An Untapped Market for NZ Filmmakers

In the last few weeks I have serendipitously bumped into two NZ directors working in low budget range of filmmaking. The conversation was rich around film, what we like and what we’re making.  On both occasions though, and only briefly, the conversation touched on the ever-growing divide between low budget film making and extremely large budget filmmaking. It seems we in New Zealand have taken very little ownership of the film market ‘in between’.  At one end of the spectrum we make low budget uniquely NZ films which are well received at European festivals. If we are lucky these films become widely successful like ‘Whale Rider’, ‘Piano’ or ‘Once were Warriors’. At the other end of the spectrum we have Peter Jackson’s Hobbit and Cameron’s Avatar films.  Surely then the ‘in-between’ is a massive untapped market for the NZ film industry to utilize.   

It is easy enough to identify the films that rule this market. These films are thrillers, horrors, supernatural thriller/action, comedies or uplifting community/sports films. They are films that utilize an identifiable figure or character, be they witches, vampires, zombies or Marilyn Monroe or Margaret Thatcher. The Weinstein’s continue this approach this year with a film about Hitchcock.  These films look to make use of a recognizable brand that is rights free. In theater when you can’t afford the rights to a popular contemporary play you can always do Shakespeare.  This market has a similar strategy. These films focus on a few central characters and generally a fairly standard three-act story.  Place becomes central to this scale of film. Whether it be set in a house, on a football field or in a forest the physical place of a films setting becomes an extension of the characters and story. If then we can clearly identify the type of film that sits in the medium budget range as well as have the know-how to make it, Why aren’t we?

Six years ago Rob Tappert decided to give it a try in NZ. He extended beyond Hercules and Xena with the 30 million dollar ‘30 days of Night.’ As well as the lower budget ‘Boogie Man’. Both films were successful in the box office but not successful enough. Tappert’s focus returned to long running TV with ‘Spartacus’ and ‘Legends of the Seeker’, both extensions on the successful Hercules model.  This leads to some questions. What return on 15 – 30 million dollars is deemed successful?  Once this is identified who has a track record in investing in this scale of film? Who distributes them and into what market?  Fortunately for NZ crews Tappert has decided to try again with the remake of ‘Evil Dead’.

At times investment has obviously come fast and strong to NZ. Investors and filmmakers have been attracted to our locations and talented crews. But these attractions do not sustain an industry. As soon as the dollar value shifts or tax incentives in other regions become more attractive those investors move on. What can hold an investor to NZ? Peter Jackson has proven that the greatest resource we can develop is intellectual property. Strong scripts at the inception of the process and world-class tech at the delivery end. 

With this knowledge in mind I have begun my approach into the business of filmmaking. An experienced NZ playwright is writing ‘Te Hau’. He holds a Masters in screen writing from Victoria University. He represents the tip of the iceberg of a number of extremely qualified and talented commercial writers in NZ. If together we can successfully get ‘Te Hau’ made we will look to build on its success. This ‘building’ will bring together a larger pool of writers to develop a number of screenplays.  Through having a number of scripts potentially we can better meet the expectations of investors as well as market trends. Once we attract investment in great scripts we have no shortage in NZ of great directors, crew and state of the art post production facilities.