Keeping New Zealand as the Filming Destination of Choice - Part II

In the second of a two-part NZTECHO series, sound recordist Ande Schurr continues the conversation with producers Anzak Tindall, Iris Weber and William Grieve about how to keep New Zealand as a top filming destination and what we as an industry can do to help.

In the last issue of NZTECHO, we looked at understanding the importance of international sectors, competitors, quoting quantities, rates, and repeat business. The general feeling is that while most in the industry are aware of the importance of keeping international work coming here, we need more industry-wide collaboration. It’s everyone – including crew, suppliers, councils, government departments, regional film offices, producers, and actors.

Partly it’s a matter of riding out the quieter times but we can’t risk being complacent (other countries offer great locations too) and we should take lessons from places like Sydney, labelled as not film-friendly. Our panel of Joyride Films’ Anzak Tindall, Batch Film’s Iris Weber and Big Pictures’ William Grieve continue the conversation.

What does, and will, turn people off NZ as a filming destination?

Anzak: Strong currency, increasing cost of production, new cheaper location alternatives increasingly coming on stream around the world, hard time zone, immigration (particularly the way the officers treat our guests when they first arrive). And my clients do ask me about the weather. On the bright side we do have all four seasons to take advantage of.

Iris: Immigration and talent work permit issues, not being able to secure the location they are after (i.e. frozen lakes, closing of downtown streets, non-used motorway off-ramps…).

To give you an example of the impact immigration and applying for work permits can have on the industry, I know of two big shoots that didn’t go to Canada because the director had an issue with getting his DoP in on a previous shoot. We know Canada is protective of their technicians. That means two multi-million-dollar jobs did not go to Canada because of that. The director chose a different destination for his shoot. The word in the industry worldwide spreads like wildfire. If someone doesn’t get a work permit or the feeling that coming to NZ and getting a work permit is hard then we as an industry are going to lose out.

Regarding talent, what can have a competitive effect is having NZ talent on these jobs. The amount of jobs that don’t come to NZ for a location, but actually come to shoot in a studio using local talent is increasing. So we rely on a good NZ base of talent. However, if the job is an ongoing campaign or involves dialogue, well of course we have to bring those key cast in.

Every producer would want to use local talent because it’s a big money saver. This simple reality is something that Actors’ Equity does not seem to understand. A bit of trust from their side that we as line producers are acting with the best NZ interest in mind, would go a long way.

Keeping locations accessible now and in the future is an ongoing battle and does require a lot of work. We rely a great deal on Film New Zealand to keep this on a high-priority list.

William: Naturally production companies and their clients are sensitive to any suggestion that they are getting ripped off. This can be from people outside the industry – for example, at a shoot in downtown Auckland we asked a local business if they could please move a for-sale sign (one of many) from a shop window for a few hours early on a Sunday morning. They said yes, for a $1,000 fee! It was only a small thing but that sort of experience leaves a really bad taste.

Because of the short time frames with most commercial productions it is also really important to be able to get decisions on locations quickly. Wellington has shown what can happen when the city embraces the film industry – they can see the benefits for the whole community and they really make film crews feel welcome there.

Getting visas and work permits for off-shore crew and cast has occasionally been an issue when time frames are short. But the Immigration New Zealand service is great at turning around applications really quickly when there is a time pressure. The various guilds – technicians, directors, and producers – can all understand the benefits of bringing in off-shore jobs and are supportive. The only group who don’t seem to quite get it are Actors’ Equity. I am hoping they might have had a bit of a re-think after the reaction they had from the rest of the industry as a result of The Hobbit debacle. After all, none of us are trying to shaft the local actors – we’re trying to bring in more well-paid work for them, and are succeeding in that.

Is a different mental approach needed of crew in New Zealand?

Anzak: Crew don’t necessarily understand their impact on the situation. They say, ‘this is me, I’m worth this, if you want me then pay the money.’ We all have a role to play bringing in work. You can’t just leave it to the line producers. The average $50 rise in day rate on a $500-a-day person is actually a 10% pay-rise. Think about that against what other local industries have had to put up with.

I’m not talking just about crew, but suppliers as well – people like generator hirers as an example. The cost of a generator has gone up in the last few years but then, the cost of living has gone up and people feel justified in doing that and to a certain extent they are.

However, they also have to take stock that the world is not in a pretty place. The UK is suffering, the US is too. Asia is doing better in the world although its markets are smaller.

All this is background to how people should be thinking. The world is in bad financial shape so instead of putting rates up, we should be thinking of holding them in a competitive place or maybe offering some incentives here and there. Then we will get some more work into the country, and it will be good for everybody. They’re always going to come here for all the good things that we have if we price and package it right.

Iris: We in NZ believe that we have the most incredible country and landscape, I also believe we have the most incredible crews too. The thing is one gets complacent and emerging countries have quietly overtaken us. We don’t realise this. The fact that we need to upkeep/improve is not something that is high on our list. We do live in a little bit of a dream world where the locations will be forever and jobs/films will just keep coming in.

Overall our heads are in the sand. The real challenges for us are firstly bringing more and more jobs here and secondly, sorting out smaller issues with Immigration (along with bigger issues with Actors’ Equity and the Department of Conservation).

Crew need to be more proactive in the industry. Be it part of the Techos’ Guild and actually going to a bloody meeting for a change, or going to a meeting of Film Auckland/Wellington/Queenstown/Southland etc and becoming a member. A handful of producers and location scouts are putting a lot of their own time and effort in actually securing the lifeblood of the industry.

There is an incredible amount of work that goes into preserving and opening up locations which might have had a rough patch and trying to soften it up again so that it can be used on a job again in the future. That only works if the industry (crew and suppliers) are more behind it. Our voice is only as powerful as the members are. Crew and suppliers need to go to these meetings and help support the industry as a whole. This is not just a producer’s job. It is part of their business, their success.

What comments can you make about your competitors? Are they experiencing the same problems as you?

Anzak: What I have seen is there are some companies around that have taken the approach where it’s really most important just to win the job. So they quote really low and they basically cut the money right down so they win the job. They don’t actually care if there’s enough money set aside or not. They worry about how they’re going to do it after they win it. So they win the job and during it, they try to increase their budget to a better level where they can actually achieve it by adding on extra charges.

I’ve always taken the approach where I offer a fair price that I think I can achieve the budget and give a good level of service and production value for that money, but lately that’s not been enough to win the job. But you can see why some companies are taking on these poor tactics, they’re trying to survive.

Iris: I spend a lot of time reading about the job, into it and through it. There’s a new tendency here over the last few years from some line production companies to bid very low with the philosophy ‘let’s get the guys here’. Then once they’re here, they get hammered with a little extra for this and a little extra for that. They come in thinking they’re spending $200,000 but they end up spending $300,000.

When this happens repeatedly, it’s damaging the reputation of NZ. It’s a company philosophy and for our company, it’s the wrong philosophy. I believe in being realistic about what it’s going to cost, then putting every effort in to ensure it remains at the price or lower. This, in the long run, will bring people back.

What recommendations do you have to increase work in NZ?

Anzak: On a purely fiscal level, if everyone in the entire industry collectively decided to drop 10% on their rates for a year, it would be interesting to see what the industry stats would be like at the end of that. This is not just about the financial side, though, but a change of attitude in that we’re all doing something for the industry. Without some sort of change of tactics, people are going to fall off and say, "I can’t sustain working in this industry, I have mouths to feed."

I heard someone in Wellington hadn’t done a job for a year. Why? Our heads are in the sand – let’s pull them out and look at what our competitors are doing – and I mean in other countries – and let’s make sure we’re actually offering value and keeping NZ in a prominent position within the international service sector. I think NZ is a very special location, but we have to keep it in perspective that there are other options opening up around the world, and they are becoming more appealing to people. They only have to go there a couple of times before they say something like, "Well, actually, Chile is working okay for me. I am going to keep returning to Chile." Repeat business is where the real money is at.

Iris: Film New Zealand, as an example, is an entity that for years has worked hard on the feature film side of things, and sometimes it would be nice to get recognition again that the line production jobs are the bread and butter and keep a lot of us entertained. Also, a plan from their side as to how they think we can double the number of jobs that come to NZ would be a really good thing to see, and I will keep asking for that. It’s important that we figure out where we’re tripping. We need to keep reminding people of the creative potential, post-production value, and the great crews – not just the locations. For the film side of the industry, a studio would sure go a long way toward getting the big movies to NZ.

William: We just have to keep doing a great job. Overseas clients will pay a bit more and fly further if they are more confident that they will get what they want here than somewhere else. We have great crews here – including a great art department – this is our best competitive advantage. It is also important that clients enjoy themselves. This starts with treating them with respect, no matter what country they are from or how big their budget is. Over the years, there have been many times when we have done quite a small job with someone, but next year they come back with a bigger one. It is also important to look after them off set. The production crew, including runners and drivers, in Queenstown lead the way here – all our clients enjoy shooting there because they just have a great time. They want to come back and do it again.

Final Comments

Anzak: No one wants to be seen to be not doing very well. I have enough work to survive, and I’m still here and I love what I do, so I’m not about to give it up, but it could be better for me and for all of us. What will make this industry survive and strive forward is perceived value for money. That’s what I try to provide for my clients, which in the past in NZ has been easy to do.

Rates went up in NZ during the recession, and that’s a fact. That is a sad, bad fact. Everyone will justify that by saying the cost of living has gone up, but did other industries get a pay-rise? Weren’t we all a little bit thankful when ones that come from our taxes didn’t? Everyone else needs to get behind the same kind of sentiment, get this awesome country flying again, and grow the huge potential of our production sector.

Iris: We have a great thing going on, so let’s keep aligning the image we have created with the reality. Film-friendly NZ is not just a slogan; it is something we all need to keep working on every day. I would like to see crew be more proactive and get involved to secure their future in the industry.

William: We’ve been doing this for a very long time, and over that period we’ve had some great years and some not so good ones. But it always seems to come back. Sometimes it isn’t anything to do with what we are offering down here – some other country has become the new "hot" location that everyone wants to shoot at for a while, or something unexpected has had an impact – like SARs or whatever. But if we have a quiet year one year, it seems to bounce back the next as our clients go, "Oh, we haven’t shot in New Zealand for a while."

Changing technology will keep having an impact. Some people have been predicting the end of the big-budget television commercial for a while as free-to-air audiences dwindle – it hasn’t happened quite yet. But at the bottom end of the spectrum, we do see people shooting very good commercials with minimal kit using DSLR stills cameras.

In summary, we just have to keep on improving and sell the many advantages we do have down here. I guess, as line producers, that’s a big part of our job. We have to keep going out there and telling the story. Many of us spend quite a considerable amount of money and time traveling to meet production companies around the world, attending trade shows and festivals, and advertising in magazines and directories, and so on. Often there isn’t any immediate payback – but overall, it seems to be working. There are a lot more offshore commercials shot in NZ now than even 10 years ago, and I think there is the potential to do a lot more.

This article was first published in 2011. All three producers agree the issues remain very current, especially following a distinctly quiet summer and the high New Zealand dollar. Keeping up with the equipment available overseas is an ongoing issue also. The author of this article is Ande Schurr, a freelance sound recordist based in Auckland.