NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business

Getting it made - the new face of the domestic film industry

John Drinnan
By John Drinnan
Columnist·NZ Herald·
20 Jun, 2014 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Producer Tom Hern and director James Napier-Robertson.

Producer Tom Hern and director James Napier-Robertson.

A fledgling Kiwi company is about to release two new movies at film festivals

From teen stars on The Tribe to parts in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Shortland Street, Tom Hern and James Napier-Robertson have gone behind the cameras and are being tipped as the new faces of the domestic film industry.

The former actors and their financial backers — iHug co-founder Tim Wood and his wife Sasha — are partners in Four Knights Film, a fledgling film-maker being lauded for a methodical business-building approach.

The company was formed nearly four years ago amid the success of their critically acclaimed debut feature film, a thriller called I'm Not Harry Jensen, which was made on a shoestring budget delivered by friends, family and anybody who could be tapped for support.

Now Four Knights will launch two feature films in the next two months.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The first is The Dark Horse, a medium budget drama starring Cliff Curtis and James Rolleston, about "two lost souls finding the strength to carry on through each other's company".

It is set to be launched at an international film festival later this year.

The second is Everything We Loved, about a couple who are accused of being child abductors. It will debut at the New Zealand Film Festival and then be distributed on the internet as part of the new approach to film distribution.

Both are part-funded by the Film Commission whose chief executive, Dave Gibson, is optimistic about the company's talents in making films and knowing how to work the market to find other investors.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Film is a famously high-risk investment and even at these low budgets there is no guarantee of investors or the Film Commission recovering their money. Hern acknowledges the first five years are about building the firm up.

It was hoped the 2014 releases would help develop their names, foster bigger budgets and deliver profits.

"Since 2010 it has been about developing projects and that has been been really good for us," Hern said.

Hern described the $4 million budget for The Dark Horse as medium-sized but thousands of films are made around the world for such an amount.

Discover more

New Zealand

American films rise to the occasion

29 Jun 12:14 AM
Employment

Creative sector big NZ economic star

09 Jul 07:50 PM
Entertainment

The Dark Horse: This Boy's life

16 Jul 09:00 PM
Entertainment

The Dark Horse: All the right moves

16 Jul 09:00 PM

The Dark Horse uses a traditional structure for being released with a distributor — Transmission Films — releasing the movie in Australia and New Zealand and France-based Celluloid Dreams looking for more sales to other territories.

And selection for international film festivals means they have a chance to sell to buyers.

"This is where out sales kicks into overdrive," Hern said.

"There are so many films being made and only the cream of the crop will survive."

Some film genres like horror can be sold direct to the market, but The Dark Horse is a drama, so it needs good reviews from film critics.

Bigger movies are built on star power, but even lower down the food chain buyers want a recognisable name before they will support a film.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There was still a market for movies built on good ideas.

"I still think there is a demand there, if the script is strong enough it will work [and] you will find a way to cut through and get projects made," he said. "We are definitely out to make our investors some money.

"But we really needed this first big shot to put a stake in the ground in the marketplace with the company name and I think we have achieved that with the films."

Four Knights will have traditional distribution for The Dark Horse and online distribution for Everything We Loved.

"We want to adjust our films to give audiences the films where they want," Hern said.

This could be through video on demand that is available on tablets and even mobile phones. The issue is monetising the product because people expect to get free content on the internet.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Four Knights Film

• Partners include former teen stars Tom Hern and James Napier-Robertson.

• Fledgling film company is being lauded for a methodical business-building approach.

• Formed nearly four years ago amid the success of its critically acclaimed debut feature film I'm Not Harry Jensen.

• Two feature films launching in the next two months, including The Dark Horse starring Cliff Curtis and James Rolleston.


• Read also: Film industry boss will chase private money

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Business

Construction

Fletcher, Acciona settle Puhoi motorway dispute

22 Jun 10:04 PM
Telecommunications

Spark bags $47m windfall

22 Jun 09:42 PM
Premium
Property

'Pallet hotel' - Foodstuffs South Island boosting frozen storage by more than 200%

22 Jun 09:00 PM

Audi offers a sporty spin on city driving with the A3 Sportback and S3 Sportback

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Fletcher, Acciona settle Puhoi motorway dispute

Fletcher, Acciona settle Puhoi motorway dispute

22 Jun 10:04 PM

Fletcher Building says it will gain $56 million from the Puhoi motorway settlement.

Spark bags $47m windfall

Spark bags $47m windfall

22 Jun 09:42 PM
Premium
'Pallet hotel' - Foodstuffs South Island boosting frozen storage by more than 200%

'Pallet hotel' - Foodstuffs South Island boosting frozen storage by more than 200%

22 Jun 09:00 PM
Premium
Foodstuffs South Island’s new $28m automated freezer distribution centre

Foodstuffs South Island’s new $28m automated freezer distribution centre

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP