Martin Le Breton
When did you join the film industry? And what was it that attracted you to film?
I have a technical degree in video engineering and graduated from a cinema school in Paris. As a contractor, I was always switching between technical and creative roles, and would often combine both. I started working in the broadcast industry as a RF and satellite transmission technician for sports, news or live events. And it gave me the taste of travelling and covering incredible events. But as far I remember I was always more attracted to film. It probably comes from my grandparents who used to be art teachers and introduced my siblings and me to cinema when we were young. I must have seen my first Charlie Chaplin film around 5 years old.
Ten years ago, DIT wasn’t really established, and in France, a video playback operator wasn’t seen as a job on its own. It was more like a job for the camera trainee. So I got my first tickets on movie sets as a grip, and I knew that it was the kind of working environment I wanted to be part of.
In 2013, I decided to have a shot at an international career. I gave up my comfortable situation in Paris, because the dream of working on worldwide blockbusters was more appealing. It was a complete fresh start, I had no job, no contacts, but time to discover New Zealand. I soon knew I wanted to stay here. I was then lucky to work for DUSK, a production and VFX company based in Wellington. Eventually, I joined my video skills and my passion for cinema by being offered the position of video operator on the Christmas horror movie Krampus. This was my first film role in New Zealand in 2015.
What do you enjoy most about the work?
Without a doubt, it’s the thrill of adventure, to visit remote locations, the more exposed and intense conditions, the more complex a set up will be, the happier I am. I love the fact that you never know what tomorrow might be made of, you need to constantly adapt, learn, evolve, and master your craft. And besides a fair share of drama, the intensity of a movie set creates the most memorable relationships. It’s like being in a sports team, when everyone works together toward the same goal, this sense of collective achievement, it’s a brilliant feeling. I’m still amazed by how all those people with individual and very diverse skills can join their talents to create new fictive worlds.
Why did you choose to join the Techos’ Guild? What do you want to get out of your membership of the Guild?
It felt like it was a natural move, most of the great technicians I’ve been working with over the years are Techos’ Guild members. I think it is important to have a common voice and to protect our industry. Facing non-employment is a fear and a threat to all of us, with New Zealand becoming a more expensive country to live in. The higher cost of living and the non-employment can affect our houses, our kids’ education, our families. In France, as a comparison, you have a protective system for movie technicians and artists, as long as you work a certain amount of hours per year, the government covers your wages in between jobs. I’m not saying that I expect to see that in New Zealand, as it’s a completely different economic system, but I believe that a Guild has to play a role to keep its members working and the industry active.
Lately, I was the second unit DIT on Mortal Engines for the DOP and President of the Guild Richard Bluck. Working alongside and learning from such a humble and talented man was also an obvious green light for me to join the Guild.
What is your career path? What work would you like to be doing in the future? What might stand in your way?
I have had a lot of different roles over the last 10 years for both the broadcast and film industry, as a camera operator, editor, colourist, grip, RF technician, assistant director, stage director, all at very different scales. But since being in New Zealand, I have definitely been more focused on the video and DIT role. This is a technical area where you’ve got versatile skills that allow you to switch to other specific tasks. I’m lucky enough to sometimes work with the Motion Capture Department of Weta Digital as a video engineer or set-up technician on movies like Valerian in Paris and Alita: Battle Angel in Texas. Both Mocap or DIT are so related to the evolution of technology, so who knows how these roles will be in 10 years? I think it is essential to stay curious, always be aware of how our peers do things overseas, and be ready to acquire new skills. I still have a lot to learn as a DIT and would like to pursue this path, and I’m also open to extending my knowledge with roles like stereographer or colourist.
Last year, I passed all my diving degrees to become a CoC diver. I would love to somehow be involved in an underwater shoot, especially with the great studio facilities that we have in Kumeu and knowing that underwater Motion Capture is an ongoing technology.
What do you want to see the Guild doing in the future?
Considering the specific status of film workers in New Zealand, the “Hobbit” law and the absence of a union, the Guild is doing a great job. In my opinion and alongside the NZ Film Commission and the government, the two main points would be to keep attracting productions either local or from overseas. I’ve noticed that New Zealand has either low-budget productions or very big ones. With the emergence of new production and distribution systems like Netflix or Amazon, we need to be able to attract these “mid-scale” productions as well. The time between big jobs can be very long, and that’s a danger for New Zealand, as we often lose crew members. The second point would be to promote location shooting in different parts of New Zealand. I think New Zealand will gain if it doesn’t centralise its industry only in Auckland. This is the case for Paris in France, and I think the industry there suffers from its lack of “movie-friendly” locations, themes and cultural diversity. You can definitely be more attractive, especially for overseas productions, if you have crews in different regions.
