It's good news-bad news in the land of The Hobbit. The good news is the standoff between producers and unions around the world has ended with the Screen Actors Guild and others lifting their Do Not Work order. The bad news is that move appears to have come too late with word from director Peter Jackson that "Next week, Warners is coming down to New Zealand to make arrangements to move the production offshore."
So what started as a fight by New Zealand Actors' Equity to improve conditions for local talent has ended with that talent - to say nothing of the technicians and crew who will be affected - left out in the cold entirely. To put it mildly, this hasn't made NZAE popular in their home country as yesterday more than a thousand film crew and techs turned out in a protest against them.
The move is not finalized yet, but all signs are that New Zealand will no longer stand in for Middle Earth. And if that turns out to be the case then I personally think it looks bad on all parties involved from Jackson and Warner Brothers - who could easily have offered the New Zealand actors deals in line with what union actors in other nations receive - through to New Zealand Actors Equity, who were clearly in over their heads in this situation and ended up with the worst possible outcome for the work force that they are supposed to protect.
So what started as a fight by New Zealand Actors' Equity to improve conditions for local talent has ended with that talent - to say nothing of the technicians and crew who will be affected - left out in the cold entirely. To put it mildly, this hasn't made NZAE popular in their home country as yesterday more than a thousand film crew and techs turned out in a protest against them.
The move is not finalized yet, but all signs are that New Zealand will no longer stand in for Middle Earth. And if that turns out to be the case then I personally think it looks bad on all parties involved from Jackson and Warner Brothers - who could easily have offered the New Zealand actors deals in line with what union actors in other nations receive - through to New Zealand Actors Equity, who were clearly in over their heads in this situation and ended up with the worst possible outcome for the work force that they are supposed to protect.
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Maybe they should move it to the States... Yeah right!
Location wise, I reckon Slovenia & Armenia would be a great fill in for New Zealand. Stunng scenery that hasn't really been used in western cinema.
Unfortunately here in Oz we don't have those type of sprawling majestic alpine green mountains as depicted in LOTR.
I almost like how the arrogance of the NZAE backfired. Sad for those directly affected, but a major slap in the face for trying to damage a situation that was already disrupted.
Jackson's statement in yesterday's NZ press.
http://www.3news.co.nz/The-Hobbit---Fran-Walsh-and-Peter-Jackson-press-release/tabid/423/articleID/182361/Default.aspx#top