"Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offshore"

[Candlelight]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/4255670/Hobbit-looks-headed-overseas

The Hobbit seems set to be taken offshore, with the film's producers due in New Zealand to begin preparations next week.
Sir Peter Jackson and the producers have been in a standoff with actors unions who have boycotted the Lord of the Rings prequels as they have agitated for a collective agreement.
The Hobbit received the green light from United States studios at the weekend, with Sir Peter as director and shooting for the 3-D films to begin in February.
There has been speculation that production could be taken overseas. Other countries had offered a one-off deal that is double New Zealand's 15 per cent tax rebate for films.
Sir Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh said last night the lifting of the actors union's blacklist "does nothing to help the film stay in New Zealand".
"The damage inflicted on our film industry by [the actors unions] is long since done."
The move has undermined Warner Brothers confidence in the industry "and they are now, quite rightly, very concerned about the security of their $500m investment".
"Next week Warners are coming down to New Zealand to make arrangements to move the production offshore. It appears we cannot make films in our own country even when substantial financing is available."
While they would fight to keep the film in New Zealand, the decision ultimately rested with Warner Brothers.
Meanwhile, an army of film workers led by Sir Richard Taylor massed in Wellington yesterday to plead with actors to abandon the boycott.
Yesterday's public protest followed an emergency meeting at which film workers heard one of the co-producers of the two films say the industrial strife meant it may be "too late" to keep the movies in New Zealand.
Taylor, head of Weta Workshop, called an urgent meeting at Stone St Studios in Miramar yesterday afternoon over The Hobbit and "the destiny" of New Zealand's film industry.
Within three hours, more than 1500 film workers and technicians turned out. Material distributed to the workers claimed the MEAA was trying to steer lucrative work to Australia or the United States.
"This is not about Actors' Equity, nor is it about The Hobbit. It is about an Australian trade union making a blatant play to take a controlling hand in the New Zealand film industry," a flier read.
Film workers then went to picket outside a planned meeting in central Wellington at which Actors' Equity members were to discuss their priorities for negotiations.

Damn.

Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn.

I know so many people that will loss work from this.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

It's an unfortunately case of chopping off one's nose to spite one's face. Too bad, too. Having The Hobbit set in New Zealand would have been the best thing for the movies, the film industry, and the actors. And because of a little greed, everyone gets screwed. I don't suppose there's any hope for an 11th hour deal? Money talks, of course, and I wonder if WB could be persuaded with a sufficiently sweetened pot?

 

[Candlelight]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

I don't suppose there's any hope for an 11th hour deal?

No.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/hobbit-gone-jackson-slams-union-3845327

Sir Peter Jackson has slammed NZ Actors' Equity as "gutless" for pulling out of a vital meeting last night and says The Hobbit films are more than likely lost to New Zealand.
Sir Peter's production company Wingnut Films released a statement overnight saying Warner Bros are heading to New Zealand to make arrangements to move the production offshore.
The statement says it now appears the company cannot make films in this country - even when substantial financing is available.

Idiots. We'll loose millions because of this...

 

[Captain Craig]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

Add this to exhibit A of why unions have outlived their usefulness.
I really don't feel bad for them. They made this bed, time to get comfy in it.

The visual continuity would've been nice. Oh, well I'm sure I won't notice it that much.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

I'm sure they'll find somewhere suitable. I'm not too worried.

It's the loss of jobs I'm pissed about.

As in angry, not drunk. I know how some countries interpret that line.

Maybe I'll get drunk, too.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

As far as I know, the Union ban has been lifted.

So now it's Warners saying "no we're still not going to shoot it here".

That's their decision. It is perfectly possible for them to say "union ban lifted? OK Great, let's do it in New Zealand."

 

[Candlelight]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

So now it's Warners saying "no we're still not going to shoot it here".

The damage is done. We're viewed as a argumentative nation now.

Am not. ARE TOO!

 

[Captain Craig]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

As far as I know, the Union ban has been lifted.

So now it's Warners saying "no we're still not going to shoot it here".

That's their decision. It is perfectly possible for them to say "union ban lifted? OK Great, let's do it in New Zealand."

I don't blame Warners. I can imagine a line of discussion where one exec says, "Hey the ban is lifted lets move forward in NZ now." The other exec says, "We have a year shoot on two back-to-back sequels, what happens when the unions decided midway into the shoot to go on strike? It could happen they've now shown themselves to be difficult. The work stoppage would be more cost prohibitive than relocating."

No, this is the NZ unions chickens come home to roost. They could've had guaranteed work for a year or so. Hope the economy is kicking along fine in NZ that affords them the luxury of having been difficult.

The NZ'ers I feel for are the private shop owners and cafe owners who would've benefitted from the extra foot traffic. They had no say in this but are also being affected.

 

[Gaith]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

The visual continuity would've been nice. Oh, well I'm sure I won't notice it that much.

As much as I feel for the NZ workers hurt by this apparent debacle, I think a change of visuals could actually help the movies establish their own feel, provided that Hobbitton looks just the same (which shouldn't be too hard).

 

[Timby]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

The visual continuity would've been nice. Oh, well I'm sure I won't notice it that much.

As much as I feel for the NZ workers hurt by this apparent debacle, I think a change of visuals could actually help the movies establish their own feel, provided that Hobbitton looks just the same (which shouldn't be too hard).

Yes and no. A little more than a year prior to the start of filming on the original trilogy, the Hobbiton set was completed and then left to sit, so the vegetation, grass, structures, etc., could look like they'd been there for a good, long time. If Jackson is looking to shoot in a few months, he won't be able to replicate that exact same look and feel. The design can be replicated, sure, but there's a certain quality to sets that have been sitting out in the elements for 365 days that can't really be recreated with spraypaint.

 

[Gaith]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

Did they do that for the LOTR trilogy also?

 

[Timby]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

Did they do that for the LOTR trilogy also?

A little more than a year prior to the start of filming on the original trilogy, the Hobbiton set was completed and then left to sit, so the vegetation, grass, structures, etc., could look like they'd been there for a good, long time.

Reading helps.

 

[AviTrek]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

The visual continuity would've been nice. Oh, well I'm sure I won't notice it that much.

As much as I feel for the NZ workers hurt by this apparent debacle, I think a change of visuals could actually help the movies establish their own feel, provided that Hobbitton looks just the same (which shouldn't be too hard).

Yes and no. A little more than a year prior to the start of filming on the original trilogy, the Hobbiton set was completed and then left to sit, so the vegetation, grass, structures, etc., could look like they'd been there for a good, long time. If Jackson is looking to shoot in a few months, he won't be able to replicate that exact same look and feel. The design can be replicated, sure, but there's a certain quality to sets that have been sitting out in the elements for 365 days that can't really be recreated with spraypaint.

So they build Hobbiton first, let it sit while filming every other location, then return to film Hobbiton last. It may not be a year, but it'll be able to sit for ~9+ months. Problem solved.

 

[Tulin]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

WOuld've been nice for the visual continuity but, oh well - that means we have another country to go and visit and tour the locations for.

Personally after all this shit, I would not blame PJ if he just said, "This is too much, I'm done!"


And when in the hell did Richard "I have the strangest and most annoying speaking voice in film making" Taylor become a "Sir"?

 

[Timby]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

And when in the hell did Richard "I have the strangest and most annoying speaking voice in film making" Taylor become a "Sir"?

He was made a Knight Companion earlier this year.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

It's already offshore because it's not in LA. Now Hollywood is just looking for even cheaper places to move their production. Why does this surprise anyone? Why do you think they left LA to begin with?

Plenty of people in LA have already lost their jobs to studios moving places like New Zealand. Boo fucking hoo.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

^ Well, the shame of it isn't that WB is simply moving the production away -- it's in the perception that a handful of malcontents are the root cause of many people missing out on what would have been a tremendous financial boon for NZ. I highly doubt WB would have moved the production had there been smooth sailing in NZ -- business as usual from LOTR. Whether they were just looking for an excuse, and this was it, or if they are legitimately concerned about NZ as a filming location, I honestly don't know. I certainly don't know the details of the dispute, so I've no idea how accurate the perception is to the truth, but the bottom line is that a lot of people, who had nothing to do with the dispute, are getting screwed over. Which kinda sucks, at least for them.

EDIT:
Just read this from theonering.net. No idea what it means in the long term though:

After a tense standoff, a new actors union in New Zealand announced late Wednesday it won’t boycott Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit,” from New Line/Warner Bros. and MGM. “New Zealand Actors’ Equity and the Screen Production & Development Association (SPADA) have entered into an agreement to commence good faith negotiations for a new set of conditions which will govern the way in which performers are engaged in the local screen industry,” read a statement from the groups. “Talks are to take place over the next six months. As a sign of good faith, while negotiations occur, Equity has agreed that those productions which fully comply with the current guidelines for the engagement of cast in the industry–’The Pink Book”– will not be subject to industrial action,” unions continued.
​

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

As I understand it, one of the big stumbling blocks is that film actors are considered independent contractors. New Zealand labor laws forbid collective bargaining agreements with independent contractors. I'm surprised that New Zealand didn't change their labor laws in an attempt to pacify this situation.

It's stupid anyway, because the New Zealand actors were getting paid exactly as much as their American & British counterparts anyway. Peter Jackson insisted on that as a matter of fair practice. The only reason why anyone made a fuss is because the Australian actors union wanted to make a power grab in New Zealand. MEAA was pissed off because they weren't invited to a negotiating table that legally can't exist anyway. MEAA acted in the best interests of MEAA. No New Zealand actors benefitted from their actions or would have benefitted from their actions.

Peter Jackson explains this situation in the only way that really makes sense here: http://www.movieweb.com/movie/the-hobbit/NEdSUTnLk3tRhh

 

[Hound of UIster]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

As far as I know, the Union ban has been lifted.

So now it's Warners saying "no we're still not going to shoot it here".

Yes but WB in the interim got better offers from several other countries.

 

[Gaith]

Re: "Warners are coming down to New Zealand to move [The Hobbit] offsh

Did they do that for the LOTR trilogy also?

A little more than a year prior to the start of filming on the original trilogy, the Hobbiton set was completed and then left to sit, so the vegetation, grass, structures, etc., could look like they'd been there for a good, long time.

Reading helps.

D'oh... right... thought your sentence was talking about the current unused Hobbitton set.

Maybe they'll be able to strike some sort of deal to film the Shire in NZ, and the other stuff elsewhere...