www.nzcine.com - The website of The New Zealand Cinematographers Society.

Some features:
A direct link to the forum. All Screen production industry people are encouraged to use the open forum to make contact with New Zealand 's Cinematographers and camera department crew.
A link to the Calendar that I will attempt to keep current with coming events and meetings.
A news blog that is still being worked on by James to make it an active feed. (will let you know when it's fully working)
Links under members names take you to their imdb listing.

The winner of Wellington ’s 48HOURS competition for 2008 was announced on Wednesday night, in a sold out final at the Embassy Theatre. Team “Smashing Pants” won for the third year in a row with the juvenile delinquent film Darlene. Director Sam Kelly and Producer Bonnie Slater were thrilled to be chosen again to represent Wellington at the national level of the competition where over $60,000 worth of prizes is up for grabs.

The 48HOURS filmmaking competition gives 600 teams across New Zealand just 48 hours to make a film, from idea to completion. Each team are randomly allocated a genre and must include a given character, line of dialogue, and prop in their film.

Team “Smashing Pants” won Wellington in 2006 with the horror short The Baby Farmer, and in 2007 with the grindhouse film Maori Detective & the Boogie Fever. This year, Darlene won Best Film, Best Script (David Brechin-Smith, Sam Kelly, Kelly Kilgour), Best Cinematography (Mathew Knight), Best Use of Prop, and Most Perfect Moment. The cinematography prize was a HD Panasonic camera.

The top three scripts in the 2008 Final Draft Short Film Script Competition are:

Esther’s Angels by Pete Force, The Medal by Simon Paniora, and Brandland by Linda Niccol .
The winning script: The Medal by Simon Paniora.
Congratulations go to Simon, Pete and Linda, and also to the finalists Hineani Melbourne, Barry Duffield, Cushla Dillon , Jason Wetzel, Don na Banicevich Gera , Charlie Bleakley, and Reuben Pollock .
The New Zealand Writer’s Guild would like to thank Final Draft, Nga Aho Whakaari, and all our readers and adjudicators for making this competition possible. We are already looking forward to next year’s competition…

With new offices, new logo and new staff, Film Wellington is full of fresh energy and ready to take on whatever challenges film-makers can throw at it.

Production people used to just ducking in to Film Wellington’s office on Lambton Quay to pick up a filming permit should note that the office is now on the corner of Manners and Victoria Streets, in number 50 Manners Street.

After working as the office’s Film Coordinator for four years, Delia Shanly has become Manager. Joining Delia are two new Film Coordinators, Stacey Ferdinands and Deanna Borren.

For help with your next project, contact Film Wellington on their new office numbers or visit their website www.filmwellington.com.

Delia: 04 382 0078
Stacey: 04 382 0066
Deanna: 04 382 0061

This year Arts Wellington is announcing changes to the fees structure with the aim of broadening the membership base. Membership fees have been reduced and benefits reprioritised to concentrate on communications and networking platforms. The repriortised benefits can now be veiwed on the Arts Wellington website.

To read full details of membership benefits and fees for the 08-09 year, please go to www.artswellington.org.nz/membership

The Government has recently announced as part of the 2008 Budget a new scheme for New Zealand film and television production known as the Screen Production Incentive Fund (or SPIF) to be established from 1 July 2008.

While we welcome the Government's decision to provide additional funding to the NZ production industry we have serious concerns about the current shape of the SPIF criteria. As drafted the SPIF will potentially exclude NZ performers from being involved in SPIF productions. The working of this scheme will therefore have a direct negative impact upon the working lives of NZ performers.

NZ performers were not consulted prior to the release of draft guidelines nor invited to consultation sessions on the SPIF. Equity only became involved in consultations after approaching the Ministry of Culture and Heritage (MCH) ourselves. In contrast, the Screen Production and Development Association (SPADA) were consulted on the current draft of the SPIF criteria and producers were provided with special meetings with the MCH.

An extra $27.8 million over four years goes to the New Zealand Film Commission. It will administer a new Screen Production Incentive Fund for eligible New Zealand films and television productions. [Ministerial Press Release]
For the full details on the SPIF guidelines go to www.mch.govt.nz. [SPADA Press Release]
See also:
The New Zealand Film Commission has welcomed the increased funding for filmmakers of medium-scale films with approved New Zealand content, and the further impetus that it should create.

“The Commission views it as a positive response to the Australian Producer Offset Scheme which had potentially put at risk some filmmaking capability in New Zealand,” said NZFC Chairman David Cullwick.
See http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/article.php?sid=5584 for the rest of the article.

The new and improved Film Auckland website is now online. From the homepage the visitor will find five sector streams for easy navigation - Features, Television, TVCs, Post-production and Gaming/Animation.
The website will also contain case studies related to each sector and will include moving image video examples.
The new website will hugely enhance Film Auckland's ability to market the Auckland screen production industry as a first-rate filmmaking destination. It will aid promotion of all the services Auckland offers including those of Film Auckland's members.
Check it out at www.filmauckland.com