New Ventures in Film

With the quieter than normal down period, taking on an alternate income stream is a reality for lots of crew around the country. The good news is you can start a new venture without completely leaving the industry. Check out how 2nd AD** Rob Grieve **and runner Rory Turei have done it. Rob with his luxury, travel service and Rory with his Apple specialist store and gear hire company. Find a niche, do your homework and look after your customers they say. But most important of all is to just have a go – put your ideas into action.

We keep up the positive vibe with an article by production manager Dot Kyle providing great tips on self-promotion. Yes, you need to be getting yourself out there!

Film Auckland tells us its film protocol aims to support more collaboration between the industry, council organisations, and other regional stakeholders. While we can’t expect miracles, it’s a step in the right direction.

Weta Digital senior crew** Charlie Tait **and **Michael Sarkis **take a few moments out of busy workloads for some Q&A with NZTECHO. It follows our VFX article in the winter issue of NZTECHO and the Techos’ Guild VFX workshops that were held across the country in May.

We see our ‘back in the day’ section return thanks to lighting expert Chris McKenzie. Over the past 40 years, he has contributed hugely to the industry and helped with many equipment and gear innovations. Remember, NZTECHO is keen to hear from anyone with photos and stories to share, email editor@nztecho.com

Hopefully lots of you made it along to some of the New Zealand International Film Festival showings (especially with the ticket discount offered to Techos’ Guild members). Jan Sisley gives an overview of the festival’s local offerings – a varied and fantastic showcase of NZ talent. I guess a reminder also that despite the current tough times, we’ve got an industry to be proud of!

Keep your head up and your mind and eyes open!

Carolyn Brooke, editor