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Film Making in New Zealand

John C. Reid

The making of feature films in New Zealand goes back to the 1920's. Apart from the various newsreels, shorts and "record" films shot here, which today provide interesting historical fragments and glimpses of older social habits, a considerable number of "quickies" of feature length were turned out by New Zealanders. Such films were usually shot in a few days, with an Improvised script keeping fairly closely to basic formulas, and using unpaid actors, mainly recruited from amateur dramatic societies. Most of these were screened only in the locality in which they were made, and won audiences less for their art or technical skill than for their topicality. They bore such titles as 'Daughter of Danne-virke" and "Hamilton Husbands." "The Adventures of Algie" with Claude Dampier, which was partly set in Luna Park (a long since demolished Auckland fun-fair) made a good profit for its producers.

There were, even at that time, more ambitious film-makers, of which the most successful was Rudall Hayward, of Auckland, who graduated from local quickies to silent features such as "Rewi's Last Stand." "The Te Kooti Trail." and "The Bush Cinderella" (1928) and the sound version of "Rewi's Last Stand" (1938). Both the latter were commercial successes and even today, despite their Ingenuousness of plot, dialogue and acting, have qualities of direction, photography and cutting which show the hand of an experienced and skilful film-maker. Mr. Hayward is still making film documentaries such as his "Song of the Wanganui River" (1959).

"The Bush Cinderella." which featured Dale Austen, the first "Miss New Zealand." was shot in six weeks and cost £600. It was the coming of sound, with Its need for expensive equipment and the consequent increased cost of movie-making that virtually killed Independent production of feature films in New Zealand. During the past thirty years only the very occasional feature has been made by New Zealanders.

A great boost to film-making in this country came with the setting up of the New Zealand Film Unit in 1941, following a report to the Government by the celebrated British director of documentaries, John Grierson. The Unit took over from the Government Film Studios, which had been devoted almost wholly to tourist publicity. With its "Weekly Review, the Unit produced a first-class magazine which covered a wide range of national and local activities. Tills was discontinued in 1950 for reasons of economy. The National Film Unit has however, steadily Improved its product, both in subject-matter and technique, and its films have won top awards in overseas contests. Its strength has lain in the application of imagination and sophisticated techniques to documentaries designed largely to sell New Zealand to overseas tourists. The films of John Feeney, such as "Kotuku," "Legend of the Wanganui River." and "Hot Earth." of Brian Brake, such as "The Snows of Aorangi" and "The Snowline is our Boundary" and of Ron Bowie, such as "Dances of the South Pacific" and "Amazing New Zealand." show such qualities. But the work of the Film Unit has by its very nature, been limited in character and scope, since it acts primarily as an organ of Government publicity.

Side by side with work of the Unit, the last two decades have seen the growth of independent commercial film-makers such as Robert Steele and Harry Reynolds of Auckland, both concerned with producing films on the activities of manufacturers, road safety, airlines and so forth. In the middle fifties, Bob Morrow of Levin began making New Zealand's first cartoon films. From one such commercial firm, Pacific Films, with Roger Mirams as photographer and John O'Shea as director, came the first feature film for many years. "Broken Barrier." in 1952. This well-intentioned presentation of race relations in New Zealand suffered somewhat from a certain naivety in script, but had first-class photography, especially of the backgrounds, sound acting and efficient cutting. It was the most mature Him of feature length to be so far made in this country. The problem of cost, however, meant that the sound had to be post-synchronised, and this diminished its effectiveness.

Pacific Films went on to make workmanlike documentaries, many of which rose above the conventional. But the problems of finance stood in the way of more features. Roger Mirams went to Australia to make TV movies. This year, John O'Shea, finding finance at last, has just completed "Runaway." with a script by John Graham. the Auckland playwright and Mr. O'Shea. With mainly New Zealand actors and some imported ones. "Runaway" covers a wide area of the New Zealand scene. It is undoubtedly the most polished, sophisticated and meaty movie ever made here. If it is commercially successful, it may open the way for further ventures of the same kind.

Film-making is an expensive business, and in a small country especially so, calling for a large capital investment, and it is doubtful if even in a more buoyant stale of the film industry, more than a handful of feature films will ever be made here. The future growth of television, with its need for more local material, may well provide the avenue for larger scale movies.

What of the amateur filmmaker? New Zealand has a large number of cine-clubs and 8mm and 16mm hobbyists, Most of these groups are concerned with films chiefly as family records, or light entertainment of limited interest. Having judged several amateur film-contests, I can safely say that most of the makers treat family occasions, travel, animals, butterflies flowers, or "comic" domestic situations in a way that makes any consideration of art or significance. Irrelevant. There are one or two exceptions, such as. Mr. Fred O'Neill, of Dunedin, who, by using plasticene models and stop-frame technique, has created his own individual world of fantasy, wit and humour. His remarkable "Flight to Venus" with its serious anti-war message, has won awards and medals all round the world.

However, for most amateur makers, filming is merely a hobby and a few have used the many opportunities for abstract work for story-telling, for serious documentary in depth, for humour, that 8 and 16mm offer. In 1959. two young Aucklanders. Paul Leach and Michael Nicolaidi made "Pas de Deux." a simple love story creating a mood of its own and with sequences of high imagination. This 8mm production was awarded a Gold Star in the Amateur Cine World's Best competition. Both men are now making films for television in Canada. The films of these young men and of one or two others like them, show the vast possibilities that open out for those prepared to make the comparatively small initial Investment in 8mm equipment. What is needed above all is daring, imagination, ideas, patience.

I find it hard to understand why more young people do not enter into the 8mm and 16mm fields. At present too many of the Cine-club people have no interest in the exploitation of new techniques and ideas. While we must be grateful for the work of John O'Shea and hope that he and others like him will make more feature films, it is from the amateur film-maker that fresh discoveries and a freer use of cinema are most likely to come.