Screen Incentives and Safety

Kia ora all. Well, what a difference the adjustment to screen incentives has made. The tides of change still have a long way to go but the ripples are beginning to be felt. We have Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger II now in full swing. Also DreamWorks is set to shoot in September, a production that was originally earmarked to be shot in Australia but changed on the back of the NZ screen incentive increase. In the pipeline we have Avatar pre-production mid 2015, this was the big game changer in the incentive argument. We also have the South Pacific Pictures/British Broadcasting Corporation drama Tatau shooting in the Cook Islands crewing out of NZ. Power Rangers was also looking to move offshore but will now remain in NZ, again a decision influenced by the screen incentive increase. We are looking forward with optimism as this ripple could turn into a nice big spring tide. With a drop in the Kiwi dollar then maybe we can look forward to a tsunami of productions.

Over the past month, work at the Techos’ Guild has been an ongoing flow of general enquiries and concerns from both members and non-members. Unfortunately, the most common issues to crop up are around work hours. One instance was so excessive that I called Work Safe NZ for extra advice. Sadly, in true government department style, I still wait for a response weeks later. On our own bat however, discussions are being had by the Techos’ Guild and the industry.

Many of you will have attended the safety workshops held by the Techos’ Guild in Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown. All in all the safety workshops proved to be a success with a much greater turnout than expected. Additionally the breadth of representation from the industry was really encouraging with members from the NZ Advertising Producers Guild (NZAPG), Screen Production and Development Association (SPADA), safety officers and a good cross-section of technicians attending. Those who attended care about safety, so while we know that we were largely preaching to the converted, over 100 attendees across the county provides a good number of voices to start beating the drum.

The discussions were very collaborative and there was little of ‘them and us’. Working collaboratively as an industry was a strong and repeated thread throughout all three workshops.

Fatigue coupled with travelling to or from set was possibly the issue that most saw as posing the greatest and most immediate risk to crew. It was acknowledged that there needs to be an internal culture change. A change likened to how attitudes have been changed on how we view drunk driving or smoking. Technicians who brag of having done 150 hours in a week to make a point of how well they are doing, need to be held accountable by other technicians. They are working impaired, and are risking the safety of not just themselves but you.

Additionally, as pointed out by the producers attending the workshop, producers may not realise they are employing a technician who has worked 150 hours that week. The responsibility of being a safe contractor and work colleague starts with mindful, respectful disclosure by technicians who have been working excessive hours, either via the crew member themselves or on instruction to their crew agent.

To put into perspective the implications of fatigue, many studies have been done showing functioning and response is seriously impaired by fatigue. One study reported that working beyond 14 hours is the equivalent to someone being 1.5 times over the legal drinking level. As a drunk driver thinks they are okay to drive, this can often be the case for crew who have been working long hours but they are in fact not.

There was an agreement, from producers who attended, that the culture change is two-fold. Many of the producers who attended are members of the NZAPG, the newly formed advertising producers’ guild which includes The Blue Book’s guidelines in its mandate. As with technicians, producers can, amongst themselves, hold accountable producers who are not upholding good practices. Not all producers are members of the NZAPG or SPADA, but within the community as a whole there is the possibility of a culture change. Members of the Techos’ Guild will meet with members of the NZAPG in late September to continue talks on working hours. There is not going to be overnight change but we are taking a step in the right direction.