Film
The making of a Zombie Holocaust
Watch Auckland Actors' Guy Pigden talk about the making of his Escalator film I Survived a Zombie Holocaust on the NZ Herald website.
I Survived a Zombie Holocaust features Auckland Actors Andrew Laing, Simon Ward and Mike Edward.
Watch it here.
Law changes 'could stifle talent'
Taken from Stuff, by Charley Mann.
Key players in the New Zealand film industry have raised concerns over new law changes, which they say could stifle local talent both in front and behind the camera.
On Friday the government announced that entertainment industry workers entering New Zealand to work for 14 days or less, would no longer have to be approved by a local film industry guild.
The move comes almost a year after the government secured the filming of Sir Peter Jackson's The Hobbit through an urgent amendment to employment law, which prevented independent contractors from claiming entitlements as employees, as well as an agreement to increase the tax concession for big screen productions.
The Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand (SDGNZ) said the new process "opens up opportunities for significant exploitation" and was potentially damaging to the local film industry.
The SDGNZ said guilds had previously monitored immigration requests to ensure that local jobs were considered for productions.
The new process, which would see guilds bypassed, had "taken away our ability to regulate our own industries".
"In an industry where most television commercials are shot within a 14-day timeframe, and productions of television episodes and one-off dramas could also potentially fall within this timeframe, the new law changes effectively mean an open door policy."
New Zealand Actors' Guild secretary Greg Ellis said the changes could see local talent overlooked. "New Zealand may become merely a filming location and the creativity and innovation currently present in our creative sector could be lost."
Two Little Boys: Webisodes
Taken from Flicks, by Ed.
Get your sneak preview of the upcoming film Two Little Boys here. 16 webisodes being released from today follow the experiences of four of the SIT student interns on set.
Two Little Boys (coming to cinemas next year) is a Kiwi comedy from director Robert Sarkies (Scarfies, Out of the Blue), starring Brett McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords) and Hamish Blake (Hamish and Andy) as two hapless friends getting up to mischief.
We'll be posting these webisodes weekly, each detailing aspects of being an intern on this feature film. Here's the first one, introducing Matt Inns, the director's assistant.
Watch it here.
NZ Herald's Week of It
Taken from NZ Herald, by Shandelle Battersby.
MOVIES
Billy T James pops up at the movies again this week - or at least his voice does, as pie cart owner Pawai in New Zealand's best animated feature (actually still our only animated feature) Footrot Flats: A Dog's Tale.
The film celebrates its 25th birthday with a re-release in cinemas from today. Murray Ball's iconic characters, which began life in a newspaper comic strip, were painstakingly drawn on to 3000 frames by hand after a long writing process with fellow cartoonist Tom Scott.
Other famous voices to appear include John Clarke as Wal, Peter Rowley as Dog, Rawiri Paratene as Rangi and Fiona Samuel doubling up as the brassy Cheeky and the sweet Pongo.
With its memorable music by Dave Dobbyn, the film is a slice of our movie history.
Read the full article here.
Topless Women talk about their Lives available on DVD
Topless Women talk about their Lives is now availale on DVD, containing both the TV series and the movie. With a new commentary by the actors and the director.
On a beach in New Zealand, a German tourist stops two women. "Is this the beach where they filmed The Piano?" he inquires. So begins the freshest, cheekiest and most engaging film from New Zealand for years. The women on the beacg are best friends, Liz (Danielle Cormack) and Prue (Willa O'Neill). Liz is pregnant, but has split up with the father Neil (Joel Tobeck) whom she doesn't love (and vice versa) and is now with the cute but vapid Geoff (Andrew Binns).
Hovering like a loon in the background is the budding scriptwriter Ant (Ian Hughes), who's nearing melt-down in his tiny brain. Topless Women talk about their Lives is a film with an absolutely direct, vivid and unpretentious sense of life. The characters are mostly late twenties, kind of dodgy, and chronically unperceptive about their love lives. Harry Sinclair loves them all and elicits great deadpan comic moments from their fumblings after affection, sex or both.
For more information click here.
Billy T: Te Movie Premiere Thrills
Taken from Stuff, by Louise Risk.
Like the man they were there to honour, the family of the late, great Billy T James shied away from the publicity at the world premiere of Billy T: Te Movie at the opening of Hoyts Te Awa at The Base in Hamilton last night.
But while his whanau were difficult to spot among the hundreds of people who gathered for live music, drinks and nibbles in the windswept Te Awa shopping centre, there was no shortage of people who wanted to talk to about what Billy T meant to them.
The youngest person to walk the yellow carpet that paid tribute to Billy T's trademark towel was 12-year-old Teina Terei, son of comedian and MC for the night, Pio Terei.
Teina who played a cameo role as Billy T as a child, was born almost a decade after Billy T died of heart failure in 1991, but said he was excited to learn more about the comedian.
"I just know he's a great role model, especially to Maoridom, and I look up to him," Teina said.
Billy T: Te Movie, which tells the two sides of Billy T's life - the confident Billy T on stage and the shy William Te Taitoko off stage - was "on the money" according to his friend and fellow comedian Peter Rowley.
"They have captured our Billy, they really have," Rowley said.
"They have captured the essence and the insights as to why wwe as a country fell in love with the man." Rowley said the "accurate and insightful" film would give viewers a new realisation about why and how Billy T because the man he was.
"It's so beautifully told. Everyone is going to love it."
Director Ian Mune, who broadcast across the six digital theatres along with the other guest speakers, said all Billy T ever wanted was to "reach out to people heart to heart".
He said Billy T's greatest talent was to reach out to every person watching him and make them feel like they were the only other person in the room or watching television.
"That's magic I can't explain ... I don't want to explain it," Mune said.
"Billy T touched out hearts. This movie is a celebration of us through Billy T James."
Watch the video link here.
Auckland Council buys film studios share
Taken from NZ Herald, by Wayne Thompson.
Auckland Council will pay $1.5 million for a joint-venture partner's share in the Auckland Film Studios in Henderson.
The council inherited a 44.4 per cent share in the studios from the Waitakere City Council, which tried to turn a former apple coolstore site into the "Hollywood of the South Pacific".
The studios were used to make films such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, and the television series Xena: Warrior Princess.
But the need to build a big sound stage for productions forced the council to seek a partnership with a developer. Tony Tay Film received a 56.6 per cent share in the Henderson Valley site in return for taking on the $7 million cost of developing it for medium-budget films.
Read the full article here.
Aussie actors fight to save jobs due to law change
Taken NZ Herald, by Charisse Ede.
Australian actors as facing one of their toughest gigs - saving Australian roles for Australians. Imagine Packed to the Rafters with an American lead, or the cast of Neighbours dominated by British actors, or the blockbuster film Australia starring non-Australians.
This is what the actors' union, Actors Equity, says the Australian production industry could become if the federal government brings in proposed changes to the rules allowing foreign performers in local productions.
About 100 Australian actors met in Melbourne on Sunday to express thei anger and concern over the draft Foreign Performers Certification Scheme Guidelines, prepared by the Office of the Arts.
They are threatening to take industrial action not seen in the Australian production industry for more than 30 years if the issue isn't resolved to an "acceptable outcome".
Read the full article here.
Stuff's short film festival: The Orchard
Taken from Stuff, by Kirsty Johnson.
The latest film to screen in Stuff's short film festival is a little different this week - it's animated.
The Orchard (watch it here) was created by Bob Stenhouse, who is notable for being the first New Zealander to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short for his previous short film The Frog, The Dog and The Devil in 1986.
The Orchard is based on a Japanese folk tale and tells the story of a small community hit by an earthquake and the old man who saves them from a tsunami.
It uses the same techniques used in The Frog, The Dog and The Devil. Each frame was hand-drawn by Stenhouse when the film was made around 15 years ago.
The Orchard is the 13th film to be hosted on Stuff during its short film season.
The first was Six Dollar Fifty Man, second Poppy, third Only Son, fourth Amadi, fifth Careful with that Crossbow, sixth This Film is a Dog, seventh Infection, eighth Day Trip, ninth Two Cars, One Night, 10th Warbrick, 11th Roof Rattling and 12th Vostok Station.
Stuff's short film festival is produced in conjunction with the New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Screen.
V48 Hours 2011 Grand National results
Taken from V48 Hours, by Ant Timpson.
Congratulations to all the teams who were nominated by especially to the big winners on the big night. Thank you all for a truly outstanding year. It's been one crazy ride.
Remember the Best of the Fest starts on TVNZ U (Skychannel 16, Freeview 6) from July 3rd. Every night at 10pm. Now go start 'Chumpin'!
GRAND NATIONAL RESULTS
Grand National Champ
GRAND CHEVAL - The Child Jumpers - Fad Movie
Grand National Runner Up
LENSE FLARE - Copy That - Road Movie
Grand National Third Place
MUKPUDDY - Meanie Pants - Quest Movie
Panasonic Cinematography
COUCH KUMARAS - Sketch - Road Movie
Images & Sound Sexiest
MR MANAGER - The Gardener - Quest Movie
Rialto Channel Rising Talent Award
SLURPEDO
Unitec Aspiring Filmmaker Study Prize
Alan Parr
MINI Best Road Movie
HAYNES TEAM - Stuck in the Mini With You - Road Movie
Loop Best Original Song
RUBBER SOUL - Well Strung - Musical/Dance Movie
Media Design Best Animation
MUKPUDDY - Meanie Pants - Quest Movie
Best Incredibly Strange Film
VAULT502 - Blue Rising - Road Movie
Best Actress
IDIOTVISION - Headshot - Mia Pistorius (Watch the short film here)
Best Actor
RUBBER SOUL - Well Strung - Dinnie Moeahu Ash Haimona
Read the full list of results here.