Kevin Double

When did you join the film industry? What was it that attracted you to film?

The first time I was paid to film professionally was in the 1990s for the UK Ministry of Defence Camouflage Unit, really at the start of the digital filmmaking revolution. At the time I was working for them as a camouflage scientist. This was really at the extreme edge of technical filmmaking - I got to use a wide range of different types of cameras, including near-infrared, radar, and heat, as well as more traditional photographic cameras. It gave me a real appreciation for the wavelength spectrum.

Before this I had worked with my brother, Clive, who was filming an amateur horror film. I ended up doing a lot of the technical work on it; the credit roll, sound, and music.

From childhood I’ve always enjoyed the ‘presentation’ side of film; I really love film screenings; seeing how audiences react to film, seeing what they notice (and importantly from an editing perspective, don’t notice!) about the imagery, sound, the way the story is being told.

What do you enjoy most about the work?

I really enjoy learning about people, and helping audiences learn about them too. While I’m fascinated by the technical side of filmmaking, it is all just a vehicle for helping people tell stories about themselves and about others.

Why did you choose to join the Screen Industry Guild? What do you want to get out of your membership of the Guild?

My career started out at the very technical end of filmmaking and I also have a passion for IT. As a very small crew (often just me) you have to be really aware of the technical aspects of filming and it is something that I really enjoy too. The Guild seemed most closely aligned to what I actually do and provides opportunities to learn a lot more from others. On larger sets I’m always keen to talk to, and learn from, other crew members.

The Guild benefits are fantastic of course, but mostly I joined because I’m interested in learning from others and being better connected with the industry as a whole. We live in Whanganui, and away from larger film centres so it can be easy to feel isolated (although there are some fantastically talented film people here too - come and visit!). I want to know what is happening in the industry and to learn about new and different ways of doing or approaching things.

What is your career path? What work would you like to be doing in the future? What might stand in your way?

I arrived in New Zealand as an IT professional in 2007, but took a leap into filming here after I was made redundant in 2010. I decided to try and make a documentary about New Zealand people; I’d discovered that people in New Zealand are much less suspicious of your motives in asking questions and pointing a camera than they were in the UK. People here don’t tend to shout about what they do, but if you are interested, ask, and make time to listen you discover people doing amazing things all over the place. That particular film didn’t eventuate in the end, but I learned a huge amount and moved on to set up my own production company. I filmed two documentaries telling the story of ‘Project Born’ (a unique fundraising show run for two years on Wellington’s waterfront). This was my first experience of working with a large multi-disciplinary crew. I learned a huge amount about sound, body painting, lighting, and theatrical stage production. I was also lucky enough to learn from, and be supported by, some really experienced film and sound editors who helped me improve my practice in those areas.

After this, I partnered with my wife, Melita. Since 2015, we’ve made a number of scripted films that are used in adult education material, a series of short documentaries about community organisations around the country, a documentary feature ‘Set in Stone’ for which I won ‘Best emerging New Zealand filmmaker’ at DocEdge, and three documentary shorts. We are currently filming a series of films about the redevelopment of the Sarjeant Gallery and the people doing the work.

Melita is able to really put people at ease and allow them to tell stories about themselves. She doesn’t so much ‘interview’ people, but have conversations with them while still being really mindful of the camera, what I need as I film, and what I will need to be able to edit a good story together. It means I can focus on the visual elements of storytelling. It has come full circle for me; from starting my career filming subjects that were ‘hidden’ to now hiding the filmmaking so that the subjects are at the forefront for the audience.

I am keen to keep developing my filmmaking and storytelling skills and to keep challenging myself and try new techniques and technologies. For example, we’re starting to work on an AR project with an experienced theatre director. While much of the filming we do at the moment is documentary, I do enjoy working with larger crews on scripted projects too and would like to do more of this in the future, maybe blending the two by filming behind the scenes.

Living in the regions can be challenging in some ways (although Whanganui is a great place to live and work!) because the film industry is still pretty ‘main centre’ focused. I’d like to see more films being made in the regions in New Zealand - there are amazing locations and really skilled people already here, many of whom commute overseas or to main centres to work at the moment. Viewing a range of films on the big screen can be more challenging in the regions too. We’re working to change that in our community by screening documentaries in our little cinema once a week - there is a ready, engaged, and really passionate film audience here, but obviously the numbers are smaller than they might be in main centres. In saying that though, we’ve often had 30 - 40 people for a single documentary film screening.

One of the other challenges is accessing funding, particularly for long form documentaries. We film by following a story as it unfolds and don’t always have a clear picture of what will happen right from the start. It is challenging to fit this kind of filming into current funding models and requirements. The ways films can be funded are changing, but the funding side of things can often seem to take more time and effort than actually making a film. Being in the regions also means we don’t have ready access to experienced producers to support that side of things.

What do you want to see the Guild do in the future?

I’m obviously still learning about everything the Guild does, but it would be great to see more professional development opportunities that are useful for people working with larger crews as well as more independent makers like me. I’m really looking forward to learning from the collective experience of Guild members, even if that is just by reading the NZ Techo magazine.