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Photo: SUPPLIED
The glamor movie industry has drawn much criticism for receiving special treatment to allow foreign crews to cross our border when others have been excluded.
They are the workers considered essential to power the $ 3 billion industry, but to get here they have had to sacrifice months away from their families.
Today award-winning producer of Avatar and Titanic Jon Landau talks to The detailSharon Brettkelly on what it takes to make a blockbuster in a pandemic.
“These are the people who will open the door for millions of dollars to flow into the economy,” says Landau.
He was one of more than 30 Avatar crew that arrived in New Zealand in May after obtaining border waivers for foreigners deemed essential for a project of significant economic value.
They have taken over Stone Street Studios in Miramar to film the four long-awaited and delayed Avatar sequels, “using all the stages and all the corners”.
“The plan was always to do live action work here in New Zealand. We were here last year for about six months … and the plan was to come back in March. Here’s the week we were supposed to travel The pandemic emerged and we made the decision not to come even before its borders were restricted. “
Landau says the “first choice” was to work in New Zealand with a family team.
“We love the passion, the discipline and all that they bring.”
But they needed a plan before leaving the United States.
He explains to Brettkelly that health experts were called in to draft the rules for working on set and the impact of Covid restrictions on making epic movies, including strict cast and crew bubbles.
It also describes the widespread benefits of an international film project.
“A company that only makes widgets is very limited,” says Landau. “When a movie spends its money, we do it in food services, we do it in wood, we do it in car rentals, we do it in labor, we do it in the local stationery.”
Landau also talks about what he thinks the film industry will look like in a year and why he thinks New Zealand will continue to prosper after Covid.
