. You'll find if if you have Sky

cambennett

November 17th, 2009, 03:28 AM

^^Yeah 7 days is good.

Dazzle

November 17th, 2009, 06:57 AM

^^
Have you noticed how the girls quite often don't contribute much to the banter etc on 7 Days?
Know I'm generalising a bit...

Kane007

November 17th, 2009, 06:12 PM

Seen the first episode of the new "V", yes very good. Might watch the 2nd one today or tomorrow!

"Flash Forward" is a neat idea, the very first episode was mind blowing, yet to watch episode 8.

"Cougar Town", mine and all my girl friends favorite. A must watch. Waiting to for episode 8 this Friday.

"The Vampire Diaries", is getting better. A sort of televised version of Twilight. Got to find the time to watch episode 9.

city_thing

November 17th, 2009, 09:53 PM

^^ Flash Forward is quite good, I think we're only up to the 6th or 7th episode over here.

And The Pacific will be compulsory viewing for all, seeing as it was filmed in Melbourne :yes:

jafa

December 2nd, 2009, 01:25 PM

ANTM international destinations:

Cycle 1 - Paris
Cycle 2 - Milan
Cycle 3 - Tokyo
Cycle 4 - Cape Town
Cycle 5 - London
Cycle 6 - Bangkok
Cycle 7 - Barcelona
Cycle 8 - Sydney
Cycle 9 - Shanghai & Beijing
Cycle 10 - Rome
Cycle 11 - Amsterdam
Cycle 12 - Sao Paulo
Cycle 13 - Maui
Cycle 14 - Queenstown

Great work by Tourism NZ :)

Milan Luka

December 5th, 2009, 11:31 AM

Robot Chicken, Tom Goes to the Mayor and Fur TV.

Really shouldnt like them. So stupid but so good.

Mr_kiwi_fruit

January 4th, 2010, 12:20 AM

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An Auckland teenage model is destined for international fame after being recruited to appear on the next series of America's Next Top Model.

Stevie Kemp, 16, has recently been contracted to join Cycle 15 of the top-rating reality TV show, according to a family member.

It is not clear what her role will be on the show, but filming is not likely to begin until later this year - Cycle 14 recently finished filming in New Zealand.

Kemp is signed with 62 Models & Talent - the agency run by New Zealand's Next Top Model host Sara Tetro.

One website also states she is signed to Ford Models in New York, although her profile does not appear on the agency's website.

Neither Tetro nor Kemp's mother would comment.

Kemp's profile on 62 Models says the dark blonde up-and-coming model is just below 1.77m tall.

It describes her as a "hot new face" with a "bright future" after doing a spread in the local fashion and culture magazine, Black.

She is also the face for the latest Bill Bass sunglasses campaign.

America's Next Top Model host Tyra Banks has been in New Zealand with other members of the show to film the final episodes for Cycle 14.

Banks was seen dining around Auckland with the show's photographer Nigel Barker, and new judge Andre Leon Talley, editor-at-large for Vogue magazine.

While in the country, Banks also hosted the B.I.O Diversity Summit - standing for Beauty Inside & Out - at Northcote's The Wharf venue, attended by a number of local media representatives and celebrities.
By Rebecca Lewis

Mr_kiwi_fruit

January 4th, 2010, 12:27 AM

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James Cameron's science-fiction epic Avatar has had another stellar weekend shooting past US$1 billion (NZ$1.38 billion) worldwide, only the fifth movie ever to hit that mark.

No. 1 for the third-straight weekend, 20th Century Fox's "Avatar" raised its total in the United Sates to US$352.1 million after just 17 days. The film added US$133 million overseas to lift its international haul to $670 million, for a worldwide gross of $1.02 billion.

"Avatar" opened two weekends earlier with $77 million, a strong start but far below dozens of other blockbusters that debuted as high as $158 million. But business for other blockbusters usually tumbles in following weekends, while "Avatar" revenues barely dropped over the busy Christmas and New Year's weekends.

"It's like a runaway freight train. It just keeps doing business," said Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. "Here's what's happening: I think everybody has to see Avatar once. Even people who don't normally go to the movies, they've heard about it and are saying, 'I have to see it'. Then there's those people seeing it multiple times."

Avatar was Cameron's first film since 1997's Titanic, the biggest modern blockbuster with US$1.8 billion worldwide.

Cameron now is the only filmmaker to direct two movies that have topped US$1 billion. Along with Titanic, the others are The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at $1.13 billion, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest at $1.06 billion and The Dark Knight at a fraction over $1 billion, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

With Avatar closing in on No. 2 film The Return of the King, Cameron is in striking distance of having the two top-grossing movies globally.

Avatar has had a price advantage over those other billion-dollar movies. About 75 percent of its domestic business has come from theaters showing it in digital 3-D presentation, those tickets typically costing a few dollars more than admissions for the 2-D version.

Finishing at No. 2 for the weekend was Robert Downey Jr.'s crime caper Sherlock Holmes with US$38.4 million. The Warner Bros. film lifted itsUnited States total to US$140.7 million after 10 days in theaters.

In third place was 20th Century Fox's family tale Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel with US$36.6 million. It raised its 10-day total to $157.3 million.

The top-three movies, along with solid holdovers that included Universal's It's Complicated at No. 4 with $18.7 million, steered Hollywood to a big start to 2010 after a year of record revenue.

Hollywood finished 2009 with US$10.6 billion in the US, easily surpassing the previous record of $9.7 billion in 2007, according to Hollywood.com.

In Hollywood's glory years of the 1930s and '40s, before television eroded the movie audience, estimated movie attendance ran as high as 4 billion some years.

Like Titanic 12 years ago, Avatar has fairly clear sailing now that the holidays are over. Hollywood is entering a slow season, when fewer big movies arrive and competition is lighter.

Titanic lingered as the No. 1 film for months leading up to the Academy Awards, where it won 11 Oscars, including best picture and director.

Avatar also proved a critical favorite with strong Oscar potential. Cameron broke new ground in combining live-action, digitally-enhanced performances, visual effects and 3-D presentation to immerse viewers in his futuristic tale of humans and aliens on a distant moon.

"Leave it to James Cameron to do this. To not only set the technical world on fire, the visual world on fire, but also the box-office world on fire 12 years after Titanic," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

deepred

February 4th, 2010, 01:09 PM

Heard thru the grapevine...

World of Warcraft Insider - What we know about the Warcraft movie (http://www.wow.com/2010/01/19/what-we-know-about-the-warcraft-movie/)

Mr_kiwi_fruit

February 4th, 2010, 10:13 PM

New Zealand's nine Oscar nods

NZ HERALD
8:29 AM Wednesday Feb 3, 2010

Nine figures of the New Zealand film industry awoke this morning to find they were Oscar nominees. For many - like Peter Jackson who is nominated as the producer of best picture candidate District 9 - it was a familiar feeling. For all, it was due to their work on the sci-fi hits Avatar and District 9. The movies competing against each other in the best picture, editing and visual effects categories. For Avatar, the Weta Digital team of Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum Richard Baneham and Andrew R Jones are collectively nominated for best visual effects.

While Weta colleague Matt Aitken represents the internationally shared vfx work on District 9, a film initiated by Jackson and partner Fran Walsh after production on a planned film of hit videogame Halo fell apart due to Hollywood studio politics. Other New Zealanders to feature in Avatar's haul of Oscar nods include veteran sound recordist Tony Johnson and set decorator Kim Sinclair who feature in the team nominations for best sound mixing and best art direction respectively. It's Johnson's second nomination after his one for his work on 2005's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The prominence of District 9 - produced by Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham - in today's nominations was one of the surprises to today's announcement. The edgy, violent, low-budget South African-set alien movie's best picture nod is likely the result of the category's expansion this year to 10 nominations. If South African-born director Neill Blomkamp doesn't figure in the five-strong best director division, he and co-writer Terri Tatchell are up for best adapted screenplay (the film having reworked the idea from a previous Blomkamp short) among the film's four nods.

Avatar - partially shot in Wellington and largely constructed on Weta's mainframe - shares a total of nine nominations with The Hurt Locker, the Iraq war film directed by James Cameron's former wife Kathryn Bigelow, and possibly its greatest threat to winning best picture. Jackson's own The Lovely Bones only figures in one category - a best supporting actor nomination for Stanley Tucci, who played the film's serial killer. Likewise, The acclaim for New Zealand director Jane Campion's Bright Star hasn't translated into much Oscar attention, its one nomination is for best costume design for Australian Janet Patterson.

Milan Luka

October 18th, 2010, 12:07 AM

Still dont really know what was the issue with the Hobbit re unions. However it seems to be ok now, all sorted and back on board.

Looks like the production will go ahead in NZ afterall.

buildemhigh

October 20th, 2010, 09:48 PM

Still dont really know what was the issue with the Hobbit re unions. However it seems to be ok now, all sorted and back on board.

Looks like the production will go ahead in NZ afterall.

Spoke to soon.... bless the unions of NZ...

Milan Luka

October 21st, 2010, 09:16 AM

Spoke to soon.... bless the unions of NZ...

Haha!

I think I did man. I believe Robin Malcolm had to be 'escorted by police' from the Matterhorn restaurant last night in Wellington. Technical guys from the movie were aware she was eating there and descended on the place to make their feelings known!

Ive mixed feelings about this one. Definately actors deserve a good deal, residuals etc. However looks like they have really shot themselves in the foot with this one. Wellington isnt a big city, a half billion dollars passing through would make a massive difference to the cities economy. Not just actors- catering, hospitality, riggers, set builders, taxi drivers, make up etc etc etc. So many people stand to lose out.

And lets not even begin to think about the impact this may have on potential productions.

Snorky33

October 23rd, 2010, 03:57 AM

^^Yeah pity that someone didn't shoot that dumb bitch in the head, if NZ does end up losing The Hobbit my advice to you Malcolm is leave NZ quick because you'll be so dead BITCH!

seaphorm

October 23rd, 2010, 05:53 AM

^^Yeah pity that someone didn't shoot that dumb bitch in the head, if NZ does end up losing The Hobbit my advice to you Malcolm is leave NZ quick because you'll be so dead BITCH!

if you follow the story, and not the media hysteria, it becomes fairly obvious that the studio are milking this out to get a better deal. there is no longer any threat of strike action (and may have never been), any blacklisting in the states and australia has been removed.

warners are simply playing the new zealand government and people for better subsidies. yes it's a big deal for our country, but it shouldn't come at the expense of working conditions that our parents and grandparents and great grandparents battled to achieve.

in truth this isn't about marquee actors which most people assume... it's about the extras and bit part actors who are contracted short term and in some cases without any of the rights which most of us consider standard. they are essentially hired and fired without any access to any of the fundamental rights that employees have. while this may not be a problem most of the time, when disputes do come up... such as sexual harassment or prejudicial or improper dismissal, they have no access to recompense, and no ability raise to dispute. contrary to popular belief, they are not paid significantly... and because of the number of people who want into the industry, people simply have to put up or shut up.

the united states film industry is unionised, as is the australian, and most of western europe. warners are effectively stating, by threatening to move to eastern europe... that they don't care about the conditions of those people who work on their productions, they would rather have them made in exploitative environments.

it's no coincidence that recent court cases in our supreme court have found that film industry contractors are employees and thus entitled to basic rights like holiday pay, sick leave and maternity leave. (the 3 foot 6 contract case)

what disturbs me is that the government has even voiced the possibility that they might consider legislating over the supreme court ruling in order to not scare warner brothers away.

i worry when we have a government who would wipe away sick leave and holiday pay in order to attract foreign investment

Dazzle

October 23rd, 2010, 08:15 AM

KiwiGuy

October 23rd, 2010, 12:06 PM

Hit the nail on the head with that one, Davee.

Svartmetall

October 23rd, 2010, 12:44 PM

^^
Of course...its all the Guvmints fault. Especially if its a National led government.
Funny all this didn't pan out when labour were in whilst the 3 LOTRs movies were being made.
Same with the teachers - nine years to get militant when Labour was in but only take action when a rightish leaning government is in power.
Timing is everything :)

If you seriously believe that the teachers in particular are striking just because of the government being "right wing" then you're wrong. It is not just because of pay, but because of the other proposals from the government. Did you know they also want to slash 2 weeks of teachers holidays and force them to come into school during student holidays? This effectively means two weeks of extra work out of teachers without any increase in pay. Nice. Labour or National, that would have provoked outrage. What outraged me most of all is the fact that the CEO of the Ministry of Education gave herself a $20,000 pay rise giving her well over $500,000 a year. So they can afford to pay her more but forget paying the underlings more. Leading by example obviously doesn't apply.

But hey, beat that drum about it all being a "left wing union conspiracy" if you like. In this case I am afraid you are wrong.

Snorky33

October 23rd, 2010, 01:31 PM

if you follow the story, and not the media hysteria, it becomes fairly obvious that the studio are milking this out to get a better deal. there is no longer any threat of strike action (and may have never been), any blacklisting in the states and australia has been removed.

Hey thicko! didn't you hear what Sir Peter Jackson said the other night, just because that blacklist (threat) has been removed doesn't matter anymore the damage has already been done...

seaphorm

October 23rd, 2010, 07:32 PM

Hey thicko! didn't you hear what Sir Peter Jackson said the other night, just because that blacklist (threat) has been removed doesn't matter anymore the damage has already been done...

yes i did see that interview. i also followed the back story. have you read or watched any of the interviews with simon whipp?

rather than call me names, why don't you use the grey matter in your head and actually debate the points i made?... is that too much to ask?

the mere fact that the "blacklist" was supported by actors unions and guilds in most western nations is a red flag that something is wrong with the new zealand industry. if warners had to look at moving to another exploitative country it suggests they are actively looking for 'cheap labour', rather than a quality work environment.

you'll notice their threat was to move to eastern europe, rather than the united states or the uk or australia or canada which would all be logistically easier. they essentially want to do a nike and make their movie on the cheap. currently they see new zealand as the south asian sweatshop of the film world. they're worried that we're trying to bring our film industry up to the standard of other western nations.

^^
Of course...its all the Guvmints fault. Especially if its a National led government.
Funny all this didn't pan out when labour were in whilst the 3 LOTRs movies were being made.
Same with the teachers - nine years to get militant when Labour was in but only take action when a rightish leaning government is in power.
Timing is everything :)

i think you might find post recessionary periods tend to be a more likely indicator of industrial action... people don't like "belt tightening"... although there's always going to be a strong anti national feeling in the union movement.. the labour party was born out of the unions, and national have generally been anti union. it's pretty basic new zealand politics really.

in the case of the current warner brothers negotiations with the government, i think you'll find that our government are being used by warners for a better deal... labour were the ones who initiated tax breaks for big productions... now other countries have trumped those breaks and warners are essentially wanting more cash from the new zealand taxpayers (in the form of tax breaks for them). it no longer has anything to do with the actors or unions, that issue is simply a red herring.. which the new zealand public seem to have fallen for.

for national, there will come a point where they actually have to do dollar estimates of the reward of having a project like this in new zealand vs the cost to the taxpayers in a post recessionary fiscally tight period. national are less influenced by soft power and cultural diplomacy... so more likely to pull the plug if the costs look too high... it's a nice little trap labour have left for them.

just wait and see.. warners have all the assurances they need from unions world wide that there will be no industrial action... when they talk to the government, it will come down to tax breaks and perks

Dazzle

October 23rd, 2010, 10:28 PM

i think you might find post recessionary periods tend to be a more likely indicator of industrial action... people don't like "belt tightening"... although there's always going to be a strong anti national feeling in the union movement.. the labour party was born out of the unions, and national have generally been anti union. it's pretty basic new zealand politics really.

Yeah I know...first started taking an interest in NZ politics in 1972 :)
Its all just so predictable though and I wish people like Helen Kelly would not go into their pavlov dog responses.
As soon as they think they see a situation where its "big money/business versus the poor down trodden workers" all rationality goes out the window. And don't get me started on Robyn Malcolm!

At least now Kelly has apologised for calling Peter Jackson a "brat".
But damage done I think...

seaphorm

October 23rd, 2010, 10:52 PM

As soon as they think they see a situation where its "big money/business versus the poor down trodden workers" all rationality goes out the window. And don't get me started on Robyn Malcolm!

i agree, they all love their stereotypes.... but then our bathroom cleaner is always fresh and clean and tampon adverts always use that blue liquid.

when you're wanting to improve working conditions you're going to use all the downtrodden stereotypes to get the message across in the same way that employers are always going to label unionists commies and socialists. it's just part of the game.

i think national have themselves a paradox on their hands with regards to unions... they instinctively dislike unions because of the disruption they can cause to business and because of their alignment with labour. but on the other hand they have pledged to raise wages here towards parity with an australia which retains strong unions. the last 2 national governments have effectively destroyed the union movement in new zealand (through employment contracts etc)... for better or for worse... which has destroyed the most powerful force in the country with regards to keeping wages in line with or above inflation.

any attempt to get businesses to increase their wage bills significantly without fear of collective actions in a high unemployment environment is a waste of time... it's simply hoping that profit based industries will increase wages out of the kindness of their hearts - it will never happen. but that's a broader issue than this film and perhaps should be in another discussion..

KiwiRob

October 25th, 2010, 11:21 PM

the mere fact that the "blacklist" was supported by actors unions and guilds in most western nations is a red flag that something is wrong with the new zealand industry. if warners had to look at moving to another exploitative country it suggests they are actively looking for 'cheap labour', rather than a quality work environment.

My take on the problem is that the unions and guilds made the decision to blacklist without asking there members first. A complete fuck-up, now if I was a conspiracy theorist I'd think that the Aussies were trying to kill our industry because it was becoming more competitive than there's.

seaphorm

October 26th, 2010, 12:54 AM

My take on the problem is that the unions and guilds made the decision to blacklist without asking there members first. A complete fuck-up, now if I was a conspiracy theorist I'd think that the Aussies were trying to kill our industry because it was becoming more competitive than there's.

from what i can tell, it all happened very quickly. the new zealand chapter of the media entertainment arts alliance had even let their new zealand registration lapse... there was certainly some screw ups in there. we don't know a lot about discussions prior to this becoming a public spectacle except for the "he said/she said" accusations by both sides.

i doubt that there's any australian conspiracy though, as blacklists and anti film action involved them too which is counter productive. the reasoning behind their actions is fairly sound. non marquee actors in new zealand are paid atrociously and have very few of the rights we consider fundamental because of the contract system that is the industry standard...

there has been employment action surrounding jackson's projects in the past... the most significant being the supreme court ruling over contract employees in 2006... which probably had a far more significant impact on industrial relations in the new zealand film industry... (the fallout from this led the government to consider changing employment law so that contractors could still be hired and fired with no notice!)

imo the only reason why this was picked up was because it was an issue led by personalities (malcolm etc) - so it becomes tabloid juicy, and that the studio used it as an excuse to get more cash out of us. it's a red herring. if the media hadn't picked up on it, warners probably would have happily dealt with the unions has they have in other countries... but we handed them a cost cutting opportunity on a plate by putting it on the front page.

KLK

October 26th, 2010, 02:51 AM

If you seriously believe that the teachers in particular are striking just because of the government being "right wing" then you're wrong..

No, but you'd have to be naive to ignore the fact the teachers union was largely silent over 9yrs - despite their lot not improving much under the socialists - but that they got militant in a matter of months with a national government in charge.

And don't get me started on Robyn Malcmom - this is a woman who used the "pristine west coast" as a reason why NZ should absolutely ignore mining on conservation land. Clearly she isn't aware of the mining history on the west coast.....

Svartmetall

October 26th, 2010, 03:36 AM

No, but you'd have to be naive to ignore the fact the teachers union was largely silent over 9yrs - despite their lot not improving much under the socialists - but that they got militant in a matter of months with a national government in charge.

And don't get me started on Robyn Malcmom - this is a woman who used the "pristine west coast" as a reason why NZ should absolutely ignore mining on conservation land. Clearly she isn't aware of the mining history on the west coast.....

But then Labour didn't want to cut two weeks of holiday without a commensurate pay increase or push to increase class sizes without expansion of infrastructure or numbers of teachers in a school or play about with figures to make teachers a worse pay offer than existed before by offering a "one-off lump sum payment" instead of an actual pay increase.

Also, as I stated before, the unions threatened to strike in 2006, but called it off when demands were met by the government. Kindergarten teachers also went on strike in this year. Teachers also went on strike in 2002 when 14,000 secondary teachers walked off the job. This was during a Labour government. If the government comes to the table with decent offers, then the union listens. Left or right it doesn't matter so stop trying to turn this into an ideological debate as that simply isn't the case!

Also, why shift to a completely different topic too and bring up an actor involved in the Green Party? That has nothing to do with the issue at hand and is only a vitriolic attack on the "left" on your part to deflect from the key issue. Just because I might vote for the "left" it doesn't mean I agree with everything they say, do, or want to make policy. It just means that they, overall, are a closer match to my own personal views.

KLK

October 26th, 2010, 04:27 AM

Left or right it doesn't matter so stop trying to turn this into an ideological debate as that simply isn't the case!

The fact its a national government in power has no impact on the motivations of the union hierachy......Tui board anyone?

Also, why shift to a completely different topic too and bring up an actor involved in the Green Party? That has nothing to do with the issue at hand and is only a vitriolic attack on the "left" on your part to deflect from the key issue. Just because I might vote for the "left" it doesn't mean I agree with everything they say, do, or want to make policy. It just means that they, overall, are a closer match to my own personal views.

Robyn Malcolm is mentioned in 3 or 4 other postings on this page - I was referring to those. Relax.

Svartmetall

October 26th, 2010, 04:34 AM

The fact its a national government in power has no impact on the motivations of the union hierachy......Tui board anyone?

But I just showed that there were two major teacher industrial actions during Labour's tenure, something you said didn't happen when the "socialists" were in power. How can you still be claiming union action has something to do with what government is in power? How about all of the nurses strikes, the hospital technicians, the hospital support staff etc etc etc who went on strike during the 9 years Labour were in power?

Robyn Malcolm is mentioned in 3 or 4 other postings on this page - I was referring to those. Relax.

Sorry, thought you were still quoting to me.

seaphorm

October 26th, 2010, 05:03 AM

Dazzle

October 26th, 2010, 08:13 AM

None of us Kiwiscraper guys are what you would describe as "trolls"...
Now there are a couple of Aussie members who might fit that description :cheers:

seaphorm

October 26th, 2010, 12:13 PM

None of us Kiwiscraper guys are what you would describe as "trolls"...
Now there are a couple of Aussie members who might fit that description :cheers:

i dunno, there's some pretty provocative troll like statements in KLK's uninformed right wing rant back there.

buildemhigh

October 26th, 2010, 10:19 PM

i dunno, there's some pretty provocative troll like statements in KLK's uninformed right wing rant back there.

perhaps its just you left leaning nose being put out of joint over the inference that the unions and labour have a strong relationship which noone can deny...

in this instance the teachers and the movie issue are two seperate things.. but the common thread seems to be the unions propensity to call on strike action at present.. in the case of the movie industry this will have ramifications on the industry as a whole, not just the few within the union who are actors, but has a flow on right down the economy...

with respect to the teachers there is an argument that the teachers are putting forward, and i guess it really does depend on which side of the fence politically you sit as to where your sympathies lie... I for one agree that teachers deserve to be paid well, but given the state of the economy they really need to be realistic.. stiking isnt going to help their cause long term and this present stirring by (what I assume to be the CTU) isnt helping any of the unions (or Labours) cause... I can only summise that this is the attempt of the left to stir the base.. good on them....

Svartmetall

October 27th, 2010, 01:47 AM

perhaps its just you left leaning nose being put out of joint over the inference that the unions and labour have a strong relationship which noone can deny...

in this instance the teachers and the movie issue are two seperate things.. but the common thread seems to be the unions propensity to call on strike action at present.. in the case of the movie industry this will have ramifications on the industry as a whole, not just the few within the union who are actors, but has a flow on right down the economy...

with respect to the teachers there is an argument that the teachers are putting forward, and i guess it really does depend on which side of the fence politically you sit as to where your sympathies lie... I for one agree that teachers deserve to be paid well, but given the state of the economy they really need to be realistic.. stiking isnt going to help their cause long term and this present stirring by (what I assume to be the CTU) isnt helping any of the unions (or Labours) cause... I can only summise that this is the attempt of the left to stir the base.. good on them....

So how can you explain the union actions that occurred during Labour's tenure then that I highlighted above? There were so many strikes during those 9 years I lost count - especially within the public sector. This is not the "left attempting to stir the base" at all. It is about getting the correct treatment for teachers/actors/hospital radiologists etc etc etc.

But then so many people appear to be spouting rhetoric instead of fact that I think these salient facts are being missed simply because people are sticking more to ideology than simple discussion about what happened.

Also, buildemhigh, you only address the issue of pay (is money all that matters) not the other issues I highlighted in my posts above. Why is it that people are picking and choosing what they read so much?

KLK

October 27th, 2010, 02:23 AM

But I just showed that there were two major teacher industrial actions during Labour's tenure, something you said didn't happen when the "socialists" were in power. How can you still be claiming union action has something to do with what government is in power? How about all of the nurses strikes, the hospital technicians, the hospital support staff etc etc etc who went on strike during the 9 years Labour were in power?.

There will always be strikes, irrespective of who is in power. My point was - and I stand by it 100% - is that wage/workplace demands, threats and the speed and number of those which ultimately progress to strike action increase under a right wing government. And that's whats happened here.

I don't think I am spouting an ideology. I'm spouting the obvious.

In the interests of disclosure, I have a particular dislike for the teachers unions. They want the same wages as everybody else, for working 75% of the time.

seaphorm

October 27th, 2010, 03:03 AM

There will always be strikes, irrespective of who is in power. My point was - and I stand by it 100% - is that wage/workplace demands, threats and the speed and number of those which ultimately progress to strike action increase under a right wing government. And that's whats happened here.

I don't think I am spouting an ideology. I'm spouting the obvious.

In the interests of disclosure, I have a particular dislike for the teachers unions. They want the same wages as everybody else, for working 75% of the time.

all i'd like to see is a little evidence for what you're saying. i'd be happy to agree if it proves to be correct. but so far, you've accused the unions of upping action specifically because there's a national government, been shown evidence to the contrary, and just accused again.

you stand by it 100%, so prove it's not just rhetoric on your part. i'd like to believe you.

interestingly... and back on topic...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10683389
it looks like the government will be looking into employment law and the status of contract employees as a result of this situation. i'm not entirely sure i'm happy with a foreign company demanding changes in employment law in new zealand to aid their profit margin at tax payers detriment...that's banana republic material.

on the other hand, it's fairly plain from this union situation, and the previous supreme court rulings, that employment in the film industry here does have issues to be sorted.

if there's a change in the status of temporary contracts, they would also have far reaching consequences for the country in other areas where short contracts are common such as design and IT. i imagine there will also be consequences for the rugby world cup which will be relying on short term contractors in many areas. there have been a surprising number of contract related law suits over the last few years thanks to the recession biting businesses hard and previous long standing work relationships being severed.

buildemhigh

October 27th, 2010, 04:22 AM

So how can you explain the union actions that occurred during Labour's tenure then that I highlighted above? There were so many strikes during those 9 years I lost count - especially within the public sector. This is not the "left attempting to stir the base" at all. It is about getting the correct treatment for teachers/actors/hospital radiologists etc etc etc.

But then so many people appear to be spouting rhetoric instead of fact that I think these salient facts are being missed simply because people are sticking more to ideology than simple discussion about what happened.

Also, buildemhigh, you only address the issue of pay (is money all that matters) not the other issues I highlighted in my posts above. Why is it that people are picking and choosing what they read so much?

you talk about holidays which you then comment is done so without an increase in pay, what else did you mention other than class sizes?.. unless I missed something?? it seems a convenient argument that on the one hand they work through their holidays etc, yet they get more holidays than everyone else in any event... it is the way of the world and the sooner that the unions et al get used to the idea the better for everyone.. again, teachers on the whole do a good job, go back to our earlier discussion on the matter, and I think on that point we werent on opposite sides of the fence.. my beef was the economy, and the timing of the actions etc... look at the UK and see what belt tightening is going on over there.... teachers are fortunate in that they are in a "safe" profession, whether they have to work more for their current pay, or not get a payrise etc is missing the bigger picture of what is going on in the world.. if it was about the money they could simply quit the union and get a 1% odd increase? happy days..

It is obscene, make no mistake that the top dog gives herself (well not her as such but those above her) a payrise under the circumstances.. at best it is just idiotic, at worst it is done to provoke..

as for the strikes i didnt argue that they didnt (strike under a labour govt), you need to look elsewhere on that front.. what I said was that there seems to be an effort by the unions (orchastrated perhaps by the CTU) of late... isnt that the case? i didnt say it was because it was a right govt, or otherwise...

Again, the issues which we are talking about are seperate, but the common theme (which is what I said before) is that the unions have a hand in both coming to a head..

In the movie dispute, there is little doubt that Warners are trying it on... good on them.. they are spending a ridiculous amount of money on a film I might watch on tv 7 or 8 years from now on TV which will have a huge effect on the economy.. what the actors guild and the CTU did was patently stupid and short sighted.. I have yet to see one actor from the lotr coming out and being upset at the "deal" they had etc.. as I see it the laws around employment (contract etc) are vague for both sides... what the studio wants certainty, as you would given the amount on the line here.... Seaphorm, I have I admit a simplistic understanding of the issues at hand here.. can you summise the demands/concerns the actors guild had?

If truth be told I am more left than I am right, but why I cannot subscribe to the left is that there seems to be a divorce from the economic realities of things... I see it everyday in both my professional and private life (I have a son with special needs)
my main problem with unions are that (atleast imo) they are there for the greater good of employees.. in the movie case, how would jeopardising the filming here be for the greater good of the group of actors they represent, let alone all the other employees downstream in other industries and their respective unions... they should have backed down long before now it would seem

Svartmetall

October 27th, 2010, 05:30 AM

In the interests of disclosure, I have a particular dislike for the teachers unions. They want the same wages as everybody else, for working 75% of the time.

How many other professions demand you to work from 8:00am until 5:00pm and then still do 2-3 hours of planning, marking or report writing per night? How many professions expect you to work on the weekend doing these things too? How many professions demand you work during your holidays doing writing of schemes of work? Sorry, you cannot begin to claim that teachers only work 75% of what everyone else does. That shows ignorance at best, stupidity at worst.

you talk about holidays which you then comment is done so without an increase in pay, what else did you mention other than class sizes?.. unless I missed something?? it seems a convenient argument that on the one hand they work through their holidays etc, yet they get more holidays than everyone else in any event... it is the way of the world and the sooner that the unions et al get used to the idea the better for everyone.. again, teachers on the whole do a good job, go back to our earlier discussion on the matter, and I think on that point we werent on opposite sides of the fence.. my beef was the economy, and the timing of the actions etc... look at the UK and see what belt tightening is going on over there.... teachers are fortunate in that they are in a "safe" profession, whether they have to work more for their current pay, or not get a payrise etc is missing the bigger picture of what is going on in the world.. if it was about the money they could simply quit the union and get a 1% odd increase? happy days..

They work through their holidays anyway, but what the government are now saying is that they have to work regular office hours at school for two weeks of their holiday which is unfair. That is effectively taking away their holiday but not paying them extra for it. Read above what I said to KLK about teacher workloads. I agree the timing isn't the best, but then the timing of the government proposals wasn't the best either. Why squeeze people doing a difficult job at the worst possible time for them when they are struggling to make ends meet too? Of course there will be union backlash to that.

It is obscene, make no mistake that the top dog gives herself (well not her as such but those above her) a payrise under the circumstances.. at best it is just idiotic, at worst it is done to provoke..

as for the strikes i didnt argue that they didnt (strike under a labour govt), you need to look elsewhere on that front.. what I said was that there seems to be an effort by the unions (orchastrated perhaps by the CTU) of late... isnt that the case? i didnt say it was because it was a right govt, or otherwise...

The actions of the CEO shows that they have double standards. They expect their CEO to "struggle" away on $518,000 or so a year whilst most teachers make $50,000 or so on average per year. In Auckland that is an obscene salary to survive on (not so bad somewhere like Dunedin).

As far as CTU involvement is concerned, as far as I know there isn't any and that is why other teacher unions aren't kicking up a fuss it's the PPTA and it's only secondary teachers that are striking this time.

Mr_kiwi_fruit

October 27th, 2010, 08:27 AM

The Hobbit stays in New Zealand!!!!!!!

:cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer:
:cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer:
:cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer:
:cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer:
:cheer:

seaphorm

October 27th, 2010, 08:47 AM

Mr_kiwi_fruit

October 27th, 2010, 09:07 AM

seaphorm

October 27th, 2010, 09:27 AM

^^

We live in a changing world - nothing remains the same. Next time there will be something else. What is undeniable is the knock on effects filming these movies in NZ will have on travel, tourism and just generally bloody good for the economy. :)

dunno... was chatting with a bunch of folks this afternoon... all be it design industry rather than film... and we were all a little worried that the wind has gone from the sail...

first with the departure of guillermo del toro, then the new line law suit, then the collapse of new line and finally the time that has been lost to law suits and uncertainty...

just makes you worry that it will end up like waterworld...

of course by that stage the money will be spent here...

Mr_kiwi_fruit

October 27th, 2010, 10:03 AM

^^

I doubt it. Nothing has been lost. Things have just changed. There is nothing to worry about. :) :dance2::dance2::dance2::dance2:

seaphorm

October 27th, 2010, 10:07 AM

^^

I doubt it. Nothing has been lost. Things have just changed. There is nothing to worry about. :) :dance2::dance2::dance2::dance2:

it better be. i'm paying an extra $3.40 for it. :D

KiwiRob

October 27th, 2010, 10:37 AM

How many other professions demand you to work from 8:00am until 5:00pm and then still do 2-3 hours of planning, marking or report writing per night? How many professions expect you to work on the weekend doing these things too? How many professions demand you work during your holidays doing writing of schemes of work? Sorry, you cannot begin to claim that teachers only work 75% of what everyone else does. That shows ignorance at best, stupidity at worst.

You can't be talking about teaching, my mums a teacher, my sister is an early childcare teacher, two aunts are teachers, and another is a school principle, I've never known my mum or sister to work past 4.30, I can't recall my mum every working weekends except on school camps; it was great when I was a kid because my mum was always home for school holidays unlike everyone else I knew who had to go to child minders or grandparents.

Teaching is a difficult and emotional job, which is underpaid, but teachers do not work anywhere near as much as most other people, I know this from experience. Although my aunt who was a high-school principle did work longer hours, her job was more akin to that of a general manager of a medium sized business, she was also well paid, but I wouldn't lump administrative staff and there work hours in with the general teaching population.

Svartmetall

October 27th, 2010, 11:11 AM

You can't be talking about teaching, my mums a teacher, my sister is an early childcare teacher, two aunts are teachers, and another is a school principle, I've never known my mum or sister to work past 4.30, I can't recall my mum every working weekends except on school camps; it was great when I was a kid because my mum was always home for school holidays unlike everyone else I knew who had to go to child minders or grandparents.

Teaching is a difficult and emotional job, which is underpaid, but teachers do not work anywhere near as much as most other people, I know this from experience. Although my aunt who was a high-school principle did work longer hours, her job was more akin to that of a general manager of a medium sized business, she was also well paid, but I wouldn't lump administrative staff and there work hours in with the general teaching population.

Primary teaching is different to secondary in terms of work load etc. My Mother and her friends are all secondary teachers and they certainly work just as hard as I outlined. Perhaps things are different in other schools, but this school certainly expects a lot of work. It was no different at the four schools that my Mother taught at in England either.

greenwelly

October 28th, 2010, 04:33 AM

Primary teaching is different to secondary in terms of work load etc. .

So why are they paid the same???

KLK

October 28th, 2010, 04:43 AM

all i'd like to see is a little evidence for what you're saying. i'd be happy to agree if it proves to be correct. but so far, you've accused the unions of upping action specifically because there's a national government, been shown evidence to the contrary, and just accused again.

you stand by it 100%, so prove it's not just rhetoric on your part. i'd like to believe you.

Sigh.

If you'd bother to read the post properly - particularly the first sentence - you'd see I'm not claiming the strike solely because its a national government.

Still waiting on the "evidence to the contrary" though....rhetoric?

KLK

October 28th, 2010, 04:50 AM

Svartmetall

October 28th, 2010, 05:05 AM

So why are they paid the same???

Actually, that's something that secondary teachers have always said is unfair. Primary teachers don't do anything like as much work yet get the same amount of pay! Bizarre, but can you imagine the dearth of primary teachers there would be if there was inequitable pay between the two?

My ignorance? You are living in a dreamworld if you think that is anywhere the norm of teachers in NZ. Plenty of teachers in my extended family and they'd concur.

You are also living in a dreamworld if you think there are other professions who don't work long hours, work on weekends, come in on breaks.....just without the 2-3mths holidays.

So why is it that everyone at schools around this area says their workload is exactly what I described, hm?

As for other professions, well, you have junior doctors for example that work long hours, yes. However, they have regular shift work with no work out of hours. Yes they get put "on call" but that is a regular scheduled event. The big difference is the salary of a junior doctor. Plus, there have been calls to cut back on their hours so as to not burn them out. There are also overtime bonuses too.

Once you factor in overtime - something that teachers do not get - then you begin to see that things aren't so inequitable in other professions that are required to work extra hours.

buildemhigh

October 28th, 2010, 05:07 AM

My ignorance? You are living in a dreamworld if you think that is anywhere the norm of teachers in NZ. Plenty of teachers in my extended family and they'd concur.

You are also living in a dreamworld if you think there are other professions who don't work long hours, work on weekends, come in on breaks.....just without the 2-3mths holidays.

absolutely, take police and firemen (who are paid about $55k) work shifts and have a huge element of danger in their roles... sure teachers go thru tertiary studies etc.. but that is their choice, as is the cop or fireman who chooses a profession that could kill them and have them working a roster...

buildemhigh

October 28th, 2010, 05:12 AM

and it only cost us an extra $15 million, plus a classic quick change to our labour laws.

the precedent is set...

key said warners concerns were centred on the supreme court ruling with regards to the status of contractors, and the tax breaks we give compared to other nations... rather than the actors wanting to sign collective agreements which got all the press. funny that.

would you have been happy had it gone offshore?? seems you are hard to please...

I for one have in the past preferred working as a contractor.. gives you flexibility and higher pay... as an actor how can you claim to be an employee unless you were working for the studio on a range of projects not just one in isolation.. also the actors had been offered a % (no idea what, and sure to be a slither but better than nothing surely)

Svartmetall

October 28th, 2010, 05:22 AM

absolutely, take police and firemen (who are paid about $55k) work shifts and have a huge element of danger in their roles... sure teachers go thru tertiary studies etc.. but that is their choice, as is the cop or fireman who chooses a profession that could kill them and have them working a roster...

What? The starting police salary is $51,000 with a bonus package taking it up to $57,000, you can't tell me that police get paid $55k on average. Police also get overtime pay, a good pension etc etc etc, same for the fire service. I know that my Uncle back in the UK is very well off as a fire chief even though he has to do shift work and is on-call he has plenty of time off and leisure time given that he doesn't bring his work home with him.

buildemhigh

October 28th, 2010, 05:31 AM

What? The starting police salary is $51,000 with a bonus package taking it up to $57,000, you can't tell me that police get paid $55k on average. Police also get overtime pay, a good pension etc etc etc, same for the fire service. I know that my Uncle back in the UK is very well off as a fire chief even though he has to do shift work and is on-call he has plenty of time off and leisure time given that he doesn't bring his work home with him.

meant firemen sorry, start off at $30k average pay is $57k as per career services website....

they also work shifts.. do teachers..

Svartmetall

October 28th, 2010, 05:41 AM

meant firemen sorry, start off at $30k average pay is $57k as per career services website....

they also work shifts.. do teachers..

Hey, I'm all for equity. Firemen do a very commendable and respectable job. I'm surprised to hear they are paid so badly in New Zealand. Just because they are paid badly and have bad working conditions here it doesn't mean that the same isn't true for teachers. Perhaps what should happen is for firemen to be as recognised as the police in terms of job difficulty, safety issues etc. In Britain they get very generous treatment especially in terms of pensions. In the UK they start at £28,199 + overtime which is almost to the same salary level as a top scale teacher which sits around £32,000 (which they get after at least 6 years on the job). A watch manager in the fire service in England gets paid £31,940 - £34,961 + overtime with a station master getting paid between £36,365 and £40,109 + overtime.

Hours for UK firemen at entry level are 4 days on 4 days off with 40 hour weeks worked (10 hour days). They are unsociable at first with 2 day and 2 night shifts, but like I said, they get 4 days off and they get paid overtime.

KLK

October 28th, 2010, 06:06 AM

Once you factor in overtime - something that teachers do not get - then you begin to see that things aren't so inequitable in other professions that are required to work extra hours.

And once you factor in the extra holidays teachers get compared to other professions, then it swings back towards being equitable.

Its highly possible that "extra hours" are worked because they are trying to fit their time into a smaller amount of days.

Work more days, less hours....as a suggestion anyway.

And to be honest, I think this talk of "planning" time is abit fanciful when we are talking about a set curriculum which is often repeated for several years on end......

KLK

October 28th, 2010, 06:12 AM

So why is it that everyone at schools around this area says their workload is exactly what I described, hm?.

My theory is that alot of teachers got into the game for the uniformity of the job (I am thinking secondary, here), the belief it as "9 to 5" based around the core school day and, crucially, it came with an awesome amount of holidays.

When they found out that, like other professions, you're "core hours" don't really exist (BTW - overtime pay? I wish I had it..) they wanted more money.

Many, many professions work long hours, work some holidays to catch-up, and don't get overtime for it. The difference for me is two things - pay levels increases based on performance, and greater paid holidays.

Teachers have the latter and not the former. Other professions have it in reverse.

Melb_aviator

October 28th, 2010, 06:19 AM

KiwiRob

October 28th, 2010, 08:54 AM

^^Countries do that kind of thing all the time, in this case you have to look at the big picture, the Tolkien films are like gold dust for the NZ tourism industry, whilst the tax changes may cost the IRD a few million the amount of money generated by these films for NZ is probably well into the billions by now, making the Hobbit here will just ad to that.

You could bank on it that the film industry has wrung all sorts of concessions from the Californian State Govt.

KLK

October 28th, 2010, 08:59 AM

Do companies these dayus have too much power? Thats the real issue.

For a company to walk in and blackmail a country into changing labour laws to do business there sounds extreme. I am sure in the US that they would not change the rules for them, so they move elsewhere, to the cheaper option.

Very sad to see, but its good to see the investent that NZ will get. Its a pity countrys need to change their rules/laws to allow these things to happen though.

Despite the hyperbole, this isn't a general change for labour laws. Only, as I understand it, the film production industry and the status of employees v contractors within that industry.

There's a laughable comment from the CTU today about the law being clear on the difference, but then they offer about 12 different things that need to be considered for a court to make a decision should they look beyond the form and examine the substance. That's not clarity.

As someone who has some experience in the taxation laws on employees v contractors, its definitely an issue in a great number of professions. And not just in NZ. Most industries, from IT to exotic dancers (there is an Australian case I think) usually has had the issue dragged through the courts to determine whether income tax (paid by independant contractors) or PAYE/PAYG (employers on behalf of employees) is paid. The Hobbit is a labour law issue but the considerations for who is an employee and who is independant are identical and there would ultimately be similar tax issues.

I haven't gone into detail but it sounds like the law provides clarity that those in the film industry only will be declared contractors by default and they therefore negotiate their own contracts. Nobody else is impacted as I understand it, though happy to be proven wrong if someone has gone through the fine detail.

At first glance it would appear to work for this industry because of the finite-terms of "employment" involved.There's the argument that having to negotiate as a contractor limits, but does not eliminate, your bargaining power but it so far the actors themselves seem to be comfortable with it, hinting that it reflects the nature of their employment anyway. Only the unions seem to be whinging and - outside of film production - that would appear unfounded.

So "selling out"? Seems a bit extreme.

IHaveNoLegs

October 28th, 2010, 09:17 AM

it better be. i'm paying an extra $3.40 for it. :D

Interesting isn’t it? Whenever the government spends money we take that figure and divided it exactly by 4 million to find out how much it costs us; yet when the government needs to raise money we seem to think the complete opposite ‘someone can pay for it’. What’s yours is mine and what’s mine stays mine. I've been trying my hardest to ignore this dispute, can someone tell me why society says it is the governments job to sort these sorts of problems out.

Mr_kiwi_fruit

October 28th, 2010, 11:00 AM

^^

The government is the only one in a position in this case, to make it more attractive to Warner Brothers to make the films here. That's pretty much it.

Mr_kiwi_fruit

October 28th, 2010, 11:00 AM

Avatar 2 and 3 are to be filmed in Wellington as well. :)

Mr_kiwi_fruit

October 28th, 2010, 11:01 AM

Svartmetall

October 28th, 2010, 11:34 AM

Avatar 2 and 3 are to be filmed in Wellington as well. :)

Pleased about the Hobbit, but Avatar? Urgh urgh urgh, the first film was terrible enough (except for the stunning special effects). Why make sequels to something that had a horrible storyline in the first place?!

Still, I guess it will still be good for NZ.

Snorky33

October 28th, 2010, 02:16 PM

^^True you can blame James Cameron for Avatar's weak storyline, but praise WETA for the jawdropping effects:bow: who would ever believe that the world's finest special effects unit is in New Zealand.

KiwiRob

October 28th, 2010, 03:20 PM

I wonder if Industrial Light and Magic would agree with you Snorky?

seaphorm

October 29th, 2010, 01:24 AM

Interesting isn’t it? Whenever the government spends money we take that figure and divided it exactly by 4 million to find out how much it costs us; yet when the government needs to raise money we seem to think the complete opposite ‘someone can pay for it’. What’s yours is mine and what’s mine stays mine. I've been trying my hardest to ignore this dispute, can someone tell me why society says it is the governments job to sort these sorts of problems out.

in this particular situation, it was left to the government to sort this out because what warners wanted could only be sorted by government.

they wanted a better tax break, and clarification of the laws surrounding contract employment.

Snorky33

October 29th, 2010, 04:45 AM

I wonder if Industrial Light and Magic would agree with you Snorky?

True ILM was the world leader for many years it was like they had no real competition for years until WETA came along. But it's like WETA has taken the art to the next level good how WETA is split into two, one unit models etc and the other unit computer visual effects. I wonder if ILM has become somewhat ho-hum over time in just doing the same old stuff but now that some NZ company as taken all the glory over these past 8-10 years, that may motivate ILM to lift their game...final note over these past 8 years i wonder who between ILM & WETA has won more Academy Awards?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/4286549/Avatar-to-be-shot-in-Wellington

Mr_kiwi_fruit

February 11th, 2011, 09:10 PM

Hobbit stars arrive in Wellington
11 February 2011

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3000000/Hobbiton-lord-of-the-rings-3073356-1024-768.jpg

The stars of Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit are feeling at home and welcome in Wellington as they prepare for the cameras to start rolling on the much anticipated films. The first cast media appearance took place at Park Road Post today. British actor Martin Freeman – who will play the role of hobbit Bilbo Baggins in the US$500 million The Lord of the Rings prequel –was joined by the actors playing the 13 dwarves. Irish star James Nesbitt (Bofur) described being involved in The Hobbit as an “enormous privilege”, not just because of the scale of the films, but because of the community and family atmosphere built around them. His family was settling in well and he felt “incredibly at home” in Wellington, he said. “You can very easily understand why people move here.”

Nesbitt confirmed he has dressed up at the recent NZI Sevens tournament in Wellington – renowned as one of the world’s biggest fancy dress parties. “I was in the corporate box and I was the only one in costume. People were talking to me obviously thinking ‘he’s supposed to be somebody ….but….he’s a chicken.’” Why a chicken? “It felt right.” Former EastEnders star Rob Kazinsky told media he feels “entirely at home” in Wellington. And the cast, who have been together in Wellington for the past four weeks, seem very at home with each other. Jokes were made at the expense of themselves, each other and the production itself. Asked if he felt there was a curse to contend with, Martin Freeman said production delays hadn’t compromised the film or worried the cast. “We are all ready to go …just as soon as 2015 rolls around,” he quipped.

Ken Stott, who will play Balin, described the credentials of the Wellington filmmakers involved as “second to none” and said the facilities in New Zealand’s capital were the “envy of the rest of the world”. Freeman was full of praise for his director, describing Sir Peter Jackson as “phenomenally normal”. “And I mean genuinely normal, as opposed to those people that play at being hip or cool or ostentatiously normal, sort of ‘look here’s me being normal and having a normal cup of tea’. “He’s one of the few star directors on the planet but he’s still an enthusiast… he still wants to lose himself in the game.” In a statement, Jackson, who is recovering from recent surgery on a perforated ulcer, said he regretted not being able to attend but was under a medical “house arrest” of sorts. He was looking forward to being back on deck very soon. “I feel these movies are going to be something very special.”

Principal photography for The Hobbit will start in Wellington on Monday 21 March. Shooting will take place at Stone Street Studios in Miramar and on location around New Zealand.

Confirmed cast include: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Rob Kazinsky, Aidan Turner, Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Mikael Persbrant, Sylvester McCoy and Elijah Wood.

Mr_kiwi_fruit

February 11th, 2011, 09:13 PM

Everything's hush hush in Hobbiton

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3000000/Hobbiton-lord-of-the-rings-3073417-1024-768.jpg

Hobbiton is ready and waiting for its furry-footed inhabitants, but problems continue to delay the start date of filming of The Hobbit in Matamata. The Hobbiton movie set and farm tours on the Alexander farm near Matamata will be closed for filming from February 14 to March 20, but locals remain tight-lipped or in the dark about when filming will actually begin. The latest delay has occurred because director Sir Peter Jackson had surgery in Wellington Hospital for a perforated stomach ulcer on January 26. He was yesterday discharged from hospital to complete his recovery at home. But The Hobbit publicist Melissa Booth said in a statement that any delays to filming were expected to be minimal.

Matamata Robert Harris cafe owner Nick Kirsopp said he was yet to have anyone in ordering Hobbit-sized coffees, but everyone was talking about when filming would begin. "There was talk about the 14th of February," Mr Kirsopp said. But he was unsure if that was still the case due to Sir Peter's illness. "I'm not sure what the official word is now." He said people who had been on the movie set tour since the shire had been rebuilt were highly impressed with what they has seen. "Comments range from it's amazing to it looks like a real village quite captivating," he said. "They've built it using concrete and stone, not plywood and polystyrene this time," he said referring to the Lord of the Rings set on the same location.

No-one was willing to confirm where or when the Middle Earth stars would be sleeping in Matamata, but a Broadway Motel staff member said they had to "stay very quiet" and a Maple Lodge Motel staff member was equally coy. "We have signed a confidentiality agreement like the officials do," she said. "We're not allowed to say anything to anybody." Other delays in the production of The Hobbit occurred last year when the original director, Guillermo del Toro, departed and then Warner Bros threatened to take the production to Europe because of union demands.

Mr_kiwi_fruit

February 12th, 2011, 09:38 PM

New Zealand scenery will make splash in 'Hobbit'

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2740/4259274625_06e4a3e776_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickiclowe/4259274625/)
Huka Falls, Taupo, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickiclowe/4259274625/) by Sweppy (http://www.flickr.com/people/vickiclowe/), on Flickr

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2676/4175569143_85bddafbee_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philrickerby/4175569143/)
P1330998 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philrickerby/4175569143/) by philrickerby (http://www.flickr.com/people/philrickerby/), on Flickr

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/139/347175958_c407124d3b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/planetgordon/347175958/)
Hobbiton (Matamata, New Zealand) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/planetgordon/347175958/) by Planetgordon.com (http://www.flickr.com/people/planetgordon/), on Flickr

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/2559835924_1b352a89cd_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/midwifejules/2559835924/)
Ruapehu Crater Lake 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/midwifejules/2559835924/) by MidwifeJules (http://www.flickr.com/people/midwifejules/), on Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4830686476_4e90b08ba7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/globetrottingmatt/4830686476/)
Queenstown lake - New Zealand. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/globetrottingmatt/4830686476/) by globetrottingmatt (http://www.flickr.com/people/globetrottingmatt/), on Flickr

It is a spectacular sight: tens of millions of litres of water exploding from the spill gates of Aratiatia Dam, leaping and gushing through the narrow gorge below. It is a sight that draws thousands of tourists to the rapids, above Taupo's Huka Falls, every year. But for four days this year, those visitors will be turned away - and the tourism operators couldn't be more happy about it. Peter Jackson has settled on the Aratiatia Rapids as a location for filming one of the dramatic outdoor scenes in his two-part feature production of The Hobbit. It is only one of the beautiful locations set to feature in the movies, and with every new location disclosed, local tourism operators will be rubbing their hands.

Tourism is worth an estimated $9.5 billion a year to the New Zealand economy, and the pulling power of Middle Earth has been valued at a significant share of that. On top of that is the $500 million that the movie producers are expected to spend during filming and post-production. Unlike the Lord of the Rings trilogy, much of The Hobbit will be filmed at Wellington's Stone Street Studio - meaning the benefits to the select number of scenic outdoor locations could be even more lucrative. Hobbit producers have confirmed their return to the Waikato to the Hobbiton set on a Matamata farm.

With Environment Waikato's consent, they have begun diverting up to 890cu m of water a day from a nearby lake and stream to irrigate the lush green Middle Earth set and offset the browning effects of a hot New Zealand summer. They are also in talks with Ngati Tuwharetoa to film on the central North Island volcanic plateau, though the iwi is not expected to let them feature mountains Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu in the movies. The movie's location scouts have been busy in Ruapehu, Taranaki and Queenstown Lakes.

Wanaka would seem a perfect candidate for Laketown, the town devastated by the wrath of Smaug till the dragon was brought down by the black arrow of Bard the Bowman. Mt Taranaki could be the Lonely Mountain, given that Ngati Tuwharetoa is refusing to allow the use of Mt Ngauruhoe. Farther north, the Department of Conservation revealed to the Herald on Sunday that it granted a four-day "concession" for Weta to film in the Aratiatia scenic reserve above Huka Falls last month. That filming was delayed by Jackson's hospitalisation for a perforated stomach ulcer, but a new application could be lodged in the coming months.

While production company 3foot7 Ltd isn't saying what role the Aratiatia Rapids will play in The Hobbit, it is possible they could feature as the Forest River, down which Bilbo and his dwarf friends float in (and on) wine barrels to escape the elves of Mirkwood. At tourism agency Destination Great Lake Taupo, general manager Scott Pearson says the Lord of the Rings has left a "massive legacy" of tourism revenue. "This will enhance the whole Aratiatia experience and we'll see a lot more international visitors." Jane Kingston, marketing director for Huka Lodge, says the scenery around the Falls is like leaving the real world behind - so is perfect as Middle Earth. "This filming will draw attention to the beauty of New Zealand, increasing tourism and revenue."

Mr_kiwi_fruit

April 19th, 2011, 12:14 AM

Peter Jackson debuts exclusive Hobbit preview online
NZ HERALD 5:30 AM Friday Apr 15, 2011

Peter Jackson has released the first production video from the set of The Hobbit movies now filming in New Zealand. The 10-minute (http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150223186041807&oid=141884481557&comments) piece, which Jackson debuted on his Facebook page, returns to Hobbiton to show exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the movie including special effects work, fight training, dwarf costumes being created and more. "It's like a sort of a big wizard's workshop," Jackson said on the video as he toured the production. Many of the sets and locations from Jackson's Lord of the Rings films have been recreated for the new films, which will be released in two parts in 2012 and 2013. Several of the actors also appear in the video, including Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the wizard and Martin Freeman, who will be playing Bilbo Baggins.

Mr_kiwi_fruit

August 17th, 2011, 12:35 PM

“Spartacus: Vengeance” filming in New Zealand (Premiering 2012)

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From the time “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” debuted on Starz in January 2010, it established itself as an epic production with rich storytelling and visuals unlike anything seen previously on any TV show. Also starring John Hannah as Batiatus, Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, Peter Mensah as Doctore, Manu Bennett as Crixus and Viva Bianca as Ilythia, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” was one of the most talked-about and best-loved TV shows of 2010. Season two of the series finds Spartacus and his fellow gladiators now out of Capua and engaged in the massive slave rebellion against Roman society that has echoed through time. “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” the six-part prequel that told the story of the House of Batiatus gladiator school, and the intricate personal, sexual and political maneuverings in Capua five years before “Blood and Sand” was set, debuted in January 2011.

In season two of the popular series, Liam McIntyre takes over the role of the Thracian warrior sold into slavery in the Roman Republic city of Capua – where he rises to become the champion of the city – before leading the slave revolt that ended the first season. The part was played in the first season by acclaimed Andy Whitfield, who was forced to leave the show due to health issues. “Spartacus: Vengeance” recently began production in New Zealand.

Mr_kiwi_fruit

August 17th, 2011, 12:39 PM

The HOBBITT Production Videos

PRODUCTION VIDEO #1

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PRODUCTION VIDEO #2

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PRODUCTION VIDEO #3

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KiwiGuy

November 12th, 2011, 03:24 AM

Hobbit Begins Filming In Takaka

Look down. No, lower. See anything? The Hobbits are here.

Trucks with set-up equipment were expected to arrive at Canaan Downs last night, with filming of The Hobbit in the Nelson region to begin today.

Security staff were there yesterday, setting up and guarding two large marquees, a number of half-moon, hut-like bamboo structures and what looked like utilities blocks.

The Nelson Mail understands filming will take place over the next week, before the crew head further south for more filming.

The 80 hectares at Canaan Downs near the top of the Takaka Hill, where the Luminate Festival is held, is owned by a collective made up of existing owners and new shareholders.

Jules Harper, a co-director of the company, described it as half-and-half rolling and flat open pasture and well-established native beech forest. She said crew from production company 3 Foot 7 were also filming on surrounding Department of Conservation land.

"It's quite intensive," she said.

"They have got a lot of equipment."

Ms Harper said the film crew would be based there on and off over the next couple of months, but she said she was not allowed to give specifics.

When asked if she had seen any Hobbits, she said: "I think Hobbits live up there all year round."

Ms Harper said Canaan Downs lent itself beautifully to being a film location.

"It's a real honour just to be involved," she said, adding that revellers at Luminate often referred to the area as being "just like the Lord of the Rings".

A helicopter pilot from Queenstown is helping 3 Foot 7 with aerial filming, with a camera attached to the front of his Squirrel helicopter. Alfie Speight and a cameraman flew around the Pelorus River and Mt Owen yesterday and he said they "could be" filming in Takaka today.

Mr Speight was also involved in filming the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Vertical Limit, Peter Pan, The Chronicles of Narnia and King Kong. He will spend two months filming characters and scenery from the air.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5955410/Hobbits-set-up-camp-on-Takaka-Hill

Mr_kiwi_fruit

November 13th, 2011, 07:43 PM

More commercials being filmed in NZ
NZ HERALD 5:30 AM Sunday Nov 13, 2011

The deepening world financial crisis is attracting more top international brands to New Zealand to film big-budget TV commercials. Overseas ad-makers splashed out $165 million shooting promos - $143 million in the Auckland region alone - last year. They include household names such as Japanese carmaker Honda and United States energy giant GE. "The economics downturn is causing more of these big firms to spend more on advertising and that is good news for us," said Film New Zealand chairman Julian Grimmond. "There's a lot of evidence to indicate this year is shaping up even better than last and we are expecting a very busy summer."

The spin-offs extend beyond hard cash being spent here, Grimmond said. A $2 million ad for Fujifilm shot in Queenstown has been translated into 20 languages and screens in Europe, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Brazil and Asia. "It can be cheaper to film in somewhere like South America but in Argentina you have to drive for about 15 hours for a dramatic change of scenery, compared to about an hour in New Zealand," Grimmond said, and, despite a high dollar, New Zealand was competitively priced compared with the other countries. "Here we don't have fringe costs such as various local taxes, so we are immediately 15 per cent less expensive than many other countries such as Australia, Canada and America."

Film Auckland executive manager Michael Brook said the city lured many overseas ad-makers because of a combination of expert crews, easy access to locations and cost. "Auckland is attracting about 100 international advertising productions a year and the number is climbing. Some have budgets in the millions and they bring in a lot of money in a short space of time. "One recent production was only here for eight days but booked out 140 room nights because of the number of people involved."

Mr_kiwi_fruit

November 13th, 2011, 07:45 PM

Foreign film producers keen to tap into NZ talent
NZ HERALD 5:30 AM Monday Nov 14, 2011

Filmmaker Shogo Tomiyama cites 'Lord of the Rings' as a world-class movie and says he wants Japanese producers to learn from the best. Shogo Tomiyama is one of Japan's top film makers and producer of blockbuster movies like Godzilla: Final Wars, Ring and Seven Samurai. But the studio veteran of 35 years wants to send budding Japanese producers to the land of the Hobbit to learn the art of film making. Top producers from the Asia Pacific region gathered in Auckland over the weekend to network and discuss co-production opportunities.

Organisers of the Asia-Pacific Producers Network symposium, being hosted in New Zealand for the first time by Film Auckland, said the event was also an opportunity to showcase New Zealand as a film location and promote its wealth of creative talent. Tomiyama, who was on his first visit to New Zealand, said he had been impressed by what the country could offer to the industry and would be looking to firm up an agreement to bring Japanese producers here. "This country has everything, from location to very talented creative people, especially in special effects and post production," said Tomiyama, who is president of Toho Studios.

"Movies like Lord of the Rings are world class, and I want future Japanese producers to learn from the best." About 30 delegates from nine countries, including China Film Bureau deputy director Mao Yu, leading Korean producer James Choi and James Liu, founder of Taiwan's Joint Entertainment, are attending the symposium. "We are facing one big global market nowadays," said Mr Liu. "Frankly, it [the symposium] is one of the most efficient ways to complete that mission." The forum includes sessions with Film NZ chief executive Gisella Carr, South Pacific Pictures chief executive John Barnett and local producers Roseanne Liang (My Wedding and Other Secrets), Robin Scholes (Once Were Warriors), Toa Fraser (No. 2) and Trevor Haysom (In My Father's Den).

"Delegates are looking for New Zealand partners to make English language films that appeal to wider markets than their own," said network president Paul Carran. Film Auckland manager Michael Brook said the symposium aimed to "explore key issues alongside the leaders of Asia's booming film industry" and make connections and generate new projects and partnerships across the region. Delegates will also be taken to Wellington and Queenstown this week, to look at what opportunities the regions offer. The local screen industry employs about 6700 people and is worth more than $2.8 billion annually.

This year's immigration law changes removing the requirement for guild or union referrals for foreign actors coming here for 14 days work or less and for those part of official co-production teams will make it easier for film makers to bring in foreign talent. . Mr Brook said the world economic power had shifted to Asia in recent years, and New Zealand was well-placed to seize new opportunities the region offers. China's box office grew 62 per cent last year, and the country is set to become the second-biggest movie market behind the United States.

Mr_kiwi_fruit

November 13th, 2011, 07:47 PM

The HOBBIT Production Video #4

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Mr_kiwi_fruit

November 13th, 2011, 07:57 PM

Hollywood loves Queenstown

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6145/5945522052_1eca0c0f69_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5945522052/)

QUEENSTOWN 24 JUN 11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5945522052/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Eight years after the last film from the Lord of the Rings trilogy was released, New Zealand is back once again as ‘Middle Earth’ with production for The Hobbit movies in full swing. Hollywood will once again be focusing on New Zealand with the upcoming release of two films based on J.R.R Tolkien’s famous children’s book The Hobbit, a prequel to the events from the Lord of the Rings.

Recently Peter Jackson, the famous kiwi director and his team were scouting for filming locations for The Hobbit films around the Southern Alps and Queenstown. Locations around the Queenstown region were used extensively in the LOTR films so it’s no surprise the producers are looking at our stunning region again. Check out Peter Jackson's facebook page to watch the second production diary from The Hobbit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyZJMABGweI). Footage of Queenstown and other South Island locations starts at the five minute mark. Sean Astin who played the hobbit Sam in the Lord of the Rings trilogy summed it up nicely when he said, ‘I recall sitting in Queenstown against the mountain range aptly titled the Remarkables and feeling I was actually living in the books.’

The dramatic mountains, crystal clear lakes and untamed wilderness around Queenstown and the Southern Lakes region make the perfect background for Hollywood films. Recent movies filmed in the area include X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Water Horse, The Chronicles of Narnia films; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. The area is also a popular location for filming TV advertisements and even featured prominently in the Bollywood superhit I Hate Luv Stories. If you are coming to our beautiful resort anytime soon keep your eyes peeled for hobbits and dwarfs. Let us know what your favourite scene from the Lord of the Rings films is. Maybe it was filmed around here!

Mr_kiwi_fruit

November 22nd, 2011, 07:33 PM

Hollywood descends on Auckland
NZ HERALD 05:00 23/11/2011

Hollywood could be coming to Auckland this summer with international filmmakers scouting the city for locations. Two feature films are currently working with local authorities to find potential backdrops. Auckland Transport, one of the agencies involved, will discuss the applications at its monthly board meeting today. Earlier this year feature film Mr Pip filmed around New Zealand, including Auckland. Now in post-production, the film was set in Bouganville and featured British actor Hugh Laurie, well-known for award-winning television medical drama House.

Kingsland train station was transformed into a 1920s London railway platform for the film which is a screen adaptation of the novel by New Zealand author Lloyd Jones. As summer approaches, local authorities are preparing for an increase in film-permit applications for commercials, television shows and films. Auckland Transport has already approved almost 1000 film permits this year allowing crews to shoot on roads and at bus and train stations.

roxywatson001

November 23rd, 2011, 08:38 AM

Hello Guys,

Neazealand Film Industry growing day by day from Aukhland, Willington. Most hit movies King Kong and its all parts made by nz film industry.
_____________________

Watch Boy Meets World (http://www.watch-boy-meets-world-online.ch/) and i love lucy episodes (http://www.watch-i-love-lucy-online.ch/) totally free without any interruption.

SYDNEY

December 5th, 2011, 03:16 AM

Auckland scores blockbuster film project

A post-World War II epic set in Japan is set to start filming in Henderson next month. Auckland Council Investments Limited confirmed today that US production Emperor will be filmed at Auckland Film Studios - the largest production lot in the country. The historical drama, set in 1945, follows a US army general charged with deciding whether Japan's emperor should be tried and hanged for war crimes. Interwoven with the political thriller is the general's love affair with a Japanese student.

Casting is still to be confirmed with an Academy Award-winning actor reportedly close to being finalised for a part. Emperor - the working title for the film - will be directed by Peter Webber, best known for his screen adaptation of Girl with a Pearl Earring starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. Two days of filming will take place in Wellington and some scenes will be shot in Japan. The movie is the first major production secured by Auckland Council Investments Limited since it gained a 100 per cent shareholding in the studios in August.

Chief executive of the council-controlled organisation Gary Swift describes the deal as a "major coup" allowing the studios to develop their foothold in the country's film industry. "The film will create many jobs locally and will pump money into the domestic economy." New Zealand was chosen for filming as the southern hemisphere summer fits with the movie's release schedule. Webber says apart from himself and the film's producers the rest of the crew will be New Zealanders.

It will be produced by Yoko Narahashi (The Last Samurai), Gary Foster (Ghost Rider, Sleepless in Seattle, The Soloist), Eugene Nomura (Tajomaru, Surely Some Day) and Russ Krasnoff (The Soloist). Auckland Film Studios includes five sound stages and 5251 square metres of studio floor space. It has previously been used to film The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Xena: Warrior Princess. Dividends from the Auckland Film Studios are returned to Auckland Council.

SYDNEY

December 19th, 2011, 04:44 AM

New Zealand named as one of the world's top film locations

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5289/5247642674_92d47ccea5_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/memnochsp/5247642674/)
Gollum (http://www.flickr.com/photos/memnochsp/5247642674/) by Memnochsp (http://www.flickr.com/people/memnochsp/), on Flickr

New Zealand has been named as one of the "Top Ten Filming Locations in the Universe" by United States movie magazine P3 Update in its December issue. New Zealand and Canada were the only two countries individually named in a list comprising the United Kingdom and several states of the USA. Film New Zealand chief executive Gisella Carr said the accolade was a tribute to the hard work of the country's industry and was also an incentive to invest in our talent.

"Given the current economic climate, it's especially pleasing to see that New Zealand is an economically viable and desirable location for large budget international productions." Next year was already shaping up to be a big one for the New Zealand screen industry with Peter Webber's Emperor starting filming in January, The Hobbit continuing to film (with Wellington hosting the world premiere in November) and the Jane Campion mini-series Top of the Lake filming in Queenstown late in the year, she said.

"These films aren't even scratching the surface of the many ways New Zealand is contributing to the international screen industry and boosting our local economy. "Our production and post-production industries continue to grow and build upon success in previous years with international productions like Tintin, Avatar, Yogi Bear, and Spartacus all made here alongside successful local films such as Boy and The Orator.

SYDNEY

December 21st, 2011, 09:14 PM

First trailer for The Hobbit released ....

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SYDNEY

January 9th, 2012, 09:09 PM

Auckland wows Bollywood critics

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Bollywood critics have hailed the Auckland backdrop in new film The Players and they were full of praise for the New Zealand setting. A superstar-rich Bollywood movie shot in Auckland and Wellington last year has been savaged by India's critics, but Auckland's starring role in the film is expected to bring thousands of tourists here. There are aerial shots of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the Sky Tower, as well as a car chase involving three Minis along the platform at Auckland's Britomart station - and oddly, a car chase along the runway at Wellington airport. With some scenes filmed in Ponsonby, Players is expected to send thousands of Indian tourists to New Zealand - to look at what most Aucklanders would see as an average bungalow.

Despite its poor reviews, Players will win big audiences because of its stars - Abhishek Bachchan, supported by Sonam Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Neil Nitin Mukesh. It is Bollywood's take on Hollywood's The Italian Job - the 1969 film with Michael Caine and the 2003 Mark Wahlberg remake. It premiered in Dubai over the weekend with the Times of India critics saying the movie failed to impress with banal dialogues. It blasted the car chase scenes, saying they were slapstick and convoluted. It says the film "ably captures the untouched locales of Russia and New Zealand". The Hindustan Times compiled other reviews and summed them up saying Players is "high on style, low on content, and slow in execution". Digital Spy, a UK entertainment site, was critical of the clichés in the movie. "The film does have its redeeming features and is well-shot, with good aerial sequences over New Zealand...

"While the filmmakers have pulled out all the stops with high speed trains, car chases and helicopters and the cast too have [sic] endured sub-zero temperatures to turn into action heroes (and Bipasha Basu in a bikini) - all this is simply not enough to compensate for the lacklustre performances from the entire ensemble." A decade ago, two major Bollywood movies were filmed in the South Island - Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon (Crazy for Love) and Kaho Na Pyar Hai (Say you love me) - and drew, Lord of the Rings alike, thousands of Indian movie fans to Queenstown, Christchurch and the Mackenzie Plains.

SYDNEY

January 22nd, 2012, 03:35 AM

Lights, camera and lots of film action this year

Watch out Jolie, there's a new Angelina in town. She's 10 years old and is frontrunner for a lead role in The Weight of Elephants, a feature film about to begin production. Angelina Cottrell has played extras before - on Shortland Street and in commercials - so a feature film is a big step. But if all goes well she could be following in the steps of some other famous New Zealand stars who started out as youngsters on set such as Anna Paquin, Anna Hutchinson and Keisha Castle-Hughes. The film industry is eyeing up boom times in 2012 as big productions head to New Zealand after a lean and mean recession.

Film Auckland executive manager Michael Brook said this summer he'd been issuing about 40 to 45 permits each week, noticeably more than last year, and that was just for filming in public spaces - productions also filmed on private land. Brook said screen industries should add more than $2.1 billion to New Zealand's economy this year. Among the major confirmed productions in New Zealand this year would be the Hobbit films in Wellington and Emperor in Auckland, starring Matthew Fox and Tommy Lee Jones. Meanwhile, Mt Roskill Primary School pupil Angelina is up for the challenge of a big role although she did admit to getting nervous.

"I'm not really scared of the camera, just the whole prospect of doing something that could be in the cinema and seen by millions of people," she said. Filming would start in March in Southland. It's based on an Australian novel about some children who disappear. Angelina said that at first learning lines was tricky, but it became easier over time. "It's quite fun. Sometimes it's a bit tiring because they have to do the scene over and over again," she said. For now, the best thing about acting was it was such fun. Her mum Barbara Peterson said every day Angelina came back from the studio "alive and happy" and buzzing from the experience. "She loves it."

Peterson was an extra and Angelina became involved because she thought it might be something mother and daughter could enjoy doing together. "I like to get her to challenge herself," said Peterson, but when the script came along, it was Angelina's decision whether she pursued the role. And now it would be up to Angelina how far she pursued her talent. But as for whether she'd be famous one day, Angelina was clear: "I hope so." The Weight of Elephants will be the debut feature from Dunedin-born director Daniel Borgman and is co-produced by Leanne Saunders. It is a Danish-New Zealand venture with the majority investment coming from the New Zealand Film Commission, The Danish Film Institute and Film I Vast. Casting has been under way for six months.

SYDNEY

February 1st, 2012, 05:36 AM

James Cameron moving to New Zealand

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4035/4641578022_353e113afe_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/50093380@N06/4641578022/)
James Cameron (http://www.flickr.com/photos/50093380@N06/4641578022/) by oxana_n (http://www.flickr.com/people/50093380@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3235/2782247470_4aa2af565a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/flissphil/2782247470/)
Wairarapa hill country, New Zealand, 20 August 2008 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/flissphil/2782247470/) by PhillipC (http://www.flickr.com/people/flissphil/), on Flickr

Hollywood director James Cameron has bought two Wairarapa farms and intends to move to the area with his family. Cameron, whose films include Titanic, Avatar and the first two Terminator movies, has bought the blocks totalling 1066ha Western Lake Road, in south Wairarapa, Overseas Investment Office records show. He bought 817.75ha from Pounui Holdings Ltd, owned by William and Annette Shaw, and a further 248.94ha from the Rob and Heather McCreary Trust, whose trustees are listed as Allan Walter Newman, Heather Marion McCreary and Thomas Rob McCreary. "James F Cameron and his family intend to reside indefinitely in New Zealand and are acquiring the property to reside on and operate as a working farm,'' the records of each property said. It was not known how much Cameron paid for the properties.

SYDNEY

February 1st, 2012, 09:42 AM

The Hobbit Production Video # 5

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Indictable

February 2nd, 2012, 08:50 PM

I understand Mr Cameron wants a working farm, but could his move lure even more Hollywood producers to film on this beautiful land? Hope so!

SYDNEY

February 2nd, 2012, 09:14 PM

I understand Mr Cameron wants a working farm, but could his move lure even more Hollywood producers to film on this beautiful land? Hope so!

After working with Jackson on TinTin, Spielberg has said that he wants to make more movies in NZ - I would think that it is very probable :colgate:

Cameron starts filming Avatar 2 here in NZ by the middle of the year :cheers:

Blah

February 2nd, 2012, 09:58 PM

WETA really is a goldmine for NZ. Peter Jackson definitely deserved his knighthood.

GI_Joint

February 3rd, 2012, 04:12 AM

James Cameron: I fell in love with NZ
In a statement issued today through his Hollywood lawyer, Cameron said it was love at first sight.

"I fell in love with New Zealand on a visit in 1994, and vowed to live here someday.

"Now that dream is becoming a reality."

His family particularly enjoyed "the rugged landscape and the spirit +
of the people", and were looking forward to becoming resident on their new farm.

''I grew up working on my grandfather's farm in Canada and my wife Suzy's family own a farm in Oklahoma.

''We want to raise our kids with the values we had when we were growing up, close to the land and with a strong work ethic.

''We hope we will be accepted as good neighbours and good members of the community in South Wairarapa.''
It's one hell of a boost for the Wellington region and the NZ film industry. Peter Jackson lives in the same area and Cameron will be a 90 minute drive or 10 minute chopper ride to these...
http://www.wetafx.co.nz/site/img/sister-companies-graphic.jpg
Avatar was awesome for the local economy, I think there were 1500 people working on it at its peak, no doubt Avatar 2 should it get made here(There were rumors awhile back of Cameron and co making it in a new facility in LA) will be huge.

Milan Luka

February 7th, 2012, 09:44 PM

Absolutely. All this despite the high dollar.

If anyone from Hollywood was going to relocate here you would want it to be Cameron. (Well after Spielberg maybe). High profile, massive ego, only interested in 'big' projects. His arrival and commitment to NZ will further strengthen the local industry.

Here's hoping he's allowed to get on and do what he does without interference.

IThomas

February 9th, 2012, 02:14 PM

NZ's international screen accolades signal bright future
New Zealand's screen industry's continued international awards success shows local companies are in the vanguard of a changing global industry, says Film New Zealand CEO Gisella Carr. Following on from The Adventures of Tin Tin's recent win of a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film, New Zealand enjoyed further success yesterday at the 10th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards. Weta Digital had an unprecedented 10 nominations, with the New Zealand visual effects company announced winners of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture for Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture for the character Caesar. New Zealand-made productions also claimed success over the weekend at the Annie Awards (commonly known as the animation 'Oscars'). Of the nine New Zealand nominations, two were announced winners at the weekend's awards ceremony. The upcoming BAFTA awards and Oscars also have a number of New Zealand nominations. Film New Zealand CEO Gisella Carr says the slew of wins and nominations clearly demonstrates the outstanding quality of New Zealand filmmakers, as well as underlining the changing nature of the global film industry. "Creative and technological talent will be the key to screen success this century and New Zealand has significant strengths here as shown by these awards and nominations. Beautiful and diverse locations continue to be an important ingredient of the industry, but it is only as good as our talent and we must continue to focus on this." She says the diversity of the nominations is impressive, as is the fact they recognise skills across a broad range of disciplines. "This creative and technological talent is encompassing both enormous feature films involving thousands of people but also increasingly, in the related industry gaming, can also be an individual sitting at home and generating a multi-million dollar property." Ms Carr says New Zealand is also fortunate that people are able to have global careers from home in a way that was unimaginable a generation ago. "Sir Peter Jackson, Bret McKenzie, Rob Tapert, Andrew Adamson, Sir Richard Taylor and </a>Weta Digital are among those operating from a New Zealand base. It is internationalising our industry, with overseas practitioners at the top of their game deciding to base themselves in New Zealand and people who come here to work on international productions deciding to stay." "Internationally New Zealand talent is seen as outstanding in the way we develop and utilise new technologies, in our work practices, and for the significant contribution made to the art of film," says Ms Carr. "This ongoing stream of international screen awards attests to our quality. Our people are up against the best in world here. Just to be nominated is an achievement in itself, and to win something else again. She says the spotlight will continue to be on New Zealand in other upcoming international awards with The Adventures of Tintin nominated in two BAFTA categories, and the Visual Effects on Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Bret McKenzie for his original song Man or Muppet both up for an Oscar.

SYDNEY

February 13th, 2012, 09:02 PM

Auckland’s film industry given vital boost

The future of film production in Auckland has been given a boost with the appointment of a Screen Production Attraction Specialist. Film Auckland Manager, Michael Brook announced today that Harry Harrison will join the organisation fulltime in April, and will play an important role in supporting and growing the film industry in Auckland. “Auckland’s hard working and innovative industry professionals have already contributed $2.1 billion to the local economy in 2010 alone. The creation of this role emphasises our commitment to the continuous growth of Auckland’s screen industry. “We are very fortunate to have Harry on board. His involvement in location scouting and management has already generated economic benefits for Auckland,” says Mr. Brook. As co-founder of a location scouting and management company Red Locations, Harry has been involved with international and local feature films and television dramas.

These include 30 Days of Night, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Spartacus; Blood and Sand, Sione’s II: Unfinished Business and Emperor. Harry has also volunteered a lot of his time to the industry through serving on the Film Auckland Board as well as helping develop protocols and policy in relation to the screen industry. “I am looking forward to working with fellow professionals in the screen industry and those already attracting international business to our shores,” says Mr. Harrison. “There is much potential for further growth of the film industry in Auckland and I am grateful for this opportunity to be part of it,” he says. Film Auckland is part of the Business Sector and Development Group in Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED). Originally from Scotland Harry settled in New Zealand in 2000. He has a Masters Degree in Social Anthropology from London School of Economics and Political Science as well as a background in Project Management that has seen him work in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and India.

greenwelly

February 13th, 2012, 09:32 PM

The creation of this role emphasises our commitment to the continuous growth of Auckland’s screen industry.

You have got to love the unabashed enthusiasm, but Auckland's film sector is currently struggling.

In 2011 both the main studio complexes essentially went under, with one being bailed out by the Auckland Council.

The expansion that happened for Narnia has not been followed up with films of a similar size, and there is a huge over capacity with regard to studio space at the moment.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10724158 (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10724158)

GI_Joint

February 13th, 2012, 11:55 PM

I think the last Narnia or last two in the trilogy went offshore.

SYDNEY

February 14th, 2012, 02:17 AM

cambennett

February 14th, 2012, 02:27 AM

huge over capacity with regard to studio space at the moment.

The article you linked to says the exact opposite to this:

Producer Murray Francis said Auckland's lack of studios was already preventing international business from coming to New Zealand.

"To call yourself a studio you need to have at least four [studios], and that's what we need in Auckland right now to attract major funding and major American productions," Francis said.

"The lack of studios is taking a lot of business away from New Zealand."

GI_Joint

February 14th, 2012, 06:23 AM

I am sure that Emperor (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6088310/Cameras-set-to-roll-on-NZs-largest-production-lot) is going to be bigger than Narnia. Spartacus has also been good as all 3 seasons have been filmed in Auckland and I am sure that should there be a 4th season it will also be filmed here. Things can only get better by appointing a Screen Production Attraction Specialist - let's at least hope so.

Bigger than Narnia in what way? production? budget? appeal? how?
Narnia 1 made in Aucks, had a 180 million dollar budget and grossed close to 750 million world wide..it was a big production.
I reckon Auckland's current strength lies with its many international and monopoly of local Television productions like Spartacus, Legend of the Seeker etc

deepred

February 14th, 2012, 07:41 AM

The article you linked to says the exact opposite to this:

In the meantime, TVNZ's abandonment of Avalon Studios in Wellington leaves a big surplus in facilities.

GI_Joint

February 14th, 2012, 09:16 AM

I really hope someone buys up Avalon and makes good use of it since TVNZ ditched it. It's a large well equipped complex. The potential...
http://www.abu.org.my/images/articles/TVNZ_Avalon_studio2_250.jpg
Avalon’s purpose built studios are supported by an extensive and well designed infrastructure that will enhance your working environment and help to achieve the very best from your cast and crew.

The studios, production offices and support facilities are all housed under one roof making for safe, secure and comfortable working conditions.

The talent dressing rooms all have showers and changing areas and are positioned close to the studios, make-up positions and wardrobe. There are cast and crew dressing rooms and changing areas for extras. The green rooms have direct access to the studios and are large and comfortable.

The set build and construction areas are immediately adjacent to the studio entrances with direct under cover vehicle access from the loading bays. The paint spray shop is in a bay off the main set construction area and close to the prop store.

Within the complex are a range of cutting rooms as well as track laying facilities and

there is access to a large viewing theatre within the TVNZ archive that can be used for watching dailies.

The back lot is suitable for building large green screens and provides the opportunity to shoot natural light sequences without leaving the complex. There is also a water reservoir that doubles as a wet stage.

You’ll find within the complex a cafeteria as well as plenty of space on the back lot to bring in your own location caterers when necessary.

And if you need to fly talent to and from the studios or to locations there is a licensed helicopter pad on site.

But most important of all at Avalon you will enjoy high quality production that will be evident and identifiable on screen and the service and support from our dedicated staff will ensure your stay with us is hassle free and you can concentrate on ”film” making.

:ohno:

KiwiRob

February 14th, 2012, 07:07 PM

Why did TVNZ ditch Avalon and what/where are the facilities they have replaced it with?

greenwelly

February 14th, 2012, 08:56 PM

Why did TVNZ ditch Avalon and what/where are the facilities they have replaced it with?
'Cause they only had one regular show being produced there,

They have moved all production to the mothership in Auckland

http://www.warrenandmahoney.com/en/portfolio/tvnz-television-network-centre/

GI_Joint

February 14th, 2012, 10:54 PM

Why did TVNZ ditch Avalon and what/where are the facilities they have replaced it with?
Over the years TVNZ have been moving its productions to Auckland. As more shows left, maintaining all that 23,000 square metres of largely unused space was costing a few million a year, so the studios are up for sale in 2013, completing TVNZs full shift north.

GI_Joint

February 18th, 2012, 02:05 AM

Banking on return of blue magic
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h58DRnMe8bw/TUOrJ5lUOUI/AAAAAAAAAIA/5h36XSZrN_s/s1600/dances-with-wolves-avatar.jpg
Sir Peter Jackson's Weta Digital is expecting that film director James Cameron will make Avatar 2 and 3 in Wellington, film industry sources say.

It is a job that could be worth hundreds of millions and employ hundreds of people for several years but it is not yet a done deal.

Confidence that Cameron would choose Weta and Wellington again to make Avatar 2 and 3 rose when the director recently bought two farms in the Wairarapa.

Cameron having a base here is seen as a "positive" sign that his decision will favour Weta. He has expressed a desire to shoot the sequels here but a decision is yet to be announced by his company Lightstorm Entertainment.

About $362 million was spent in New Zealand making the first Avatar 3-D film, employing hundreds of digital animators in Wellington for years on the complex computer-generated images.

Avatar employed more than 1500 people in New Zealand and injected about $100m into the Wellington economy alone. As well as the digital animation, Weta did the conceptual design, specialty costumes, props and weapons for the film.

Two Weta sources said they hoped Wellington would be picked. "Fingers crossed," one highly placed source said.

The other said Cameron's move to the farm, which is about 15 to 20 minutes by helicopter from Weta's base near Wellington airport, gave greater confidence.

Film Wellington manager Delia Shanly said they had heard the rumours of Avatar sequels being made in Wellington, but there was nothing concrete.

"It would be absolutely amazing to have them back here," she said. "It put so many millions into the Wellington and New Zealand economy. It would just be amazing (to get parts 2 and 3)."

While Cameron's decision to buy a farm here did not make the decision a certainty, "it is not unpromising – it is a very good sign".

In another good sign for Weta, US director Steven Spielberg this week confirmed that Peter Jackson would direct the second Tintin movie in a planned trilogy. Spielberg said Jackson would go into production on the Tintin sequel as soon as he finishes work on The Hobbit films.

Released last year, the first Tintin film has already made US$371m worldwide.

Avatar also got $52m in tax breaks from Kiwi taxpayers despite it becoming the biggest selling movie of all time, making more than US$2.8 billion for Twentieth Century Fox studios.

That is part of Fox Entertainment Group, in turn owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.

In the 2010 June year, Twentieth Century Fox made a US$1.35b profit on the back of Avatar and Ice Age. Some estimates put Avatar's absolute profits for Fox at more than US$1.15 billion, even more profitable than Cameron's other blockbuster, Titanic.

Shanly said the tax breaks were vital for the film sector to attract filmmakers to New Zealand.

New Zealand was also attractive for non-unionised labour and skilled staff at companies.

"If we didn't have a 15 per cent tax break we wouldn't even begin a conversation with these [overseas] film makers," she said.

New Zealand was never going to be the $2 Shop of film making and should not try to be a cheap destination.

But people like Cameron were attracted here by highly skilled people who can deliver.

"We have a huge reputation for our talent and they can make something happen, even it has never been done before," Shanly said.

Part of the production of Avatar was based in Wellington, including the world-class facilities at Stone Street Studios, Weta Workshop and Weta Digital. The three groups are jointly owned by Sir Peter Jackson, Sir Richard Taylor and Jamie Selkirk.

There was also live action shooting in other parts of the city for Avatar.

The film was seen as a technological breakthrough by Weta Digital, following on from the visual effects work in Jackson's King Kong and The Lord of the Rings films.

For Avatar, Weta used high definition video cameras attached to an actor's face to capture highly realistic facial animation for the characters in the science fiction film.

The fact that Weta had delivered in the first Avatar and helped make Cameron pots of money were seen as factors in Wellington's favour.

Making the sequels would also add to the continuity of the movies and maintain Cameron's vision for the world of Avatar, set on the fictional planet Pandora.

It would also slot in nicely to the Weta work schedule, after the two Hobbit films are completed during the next two years. However, Wellington could be over-ruled by a producer who was looking at the bottom line, possibly seeking bigger tax breaks elsewhere.

Fox did not respond to requests for comment about Avatar.

Reports last year also cast some doubt about a return to Wellington for the Avatar sequels.

Cameron and his team have moved to the MBS Media Campus in Hollywood where Pirates of the Caribbean and Iron Man were made. Avatar producer Jon Landau said in June last year that the campus would be the "heart of the next two Avatars".

But at the time Weta boss Joe Letteri said Wellington was still in the running for Avatar 2 and 3, and that Cameron had visited Weta to discuss its possible involvement. MBS Media could be used for performance capture with other work done in Wellington.

WETA is the second largest digital animation company in the world, just behind US giant Pixar, with about 900 staff now working on two Hobbit movies and visual effects for Superman – Man of Steel.

The first Hobbit film should be finished at the end of this year and the second the year after. The Superman film is slated for 2013, as well as another film, Elysium, with Weta doing work on conceptual designs and physical effects.

Elysium is another science fiction film set on a planet in the distant future, written and directed by Neill Blomkamp, who also directed District 9. Elysium stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and the main production is being done in Canada.

The follow-up Avatar movies are expected to be shot back to back and released in December 2014 and 2015 respectively, according to reports last year which quoted Cameron saying he was working on the two scripts.

However, the first film was long delayed and some international references suggest Avatar 2 will come out in 2016, not 2014.

Given the huge amount of work and time taken to produce the first Avatar film a decision on where to make it could be made in coming months.

The first Avatar is the biggest selling movie of all time, unadjusted for inflation, making about US$2.8 billion worldwide. Cameron's Titanic, made in 1997, grossed US$1.8 billion, at the time also the biggest selling movie.

Despite the huge success of Avatar, which earned US$350m for Cameron alone, New Zealand taxpayers kicked in almost $53m to make it.

Avatar received a total of $52.9 million from the Large Budget Screen Production Grant based on qualifying spending of $362.8m, according to Film Commission figures.

The grant was given to the film production company 880 Productions, part of the Fox studios empire.

Weta Digital's Letteri was travelling overseas and could not be reached for comment.

A Weta spokesman in Wellington said there was "not much we can say". The decision was up to Cameron's production company: "They have all the cards."

Letteri is expected to attend the Oscars on February 26, where he is nominated for a Visual Effects award for work on Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

It is the sixth Oscar nomination for Letteri, who was also won the award for Avatar in 2009 and King Kong as well as two Lord of the Rings films by Jackson. He was nominated but did not win for I, Robot.

Meanwhile, Shanly said having Cameron living in New Zealand would bring the film world closer to Wellington, given his international connections.

The first Avatar film did not involve much location shooting – most work was done in a studio.

Avatar was "the most prominent film in the Western world, so having that based in Wellington, showed that Wellington could perform" Shanly said.

It was the first major international film done in Wellington that was not made by Jackson.

Cameron was a director at the top of his creative game who had chosen Weta to create a "ground-breaking" vision of the science fiction world of Pandora.

"He chose Wellington. That is a real stamp of approval," Shanly said.

"And Wellington did it extremely successfully."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/6439885/Banking-on-return-of-blue-magic

SYDNEY

February 28th, 2012, 10:42 PM

Bret McKenzie wins Oscar

Bret McKenzie has won an Oscar for his original song Man or Muppet in The Muppets film. The sweet comic duet was sung by Jason Segel and his Muppet brother in the film, the first big-screen adventure in 12 years for Kermit the frog and company. McKenzie, one half of comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, was musical supervisor on The Muppets, a role that involved overseeing the songs on the film and writing three himself. Earlier Muppet flicks had been nominated for four music Oscars but lost each time, including the song prize for The Rainbow Connection, Kermit's signature tune from 1979's The Muppet Movie.

''I grew up in New Zealand watching the Muppets on TV. I never dreamed I'd get to work with them,'' said Wellingtonian McKenzie,'' and joked about meeting Kermit for the first time. ''Like many stars here tonight, he's a lot shorter in real life.'' He thanked his two children and wife Hannah Clarke, who was at the awards and wearing Kiwi label Zambesi. His parents were also mentioned for "never telling me to get a real job".

SYDNEY

March 2nd, 2012, 07:34 AM

Scale of Hobbit shoot revealed | The Hobbit Production Video #6

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On set in New Zealand for the filming of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, the massive scale of The Hobbit production has been revealed in Sir Peter Jackson's latest on-set video. The video, posted this morning on Facebook, also promotes New Zealand tourism with a large portion of the comments posted raving about New Zealand's scenery. In the video Sir Ian McKellen - who plays the wizard Gandalf - says New Zealand is shown at its ''spectacular best". "Don't feel sorry for actors leaving home for seven-and-a-half weeks. We are very, very well looked after.'' The catering team estimated 100kg of meat was cooked each day for crew on location, and up to 300 coffees were made each morning. On location in Central Otago up to 10 helicopters were in the area ferrying cast, crew, gear and food to remote mountain top locations, as well as doing aerial shooting.

Near Turoa ski field on Mt Ruapehu a massive elevated structure was built so the crew did not damage vegetation. And in Pelorus Bridge, between Blenheim and Nelson, the river was bridged to film the dwarves travelling down the river in barrels. But at the last minute the whole set-up had to be dismantled when police warned of severe weather coming on the notoriously fast-rising river. "I have never see a crew pack up their gear so fast,'' Jackson said. The next day the whole area they had been shooting in was under water. Two crews were criss-crossing the country doing the location filming and met half way, celebrating with a day 127 "half-way hoodie". The shoot has now returned to Miramar in Wellington for the final 100 days of shooting.

SYDNEY

March 6th, 2012, 05:33 AM

The Rock's godly new role

http://www.iballer.com/wallpaper/celebs/h_j/johnson/images/johnson1_1024x768_jpg.jpg

New Zealand will once again be the home of Hercules, but this time it's a pro-wrestler and not Kevin Sorbo in the legendary role. According to entertainment website Variety, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be returning to the country he grew up in to star in the blockbuster based on the comic book Hercules: The Thracian War. Directed by Brett Ratner, the film will start shooting in October. The Samoan star Johnson was born in California but lived with his mother's family in Auckland as a child. He attended Richmond Road Primary School in Ponsonby before returning to his native America. He started his career as a pro-wrestler before going on to star in huge Hollywood films The Mummy Returns, Fast Five and more recently Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.

SYDNEY

March 17th, 2012, 10:25 PM

The Emperor: Whenuapai goes Hollywood

http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/201212/SCCZEN_16032012HOSDSEMPEROR23_460x230.jpg

Tommy Lee Jones strides past, the very image of his character, General Douglas MacArthur. A plucky RNZAF flight lieutenant asks if he would like to join the air force. "Not yours," he drawls. The two Hollywood stars have maintained a low profile while shooting the World War II drama The Emperor in New Zealand. But yesterday, the Herald on Sunday was given exclusive access to the big-budget production. Nearly 300 extras, plus dozens of crew members, were on location at Whenuapai Air Base in West Auckland as they recreated General MacArthur's arrival in Japan at the end of Word War II. In a break from filming, Fox, who plays Japanese expert General Bonner Fellers, says he has been "pretty slammed with work" during his two-month stay, though he did manage to get a few days off while his wife Margherita Ronchi and two children Kyle and Byron were here.

"We went to Piha and it was frickin' fantastic. We had such a nice weekend there. We spent the entire time in the water. The kids spent six years in Hawaii when I was working on Lost so for them to get back in the surf was awesome, we had such a blast." The family have gone home to Oregon and Fox says he is desperate to join them when filming ends next week. "I'm really excited to go home. It's so hard for me being away from the three most important people in the world to me." In the meantime, he has been indulging his love of wine - and has taken a particular liking to Waiheke Island's Destiny Bay vineyard. He visited the winery last weekend and met owners the Spratt family.

Fox says most fans recognise him as Jack out of epic TV fantasy Lost. "But honestly, I don't get recognised most of the time. I try to keep a low profile." Today, the famously gruff Jones is off-limits for interviews. But he mingles freely with the crew, standing in line for lunch and sitting down to eat with co-workers. Jones came to New Zealand with wife Dawn Laurel, and the couple flew to Queenstown for a sightseeing trip last weekend. Jones has a special connection with the country: his eldest son Austin was born here in 1982 while he was filming pirate film Nate and Hayes. Kiwi producer Tim Coddington worked on that film with Jones. "I remember feeling sorry for Tommy at the time, having his first-born son while he was filming," Coddington says.

The cast and extras spent up to 18 hours on set yesterday as Whenuapai was turned into Atsugi Airfield in Japan, where MacArthur arrived in August, 1945, to accept the Japanese surrender. The production team had earlier turned Southdown Freezing Works into war-ravaged Tokyo. Director Peter Webber, whose credits include The Girl With the Pearl Earring, says it is a great showcase for New Zealand filmmaking. The Kiwi-dominated crew has brought a refreshing "can-do" attitude. "In some countries you get this thing where people are a bit like 'oh that's not my department' but here everyone mucks in." The film deals with whether Japan's wartime ruler, Emperor Hirohito, should be tried and hanged as a war criminal - a subject that Webber says still resonates today. "The Americans dealt with this in 1945 - I would argue with more intelligence than the situation was handled in Iraq. Japan rose from the ashes and the rubble and became a world power."

IThomas

March 22nd, 2012, 07:38 PM

New Zealand fears competition with low cost and trembles
New Zealand, an important center for the global film industry, may soon lose palatability, in favor of other cheaper locations.
Wellington has an international business location in the map of the world's most popular film. Apart from the breathtaking scenery and unspoiled nature, the ocean country, and its capital in the first place, they also offer advanced logistics facilities for the production of action movies and cartoons. Weta Digital (special effects), Weta Workshop (costumes and sets) and the Stone Street Studios, belonging to Jackson, the award-winning magician tricks and costumes by Richard Taylor and Jamie Selkirk, have won major contracts in the special effects in film success, such as X-Men, The Chronicles of Narnia, Gulliver's Travels and the remake of A-Team. Weta Digital is now the second most important group of digital animation in the world after the U.S. Pixar.
The enigma Avatar - This hard-won record, however, could easily be lost as more and more countries seek to attract large film productions, promising favorable conditions, and spent, low labor costs. By the time Steven Spielberg confirmed that the second film of Tin Tin, probably to be followed by a third party, will be directed by Jackson. Filming will begin as soon as the Kiwi director has finished production of The Hobbit, the film based on the novel by Tolkien sees Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman among its performers and will be inaugurated next November in Wellington. Projected in theaters last year, the first cinematic adventure of Tin Tin, entitled The Secret of the Unicorn, has so far grossed $ 371 million worldwide and the second episode promises to be another hit.
Despite the confirmation of Steven Spielberg and the contract to provide special effects to the new movie Superman-Man of Steel, the Kiwi film industry trembles for the possible loss of what promises to be a new box office success. The stakes are high. More than 360 million New Zealand dollars were spent in New Zealand (of which at least 100 in the city of Wellington) and 1500 people were employed in the production of the first episode of Avatar, James Cameron's sci-fi blockbuster, which tore up the record profits recorded by the Titanic. Hundreds of animators have worked for years on complex computer-generated images. The Weta team has also produced the conceptual design, costumes, weapons and equipment for the film ecologist.
Avatar was an important film for the film industry downunder because it was the first big international success, to have been produced entirely in New Zealand, apart from the films of Jackson, however, were playing at home. Now in Wellington is feared that the Lightstorm Entertainment, the company Cameron, Avatar chooses to turn two three beyond, in a low cost of the new film meccas. A decision that it would deal a serious blow to New Zealand after the Twenty Century Fox, which produced the first Avatar, reported profits of 1.35 billion U.S. dollars (thanks to Avatar and Ice Age cartoon ) and has been assigned tax rebates for over $ 53 million from the Government of New Zealand kiwi.
Tax - The Large Budget Screen Production According to Grant (LBSPG), in fact, the film productions that spend more than 15 million NZ dollars in the southern country, can access contributions equal to 15% of costs carried out. Since 2007, the grants were extended to films that take place only post-production work, or visual effects and digital at a cost ranging from 3 to 15 million dollars. "We enjoy a great reputation around the world - Delia says Shanley, manager of the Wellington Film - for the talent of our engineers in the field of special effects and film production." Without these facilities, Shanley admits, however, the big American studios would never come close to New Zealand. Since 2003 the Government of Wellington has paid 189.4 million dollars to foreign productions. Efforts that have contributed to the generation for the local film production, foreign profits to 542 million dollars in 2009 alone, placing the country third in the world after Canada and Britain in this business.
Competition - Many countries have sniffed out the deal and are now put on the market with competitive packages. South Korea, for instance, recently announced it would invest $ 178 million U.S. computer graphics industry, with a focus on 3D technology, in a clear attempt to tap into a highly profitable business, revived by their avatar. Tax incentives have also been promised by the State of California, has announced that claims for at least 20% of costs, and that of Florida in recent days launched a fiscal stimulus package by the value of 300 million dollars for various industries, that of 'entertainment included. Many U.S. states are preparing similar packages to bring the film industry within the U.S. borders, after the mass exodus in recent years due to high domestic production costs. Other countries are at the forefront of Canada, the Czech Republic, Ireland and Mexico.
Breath - The news that Cameron has bought a farm in the Wairarapa region, a ten-minute helicopter flight from the roofs of Jackson's Weta, has made many think that the brilliant American director will rely more on talent from New Zealand for his works. At the same time, however, Cameron and his team have moved their place of work in the MBS Media Campus in Hollywood which produced such films as Pirates of the Caribbean, and Iron Man The New Zealand remains in suspense.

SYDNEY

April 2nd, 2012, 09:47 PM

NZ $3 billion screen industry soaring

Thirty-five feature films were made in New Zealand in the 2011 year, according to a Statistics New Zealand survey. The survey, covering the 12 months to March 31 last year, reflects the ebb and flow of the screen industry economy, with overall turnover including advertising up 4 per cent to $2.99 billion. The figures show how the film business is focused on activity in Wellington attached to Sir Peter Jackson's interests, including his post-production house and Weta Workshop. The period covered would have included preliminary work on The Hobbit. Figures represent economic activity as a whole rather than success for individual companies, and do not include detail about individual screen projects. They do incorporate more than $200 million of state grants and subsidies for both the film and television production industry, as well as advertising production and sale of television time and subscriptions to pay television.

Total broadcasting industry revenue - including free-to-air and pay TV subscriptions - was up 7 per cent to $1.26 billion. That represents 40 per cent of the gross revenue for the whole screen industry. On a smaller scale, cinema exhibition revenue was up 6 per cent to $163 million, largely due to the higher charges on tickets for 3D movies. "These figures highlight the determination of those making local films and working on international productions to make great movies," says New Zealand Film Commission chief executive Graeme Mason. "It also emphasises the importance of the sector's contribution to the New Zealand economy." The survey shows fewer businesses were taking part in the industry but 180 earned over $1 million a year - 18 more than in 2010.

The majority of these businesses are in the production or post-production sectors. The film industry in Auckland has sought to define screen industry activity as being based here. But regional data in the survey continued to define Auckland as the base for broadcasting and television production, while Wellington was the main base for film. Auckland-based businesses that took part in the screen survey increased gross revenue by $135 million to $2.3 billion in 2011. The vast majority of revenue for Wellington-based screen industry businesses was in feature film work, which overall was worth more than $500 million in 2011. Revenue for South Island-based businesses rose 17 per cent to $91 million, with most of the growth from increases in production and post-production.

SYDNEY

April 12th, 2012, 10:53 PM

Hobbit 'bigger than cup' for tourism

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/7034455725_b7147f6b4e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7034455725/)
30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7034455725/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

The big-screen exploits of Bilbo Baggins and a gang of dwarves are an "extraordinary opportunity" for tourism and will draw more people to New Zealand than the Rugby World Cup ever could, says the architect of the 100 per cent Pure campaign. George Hickton said the The Hobbit films would generate more money and overseas interest than the All Blacks' win, and urged New Zealand businesses to do everything - including getting staff to "put on hairy feet" - to attract tourists. He said The Hobbit's effect would be even bigger than The Lord of the Rings films. "One of the things we have to do is get to understand the psyche of people who want to come and see it," he told a meeting of tourism figures in Hamilton yesterday. "This is bigger than last time. You need to be actively aware of what it looks like, what the story is. "You need to talk about Hobbits, put on hairy feet. Do whatever you can to make sure that when people come to this place that you absolutely embrace it, that you 'get it'. "Frodo Baggins is going to be more important to tourism than Daniel Carter kicking off in the Rugby World Cup." Mr Hickton said Waikato businesses were the luckiest in the country with Sir Peter Jackson's Hobbiton film set "just down the road". The set of The Shire, which features 44 "Hobbit holes", was first built on Russell Alexander's farm near Matamata for the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 1999.

Initially it was to be bulldozed but Mr Alexander turned the set into a tourism venture, Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tours. When filming began on the prequels to the trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and There and Back Again, last year, the set was rebuilt using permanent materials and will remain as a tourism drawcard. Mr Hickton said films sparked an emotive response in people, giving them an ongoing relationship with a country, and formed part of the decision-making process to travel there. Statistics showed 80 per cent of Britons who planned a holiday here did so after seeing the film locations on the big screen. Wellington's Weta Cave, a mini-museum joined on to Weta Workshop - the special effects artists behind Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, as well as the biggest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar - attracted 100,000 visitors, 70 per cent of them international, each year. Hobbiton itself, the idyllic home of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, was the "premier" location of all the Middle Earth destinations in New Zealand, and attracted 266,000 people in the past 12 months, a 60 per cent increase because of renewed interest ahead of The Hobbit.

CINEMA TAKINGS

Avatar - $2.7 billion
Titanic - $1.8 billion
Harry Potter - $1.3 billion
Transformers - $1.1 billion
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - $1.1 billion
(Avatar and Return of the King were made in New Zealand.)
Figures in US dollars.