Back to results Walking a crooked mile Director Sam Pillsbury talks about making Crooked Earth, his first NZ feature since Starlight Hotel in 1987. Had you been actively looking for a project that would enable you to return to work in New Zealand when Crooked Earth came up? I've wanted to work in NZ ever since I left, and am frankly amazed it took this long. I've travelled back regularly and worked on a number of projects, but so far none have come to fruition. Financing the kind of films I'm interested in seems to be tough! I had been talking to Robin [Scholes, the producer] for a while about a number of things. When Crooked Earth turned up it was sort of part of that process. When you first read the script three years ago you saw it as a "potentially compelling story" - what attracted you to the work and what did you think was lacking? I was initially shown two drafts by different writers. I loved the subject matter: I've always been interested in NZ race and colonialism issues, which were there in spades. There was also a kind of savage energy and irreverence that I liked. But the stories were a bit of a mess. It really was a whole jumble of different genres, themes and stories, a sort of something-for-everybody that didn't work for me at all. But the material was compelling and I saw the possibility of a real film here. A number of writers had a hand in different versions of the script, and I'm under the impression you did some rewrites yourself. Can you comment on this process? Greg McGee's original script started this whole thing off. I didn't see it until very late in the piece. It had been turned down by Pandora, the French distributors who were providing the offshore financing (and who were still interested in the concept), so it was academic, and I had an idea of where I wanted to go anyway. I read it later, well before we shot the film, because I didn't want to have missed anything. All the ideas and energy are there, and Greg had a brilliant idea, but it was a somewhat different story. I had Waihoroi Shortland's version and another by two Australian writers Robin had commissioned. We agreed to meet in Auckland, and we had a few days of intense discussion with me, Robin, Wassie [Shortland] and Michael Brindley from Oz. Michael and his co-writer Karin Altmann had fashioned a very professional screenplay but I just didn't like their story. They became quite hostile to the changes I wanted to make so we 'let them go' as they say! I hit it off with Wassie, I thought he had all the heart, passion and ability. Anyway, it was a story about his people. I'm delighted we made this choice. Frankly I would have been extremely reluctant to delve so deeply into a culture that wasn't mine without a writer ally like Wassie. I learnt an enormous amount from him, and I think I taught him a few things as well. It was a fun partnership. Another person who made a crucial contribution was Don Selwyn (and his casting partner Ruth Kaupua). I've known Don since Wellington in the '70s. Don and Ruth worked for and believed in this film, and I couldn't have done it as well without them. What was the core of the story that you clung to during the rewrites? All the screenplays were adventure films with a rural setting. They all involved friction between these two brothers, drug dealing and leadership of the tribe. Otherwise they told different stories. I saw the potential for a story about 'The Awakening of the Rightful Leader' (if you will), the politicization of a reluctant warrior. I sent an 18 page sort of discussion paper to Robin about what I'd be interested in working on, and she responded positively. Does this remain the core of the story in the finished film? It utterly remains the core of the story. Obviously there's the influence of the sensibility of the participants, and we pirated freely from elements in previous drafts. But it's about the journey of this character played by Temuera. How long was the shoot? Eight weeks. Minus the travel time, the rain and the fact that it got dark at 5pm every day. It was a tough shoot. It's a pretty big movie to execute with the resources we had. Did you have a rehearsal period before shooting commenced? Oh yes – quite a lot. We had a film with an almost all-Maori cast. We [Pillsbury and Selwyn] used the casting process as a sort of workshop/rehearsal process as well. Some of our cast were experienced, quite a few were not. We worked together and separately to make the most of our resources. It was really not the way I’ve got used to working, but it was an organic adaptation for the place we were in and the movie we were making. There was quite a bit of ‘getting to know you’ and it was necessary. I think it worked. Do you regard yourself as an actor’s director or more of a technician? I regard myself as a filmmaker. I happen to love working with actors, and love the technical stuff as well. Really. I just love the process. The part I can hate is dealing with bureaucrats and executives. It’s not always bad, but it often is. It’s just part of the process in the USA, where they haven’t learned what Corporate America has known for years regarding middle management. Which is that it’s useless. And it’s so often awful because their agendas tend to be political, about power or position instead of the film, and mostly they don’t know anything about film anyway. There tends to be a minimum of that in NZ, which is one of the reasons I like working there. It is creeping in over here though, and I advise everyone to fend it off. What kind of direction do you tend to give actors on set? First, mostly it’s about the casting. The right cast in the right part and there’s an easy synergy. The next thing is to get the concept of the character right. Mostly, struggles with the part are because the actor hasn’t got a good grip on the character. Get that right deep down and it tends to flow. Sometimes actors only need a good grip on that and no rehearsals. But everyone is different, and that’s what you can discover and get a handle on in rehearsals – get your language and chains of communication sorted, then you can run easily in front of the express train on the day. Third, blocking. It’s essential. Block the scene thoroughly beforehand. If you can get access to the set before the shoot, do it then – you get to define the space for the actors instead of for the crew. That can easily get reversed, and it’s creatively corrupt – the crew is there for the actors. Otherwise, take control of the set before each scene. Get everyone out but the actors, maybe the DOP and the 1st AD (and continuity). Work on it. In blocking, you get to discover the truth of a scene. “Try sitting on that line”; “try going to the door earlier”; “try walking away”; “try facing her on that line”; and so on. This all works much better than talking about it. You make discoveries. Unlikely lines can suddenly make sense. It’s your secret weapon. I never give line readings. I usually work with intentions, active verbs. Like, “Try challenging him. Try defying. Try ridiculing.” And so on. It’s simple and powerful. And fast. What was the most challenging aspect of the shoot? Apart from the rain and the short winter days? Being totally immersed in a culture that wasn’t mine. The most enjoyable? Being totally immersed in a culture that wasn’t mine. You’ve commented elsewhere [Metro, September 2000] that you believe many New Zealanders are in denial about the amount of racism bubbling under the surface of daily life. Given this, do you think that Crooked Earth may have a better chance of doing well overseas than it does in NZ? I honestly don’t know. I refuse to make guesses about who will embrace a film. I am quite simply always amazed whenever a film goes out. It never seems to be what’s expected. I do know that a pretty basic NZ audience loved the test screenings and, best of all, they totally got all the sly humour that’s in there – mostly thanks to Wassie – and I’m pretty sure no-one offshore will get any of that. And I wouldn’t be overly optimistic about the US interest in indigenous culture... most Native Americans still live on reservations. It is about a universal human rights issue, that of entitlement. I have hopes that will travel. But we really made this primarily for an NZ audience. I understand why some white middle-class NZers might be sick of hearing noises coming from the tangata whenua. It is sometimes unreasonable and tedious. But you know what? If we have to shut up and listen now as a result of the last 100 years of not doing so, that’s just too bad. It doesn’t justify reverse racism, or mea culpa and a bunch of liberal wimpishness either. But if this movie pisses off some white middle-class NZers, I think that’s just fine. The worst thing for a film like this would be to compromise in that area. We didn’t shy from confronting both sides in this film, and I’m proud of that. You’ve expressed concern about the prospect of the NZ industry succumbing to the siren call of runaway productions. Could you elaborate on this? I’ve always felt that it was a mixed bag. The dilemma is: no overseas films, no sustainable industry; too many overseas films, no crews for lower budget NZ films. We struck that with Vertical Limit, Lord of the Rings and Xena when crewing Crooked Earth. But what’s the option? Try going to Canada sometime. Somehow the essence of the film business is an anarchic/free-market combo. None of us are employed. That crazy energy is what makes films work. It’s why institutions don’t make good films. I reckon let the market do what it will, compete with the best of them, and if it starts to hurt the local industry, take steps to intervene. What I hate is all the marketing crap people talk about making films ‘commercial’. It’s just pure bullshit and anyone who listens to it is a fool. It’s just an excuse for selling out. I have no problem with anyone making formula films, but if you want to see good films coming from New Zealand, promote what’s unique and personal. Also, over the years the financing bodies have tended to favour the producer, because they’re the ones with the office, the filing cabinet, the letterhead, the receptionist. Institutions like to deal with institutions. The best films tend to be made by directors. I hope I say this without prejudice, as I’m also a producer. As a producer, when I chose a director I advise and support. When I direct I hope to be advised and supported. I think we’d make better films if we all did that. And I think we would make better films in New Zealand if we spent more time encouraging and listening to the directors. That’s how we made our mark in the first place. Finally, we also need to be aware that so-called overseas productions vary, and are as diverse in NZ as elsewhere. I noticed some of the crew on Crooked Earth had spent a lot of time on Xena and Hercules. They seemed to have adopted a set of values that weren’t appropriate for an NZ feature. An ongoing, syndicated, playful TV series has a different set of criteria, values and modus operandi than a one-off feature film about sensitive social and racial issues. And the director and crew have a different set of obligations on such a project. I understand that you’re currently developing a screenplay with Stan Wolfgramm…? Yup. A brilliant idea by Stan, a sort of Polynesian Full Monty, about a bunch of immigrant outsiders in Auckland who get sick of being kicked around and form their own ragged security service. We’re working on it, with help from the NZFC. • Crooked Earth premieres on 22 August (for tickets, call Liz on 0-9-379 3734 or Yvonne on 0-9-307 4957), and goes into general release on 23 August. © Copyright Onfilm magazine August 2001 All material appearing is copyright and cannot be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher. Please contact the copyright officer: Ph 0-9-845 5114, Email copyright@mediaweb.co.nz.	Username Password Keep me logged in on this computer Forgotten your password? Enter your email address and we will email your password to you:

Walking a crooked mile

Director Sam Pillsbury talks about making Crooked Earth, his first NZ feature since Starlight Hotel in 1987.

Had you been actively looking for a project that would enable you to return to work in New Zealand when Crooked Earth came up?
I've wanted to work in NZ ever since I left, and am frankly amazed it took this long. I've travelled back regularly and worked on a number of projects, but so far none have come to fruition. Financing the kind of films I'm interested in seems to be tough!
I had been talking to Robin [Scholes, the producer] for a while about a number of things. When Crooked Earth turned up it was sort of part of that process.

When you first read the script three years ago you saw it as a "potentially compelling story" - what attracted you to the work and what did you think was lacking?
I was initially shown two drafts by different writers. I loved the subject matter: I've always been interested in NZ race and colonialism issues, which were there in spades. There was also a kind of savage energy and irreverence that I liked. But the stories were a bit of a mess. It really was a whole jumble of different genres, themes and stories, a sort of something-for-everybody that didn't work for me at all. But the material was compelling and I saw the possibility of a real film here.

A number of writers had a hand in different versions of the script, and I'm under the impression you did some rewrites yourself. Can you comment on this process?
Greg McGee's original script started this whole thing off. I didn't see it until very late in the piece. It had been turned down by Pandora, the French distributors who were providing the offshore financing (and who were still interested in the concept), so it was academic, and I had an idea of where I wanted to go anyway. I read it later, well before we shot the film, because I didn't want to have missed anything. All the ideas and energy are there, and Greg had a brilliant idea, but it was a somewhat different story.
I had Waihoroi Shortland's version and another by two Australian writers Robin had commissioned. We agreed to meet in Auckland, and we had a few days of intense discussion with me, Robin, Wassie [Shortland] and Michael Brindley from Oz.
Michael and his co-writer Karin Altmann had fashioned a very professional screenplay but I just didn't like their story. They became quite hostile to the changes I wanted to make so we 'let them go' as they say!
I hit it off with Wassie, I thought he had all the heart, passion and ability. Anyway, it was a story about his people. I'm delighted we made this choice. Frankly I would have been extremely reluctant to delve so deeply into a culture that wasn't mine without a writer ally like Wassie. I learnt an enormous amount from him, and I think I taught him a few things as well. It was a fun partnership.
Another person who made a crucial contribution was Don Selwyn (and his casting partner Ruth Kaupua). I've known Don since Wellington in the '70s. Don and Ruth worked for and believed in this film, and I couldn't have done it as well without them.

What was the core of the story that you clung to during the rewrites?
All the screenplays were adventure films with a rural setting. They all involved friction between these two brothers, drug dealing and leadership of the tribe. Otherwise they told different stories.
I saw the potential for a story about 'The Awakening of the Rightful Leader' (if you will), the politicization of a reluctant warrior. I sent an 18 page sort of discussion paper to Robin about what I'd be interested in working on, and she responded positively.

Does this remain the core of the story in the finished film?
It utterly remains the core of the story. Obviously there's the influence of the sensibility of the participants, and we pirated freely from elements in previous drafts. But it's about the journey of this character played by Temuera.

How long was the shoot?
Eight weeks. Minus the travel time, the rain and the fact that it got dark at 5pm every day. It was a tough shoot. It's a pretty big movie to execute with the resources we had.

Did you have a rehearsal period before shooting commenced?
Oh yes – quite a lot.
We had a film with an almost all-Maori cast. We [Pillsbury and Selwyn] used the casting process as a sort of workshop/rehearsal process as well. Some of our cast were experienced, quite a few were not. We worked together and separately to make the most of our resources.
It was really not the way I’ve got used to working, but it was an organic adaptation for the place we were in and the movie we were making. There was quite a bit of ‘getting to know you’ and it was necessary. I think it worked.

Do you regard yourself as an actor’s director or more of a technician?
I regard myself as a filmmaker. I happen to love working with actors, and love the technical stuff as well. Really. I just love the process.
The part I can hate is dealing with bureaucrats and executives. It’s not always bad, but it often is. It’s just part of the process in the USA, where they haven’t learned what Corporate America has known for years regarding middle management. Which is that it’s useless. And it’s so often awful because their agendas tend to be political, about power or position instead of the film, and mostly they don’t know anything about film anyway. There tends to be a minimum of that in NZ, which is one of the reasons I like working there. It is creeping in over here though, and I advise everyone to fend it off.

What kind of direction do you tend to give actors on set?
First, mostly it’s about the casting. The right cast in the right part and there’s an easy synergy.
The next thing is to get the concept of the character right. Mostly, struggles with the part are because the actor hasn’t got a good grip on the character. Get that right deep down and it tends to flow. Sometimes actors only need a good grip on that and no rehearsals. But everyone is different, and that’s what you can discover and get a handle on in rehearsals – get your language and chains of communication sorted, then you can run easily in front of the express train on the day.
Third, blocking. It’s essential. Block the scene thoroughly beforehand. If you can get access to the set before the shoot, do it then – you get to define the space for the actors instead of for the crew. That can easily get reversed, and it’s creatively corrupt – the crew is there for the actors.
Otherwise, take control of the set before each scene. Get everyone out but the actors, maybe the DOP and the 1st AD (and continuity). Work on it.
In blocking, you get to discover the truth of a scene. “Try sitting on that line”; “try going to the door earlier”; “try walking away”; “try facing her on that line”; and so on. This all works much better than talking about it. You make discoveries. Unlikely lines can suddenly make sense. It’s your secret weapon.
I never give line readings. I usually work with intentions, active verbs. Like, “Try challenging him. Try defying. Try ridiculing.” And so on. It’s simple and powerful. And fast.

What was the most challenging aspect of the shoot?
Apart from the rain and the short winter days? Being totally immersed in a culture that wasn’t mine.

The most enjoyable?
Being totally immersed in a culture that wasn’t mine.

You’ve commented elsewhere [Metro, September 2000] that you believe many New Zealanders are in denial about the amount of racism bubbling under the surface of daily life. Given this, do you think that Crooked Earth may have a better chance of doing well overseas than it does in NZ?
I honestly don’t know. I refuse to make guesses about who will embrace a film. I am quite simply always amazed whenever a film goes out. It never seems to be what’s expected.
I do know that a pretty basic NZ audience loved the test screenings and, best of all, they totally got all the sly humour that’s in there – mostly thanks to Wassie – and I’m pretty sure no-one offshore will get any of that. And I wouldn’t be overly optimistic about the US interest in indigenous culture... most Native Americans still live on reservations.
It is about a universal human rights issue, that of entitlement. I have hopes that will travel. But we really made this primarily for an NZ audience.
I understand why some white middle-class NZers might be sick of hearing noises coming from the tangata whenua. It is sometimes unreasonable and tedious. But you know what? If we have to shut up and listen now as a result of the last 100 years of not doing so, that’s just too bad. It doesn’t justify reverse racism, or mea culpa and a bunch of liberal wimpishness either. But if this movie pisses off some white middle-class NZers, I think that’s just fine. The worst thing for a film like this would be to compromise in that area. We didn’t shy from confronting both sides in this film, and I’m proud of that.

You’ve expressed concern about the prospect of the NZ industry succumbing to the siren call of runaway productions. Could you elaborate on this?
I’ve always felt that it was a mixed bag. The dilemma is: no overseas films, no sustainable industry; too many overseas films, no crews for lower budget NZ films.
We struck that with Vertical Limit, Lord of the Rings and Xena when crewing Crooked Earth. But what’s the option? Try going to Canada sometime.
Somehow the essence of the film business is an anarchic/free-market combo. None of us are employed. That crazy energy is what makes films work. It’s why institutions don’t make good films. I reckon let the market do what it will, compete with the best of them, and if it starts to hurt the local industry, take steps to intervene.
What I hate is all the marketing crap people talk about making films ‘commercial’. It’s just pure bullshit and anyone who listens to it is a fool. It’s just an excuse for selling out. I have no problem with anyone making formula films, but if you want to see good films coming from New Zealand, promote what’s unique and personal.
Also, over the years the financing bodies have tended to favour the producer, because they’re the ones with the office, the filing cabinet, the letterhead, the receptionist. Institutions like to deal with institutions.
The best films tend to be made by directors. I hope I say this without prejudice, as I’m also a producer. As a producer, when I chose a director I advise and support. When I direct I hope to be advised and supported. I think we’d make better films if we all did that.
And I think we would make better films in New Zealand if we spent more time encouraging and listening to the directors. That’s how we made our mark in the first place.
Finally, we also need to be aware that so-called overseas productions vary, and are as diverse in NZ as elsewhere. I noticed some of the crew on Crooked Earth had spent a lot of time on Xena and Hercules. They seemed to have adopted a set of values that weren’t appropriate for an NZ feature. An ongoing, syndicated, playful TV series has a different set of criteria, values and modus operandi than a one-off feature film about sensitive social and racial issues. And the director and crew have a different set of obligations on such a project.

I understand that you’re currently developing a screenplay with Stan Wolfgramm…?
Yup. A brilliant idea by Stan, a sort of Polynesian Full Monty, about a bunch of immigrant outsiders in Auckland who get sick of being kicked around and form their own ragged security service. We’re working on it, with help from the NZFC.

• Crooked Earth premieres on 22 August (for tickets, call Liz on 0-9-379 3734 or Yvonne on 0-9-307 4957), and goes into general release on 23 August.

© Copyright Onfilm magazine August 2001

All material appearing is copyright and cannot be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher.

Please contact the copyright officer: Ph 0-9-845 5114, Email copyright@mediaweb.co.nz.

Username
Password
Keep me logged in on this computer

Forgotten your password?

Search text

Results per page

Order by

Publications to search

Fields to search

Date range

Walking a crooked mile

Director Sam Pillsbury talks about making Crooked Earth, his first NZ feature since Starlight Hotel in 1987.