(indeed, I once suggested to Ant that he bring in some rules, in order to create more invention in the narratives eg no guns, knives nor axes; no car cashes).

Sounds very Dogma, I like this Geoff, one of my favourite films is Von Trier's; The Five Obstructions (2003) .…

But then the Film Commission is essentially paying for education, which is really not something I think that the Film Commission should be doing.

In my submission to the Review, I argued for more attention to be paid to education--but not training for filmmakers, but education of the audience--most especially…

What's the story about short films? Can they be promoted more?

You'd expect a public television broadcaster to screen them, surely? Especially if they're already paid for with public money.

In siders Guide

Doh

Unless it's either based on a classic local novel or about Maori, it's pretty much not going to happen.

Sione's Wedding, The World's Fastest Indian, Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, Second-Hand Wedding, Home By Christmas, Scarfies, Out of the Blue, Footrot Flats, Heavenly Creatures and Goodbye Pork Pie excepted, of course.…

From experience know that it is so difficult ( read bloody near impossible) to get humans in decent numbers to attend NZ film even within well supported festivals.

Yep, that seems to be a huge problem. Unless it's either based on a classic local novel or about Maori, it's pretty…

Have preferred 7days, but at times of late they seem to be, if not crossing the line, at least trampling on it with reckless abandon.

Meh. To me it's just a rip of Have I Got News For You? with a large amount of the insightful wit replaced with simple…

In siders Guide was another example of a writer-centred series, wouldn't you say?

At the risk of sounding thin-skinned, yes, I'd like to think so.

I just think it's an impossible ask for the government to keep financing the kind of production framework that exists in the United State

True, and that equally applies to the feature film industry.

Yes.

Well, good luck with that then. I just think it's an impossible ask for the government to keep financing the kind of production framework that exists in the United States (where HBO ultimately only has to convince the shareholders that it's maintaining a profitable subscriber base), or even the…

Has anyone ever had a good word to say about 'Radiradirah"?

Isn't it good to see the cream on this countries comedic talent being allowed to fuck up so royally!
And the colored girls go Do Dedo Dedo Dedo Dooo....

Yes, it's "not exactly flicking a couple of grand to some novice so they can learn the ropes." That's my point. Only through his vision did it come off in this case, but this is S.O.P.; $2m to "learn the ropes".

Glad we agree. Or not. I think. :-)

So, what you want is the kind of shows written, directed and produced by people who cut their teeth (and learned their craft) on industrial strength shit churned out by massive, product-hungry industries we seldom see here?

Yes.

Or put another way: Roger Corman gave a pretty impressive roll call of talent (from Martin Scorsese to James Cameron) their first credits. Don't know if that's much of an argument for the NZFC funding a string of Z-grade exploitation flicks

I hadn't though of that, but now that you…

The value of good writing is evident when comparing with others from around the same time, including the lamentable Orange Roughies.

Damon…

Has anyone ever had a good word to say about 'Radiradirah"?
I never watched the thing (it sounded a kind of toxic concept) and I've only read really negative reviews...

I tried, but the nausea got the better of me. Have preferred 7days, but at times of late they seem…

Actually, I think it is kinda disrespectful to mention Outrageous Fortune in the same breath as The Cult and Insiders Guide — it's achieved a lot more than either of those.

not even in the same breath? Jeez...

Firstly – yes, Taika is a grand-ninja-master of 48hrs, but none of his 48hr gems would've led him to the top grossing NZ film BOY.

A punt was taken to let him make one of…

the straight-to-DVD sequel to Whalerider, where Paikea and her pet Minke wreak bloody revenge on a Japanese scientific research ship in the Southern Ocean

I'd watch that. On DVD, mind.

But then the Film Commission is essentially paying for education, which is really not something I think that the Film Commission should be doing.

That's what they do now (see previous comment re: Eagle vs Shark).

I'm suggesting they should spend less (per project) on this.

I'm just suggesting that sometimes a modest investment in a go-nowhere digital test run might prepare a talented newcomer to really kick arse when they've got a real budget.

But then the Film Commission is essentially paying for education, which is really not something I think that the Film Commission…

As far as I'm concerned it should be compulsory for Warren Oates to be cast in every New Zealand film. He might not show up due to a scheduling conflict with his death, but that dude was awesome.

Damn! and I was hoping he'd be in the new movie [[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/24/movies/24andr.html?_r=1|…

As far as I'm concerned it should be compulsory for Warren Oates to be cast in every New Zealand film. He might not show up due to a scheduling conflict with his death, but that dude was awesome.

Okay, we agree on something. ;)

I do understand your point, but your example illustrates mine

I don't think so.

the NZFC coughed up $1.8 million to make that – not exactly flicking a couple of grand to some novice so they can learn the ropes.

He admitted it!

Yes, it's "not exactly flicking a couple…

It exists! (but it sucked).
On The Lot:

There are no new…

Taika Waititi, for instance, – a really smart fellow – has spoken of how he had to put BOY on the back burner while he learned how to make features on the simpler – and easier to get right – Eagle vs Shark .

I do understand your point, but…

And what about something particularly controversial – in other words, could there be another Sleeping Dogs...

you'd hope, Sleeping Dogs was a triple win for all involved and the audience as well...
kick starting the modern local film industry, sourced from a New Zealand literary source (CK Stead's…

If it's all about identifying talent, let's kill two birds and do a Project Runway/The Apprentice-style TV show.

It exists! (but it sucked).

On The Lot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_JraM1hWRM

That's the point I'm trying to make – obviously not very well.

Not at all. I'm just saying that there seems to be an assumption that everything has to be commercial. Why? Let's face it, the Commission has many times funded some multi-million dollar turkeys that've sunk without trace. People…

They should still be funding only the promising projects.

That's the point I'm trying to make – obviously not very well. Promising projects require millions, I would have thought. Otherwise too many compromises would be required. A great script for a relationship drama requires the right actors, for example, and…

From what I've seen of no budget movies, pacing, character development, sub plot etc are all secondary to the concept

Sure, that's often the case, but I'm not suggesting they fund any old rubbish. They should still be funding only the promising projects.

lightening in a bottle

would this be mini-net-movies like "Bleached as"?

adventurous in what they support at the lower levels

The problem is that by moviemaking standards, the "lower levels" are 99.9% of locally made films. I bet a couple of mil doesn't go far if you're trying to make a feature on location with professional actors and don't want it…

Almost without exception the "no-budget" indy features and even shorts that I've seen suffer hugely from lack of focus on quality writing and directing, and instead seem to be entirely built around cool looking shots and fancy effects.

I'm not surprised – that's a lot cheaper to produce. Quality writing…

I'm not a big fan of the "democratisation of…

I don't see it as an either/or.

Nope it's a question of focus. And the focus at present seems to be on finding feature films/ filmmakers that will be internationally successful.

That's great when it happens – my point is that it's unfair to judge the success or failure of…

I'd rather have an NZ series in the league of...

I don't see it as an either/or.

We all feel good when a kiwi wins an award at Cannes or their film makes some money in the US, but that's why we have sports teams, to get that "plucky kiwis…

Indeed, because one only learns from it the technical aspects of making a good feature, not – or only slightly, and incidentally – the creative; character development, pacing, plot/subplot balance, etc.

Fair point, but remain unconvinced that this approach would achieve much.

Maybe instead of desperately searching for the next…

But surely that's the NZFCs rationale behind funding short films? And from what I understand that approach has been criticised as ineffective as well

Indeed, because one only learns from it the technical aspects of making a good feature, not – or only slightly, and incidentally – the creative; character…

The budget of any one of them could've made a dozen cheap digital features and odds-on, one of them would've been really good (quite apart from the benefits mentioned above).

But surely that's the NZFCs rationale behind funding short films? And from what I understand that approach has been criticised…

But publicly funded studios like Film 4 and BBC Films seem to have an impressive hit rate for commercial success and artistic/ culturally relevant output, while fostering new talent as well as old pros like Mike Leigh/ Danny Boyle

Interestingly, Film 4 is singled out as a model for the…

Setting aside value judgements on whether any of these films are good, none get seen by an actual audience, largely because low-budget indies (apart form horror and porn) are not what audiences want.

That doesn't matter. Encouraging more cheap digital features both teaches people how to make films that work,…

As for being risk averse because of limited funds, Hollywood studios spend the equivalent of the GDP of a small country every year making movies but are extraordinarily risk averse – they are only interested in something that will pull in millions of 13-yr-old boys worldwide on opening weekend.

The…

I'm going to stab at some other things that have been somewhat revolutionary – colour, digital manipulation/CGI, the addition of sound tracks to movies.

Quite so. What I meant to say was the first revolution in the affordability of filmmaking.

**Many of the recommendations may make sense creatively, but they fall outside the established accountability practices for public agencies. To what extent are they…

What Jackson is saying (I think) is that educated and experienced people with hunches work better than open transparent accountable scorable funding systems for the creative art of the film industry. That's something I can believe.

Not just the film industry. I'm actually yet to find the business which functions…

but it's a bloody tough sell to Treasury. And, if anything goes wrong, to a news media only too happy to make an issue of it.

and

Well, it should be a bloody tough sell to everyone. I'm sorry if this makes me the in-house philistine, but no matter how…

Congratulations on being the only voice questioning whether we should spend less on our own culture.

Who "we", kemosabe? Oh, be in no doubt that I'm all for arts patronage. Don't know if anyone else has been watching Kevin McCloud's Grand Tour, but it's hard to look at this and…

---

Craig,
Congratulations on being the only voice questioning whether we should spend less on our own culture.

---

"No mention of the Internet...", or digital

Yeah, what a bloody tragic failure…

if we, as a country, were really serious about enhancing our artists, our writers, our…

But you can always argue that. People are dying! Maybe we should close all libraries and galleries, concrete our parks over and spend the money on healthcare.

Perhaps we should — but my point is that the argument for state funding of the arts is no more self-evident than that…

My problem with the commission is the futility with which it spends it's money.

For the most part I think short films (which is how most development is carried out) are a waste…

Then again, most of our ills are self-inflicted and kids in the developing world are starving. Maybe we should close the hospitals and…

But it's more likely a result of performance indicators and a kind of business mentality that is common to anything that the accountants in treasury fund.

Yes, if I took my accountant's advice on how to run my business, I wouldn't have a business. I'd have investments. Which would probably…

Didn't the Germans see our film industry as a 'miracle' during the Harley years?

Most of the Germans I've spoken to recently have remembered NZ for LOTR, and thought it was fantastic, mein Schatz. But yes, they also like other genre.

I'm not sure whether those two things (failure of…

While this may go against the grain, we feel that the increasing pressure on projects to be ‘commercial’ has been counter-productive. It’s an approach that can lead to mundane, forgettable, boring movies – unfunny comedies, undramatic drama and material better suited to television than international cinema

Sounds like the artistic…

We recommend that the NZFC relax its commercial imperative in the development process, especially for first features. While this may go against the grain, we feel that the increasing pressure on projects to be…

Didn't the Germans see our film industry as a 'miracle' during the Harley years?

I don't necessarily trust Peter Jackson's judgement – he is a commercial filmmaker.

Excuse me? I'd be very much surprised if Vincent Ward, Jane Campion or anyone else consider themselves anything less than "commercial" film-makers, in the sense that no serious artist is going to dedicate years of their lives…

It's a pretty hard brief. Even private studios that run solely for profit can't reliably pick winners.

Of course you can't, and Peter Jackson should know that better than anyone. I don't think there's any way you could spin The Frighteners as the commercial or critical highlight of his career.…