Simon Ogston

Simon Ogston did a decade in television before switching to making his own documentaries. In 2011 he released two: Rumble & Bang, and Gone with the Weird — about 60s Kiwi bands Chants R&B, and Squirm. Further chronicles of Kiwi musicians followed, with docos on Bill Direen, the Skeptics, The Unknown Blues and Philip Dadson (the latter co-directed with Orlando Stewart). Outside of documentaries, Ogston directed comical short film Zen, about misadventures on a meditation retreat, and acted in Ross & Beth. He works freelance in the screen industry, and creates a variety of content through his company Bellbird Pictures.

..stylish, thorough and often moving ... an extraordinary doco which has extensive and often amusing interviews with the surviving members, admirers and fellow travellers, plus plenty of images and a swathe of unbelievable music. Veteran arts writer Graham Reid on Simon Ogston's documentary Skeptics - Sheen of Gold, Elsewhere website, 11 December 2020