TV
Oliver Driver takes on directing
Taken from Stuff, by Kate Mead.
Oliver Driver's lofty frame looms over actors in Shortland Street's nursing station. He sweeps his hands through his curly hair and walks through the scene in stompy boots. This isn't back in 1999 when he played a pot-smoking nurse. Driver has switched to the hot seat and has just started directing New Zealand's longest-running soap opera. In between takes he leaves his director's chair and saunters over to the actors. "Move the clipboard down... get quick into positions... that was great timing," he guides.
Culture is at Shortland Street's studio in West Auckland and Driver - better known as an actor and theatre director - has snaffled some time in between scenes to chat.
He has been learning the ropes from the soap's other directors. "This is like being paid to go to a film school where you're the only student in some ways," he says. It takes four weeks to make one week's worth of episodes, known as a "block", and Driver began observing directors Wayne Tourell and Jonathan Alver before calling his own shots.
When Culture arrives, he is directing alongside Geoff Cawthorn. After the next block, he will be going solo with a director in the wings "who's just there if I get into trouble". His television-directing debut screens on October 24, but his solo episodes will not hit screens until early next year.
Read the full article here.
TV Pick of the week: Bliss
Taken from NZ Herald, TimeOut.
In her younger years, Katherine Mansfield led a scandalous life. The New Zealand writer was somewhat of a rebel, and it's this side of her personality that is portrayed in Bliss. Written and directed by Fiona Samuel and starring award-winning actress Kate Elliot, the Sunday Theatre production delves into the short story writer's hunger for experience.
"She was a very passionate woman," says Elliot, who breathes flirtatious, vivacious life into the character. "She's very alive ... This is a very youthful, exuberant Katherine. As all these things happen to her and then she became more withdrawn and insular."
At age 19 and known as Katie Beauchamp, the young writer struggles to find much to look forward to. It's the early 1900s and the majority of her friends are getting married and planning their futures as housewives. Katie, meanwhile, dreams of travelling, much to the disappointment and frustration of her parents, particularly her mother, who balks at the sexual content of her daughter's writing.
Desperate to leave home, she arrives in London with a small allowance. During the next year of her life, everything changes: the ambitious Mansfield takes singing lessons and plans to go on the road with a performing arts company. She causes a stir wherever she goes, falling in love, breaking hearts and polarising people.
Read the full article here.
Mr Asia drama lays bare a nasty saga
Taken from Stuff, by Jane Clifton.
Viewers of last night's Underbelly NZ - Land of the Long Green Cloud, TV3, needed a strong stomach - for the fashions alone.
There are many fine things about this show, but perhaps the most unexpected, and useful, is its value as an antidote to the fervent view of the under-30s that 1970s fashion and decor is deeply cool and gorgeous.
Not if you were there at the time. The costumiers and set dressers on this project have spared us none of the horror. Here was New Zealand in the early 70s, its moustaches, trouser bottoms and lapels as wide as doorways, its hair big and straggly, and all located in an unnatural habitat of orange and turquoise decor, accented with plenty of Karitane yellow - all flare and no flair.
Most authentically retro of all, and so deeply, nostalgically glamorous, was the smarmy treatment of women, as faithfully portrayed here: still regarded as property, and the grateful recipients of men's sexual appetites, not as meaningful participants, not even in crime.
The woman detective here is treated as though she's lucky to be taken seriously.
The era is as much a part of the story as the drugs and the monstrous ambition and violence. The rise of our most successful and infamous drugs cartel was possible mostly because New Zealand was naive, slow-moving target. It was remarkably easy to get the business off the ground, and as it grew more sophisticated, remarkably difficult to stop it.
This story is the story of Marty Johnstone, who originated the Mr Asia syndicate and ended up grotesquely rich and gruesomely dead. Necessarily, he's presented as a glamorous, appealing figure. This grates, but realistically only people with a degree of charisma can accrue the power to locate themselves at the centre of such dangerous operations. He's attractive, amoral and with a sense of entitlement not common among the young of his day.
Dealing cannabis with his psychopathic Scots henchman Andy Maher, he quickly builds a cannabis-dealing operation up to megabuck level, amping up the stakes with the advent of Chinese Jack, the Asian ship's steward who brings more potent Thai green over on his employers' vessels.
You almost begin to admire their industry and ingenuity, except that the whole empire is policed at fist-point. So far these are innocent days - no guns, no murders - but already brutal beatings are common currency among Johnstone's henchmen.
No-one entirely trusts anyone else, nor should they. Chinese Jack is two-timing Johnstone's operation, and palely lurking Terry Clark is already bringing in harder merchandise across his colleagues' turf.
Read the full article here.
TV Eye - Marty gets the party started
Taken from NZ Herald, by Greg Dixon.
As a matter of taste, I like my crime hardboiled. As a matter of style, I like my crime noir.
In print, my favourite copper is Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther, a flawed (natch) Berlin private dick, and my favourite criminal is James Ellroy's Pete Bondurant, a six-foot-six monster who almost whacked "Bad-back Jack", aka JFK.
On TV, it's always been Fitz from Cracker who's been my most compelling, well, crime-cracker, and Tony Soprano who's been the most compelling cracker crim.
If any of them have committed a crime or solved it, it's been bitter, hardboiled and noir. If any of them have offered a laugh, it's been bitter, hardboiled and noir.
So I was ready, on principle, not to like Land of the Long Green Cloud (TV3, Wednesdays, 8.30pm) and I was plenty ready not to fall for Marty Johnstone, the based-on-fact anti-hero of New Zealand's first crack at the Aussie TV crime syndicate, Underbelly.
Read the full article here.
Tax-funded shows in time clash
Taken from NZ Herald, by Bevan Hurley.
Two flagship Kiwi TV shows that received $11 million of taxpayer funding will screen head-to-head after a last-ditch plea from New Zealand On Air to reschedule them was rejected.
TV3's Underbelly NZ: Land of the Long Green Cloud, which debuts next Wednesday night, will go up against TV One's Nothing Trivial in the primetime slot of 8.30pm.
NZ On Air's chief executive Jane Wrightson met TV3 chiefs on Friday to try and avoid setting the two big budget shows on a collision course.
Wrightson said she was disappointed a compromise couldn't be reached, but added there was no hint that the networks had deliberately scheduled the shows to clash.
"It's a fiercely competitive environmet amongst the networks but I don't think it's toxic. I am convinced there weren't any underhand tactics involved and if there were it would be a different story. We are dissapointed they will be screening together but we understand the positions of both parties. There could have been more thought there."
Read the full article here.
Nothing Trivial ratings smash hit
Taken from Throng.
Last night, smash hit Nothing Trivial set a new millenium record for a New Zealand drama debut on television, with an average 516,300 viewers watching the first episode.
Not since 2000 has a locally-made TV drama rated so spectacularly on its first outing.
As well as being the big winner amongst all New Zealanders 5+, last night Nothing Trivial was the first choice for viewers in TV One's target demographic of 25 - 54 year olds with its 247,100 viewers, out-rating all other channels.
Head of TV One and TV2, Jeff Latch, says the stunning results prove that TVNZ is on the right track in commissioning more Kiwi-made dramas.
"TV One and TV2 are the homes to New Zealand's best local shows. We have a proven track record with Shortland Street and Go Girls, and now Nothing Trivial can sit alongside these ratings winners. We are committed to supporting the local industry and will endeavour to continue to find the most entertaining dramas, documentaries and reality shows so that Kiwis can keep enjoying seeing themselves on our screens."
TVNZ Drama Commissioner Kathleen Anderson, says Nothing Trivial is an endearing insight into the lives of five everyday New Zealanders.
"The success of Nothing Trivial is due to the characters written by the award-winning writers, Rachael Lang and Gavin Strawhan. We can see someone we know in each of the cast and we feel attached to them instantly. The show's success is also thanks to the support from NZ On Air, which contributed $6.9 million to this series, and the talented team at South Pacific Pictures."
Shortland Street's ratings record
Taken from Throng.
Shortland Street's extended winter season concluded last night with 834,200 Kiwis aged 5+ watching, setting a new record ratings for the 2011 episodes.
TV2 easily out-rated all other channels to win its time zone with the feature-length drama.
In the channel's target demographic of 18-39 year olds, the programme had a stunning 54-percent share. That means Shortland Street's average audience was nearly a quarter of all 18-39 year olds in New Zealand last night.
Head of TV One and TV2, Jeff Latch says that Shortland Street continues to be Kiwis' most watched drama, week after week.
"Shortland Street is the number one drama on television. Audiences can't get enough right now."
Producer Steven Zanoski says the results are due to a dedicated team effort.
"Thanks are owed to all the cast and crew here at Shortland Street for continuing to dedicate their hearts and souls to making this drama a success."
Adding to that success is Amanda Billing's record-breaking cover version of 'Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn'tve?)' which features in the Shortland Street Winter Season promotion. Amanda's song was the highest debuting Kiwi artist song in the first week of its release earlier this year.
Jeff Latch says, "This is an incredible result given that the song has limited airplay on radio and only featured on the Shortland Street Winter Season promotion. Proof again of the power of quality television drama."
TV Review - Shortland Street
Taken from NZ Herald, by Hugh Sundae.
Oh come on. Who really has a stag do the night before their wedding? Someone who shows no fear. TK Samuels.
It's funny how some shameless-yet-necessary soap-opera tricks annoy you and others you'll defend at dinner parties. Example of the former: is the door open? Someone will appear at the door and see something they weren't meant to. Why can't characters leave the front door open with no apparent consequence from time to time, just to throw us off the scent?
The best example of the latter is Jackie, professional waitress at the IV. I'm pretty sure she's been working there longer than the rest of the staff put together, but the poor girl never seems to get a promotion.
More lines stat!
Actually with Dr Callum McKay's (Peter Mochrie) current interest in a younger woman, coupled with the amount of time he's spending at the IV, it's surprising he hasn't started shagging her. Bet she'd have more to say than "here's your takeaway" then.
But he only has eyes for core-cast. Which is where things began in Shortland Street's second ever feature-length episode. Dr Mid-life-crisis put on his jacket and straightened his shirt, confirming that he has indeed bedded his son's flame, Jill Kingsbury (Natalie Medlock). If either of them felt guilty they weren't showing it. Crazy kids.
Read the full article here.
Hounds
THE DOWNLOW CONCEPT
screening on TV3, August 2011
Hounds is a six part half hour comedy for TV3. Written and directed by thedownlowconcept, Hounds is a sweet and funny insight into the lives of three very different people united by a very skinny dog.
starring Toby Sharpe, Susana Tang, Mick Innes, Josh Thomson, Catherine Waller, Derek Payne, Stephen Ure and Andrew Munro
for more information visit the Hounds Facebook page.
SPP Emerging Writers' Lab Winners Announced
Taken from Script to Screen newsletter.
South Pacific Pictures and Script to Screen were very impressed to receive 175 applications for the South Pacific Pictures Emerging Writers' Lab. The overall quality of the applications was outstanding and made the final selection of applicants an extremely difficult task.
It is our pleasure to announce that Eli Kent, Lucy Zee, Rosetta Allan, Kip Chapman, Luke Hedley, Shoshana McCallum, Miriam Smith, Thomas Sainsbury and Hannah Banks are the successful applicants who will be spending an intensive week learning from the best inside South Pacific Pictures.
Congratulations!