AnnuAl REPORT 10/11 - Grow Wellington

14
Film seCtOR
Grow Wellington conducts most of its
film sector activities under the name Film
Wellington. Film Wellington was delighted by
the great range of significant international
and local projects that it helped attract and
facilitate during 2010/11.
Official figures released by Statistics New Zealand’s
Screen Industry Survey for this period, showed
an increase in Wellington screen businesses gross
revenue - $592 million up from $531 million the
previous year. This was mainly driven by film related
revenue, particularly post production work by
contracting businesses. The gross revenue from this
post-production sector in Wellington dramatically
increased to $411 million up from $244 million
in 2009.
Key international projects that took place in
Wellington included the Bollywood A-list feature film
‘Players’. Line Producer Nirang Desai commented on
the experience in Locations magazine - a publication
distributed to exhibitors and show visitors at the
International Locations Trade Show in Los Angeles
that took place early 2011 (this issue was also sent to
the usual reader base and distributed at the Cannes
Film Festival).
“Players required extensive waterside locations,
involving car and motorbike stunts — the mini action
sequences were inspired after we had seen the
locations, and we did a two-wheeled stunt over the
Frank Kitts Lagoon bridge. As a large part of the story
is about a getaway vehicle going off-road in order to
avoid the authorities and traffic gridlock, Wellington
provided the perfect escape route alongside its
beautiful and accessible harbour. Film Wellington
was fantastic at finding and facilitating locations
and permits.”
Two German/New Zealand co-produced tele-features
also filmed here as part of their popular “Emilie
Richards” series. This series draws six to seven million
viewers per screening in Germany, which is a new
key market for Tourism New Zealand. The production
company GFC shot around the region, showcasing
the beauty of the locations for over two months and
contracting 50 New Zealand crew – plus another 100+
part time roles.
The high profile good news for the whole New
Zealand screen industry was of course that The
Hobbit began production, based in Wellington at
Stone Street Studios.
Wellington production companies also kept
work flowing for local industry including a Lippy
Productions tele-feature about the 1953 Tangiwai
Disaster filmed throughout the Wellington Region.
Tom Scott productions filmed ‘Rage’, a tele-feature
based on the 1981 Springbok tour. The production
decided on the Wellington Region as there were
many possible locations that could double for
Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Christchurch
and obviously the Wellington scenes.
“it’s so easy. the locations are handy,
they’re varied and you can always find
what you’re looking for. the costs are
usually under control (location fees
etc) and therefore make what you want
to do more feasible. Film Wellington is
very film friendly – they have an opendoor
policy and they want to help you
make your film, not create obstacles
and make it more difficult. i’ve based
several productions in Wellington to
date: tom scott’s debut feature film
separation City, our recent tele-feature
Rage, also written and produced by
tom scott and two indian television
commercials.”
Emma Slade, Producer - Rage
Wellington Region’s television commercial sector was
enhanced when local directing ‘dynamic duo’ Mark
& Louis (Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland) joined
the stable at Auckland based international production
house The Sweet Shop. This has already led to them
shooting five television commercials in Wellington.
Local businesses that gained international recognition
this year included HoverLion, a motion graphics and
animation company established in August 2009, by
brothers Ned and Rollo Wenlock. Their U Bank’s U
Saver commercial campaign featured as ‘Pick of the
Week’ on ‘Shots’ internationally respected advertising
website as well as five other major international
industry sites. They also pioneered a new visual
effects technique for a music video, ‘Apache’, for
Australian band Danger Beach. This has received
over 381,000 hits to date on Vimeo alone and is being
referenced by the international industry – which
has resulted in a surge of international work and
enquiries for HoverLion.