Talkback: Lights and cameras, but little pay action

Great television and film begins with a kernel of thought, created in the shower, over a coffee or - dare I say it - in the fish-and-chip shop.

From a business perspective, a programme or film that sells is one that rates or flies, one that advertisers want to tie their ship to and spend their money around.

What does it take to create great television or film? An idea? Yes, but not just the idea.

A script or treatment? Yes. But this alone will not attract an audience.

To create a great and lasting piece of audiovisual work an idea needs to be created in audiovisual form. The person who does this is a director.

* The director is an intellectual entrepreneur, creating reality from ideas.

* The director is never short of ideas and understands how these translate into what viewers want.

* The director is a creative risk taker. Every project is a dangerous venture that may or may not pay off.

* Local directors do their jobs with fewer resources than their international peers and yet are still judged by the same criteria.

* The director is a storyteller constrained by the limitations of budget, actors, crews, locations, schedules, technology, weather, passing aeroplanes, lawnmowers and every conceivable sound distraction.

* The director knows none of this matters to an audience who will only give the film or programme their time and money if the story is a good one and well told.

Directors (along with writers and creative producers) are the core creative and financial capital of New Zealand film and television making, yet it is difficult for them to earn their living.

To survive as feature filmmakers, directors need another job, directing television commercials or going overseas to make their films. Even our best feature directors can look forward to only one New Zealand film in five years.

Television drama is made in waves - feast or famine.

Directors working on documentaries that don't easily sit within the time constraints of a television production budget can end up working for as little as $50 a week. In the field the director is often the lowest-paid person on the crew.

Pay rates are an issue for the industry, not just for directors. But, given the director is essential, it is surprising there are not more attempts to foster and protect that role.

The film industry is hot with the Government right now. Yet effort and resources are often focused on attracting foreign productions at the cost of local product. Foreign productions create jobs, attract revenue, employ and upskill crew, but they always bring their own writers and directors.

Which of these two films is the most valuable to us? The Last Samurai - New Plymouth standing in as Japan - or Whale Rider, New Zealand celebrating New Zealand. The Last Samurai is a short-term cash injection at best, but Whale Rider will generate ongoing commercial, creative and tourism revenue.

In Europe, directors are recognised as one of the key authors of audiovisual works. This entitles them to share in the ongoing revenue from screenings of their works.

We believe we should adopt this copyright situation here. It is fair, it is right, there is an international precedent.

* Anna Cahill is executive director of the Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand.