Ataahua keeps us informed from New Zealand once more. From Richard Taylor’s in interview 10 minutes ago on Newstalk ZB:
“This is incredible madness. It’s unfolded so quickly with so few people causing so much harm to so many. It’s like watching a slow-motion train wreck unfolding before your eyes. I’m not a spokesperson for the film industry – I don’t know the intricate details (of the movie’s future) as well as you think I would. I speak for myself. While I represent the voice of the team who work at Weta Workshop I have the same emotions and feelings as the Wellington film technicians who make a livelihood from the film industry.”
In response to Helen Kelly’s comments about yesterday’s meeting ‘winding up’ the film technicians:“That’s completely untrue, unfortunately like many of the things Helen Kelly says. She’s in the corner, she’s realising she’s made an incredible blunder. She’s empowered a very small group of people to put our film industry in jeopardy. I can’t imagine how they’re feeling now about themselves. “I sent an email at 3pm yesterday suggesting anyone who wants to talk were welcome to come along. I was amazed at the number of people who turned up. Obviously it was incredibly impacting and a statement in itself that so many technicians turned up – we figured maybe 30 or 40 times the number of actors that had turned up in support of the New Zealand Equity side.
“It was decided as a group to go down to the meeting (of NZ Equity) and try to verbalise our concern as the other side of the film industry, the other point of view, the people who are the film makers in New Zealand. The fact that the group that were gathered were emotional is understandable, although passionate is more appropriate. I believe the film industry is fired by passionate people. You don’t make a movie like The Lord of the Rings without passion, drive, determination and motivation, and that’s what the film technicians demonstrated last night.”
Stay tuned to TheOneRing.net for more breaking news as we get it.
With the news that the NZ Equity Meeting was canceled last night, we are now getting some reports from the ground. Below you will find two reports: One from a witness to the resulting technician march (with pictures!); Another from a technician marching with some exclusive information. As a quick summary, the general consensus is that the meeting was canceled last night when it was realized the protest group greatly outnumbered those in the actor’s equity. However, the worst news comes from Jabes report:
Last night’s meeting of New Zealand Actor’s Equity was cancelled, and a planned protest of that meeting by a group of 1000 film technicians turned into a march through the streets of Wellington. It is all part of the latest happenings as New Zealand tries to secure the production of The Hobbit films. The group of film technicians, lead by Sir Richard Taylor, had planned to call for the end of the NZ Actor’s Equity Hobbit film boycott.
Richard Taylor, co-founder and director of Weta Workshops, was knighted in a ceremony at Premier House in Wellington today. He was presented the honour by Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand at his investiture at Premier House, after being made a Knights Companion of the NZ Order of Merit in the Queen’s birthday honours list.