ScreenTalk

Taika Waititi [Te-Whānau-a-Apanui] discovered drama at secondary school. Having previously had aspirations for careers in deep sea diving, painting and hospitality, the lure of the entertainment industry led him towards acting, and a high school drama teacher – who he admits “changed my life”.

Waititi, aka Taika Cohen, appeared in feature films Scarfies (Alex), and Snakeskin (Nelson), the TV show The Strip, and on stage as a stand up comedian and one half of the comedy duo Humourbeasts, before turning his creative energies towards writing and directing.

His award-winning short film Tama Tū, based on the experiences of The Maori Battalion in WWII, was recognised at festivals in Berlin, Stockholm and at Sundance.

Waititi’s first short Two Cars, One Night was nominated for an Academy Award, and his debut feature film Eagle vs Shark was released in 2007 to critical acclaim.

He has directed several music videos, including two for Wellington band The Phoenix Foundation.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Waititi reveals:

• The trials of working with kids in Two Cars, One Night
• The story behind the now infamous “falling asleep” gag at the Oscars, and how he was left holding the baby
• Details on how the amazing, lifelike set for short film Tama Tū was realised
• The crazy story behind creation of the script for Eagle vs Shark
• How he approached writing and directing on Flight of the Conchords
• His general thoughts on choosing a career as a filmmaker
• An insight into the layout of his hill-top castle-themed mansion

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence

Musician, artist, writer and director Greg Page began his film career in Hamilton in the early 90s, making music videos for local bands. Since then the international award-winning filmmaker has written and directed several short films, including claymations Decaff and The New Zealand Centenary of Cinema, as well as Sarah’s Washing, and his full length feature film The Locals.

Page’s boundless energy and fanaticism has also given rise to some of NZ’s most memorable and spectacular music videos for top recording artists like Scribe, The D4 and Elemeno P.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Page reveals:

• how he shot his 1994 claymation short Decaff
• the story behind making the claymation short The New Zealand Centenary Of Cinema, along with John O’Shea
• behind-the-scenes details from his feature length horror The Locals, including the animation process, casting and soundtrack decisions
• how the D4’s Exit To the City music video came about and a behind-the-scenes insight
• what it was like shooting Elemeno P’s Verona in an icecream freezer in minus 20 degrees
• his views on the state of NZ’s film industry

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

Credits:  Interview, Camera & Editing – James Coleman