Cleverman.
Park Road Post has worked on some major productions over the past few years including the The Hobbit, Bilal, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople and The Dark Horse.
But it’s their work on Australian-New Zealand co-production Cleverman which has set tongues wagging on both sides of the Tasman.
Park Road Post chief executive, Cameron Harland told IF one of the biggest highlights of 2015 was working with Goalpost and Pukeko on Cleverman.
“This was an Australian production with very much an Australian heart and story but posted in its entirety in New Zealand at Park Road,” he said.
“We have been blown away by how successful the early screenings have been and how widely the production has been picked up, but also in the way the production worked.
“I know that Graeme Mason (Screen Australia chief executive) is a big advocate of co-productions and was particularly engaged in this production on both sides of the Tasman.
“We would love nothing better than to see more of this activity and we are very keen to advance any opportunities that might be out there.”
Cleverman cast and crew Deborah Mailman, Frances O'Connor, Hunter Page-Lochard, Tasma Walton, Stef Dawson, Wayne Blair, Ryan Griffen, Rosemary Blight and Angela Littlejohn recently walked the Berlinale's red carpet ahead of a screening of the show's first two episodes.
The series tells the story of two estranged brothers, Koen (Hunter Page-Lochard) and Waruu West (Rob Collins), who are forced together to fight against terrifying enemies, both human and not. But can Koen, a man bestowed with a powerful gift and destined to become the Cleverman, learn to harness his power before everything around him crumbles?
Cleverman.
Harland says there is no question that television as a format is getting more exciting.
“With the increase in platforms there is appetite and funding for high quality drama,” he said.
“From a local perspective this offers a great opportunity to tell stories that are relevant to our audiences but also see these stories spread.
“Certainly Cleverman is a great case in point. The fact that the format for acquiring the content and ultimately delivering it is the same across television and film also makes the workflow easy, so we are seeing more crossover of talent whether that be producers, directors or writers.”
Directed by Wayne Blair and Leah Purcell, the ensemble cast includes Scottish actor Iain Glen (Game of Thrones), Rob Collins (The Lion King) as well as O’Connor, Mailman, Page-Lochard and Dawson.
Creatures and effects are by Jacob Nash (Bangarra Dance Theatre) and Weta Workshop.
Cleverman cast and crew ahead of Berlinale premiere.
Cleverman is based on an original concept by Ryan Griffen, and was written by Michael Miller, Jon Bell and Jane Allen.
The show was produced by Goalpost Pictures and Pukeko Pictures for ABC TV in a co-production with SundanceTV and Red Arrow International, with the assistance of Screen Australia, Screen NSW and the New Zealand Screen Production Grant.
But apart from its work on Cleverman, the post house is showing no signs of slowing down with its work in feature films.
“In an international sense we worked on The Hobbit films and most recently on an animated feature from the UAE called Bilal,” Harland said.
"Locally we are proud to have worked on The Dark Horse (Dir James Napier Robinson) and most recently Mahana (Lee Tamahori) and The Hunt for the Wilderpeople (Taika Waititi).
It has also just completed The Hunt for the Wilderpeople and in coming months is due to work on a number of local features including Inland Road, Human Traces, Goodbye Pork Pie and A Thousand Ropes.
“We will be processing the rushes and supporting editorial for Dreamworks film Ghost in the Shell, shooting in Wellington at Stone Street Studios in 2016.”
Harland says the impact of changes to the New Zealand PDV grant was only just hitting the sector.
“Lowering the threshold from $1m to $500,000 has had a marked impact on our ability to actively market a bespoke post offer to international clients and was a major drawcard for the UAE production Bilal.
“We are now having more numerous positive conversations with productions that are seeing the value in a quality world-class offer alongside a 20 per cent rebate. This is particularly so for a number of our VFX clients but also across the broader offer.
Bilal.
“In recent years we have significantly grown our VFX offer which traditionally sat alongside our grading service but has since grown in size and capability completing shots on several international television and feature film projects last year.
“Our onset and digital lab services continue to grow as does our editorial support services.
“We are also particularly proud of the ongoing work we have in the digitization and restoration areas. We have long-standing relationships with both the New Zealand Film Commission and Nga Taonga Sound and Vision, and have also completed significant work on historic war footage. It is certainly an area that our creative teams enjoy and is incredibly rewarding.
Harland says the main reason that international companies choose Park Road is because of the experience and expertise of its people.
“We have world-class talent in roles across the business from colour-grade and conform to mixing, sound editing and design, VFX and technical support and engineering. People that have worked on the very biggest productions but who equally enjoy working on local features, short films and television just as much. People that care about every job they work on and understand their job is to service the client and their project.”