Register Now – Christchurch Rehearsal Room with Peter Feeney

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RR with Peter Feeney

The Rehearsal Room with Peter Feeney – Christchurch

When: Saturday 25 March 2017, 9.30am – 1.30pm

Where: Merivale, Christchurch

The Rehearsal Room brings together professionals – actors and directors – in a safe, supportive environment to practise working with each other on scenes under the guidance of an experienced moderator.

“Directors need as much practise… spending time with actors as they can get. It’s such an important relationship and so often writer/directors, especially, spend so much time by themselves with a script… and very little importance is placed on being able to direct actors.” – Past actor participant

REGISTER on our event page to have your name in the draw to participate. For each event 4 directors and 8 actors will be selected. ONLY Actors Equity actors and DEGNZ directors are permitted entry to The Rehearsal Room.

You need only register once. Your name will remain in the draw for future Rehearsal Rooms unless you ask us to remove it. If you are selected, we’ll email or phone you to confirm your participation.

 

Moderator – Peter Feeney
After moderating two excellent Rehearsal Rooms in Auckland and Wellington in 2016, Peter Feeney will bring his knowledge and insights to Christchurch.

Peter’s 20-year-plus acting CV ranges from NZ-shot US shows (Spartacus), to kids TV (Secret Agent Men, The Cul de Sac), comedy (Auckland Daze) drama (Abandoned), commercials and film: he won rave reviews as a mad scientist in Black Sheep. Peter also teaches acting, directs a bit, does occasional travel writing and helps raise his three young children.

 

Who is The Rehearsal Room for?
Professional actors and directors. It is open to Actors Equity and DEGNZ members of all levels of experience, from novices to virtuosos.

 

Material
Directors will be asked to provide a two-character scene (2 pages) or, if you prefer, a scene will be provided for you. Directors and actors will receive scripts in advance.

 

Structure of the event
Directors and actors will spend time rehearsing their scenes, with emphasis on connection and content.

After morning tea, participants will block their scenes, before presenting them for shooting, followed by viewing and discussion. The shooting is a wide shot only, intended as a means to review performance, not for directors to direct camera.

 

The Rehearsal Room is hosted by Directors & Editors Guild of New Zealand and the Equity Foundation, with financial support from New Zealand Film Commission.

Last updated on 26 February 2018

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DEGNZ Supports DGA, SAG-AFTRA Denouncement of Trump’s Immigration Policy

2 February 2017

The Directors & Editors Guild of NZ (DEGNZ) fully supports the denouncement by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) of President Donald Trump’s executive order barring people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somaila, Sudan and Yemen entering the United States.

“It is patently discriminatory to single out people solely by nationality or religion,” said DEGNZ President Howard Taylor.

“Law-abiding artists such as Iranian director Ashgar Farhadi who is prevented from attending the Academy Awards or any other law-abiding person should be treated equally regardless of race, gender, creed, disability, sexual orientation or country of birth.”

The DGA and SAG-AFTRA objections followed the Writers Guild of America’s statement blasting Trump’s 27 January order to suspend entry of refugees to for United States for 120 days, impose an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria, and a 90-day ban on citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries.

Trump’s ban has generated significant condemnation and concern in the creative and technology sectors with the Motion Picture Association of America, the gaming industry, Google, Netflix, Reddit and many other companies and organisations deeply opposed to the new immigration policy.

“The screen industry is now global,” added Taylor. The movement of artists and their works must flow freely and not be impeded by xenophobic policy that hinders expression or basic human rights.”

Ends

For further information, please contact:

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director
Directors & Editors Guild of NZ
tui@deganz.co.nz
021-659-950

 

Directors & Editors Guild of NZ

The Directors & Editors Guild of NZ is a not-for-profit membership organisation that represents Directors and Editors in the New Zealand screen industry. This includes Directors and Editors of feature drama and documentary; television drama, documentary and factual programmes; short films; video art; animation; commercials and web content.

DEGNZ’s two primary roles are advocacy and professional development. We:

  • are dedicated to promoting excellence in the arts of directing and editing.
  • foster collegiality and unity within the screen industry.
  • promote members’ creative and economic rights.
  • work to improve industry working conditions and remuneration.
  • offer professional advice and information on contracts and industry standards and practice.
  • offer professional development events, networking opportunities, career advice, dispute resolution, mentoring, workshops, training, discounts and regular news bulletins for members across all levels of expertise, from novices to seasoned professionals.
  • are a voice for Directors and Editors in influencing policy in the interest of our members. We do this through our membership of the pan‐industry group SINZ (Screen Industry New Zealand), and by making submissions to government and public officials.
  • Internationally work co-operatively with other guilds and we belong to the International Affiliation of English‐Speaking Directors’ Organisations (IEASDO).

DEGNZ is Auckland-based with an office in Grey Lynn.

 

Contact Details:

Directors & Editors Guild of NZ

Level 2, 66 Surrey Crescent

Grey Lynn

P.O. Box 47-294, Ponsonby

Auckland

+64-9-360-2102

admin@deganz.co.nz

www.deganz.co.nz

www.facebook.com/degnz

www.linkedin.com/in/degnz

@degnz_online

Last updated on 21 February 2018

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Shakeup In the Digital World

I was privy to a recent seminar from Italy-based independent consultant Linda Beath on the shakeup in the digital world and thought I would pass along to you a number of (substantiated) facts that she presented, and some of my opinion.

Internet Users

December 1995………… 16 million users………… 0.4%

December 2000………… 361 million……………….. 5.8%

September 2005……….. 957 million……………….. 15.7%

September 2010…………. 1,971 million…………….. 28.8%

December 2015………… 3,366 million…………….. 50.1%

Where are they?:

Asia………………………… 48.4%

Nth & Sth America……… 21.8%

Europe…………………….. 19%

Africa………………………. 9.8%

Oceania…………………… 0.9%

Obviously there is dramatic growth in Internet usage, with Asia far outstripping every other region.

Cinema Attendance

Globally, the drop between 2010 and 2011 was in attendance. Nth American ticket sales sagged 4.7%.

2012 and 2013 attendance was stable

2014 attendance was down 5% from 2013

2015 is up 5.2% from 2014

Movie box office has stabilized—it’s not going down. There are fluctuations but they are not substantial.

In the UK, digital video (transactional VOD), such as iTunes, earned 1.3 billion pounds in 2016.

DVD and blu ray disc sales fell 17% to 894 million pounds.

Rental fell 21% to just 49 million pounds.

This merely confirms what everyone knows and that is that DVD revenue is falling away. The problem is that transaction VOD revenues are nowhere near the peaks of DVD—Digital video is not making up for the significant loss in DVD revenue. Piracy has a lot to do with this.

In Europe at least, sales agents can’t afford the time and expense to handle transactional VOD rights. Therefore, filmmakers will need to try and retain their transactional VOD rights and learn how to market and sell those rights themselves to get revenues in this area.

To 2021, transactional DVD is going to grow, but slowly. The real growth will come in the subscription VOD market, the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Google Play.

SVOD is a global phenomenon.

In the fourth quarter of 2016, Netflix had nearly 90 million subscribers. In the US, they are in 40% of all broadband households. Their content spend in 2017 will be US$6 billon.

But there is competition for Netflix. Amazon spent $3.2 billon on video content last year. Their spend this year is expected to double or triple.

The trades recently reported the latest numbers out of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, providing a good indicator of these companies’ purchasing power, with Netflix number one buyer at a total of US$36.5 million, while Amazon was number two at US$23 million.

If Netflix follows the business model it has used in other parts of the world, we can expect to see Netflix original programming in Australasia in the not too distant future. Undoubtedly, Amazon won’t be too far behind.

It’s interesting to ponder that NZ On Air’s entire budget for national TV screen content in the 2016 year was NZ$81. 5 million (US$59 million)—1.36% of Netflix’s 2017 budget.

Netflix is spending US$66.67 for every subscriber in a growing global SVOD market. NZ On Air is spending US$13.11 in a shrinking domestic free-to-air market.

One other piece of information Linda reported was that the BBC is going head-to-head with Netflix with its iPlayer, abandoning linear exclusivity.

Years ago, British broadcasters were banned from pooling their resources behind a common streaming platform, killing off Project Kangaroo. Perhaps there’s a bit of strategic thinking to be done by public service broadcasters globally on this.

A pity we don’t have one.

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

Last updated on 21 February 2018

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Could you be our next Graduate Intern superstar?

We are looking for our next Graduate Intern who wishes to extend their knowledge of the film and television industry and take part in creating a sustainable industry for NZ directors and editors. The right candidate will get to engage with directors and editors across the country with networking opportunities and the chance to contribute to an exciting industry while gaining some great experience for their CV.

The role will involve 5 hours per week, unpaid over a period of four months.

Responsibilities will involve communication with members, membership processing, general admin, and may include drafting website content, research and social media.

Though we expect the intern to have some competency in some of the key skills outlined below, we also offer training in these skills.

To be successful in this role, you will:
•    Need to commit to 5 hours per week for each week of a four-month internship.
•    Have excellent written and face-to-face communication skills.
•    Have a relevant qualification in the Film and TV industry.
•    Have competency in the use of any/all of the following: Microsoft Office including Excel and Word, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
•    Be a collaborator – bring new ideas to the table.
•    Have a dedication to the growth and nurture of the film industry, particularly for Directors and Editors.
•    Have a good sense of discretion, privacy, and humour.

If you are interested in this internship, please send your CV and a brief covering letter to tema@deganz.co.nz.

 

Last updated on 21 February 2018

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Submit Your Script – Table Reads 2017

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Bringing Writers, Directors & Actors together for Table Reads.

Four reads per year on Saturdays @ NZWG HQ in Grey Lynn.

A core cast – max six actors – together with a writer & director team (OR writer/director) will collaborate on each script-in-development table read.

DEGNZ members and/or NZWG members are invited to apply for the script component to go into the draw for a day-long table read*. The script must have a director attached and have been through a development process.

Writer & Director teams: both must be members of NZWG/DEGNZ

Writer/director: must be a member of NZWG/DEGNZ

 

TABLE READ – ROUND ONE 2017

When: Saturday 11 March, 10am start

Where: NZWG HQ, Grey Lynn

Script Submissions close: Monday 20 February. Email NZWG – guildhq@nzwritersguild.org.nz (Subject line: Final Draft)

*Names remain for subsequent draws.

 

A Joint Initiative brought to you by NZWG, DEGNZ & EQUITY Foundation. With warm thanks to the New Zealand Film Commission.

 

 

Last updated on 25 June 2018

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