KEY POINTS:
The New Zealand Film Commission is putting millions of taxpayer dollars into a movie set in Edwardian England and says it will boost Kiwi talent, especially up-and-coming director Toa Fraser.
The commission says its stake in the movie Dean Spanley - believed to be $3 million to $4 million - will be good for New Zealand film.
But even assuming the $15 million movie is successful, it marks a shift in the old calculations about the value of the movie business.
New Zealand's bigger scale co-productions have traditionally been funded from overseas money and the New Zealand tax base has benefited from production in this country as overseas producers enjoy cheap labour and low production costs.
Now New Zealand taxpayers are financing a British film, and the main local payoff will go the individual filmmakers rather than the country as a whole.
Dean Spanley, stars Sam Neill, Peter O'Toole and Bryan Brown.
Movie industry bible Variety described it as "Brit dress whimsy" and thought the story - about a bull-headed father and son - would have a short showing in cinemas and then do better on smaller screens.
Film Commission adviser David Gascoigne said the inclusion of Kiwi film talent Leon Narbey and musician Don McGlashan was a factor in funding, as was providing the next project for Fraser.
The movie was led by Alan Harris - an expatriate New Zealand film producer based in London - and by his co-producer Matthew Metcalfe.
Metcalfe is a firm favourite at the commission, which is understood to be negotiating another large-scale film project with him right now.
Metcalfe's last project, The Ferryman, was budgeted at around $10 million and went straight to video after being unable to secure a cinema release. Fraser won a People's Award for his film No 2 at the influential Sundance Film Festival in 2006 and is regarded as a rising talent.
The commission has faced extra problems securing finance for NZ-British co-productions.
Under old British film tax breaks it did not matter that the story had little connection with Britain. Under new rules, stories have to be British.
It is not the first time Film Commission money has been spent overseas.
The commission also gave several million dollars to Niki Caro's The Vintner's Luck, which was filmed in France. But that story was written by New Zealander Elizabeth Knox.
Gascoigne was unable to explain the financing between producers Metcalfe and Alan Harris and Aramid Entertainment - based in the Caribbean tax haven of the Cayman Islands.
SUNDAYS GET COSIER
Changes are afoot at the Fairfax Media owned Sundays with much closer ties between the liberal Sunday Star-Times and the league tabloid Sunday News.
Cate Honore Brett resigned as SST editor on August 18 for a job in research, but it's not clear whether she left before or after the creation of a new structure.
The new editor of the SST will also be managing editor to oversee the SST and the Sunday News.
But the company insists that it does not plan to combine editorial staff or stories and the two distinct brands will be maintained.
Fairfax says the new editor of the SST will manage all editorial resources at the Sundays division, working closely with general manager Michael Richards and Fairfax editorial group executives.
Richards said the Sunday News editor would develop and lead a united and co-ordinated editorial leadership team for the business.
He said there were five applications for the Sundays managing editor role. One name mentioned is Mitchell Murphy, editor of the online Brisbane Times.
Since the change is partly designed to combat competition against the SST, it is assumed that Fairfax would approach Herald on Sunday editor Shayne Currie.
One wonders about the role of longtime editor of the Sunday News Chris Baldock - assuming he does not apply and get the top job.
Richards said that under the new structure the Sunday News editor would be deputy to the managing editor of the Sundays.
'TIS THE SEASON
Get ready for Pundit season as media drag out anyone with an opinion to offer wisdom. Here is a selection from the left, right and centre.
* Chris Trotter - The Independent, Dominion Post, Sunday Star-Times.
Big and full of bravado, the ubiquitous left-wing commentator and one-time trade unionist is fond of long literary references and Marxist intellectual analysis and rubbishes his media colleagues.
Prone to fiery views, he has calmed down in election year. As the old saying goes, "he says what he likes and likes what he says".
* Russell Brown - Hard News,Media 7.
Astute blogger and wordy Jack of several media trades including rock music and telecommunications, Brown has maintained an extraordinarily strong following carrying over from his days as a smart commentator on student radio and writing about telecommunications and media, though his Hard News blog is much more partisan, on message with Labour and no friend of John Key.
He will surely be approached for a place on the Labour list next election.
* Matthew Hooton - Sunday Star Times, National Radio.
Former Lockwood Smith aide turned public relations consultant, Hooton has created himself a mantle as a spokesman for the right against Trotter, though on some matters, such as Maori, their roles are reversed.
Doggedly doctrinaire, he is from the individualist wing of the party. His from-the-right advocacy gives good promotion for his PR company Exceltium
* David Farrar - Kiwiblog founder and National Party activist.
Economically dry, socially Farrar maintains liberal National Party views but he aggravates left-wing adversaries by allowing contributions to his blog from the far right.
Increasingly introduced as a commentator on the news, his day job is with Curia providing polling advice to the Nats and working part time for the party. Famously hard working, he has been a key player behind National battles against the Electoral Finance Act.
* Colin James - Herald, TVNZ.
Once regarded as the benchmark for middle-of-the road Labour, James remains among the best informed of the freelance pundits and has a strong and detached understanding of Labour thinking.
Physically unimposing and cautious in his comments, he is a counter to Trotter. Unsurprisingly the two pundits from the left and centre show little rapport.
POLITICAL MACHINE
Winston Peters continued to point the bone for what he says is incompetent coverage of his troubles and suggests Kiwis should boycott the media.
His website this week said New Zealanders would decide in the elections.
To be read in a Winston Peters voice: "It's not about the opinions of journalists. It's not about fancy billboards, or clever catchphrases or glossy brochures.
"My tip for the day if, like me, you're sick of lies masquerading as fact in the mainstream media, then just ignore them!
"Leave your TV or radio switched off, save that money you'd otherwise spend on a newspaper. The weather's warming up and the days are getting longer, so get outside in the evenings. Enjoy some exercise. Spend time with your family. Visit friends you haven't seen for a while. Read a good book. Do a crossword. Watch a film. Fix some machinery or do that job you've put off for too long."
One machinery repair Peter might undertake is to fix his tape recorder to avoid future confusion about what was said and when.
