HIGHLIGHTS

The 14th annual SPADA film and television conference concentrated on the opportunities for growth for the New Zealand industry, keeping up momentum and expanding opportunities globally. 

Underpinning many of the discussions and debates for the three days was the importance of better terms of trade for industry growth.  International speakers Sara Geater, Head of Commercial Affairs at Channel 4, and Tom Brisley, Head of Factual, Darlow Smithson Productions, articulated and clarified the rationale behind good terms of trade being integral to a healthy and sustainable screen production industry.  The new UK terms of trade have led to a more exciting and creative environment injecting a new vitality into the industry and a much better relationship between broadcasters and the independent industry.

Minister of Broadcasting, Hon Steve Maharey indicated that there should be positive developments for the industry on terms of trade for international sales within the next six to eight months as the issue had gone on long enough in New Zealand .

Adding to their earlier acquisition of Jonathan King’s Black Sheep, The Weinstein Company and IFC Entertainment announced at conference the co-acquisition of North American rights for Robert Sarkies’ Out of the Blue.  Michelle Krumm from The Weinstein Company and Bingham Ray from IFC Entertainment both attended conference, and were very impressed by the filmmaking talent in New Zealand.

Brian Seth Hurst said that the bottom line of what a producer does is problem solving and the problem they need to solve is “how can I make money from these new trends?”  There are some amazing opportunities for professionals moving from the world of television to the internet and the skill base is completely transferable.  Hurst also outlined three types of businesses that he’d like to get into if he were younger: Aggregators (people who put together content, and offer it to the audience), Profilers (people who know what we want, and know what we’re doing) and Automators (people who can serve it up to us based on our preferences).

QUOTES

“Your strength comes from your cultural identity and your antipodean perspective.”  Bingham Ray

“The new terms of trade have led to a more exciting and creative environment.”  Tom Brisley

“If a script isn’t right after eight drafts it will never be right.”  Tomas Eskilsson

“The brief [for The Tribe] was “give us Ozzie Osbourne with penis sheathes”."  Neil Harraway

“The [rights] issue has gone around long enough. Hopefully within the next six to eight months we will have something positive from an industry point of view. We want to be able to resolve the issue of foreign sales.”  Hon. Steve Maharey

"The strength of our stories mean they have a strong link to the environment, where they are created, and therefore they become exotic and appealing to foreign audiences.”  Tomas Eskilsson

“My advice is learn as much as you can about sites like You-Tube and MySpace; as your best defence against the pirates [piracy] is an offence. You have to know what is going on - you can’t just stick your head in the sand.”  Brian Seth Hurst

“Our films have made us enticing.”  David Gascoigne

“Given the strength of the current international market for animation, there has never been a better time to bring ideas to a studio and reach a buyer.”  Sander Schwartz

“You should have a 10 second pitch of your project ready.”  Julie Christie

“Who in their right mind wouldn’t want a sustainable indie sector.”  Sara Geater

TRENDS

> The kids market is new every six to seven years.  When considering investment you go back to the properties that have done well or sold lots of apparel. You try and gauge the market and see where the demand is and meet that demand.  (Sander Schwartz, President Warner Bros. Animation)

> [What programmes are popular] Now - property, makeover type shows, a fashion for presenter-led journeys and other hybrid formats. Every 18 months or so we have to re-visit old territory in a fresh way.  Change and experimentation is accelerating so it is all the more important to get out there. (Neil Harraway, Director of Production, NHNZ)

> The internet comprises of two kinds of content Top-Down (traditional old style media companies) and the new style Bottom-Up (based on community, user-generated content like blogs).  For traditional media companies getting to grips with a bottom-up style of operating is a big turn to make, like turning a ship into a bath-tub.  Top-down companies are striving to understand this new, fast-growing market. (Brian Seth Hurst, CEO, The Opportunity Management Co.)

> We expect the importance of television will diminish in the next few years and the internet will rise to exceed that of television. (Sander Schwartz, President, Warner Bros., Animation)

> It was DIY for a while and it has now moved on.  Anticipating trends is a key part of it all, including traditional subjects that can speak to an audience in a more contemporary way. (Rebecca Batties, SVP Creative Development, Discovery Networks Intl. , USA )

> Moving from the world of television to the internet – the skill base is completely transferable - and there are opportunities for both grass root companies to grow up and the big media companies. I don’t think mass TV will go away but things are definitely being shaken up and re-configured. In five years time through an invention called the Sling Box (http://us.slingmedia.com/page/products.html) you will be able to watch TV from anywhere in the world. (Brian Seth Hurst, CEO, The Opportunity Management Co.)

CONFERENCE SESSION OVERVIEWS

View online or download PDF (230kb) of Highlights and Session Overviews here

NZ On Air John O’Shea Memorial Address
David Gascoigne (DCNZM, CBE) 
Former Chair of the New Zealand Film Commission, David Gascoigne, delivered this year’s memorial address.  David dothed his cap to the industry’s forefathers, and highlighted the need for more experienced producers, and a call to support them in making more New Zealand films that count.
Full address (PDF)

International Terms of Trade
Angela Littlejohn (Producer, Maxim Films, NZ) discussed the new UK terms of trade; how they came about, and the hugely positive impact those terms have had on their industry with Sara Geater (Head of Commercial Affairs, Channel 4, UK) and Tom Brisley (Head of Factual, Darlow Smithson Productions, UK). More

From Margin to Mainstream
The advent of digital in 2007 represents domestic and global opportunities for the growth of the New Zealand screen production industry.  In this new environment will Māori screen productions remain in the margin or will mainstream programming become marginalised?  Ynyr Williams (Producer, Salem Films) from Wales and Tomas Eskilsson (CEO, Film i Väst) of Sweden , shared their cultural experiences of moving from the margin to mainstream. Chair, Derek Fox. More

Nordic Exposure
Tomas Eskilsson - CEO, Film i Väst, Sweden
 Scandinavia encompasses some of the most successful and innovative national cinemas. In particular, Denmark attracts a significant share of its local box office, and Scandinavian ( Denmark , Sweden and Norway ) films play to increasing global audiences and international acclaim.  It was Robin Laing’s job to get Sweden’s Tomas Eskilsson (who has worked with such Nordic directing luminaries as Lars von Trier (Dogville, Breaking the Waves), Thomas Vinterberg (It’s All About Love, The Celebration) and Lukas Moodysson (Lilya 4-ever, A Hole in my Heart, Together) to discuss some of the reasons for the success of the Scandinavian film industry. More

Is There An Independent Film Industry Anymore?
Bingham Ray - Independent Film Executive, IFC Entertainment, USA
Peter Biskind’s book Easy Riders, Raging Bull, features Bingham Ray extensively, and although the chair of the session Lindsay Shelton (ex-New Zealand Film Commission Marketing Manager) hadn’t wanted to read it – he did - and was therefore able to kick off the session with a quote from the author describing Bingham Ray: “Bingham is short, profane and voluble a man who trusts his gut - and also a real charmer”.
This session questioned the nature of independent films in the 21st century, and posed the question, “Is there an independent film industry anymore?”  More

The Business of Kids

“The kids market is new every six to seven years and when considering investment you go back to the properties that have done well or sold lots of apparel. You try and gauge the market and see where the demand is and meet that demand.”  Sander Schwartz - President, Warner Bros. Animation, USA

Brent Chambers (Flux Animation) gave a brief background on Warner Bros’s presence in New Zealand , in particular their long relationship with the New Zealand animation industry, before inviting Sander Schwartz to talk a bit more about his career, and the key to his success in children’s programming. More

Discovering Discovery

“It’s very important to look offshore when it comes to doing business” - Rebecca Batties - SVP Creative Development, Discovery Networks Intl., USA

Rebecca Batties, discussed why New Zealand producers have gained growing success in providing finished programmes and original commissions for the variety of Discovery Channels.  She also discussed where the Discovery Channels are heading; and how more New Zealand produced programming can find its way into her schedules.  Putting forward a domestic perspective to the discussions, Rebecca was joined by Neil Harraway (Director of Production, NHNZ), Julian Grimmond (Mountain Film Unit) and Chair David Baldock (Ninox Television). More

NZTE presents
Michelle Krumm - EVP and Co-Head of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, TWC
Further to the announcement at conference that The Weinstein Company and IFC Entertainment had co-acquired the North American rights for Out of the Blue, joining the earlier co-acquisition of Black Sheep directed by Jonathan King, Michelle discussed the attraction of these two different films.  Although Out of the Blue tackled very difficult subject matter, and it was an event that is very specific to New Zealand , Michelle pointed out there are many small communities throughout the world that have been touched by tragedy – and therefore thinks the film has strong international appeal. 

Michelle thought Jonathan King’s helming debut was reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s earlier work – and could see it attracting a cult following over time.  Krumm also talked about TWC’s current focus on re-building its library, and the company returning to its roots and working with first time directors.

The Scheduling Game  
A fun and informative session to end the first day of conference.  Programmers and producers were locked in a heady competition to get the best programmes and deals in the marketplace, to create the most successful schedules.  Ensuring their paths weren’t always smooth ones, the punters had to deal with Grabbit and Run (aka Andrew Shaw and Jane Millichip) – who ran the toughest distribution company in town. 

Are You On The Right Platform?
Brian Seth Hurst, CEO, The Opportunity Management Company

“ Opportunity is not a lengthy passenger” Brian Seth Hurst

Brian talked about the internet comprising of two types of content creators:

1.         Top-down i.e. from traditional old style media companies; and

2.         Bottom-up based on community, user-generated content like blogs, vlogs etc. 

Top-down businesses
Top-down companies are striving to understand this fast-growing market.  They have a big turn to make - it’s like turning a ship in a bath-tub - to reach the users.  However, because they have a lot at stake – they can’t ignore the market   It’s just the nature of self-preservation Stamford University Professor Roger Knowles, “It’s never the incumbents that come up with the new business models” – enter new players i.e. iTunes who completely redefines the music industry. More

Tom Cruise, Hedge Funds & Exciting Investors
Hollywood films have recently attracted more than US$4billion from hedge funds and other institutions; it’s a very different story in New Zealand .  Richard Fletcher, Bingham Ray, Tony Bishop, David Court and Bill Birnie explored why the NZ film industry, when it’s supposedly riding high, can’t excite investors.  Are the barriers insurmountable?  Can a genuine market for investment in film be created? More

Reality Check
Julian Mercer, Executive Producer, BBC1/BBC2, Observational Documentaries
Phil Wallington talked to Julian Mercer about the unprecedented popularity of ‘reality’ programmes of all shapes and sizes.  A master practitioner of observational documentaries, Julian talked about how ‘reality’ in the UK is evolving from ‘characters’ towards strong stories and actions. More

PIRACY: Opportunity on the High Seas
Anthony Healey (APRA) Tim Riley (lawyer), Victoria Spackman (formerly with SPP as lawyer) and Brian Seth Hurst (the father of cross-platform) on how to get to your audience before the pirates do. More

Genre Bending
Tom Brisley (Head of Factual, Darlow, Smithson), Stephen McQuillan (Independent), and Chair Jane Millichip sat down on Saturday morning to discuss the recent trend sweeping broadcasters across Europe and the States – Genre Bending.  Tom and Stephen shared their experience of dramadocs, both in terms of the craft and the wider issues surrounding scripted reality: where does reality end and drama begin? More

Local Content: King or Courtier?
With Andrew Shaw chairing, the Minister of Broadcasting Hon Steve Maharey, Rick Ellis (TVNZ), Kelly Martin (CanWest/TV3), Karen Bieleski (Sky/Prime) and Larry Parr (Māori Television) discussed the future challenges and opportunities for free-to-air television in New Zealand, and whether local content will be king or courtier in a globalised, unregulated, multi-platform broadcasting world. More

MASTERCLASSES

TV Formats with Julie Christie
Recipient of the Independent Producer of the Year 2006 Award, Julie Christie (CEO, Eyeworks Touchdown), discussed her approach and success with taking a unique idea to the international market. Having licensed formats to 30 countries, Julie shared her wealth of experience and knowledge in the format genre, and discussed how other producers might approach this business model with producer John Barnett. More

Park Road Post Masterclass: NZ Short Films
This very well attended Masterclass kicked off with a brief history on New Zealand short films.  It reflected upon, and reiterated, the importance of short films as a breeding ground for some of our most successful feature film directors - including Niki Caro (Memory and Desire, Whale Rider, North Country)), Jonathan King (Black Sheep), Scott Reynolds (The Ugly, Heaven, Shearer’s Breakfast), Robert Sarkies (Scarfies, Out of the Blue) and Taika Waititi (Eagle vs Shark).

Chaired by Fraser Brown (co-producer Dead Letters). Speakers included Clare Burlinson (Colourist), Adam Scott (DI Artist), Tim Prebble (Sound Designer), Juliette Veber (Short Films, NZFC). More

WORKSHOPS

Doing the Paperwork
Victoria Spackman (Gibson Group), John McCay (Minter Ellison), Matt Emery (Emery Legal) and a SPADA Executive worked through the issues to ensure your paperwork gets done as swiftly and as painlessly as possible.  They highlighted some of the more important (and possibly obscure) inter-party obligations of various standard agreements.

Maximising the Media
Nick Grant (Onfilm) discussed with Sue May (Publicist), Russell Baillie (Journalist) and Dendy Film’s Michael Eldred the needs of the media and help practitioners maximise their project’s media coverage.  Key pointers to come out of the session were: build a good marketing/publicity plan from the very outset: don’t wait until the end of the shoot to start thinking about what the poster should look like: make sure you have a photographer on set for the whole shoot (a good photo is the audience’s first reference point for a new film): and work closely with your distributor – you’re all aiming for the same thing; getting as many people as possible to see your film.

Averting Disaster
Vincent Burke chaired the workshop with film insurance underwriters FIUA, completion guarantor FACB, and risk management and insurance broker Mahony, Trendall & Jack as they got down to the nuts and bolts of ways in which producers can avoid production disasters by managing the risks.

Speakers on the panel included Joe Lo Surdo and Neil McEwin (FIUA), Corrie Soeterboek (FACB), Martin Trendall (Mahony, Trendall & Jack)

Valuing TV Ratings
Commissioners have long said that when being pitched a concept, they want to see evidence that you understand their business and their schedule.  They want submissions that are "rich in detail of the audience make-up".  In Valuing TV Ratings Claire Harris (Managing Director, AGB Nielsen Media Research) explained the in’s and out’s of ratings and how they can be leveraged to benefit your business.  Using Front Page Productions’s Agenda as a case study, producer Richard Harman discussed how his company had used the TV ratings to fine-tune the design of Agenda and improve audience hold through the show.

New Media
Satellite Media's Nick Lowe (Director of New Media) and Nikki Streater (General Manager) presented a workshop which outlined the opportunities and benefits of new media and how to create, develop, and market content for new media in order to grow your business.

Roundtables & The Clinic
Once again the roundtables proved popular and an incredibly practicable alternative to attending sessions. Dedicated for delegates to meet with international guests and New Zealand ’s networks' commissioning editors and programmers. Legal and Business Affairs experts were once again on-hand for 20mins of free advice - a bargain anyday!

DOWNLOAD FULL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS AND OVERVIEW HERE