Auckland's Struggles in Film Industry
Auckland. Ho Hum. Semi-out-of-lockdown, (well, not really in many ways), is left trying to pick up the pieces after 120 odd days under stricter controls than other cities, and with no real sign of changes taking place in a hurry. Although we are now in the ‘traffic light system’ it seems that confusion about what that actually looks like or how it affects many industries is rife, and as we try and navigate our way forward over the ever-changing landscape there are going to be many moments of frustration and discord amongst us. Please be assured that producers are working twice as hard to try and get jobs coming in, and they have multiple headaches and hoops to jump through just to get even the simplest of jobs off the ground. Please try to assist them by making sure your CVs are accessible and up to date, and if you get a booking, please contact the production company as soon as possible to discuss the type of job it will be (vaccination certificates required, or not) and to find out the basic extra requirements such as whether you will be required to get a Covid test prior to call time, when it would be needed, and how it is to be carried out. Gone are the days you can just take a booking and turn up at call time without any fuss. If everyone does their bit we can minimise the pain and inconvenience for all involved.
Auckland seems to have been on the receiving end of more bad news at the last stage of the year, with the recent cancellation of production of Cowboy Beebop, on top of new Auckland Council/Screen Auckland’s announcements of ‘104 Sites and Places of Significance to Mana Whenua listed in the Tamaki Makaurau Auckland Unitary Plan’ potentially restricting some of our commonly used locations we have a much harder job trying to find locations quickly and easily to film at in and around Auckland City. This is because activities as filming at these sites and places will require resource consent, which will result in additional time (that often commercial producers don’t have) and cost implications for the screen sector when using these locations. It is already so difficult for location scouts and managers to work under the current system, so adding more red tape and expense is going to make life near impossible if shooting outside of a studio in Auckland.
Auckland has been bleeding badly this year, and my hope is that we recover as quickly as we did after the first lockdown in 2020. Personally, I’ll be glad to see the back of 2021, and look forward to getting my teeth into 2022, and take on all the challenges it throws our way head on. I wish you all a safe holiday season, and look forward to what the new year brings.
Sioux Macdonald, Guild vice president and executive committee member
