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26 STYLE | report<br />
One Lane Bridge actor,<br />
Dominic Ona-Ariki.<br />
Great Southern TV producer, Phil Smith.<br />
It’s been said by many people that the vast natural beauty of<br />
the South Island looks like one giant film set. Some of the<br />
landscapes and cityscapes are so beautiful they almost look<br />
make-believe. What some studios overseas spend years trying<br />
to create artificially, we have right here in front of our eyes<br />
and under our feet. And it’s catching on.<br />
More and more local and international film and<br />
TV makers are using various parts of the South Island as<br />
the main backdrop for their productions. We offer not<br />
only the scenery, but an increasing pool of remarkable local<br />
industry talent.<br />
The enormously successful Top of the Lake (2013) was<br />
filmed entirely on location in Queenstown and Glenorchy.<br />
The first series took 18 weeks to film, and although<br />
Queenstown is referred to by name in the series, Glenorchy<br />
doubles as the fictitious town of ‘Laketop’. Jane Campion cowrote<br />
and directed the film with some overseas funding and<br />
a mixture of cast and crew from here and overseas. It was a<br />
mystery/ drama series in which the engrossing storyline was<br />
offset by the stunning, eerie landscapes. It’s hard to imagine it<br />
being made so beautifully or successfully anywhere else.<br />
Now, another drama is about to start production in<br />
Queenstown. This one is totally home-grown. It’s called One<br />
Lane Bridge and is the baby of Queenstown-based Phil Smith,<br />
who runs Great Southern TV. Smith describes the series as a<br />
gritty drama with a murderous edge. “It’s down-on-the-farm,<br />
down-to-earth New Zealand telly, no Chablis-swilling urban<br />
folk. Hardcore Speight’s and lamingtons for morning tea.” The<br />
characters talk “real Kiwi” and he wanted it to feel real, not<br />
like a pantomime. “It also has a fascinating spiritual edge that<br />
ekes its way into the story… but that’s all we can say. And<br />
somebody dies.”<br />
Smith had the idea for One Lane Bridge 13 years ago when<br />
he drove over one of 25 one-lane bridges on the West Coast<br />
and thought it a great name for a drama. “Recently we spent<br />
a year developing the drama with Carmen Leonard and Pip<br />
Hall. They added a lot to the series.”<br />
Smith said it’s being shot in his home town of Queenstown<br />
because he always wanted to film something there. He said its<br />
appeal is obvious. “Central [Otago] is stunning, vast, cinematic,<br />
and so the people are also larger than life.” He loves the<br />
diversity in the area, too. “Super rich, super struggling, super<br />
ambitious and super traffic jams. Just super all round!”<br />
Unlike many productions in the area, the cast is a<br />
powerhouse of talented locals. “No tax-break actors where<br />
you suddenly see an Alaskan in a drama and see at the end it<br />
was made in conjunction with the Alaskan Film Development<br />
Tax Office.” The casting announcement released in<br />
September confirmed some top Kiwi talent, including Dominic<br />
Ona-Ariki, Joel Tobeck and Alison Bruce.