Department

This story was originally published on The Spinoff. It was the beginning of July, 2024, and the National Party’s Paul Goldsmith (of Ngāti Epsom fame) was staring down the barrel of a smoking gun. It had just taken the lives…

New Zealand’s first animated feature was a true team effort. This behind-the-scenes documentary reveals how Murray Ball’s beloved comic strip was transformed into a big-screen adventure — with a creative crew, a lot of ambition, and a fair amount of…

More than 40 international filmmakers, producers, and subjects are arriving in Aotearoa for the 20th anniversary of the Doc Edge Festival, with many of their films making world or international premieres. Visiting guests will participate in panels, public Q&As, and…

This week I put on a suit. No ordinary suit. A motion capture suit, in the studios of the Victoria University of Wellington Miramar Creative Centre.  It’s next door to the likes of Weta Digital and Park Road Post, enabling…

It came as no surprise to anyone when the Writers Guild of America West’s 2023 annual financial report showed that television and film writers’ earnings and employment had declined the same year that union members waged a 148-day strike against…

The programme for Big Screen Symposium 2025 is now live, with this year’s event taking place on July 4–5 at the University of Auckland’s City Campus. Now in its 11th year, the symposium brings together filmmakers, producers, writers, and industry…

When I was starting out in film, I always heard the head of the camera department being referred to as either “DoP” (pronounced dee-oh-pea) or “DP” (pronounced dee-pea), both of which are short for director of photography.  As I met more filmmakers, I…