DEGNZ member Ben Wildish is the Kaiwawahi Korero (editor) on the series. The series follows kiwi icon, Stan Walker through 2020 as he juggles the role of musician, activist, son, brother and friend. With whanau on both sides of the Tasman, the show offers an unfiltered look into the lives of Stan and his whanau.
New episodes are released every Monday.
Last updated on 2 March 2021
Film Otago Southland (FOS) is thrilled to support the DEGNZ Direct South: Short Film Workshop, to take place in Dunedin Sunday 30 May. FOS is offering up to five travel grants for participants within the Otago and Southland region.
Michelle Savill will lead the Dunedin workshop as a part of the South Island series. Participants might be a first-time director or have several under your belt.
More information and registration link available here.
The workshop will be interactively livestreamed through Zoom for those who can’t attend in person. However, Film Otago Southland are also happy to provide travel support for people outside the Dunedin area to attend.
We can offer a maximum of 5 x $100 travel grants to enable participants from outside Dunedin, but who reside within the Otago and Southland region, to attend.
Please email Kahli Scott (kahli@filmotagosouthland.com) to request this support. Confirmation of your workshop registration will be required before the grant will be offered. The first five confirmed applicants will be supported. Any person accepting the grant and failing to attend the workshop in person will be liable to return the grant.
Last updated on 18 February 2021
An update from ScreenSafe:
As of 11:59pm, Sunday 14 February, Auckland has moved to Alert Level 3 and the rest of New Zealand moved to Alert Level 2. This will remain in place until at least until 12 midnight, Wednesday 17 February.
All productions need to ensure they are operating to the ScreenSafe COVID-19 Health & Safety Standard & Protocols as they relate to your region and Alert Level. Visit the ScreenSafe COVID-19 page for the full toolkit and information on how to apply the Alert Levels to your production.
Mask wearing or an appropriate face covering is now recommended for on set crew at Alert Levels 2 and 3. Crew who are able to work in isolation (i.e., work from home or in a single office) have more flexibility within the work space.
It is also required when performing close proximity tasks within level 2 and above, i.e. for make-up or hair.
Talent should wear masks when possible/when interacting with crew, although this will not be practical whilst on screen.
Within Alert Level 2, Productions to ensure all persons that are not part of your production bubble, and who enter the worksite, are to maintain 1 metre physical distance with crew members (i.e. filming in public spaces).
Alert Level 3 requires physical distancing between all crew, including talent, and is not conducive to most filming productions.
Travel to/from Auckland is only allowed if you are returning to your place of residence OR if you’re an essential worker.
This means a production based outside of Auckland will not be able to travel Auckland crew to a location outside of Auckland until a reduction in Alert Levels.
Physical distancing and mask wearing is required for all domestic flights, trains, ferries, and ride share services like taxi’s and Ubers.
All NZ businesses are required to use the NZ COVID Tracer App (or a manual contract tracing log, preferable contactless). This includes all work sites, offices, locations and suppliers.
ALL productions, including 1-person shoots, MUST register with ScreenSafe. It only takes 1 minute to do this: https://screensafe.co.nz/covid19/registration/
There are no restrictions on the amount of people on a work site. However, each production needs to assess their own requirements vs. the overall need for physical distancing, hygiene and risk to cast, crew and the public.
Within Alert Level 3, 1m physical distancing is required for all scripted action.
Talent must be able to dress themselves and do their own make up (under the guidance of crew if required).
No extras at Level 3.
Every work site MUST have a site specific Covid-19 plan in place.
Note: councils will not issue filming permits without a thorough Covid-19 plan + a ScreenSafe registration.
ScreenSafe Level 3 Cheat Sheet – 15 February 2021 (PDF 540KB)
Last updated on 15 February 2021
With the vaccine within sight and just when we thought all we had to worry about was who was going to win the America’s Cup… here we go again.
It’s only through the news, our friends and other sources do we comprehend the horror of what COVID has perpetrated on many parts of the world. Our experience has been minor in comparison. The low numbers of check-ins using the COVID app has highlighted the nonchalance with which many Kiwis have treated the threat. And now here it is amongst us once more.
Fortunately, many productions schooled through our last lockdowns have maintained their vigilance and practices. A visit to Amazon’s Lord of the Rings studio locations highlighted that. Screensafe’s and SIGANZ’s considerable effort, with all the guilds and associations pitching in, means we have the resources and now the experience to provide the safest environment possible for production amidst a pandemic. Let’s hope we don’t have to rely on these for too long.
The fund NZFC and NZ On Air operates for COVID-hit productions has already been used by a large number of projects. How much money is still available has suddenly become a pressing issue. As will the availability of more if we are faced with a longer time in lockdown.
We got away almost unscathed from the Pullman outbreak. This looks much more serious with the UK variant of the virus confirmed in the community cases.
In the meantime, DEGNZ will continue to operate as we did through Levels 2, 3, and 4. We are all working from home, so office hours are essentially the same as usual. Once more we have to adjust our events to cope with the situation. We will be communicating with you about any workshop or event that was already on our calendar and that may be affected.
As always, the guild will be available to our director and editor members with advice or assistance, so do not hesitate to reach out. Hopefully, we will not have to take on a bigger picture role because of a prolonged lockdown period—having done a lot of work already, the screen sector is in a lot better shape than it was the first time around.
As I sit in front of my computer at home listening to the rain falling on a vege garden and property that welcomes it with open arms, and another sunny weekend just gone, I sincerely wish that all is over by midnight Wednesday. I will then be able to look forward to the coming weekend, which will hopefully deliver good surf so that I can try out my new surfboard lying untested in its bag in the carport.
Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director
Last updated on 22 February 2021
The NZFC and Script to Screen yesterday announced the six successful teams funded through the highly contestable Fresh Shorts initiative. Congratulations to members Hweiling Ow and Mia Maramara with their short film project Vivie, and DEGNZ events manager, Tema Pua, who will be directing Cradle & Grave! The Fresh Shorts teams will be granted $15K towards their short films.
The six were selected from a pool of 97 applications. 18 teams were shortlisted and given feedback from independent assessors. Supported by Fresh Shorts facilitator Miriam Smith they submitted a more detailed application to Whiringa Tuarua – Stage Two in January. From the 18 submissions, six were selected.
Last updated on 12 February 2021
