Stuart Dryburgh: On good, old-fashioned camera tricks...
Cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh is the eye behind some of the most iconic images in New Zealand film. His first job in the industry was as a 'general assistant' on Middle Age Spread. From there he worked as a gaffer on films including Smash Palace, Goodbye Pork Pie and Came A Hot Friday, before becoming a fully-fledged cinematographer, learning much of what he knows from his mentor Alun Bollinger, who operated the camera for him on The Piano. Since shooting The Piano, Dryburgh has been working overseas, returning to film In My Father’s Den in 2004.
Sarah Peirse: Multi award-winner…
Award-winning actor Sarah Peirse is best known for her portrayals of two very different mothers — the ill-fated Honorah Rieper in Heavenly Creatures, and the disaffected sophisticate in Rain. Peirse’s first film was the 80s short Queen Street, followed by tele-feature A Woman of Good Character (aka It's Lizzie to those Close). More recently, she has appeared in tele-movies Bliss: The Beginning of Katherine Mansfield and Aftershock.
Don Reynolds: Pioneering soundman turned movie producer...
Don Reynolds is a sound operator turned film producer who has had a big impact on the New Zealand film industry. He was a sound recorder/mixer on many of our classic films of the 1980s and went on to produce movies such as The Quiet Earth, Sylvia, Mr Wrong, and River Queen. Reynolds was also one of the main forces behind the setting up of long-running TV soap Shortland Street.
Shavaughn Ruakere: The leap of faith from TV presenting to acting...
Shavaughn Ruakere began her screen career as a presenter on kids TV show What Now?, and later graduated to music channel C4 after a stint on UK morning show SM:TV. Since then Ruakere has made the switch to acting, and appeared in a number of shows including The Jaquie Brown Diaries and a long stint in Shortland Street as Roimata Ngatai.
ScreenTalk Short: Shavaughn Ruakere
Shavaughn Ruakere began her screen career as a presenter on kids TV show What Now?, and later did time on music channel C4. Since then she has made the switch to acting, including a long stint in Shortland Street.
ScreenTalk Short: Joel Tobeck
Actor Joel Tobeck has played everyone from a policeman to a "bastard in a wheelchair". His TV work includes This is Not My Life and Sons of Anarchy.
Joel Tobeck: On playing the bad guys...
Actor Joel Tobeck has played a range of ‘off-centre’ roles from a drug addict to a "bastard in a wheelchair". He has appeared in TV shows Shortland Street, Lawless, Hercules, This is Not My Life and (after this interview) Sons of Anarchy, as well as movies Topless Women Talk About Their Lives and Little Fish.
Hori Ahipene: Queen of the screen...
Hori Ahipene could perhaps be described as New Zealand’s most 'diverse' actor, having played both male and female characters in TV comedies and dramas. In the 90s Ahipene gained a loyal fan base by appearing in the TV sketch shows Away Laughing, Skitz and Telly Laughs. Two of Ahipene’s popular gender-swapping roles were Mrs Semisi in Skitz and The Semisis, and Beverley Best in Māori Television sitcom/chat show B&B. Ahipene has also appeared in TV dramas Maddigan’s Quest, Mataku, and Shortland Street.
Nicole Whippy: Creating memorable characters...
Actress Nicole Whippy has created some memorable characters on our television screens. She debuted playing a warrior queen on Xena and then appeared in the film Vertical Limit. She made a splash on the drama Jackson's Wharf, before appearing in a raft of TV series such as Mercy Peak, Being Eve, The Strip, Outrageous Fortune and Nothing Trivial.