Industry Survey Is More Than Ticking Boxes

Government and public perception of the film and TV industry is largely driven by Statistics New Zealand’s Screen Industry Survey. So while there is no denying that the survey is a drag to complete, filling it in correctly and thoroughly is very important, writes cinematographer and Techos’ Guild Wellington branch chair Richard Bluck.

Following the screen incentives review late last year, much debate was had about Government and public perception of the film and TV sector during industry survival talks. Various reports and papers done prior to the review used Statistics New Zealand’s Screen Industry Survey as the main information source.

The official analysis of the industry by the Ministry of Economic Development in 2012 found the film industry had made a 0.47% contribution to the GDP of NZ and a modest impact on tourism. Treasury did not feel there were net benefits to any changes to the screen incentives. In the UK, on the contrary, a report (The Economic Impact of the UK Film Industry) by Oxford University found there was a significant impact from the film and television industry on the UK’s economic wellbeing.

It seems that most in the NZ film industry disagree with the official statistical analysis of the industry and its contribution to the country.

The Screen Industry Survey is sent annually to all businesses involved in the sector, and it is compulsory to fill it out. It was revealed in the 2012 analysis that there was around a 75% response rate, but as the survey is widely seen as an unwelcome burden, it is often filled in with minimal effort and thought.

Statistics New Zealand’s description of the quality of the survey’s data is as follows:

“As the Screen Industry Survey is a census rather than a sample survey, the data is not subject to sample variability, and there is no sample error. However, other inaccuracies, such as non-sampling errors, may affect the data.

Non-sampling errors occur for reasons such as respondent error, interpretation variations, frame quality, and errors in processing. We impute data for non-respondents, which may introduce errors. While every effort is made to minimise these types of error, they may still occur. We can’t quantify their effect.”

cat our Government’s agencies use to evaluate the industry. We need to ensure the Government has a realistic view of the industry.

If we don’t like the results, then we need to consider whether the survey is designed to show how our industry is working and if it reflects the true nature of the industry. There was talk of commissioning an independent survey which would cost a considerable amount. Perhaps we would be better to work with Statistics New Zealand to redesign the survey to better reflect the industry. Statistics New Zealand provides a respondent advocate service for impartial advice to the government statistician on your behalf (search “respondent advocate” at www.stat.govt.nz).

There are a number of points to consider when filling out the survey. You need to set yourself up to minimise the time required to complete it. Decide whether the figures you are using are GST inclusive or exclusive. Talk with your accountant to establish a system to provide the answers to the questions in your annual accounts. This may mean changing some of your categories so they match the survey’s categories. For example, income is required to be broken down into television, film, commercials, music videos, non-broadcast video, and others such as shorts. You will need to provide the percentage of jobs that you do per category. This is probably not the normal way you do your invoicing, but it is often easier to do it as part of your day-to-day administration rather than at a later stage.

I believe the survey doesn’t reflect the complexity of the relationships we undertake in this industry. It doesn’t recognise the productions that are made for very little money and the work that is often done for no money, such as music videos, short films, and some feature films.

Aside from producing statistics for use by the Government and the community, Statistics NZ also produces specialised papers such as A wider lens: Taking a closer look at employment in the screen industry (which can be found on www.stats.govt.nz).

Remember, it is important to fill in the survey form correctly so accurate figures about the industry are given to the Government.

For more information visit www.stats.govt.nz and select “help for survey participants,” then under the “A-Z of our surveys” choose “screen industry survey.” A copy of the 2013 survey is also available online, or you can email Techos’ Guild executive officer Karla Rodgers for the link.