Film Production Growth in Wellington

We’ve definitely had worse quarters down here in the winterless south of Te Ika o Maui. There’s been a swag of telefeatures and medium-budget dramas in town. Also, in the last few weeks there have actually been a few proper TVC shoots happening on the streets of our fair Capital (this will come as a surprise to some of our younger readers, who probably thought such things were just stories that old grips and gaffers tell at the back of the truck). In fact, yours truly, having failed to secure a gripping position on any of them, is about to go and relocate a make-up bus the minute I’ve finished writing this. Hey, it’s a gig.

The news out of Avalon is promising, with at least one more medium-budget feature rolling in the next few months, and some smoke signals suggesting there is still more to come. The news is slowly filtering up north that we have the best studio facility in the entire country sitting here, underused, affordable, and ready to hire. Pass it on will ya? Unless you happen to live in Auckland, in which case you’ll probably be ripping this page out and burning it, in case any production managers or producers should read it.

Crew Wellington continues to be busy, and it seems that more and more production companies are using the site now. It’s been two years since we started it, and it feels like our baby is up walking and talking in sentences. With the launch of our sister site Crew Auckland, run by Sioux and the ladies of Filmcrews, there’s the opportunity for some real co-operation and communication between the towns now. We’re looking to roll out a South Island equivalent very soon, which will work closely with Crew Wellington and Crew Auckland. If you’re Queenstown, Christchurch, or Nelson based, and you want to hear more, get in touch with me at info@crewwellington.co.nz.

Graeme Tuckett, Wellington branch committee and executive committee member