Summer in Screen Production
It would appear that summer came and went and many of us blinked and missed it. Anyway, at least daylight savings makes up for what the weather didn’t deliver.
It’s been a bumper season so far with most crew in the Auckland area working non-stop on one of the many dramas, features and television commercials. We saw a huge surge in line productions in January and February, and a few more coming in for March and April in spite of the American elections and our relatively strong dollar.
The month of February sees Oprah Winfrey and Reece Witherspoon in the South shooting a few days on the Disney feature A Wrinkle in Time, and up in Auckland production is in full swing for Ash vs Evil Dead, Shannara, Screentimes’ Daffodils of May, Filthy Rich, South Pacific’s Brokenwood Mysteries, Power Rangers, Westside and 800 Words, and Netflix’s Monkey project also about to shoot. It’s been a juggle to find enough crew in grip and lighting departments, as well as some positions in camera, makeup and production. What a great way to be!
As I go into my 21st year of owning and operating Filmcrews, it’s been a great time to reflect on the work that I’ve seen come through Auckland over the last couple of decades, and how much the industry has transformed during this time. One of the biggest changes I’ve observed is in the camera department with the advancement in technology rendering clapper loaders redundant and in their place a 2nd AC role has become the norm. We’ve also seen great leaps and bounds with regards to the use of drones for filming, which of course doesn’t come without its own regulations that people are only just starting to get their heads around. I look forward to seeing what the next 20 years throws at us!
Sioux Macdonald, Guild vice president and executive committee member
