What does a dusty garage, shoes belonging to Stan Walker's dad, a plastic gun and a whole heap of musical stars have in common? They were all part of Troy Kingi's Break a Bone music video which was filmed in Northland last weekend. Christine Allen came back with dust in her hair, a tune to hum and a tale to tell
THE smell of jasmine and pies fill the air in Whangarei on Sunday afternoon.
Kamo Rugby Club looks the same but deep in the belly of its musty garage, an industry is hatching.
There have been plenty of bones broken on the field so it's apt that Troy Kingi's new song Break a Bone would feel at home in the dusty lower room of the club.
A gold-toothed man points me to an unlit stairwell. It's a menacing Lee Tuson, whom I later discover is not at all menacing when you get him talking about the potential for the film industry in Northland and the region's arts scene.
"This is God's country for filming," he tells me.
I walk down and through another door. Sunlight and God escape.
I'm greeted by a man in a head scarf and tan dress shoes. His rolled up black pants reveal shiny shins.
He's peering over a boxing ring on a carpet of dusty woodchip, holding an AK-47, and smiling.
For a moment, I'm frozen - in terror, or awe.
Thankfully, it's Kerikeri's Troy Kingi - with a plastic gun - whose music video is being filmed here with Whangarei director Isaac Bell.
Kingi looks a little like Johnny Depp's Captain Sparrow, or perhaps a young Fidel Castro - resplendent in aviator sunnies and military green jacket, fuzzy beard and a daring flamboyance.
Today, the shoes are given star quality by the singer and actor of Mt Zion and Pa Boys fame.
"These were given to me by Stan Walker's dad," Kingi smiles.
He and Walker are mates having stood shoulder-to-shoulder on a number of film sets and recording studios.
But Kingi and his shoes step into the shadows when I see 11-year-old Rehutai Kingi, the musician's son and star of the music video being filmed on Saturday and Sunday.
Junior's outside, chatting in the car park with director Bell and Break Co-Op's Andy Lovegrove, under whose record label Revolution the song is being released on January 19.
STORYLINE
With lunch over, director of photography, Maungaturoto's Fred Renata (Mt Zion) and his Auckland crew prepare for the next scene.
The storyline follows a young boy, swept away by cigar-toting Mobster Mike (Greg Smith King Kong/Mt Zion fame) and paid to fight in an underground fight pit.
The mobster's limo driver and comrade is the modest Lovegrove with ring announcer Whangarei's Kelly Johnson (Goodbye Pork Pie/Utu).
Break a Bone is one of 23 tunes named in last month's NZ On Air funding round. It's all about "the underdog", says Kingi senior.
First, junior beats the The Biker (Lee Tuson), then The prisoner (Phoenix Ruka).
He then takes on capoeira martial arts duo, the Tarzan Brothers, (Whangarei's Maanaks Pivac and Ezekiel Wetere) and beats them with ease, knocking Goliath (Nigel Coates) to his knees and leaving the mixed martial arts fighter Calvin Maxwell eating dust.
The song is the lead tune for Bell's film Violence, written for lead man Kingi.
The Tarantino style movie and black comedy stars Kingi in the lead role as Drake, who gets mixed up in mob crime.
The villain, Beau Hendrix, will be played by The Chronicles of Narnia actor and Londoner-turned-Northlander Lee Tuson.
Local girl Rachel Diamond will also make her feature film debut as Julia Hendrix.
Filming will roll as soon as funds are gathered.
FUNDS
"Violence is holding still at the moment as we are trying to find a producer who can help us get money to make it. The script is there, the production is there, the actors are there. We just need money," says Bell.
A recent crowd-funding campaign saw $1000 raised, but the director needs $300,000 for the project.
"We're back to the drawing board and going to look at film commission next year."
Bell, 26, appeared on Shortland St before spending years making short films and music videos in Australia. He now wants to see Northland become New Zealand's contemporary movie location.
Londoner Lovegrove moved back to New Zealand in January. He's been working with Bell's Imagine Films since the start of the year on music videos for Home and A Moment in Time.
Andy met Troy while on the Winery Tour earlier in the year.
"He's a big guy, with a big voice and a big personality," Lovegrove says of Kingi.
"He writes amazingly good songs too."
UNDERDOG
While the video, and the film it will be used in but wasn't exclusively written for, is about violence, it's more about the underdog overcoming a challenge.
"I'm not much of a fighter, me. I'm more of a lover," Kingi laughs.
"Underneath, the tarantula devours the bee" - it's his favourite line from the upbeat, high energy song.
It's his first time working with his son too.
"He's a little superstar. The big guys, they dropped like flies."
If there is any lack of blood, sweat or tears, Whangarei make-up artist Dixie Smit applies some.
While spraying some sweat on to fighter Ezekiel Wetere, the crew heckle her that she's lingering.
A staunch professional, she rolls her eyes, sprays a little more on to his bare chest, and filming resumes.
Troy stays in character throughout. The boss man of the fighters has a fist of cash and a heart of dashing hopes, as his son clears the dusty fighting ring, fighter after fighter.
He remains poised, except for one stray yawn. The team are pumping in 12 hours of filming a day at five locations throughout the club.
Whangarei musician Marika Hodgson, also in the Revolution and Imagine Films club, arrives just in time to hear Bell call "action".
There is a crew of 15 and a cast the same number, with some big names in music and film in the garage.
As the filming rolls, there's a distinct lack of big egos. There's a modesty to their creativity and it keeps them focused. It's not about the praise or attention - it's about the music, the art, and heck, it's bloody good fun.