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BLACKSPOT started out as 60-page script idea written by Luke Hawker in late 2003. Working together with brother Ben, the script was developed into a full-length feature screenplay and completed shortly before New Year 2005. With Ben's partner Freya Blackwood assuming the role of producer, the three friends decided to form a partnership. Under the production company title of TALKING HAWKER PICTURES the trio immediately began plans to shoot the film.
Having worked for 5 years at Weta WORKSHOP on the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, Freya, Ben and Luke were well connected with the New Zealand film industry and were very quickly able to amass all the equipment and resources necessary to shoot a self funded- low budget independent feature at extremely short notice. As for casting, Luke's Wellington theatre exploits led to a swift casting process with several promising young actors being slotted into the roles almost immediately.
With Ben Hawker assuming the role of Director, there was just one problem... Who was to crew the film? The solution was simple- the staff at Weta Workshop are immense film buffs and there was no shortage of volunteers! Diverse roles- from Directors of Photography to Assistant Directors were all quickly filled by keen Weta work-mates. If there were any doubts to whether this motley crewed, hastily thrown together production would yield results- they were short lived. The accumulated years of intense on-set experience obtained by this group of friends during the making of LORD OF THE RINGS was to prove invaluable. With a remote location secured in New Zealand's rural Wairarapa district, BLACKSPOT was a film in the making.
For an accumulated total of 25 days spread over the holidays, weekends and evenings of 2005, the cast and crew of BLACKSPOT worked tirelessly. Adding another degree of difficulty, almost 90 percent of the film is set at night. With freezing winter temperatures and incredibly short nights in the summer, the film was truly a labour of love. When wrap was finally called in August 2006, the average number of set-ups had settled to a heroic total; 28 shots per night.
With production in the can, postproduction reared its sizeable head. Being low to no budget, BLACKSPOT required an inexpensive but impressive range of visual effects. Seeing as the film had ended up with a distinctive look, pains were taken to ensure that the edit, grade, visual effects and sound design all worked seamlessly together to support what had become a unique, stylistic looking film.
The postproduction budget was looking tight. Thankfully, after preparing a detailed and thorough submission to THE SCREEN INNOVATION PRODUCTION FUND, the Creative New Zealand funding body generously awarded BLACKSPOT NZ$25,000. Supplemented with the remaining production resources, the film would eventually scrape across the finishing line. Just…
BLACKSPOT would not see completion until October 2007. With the generous assistance of professional film industry artists, postproduction was still no less arduous. Working closely with WINGNUT FILMS editor Simon Price, Ben cut and re-cut the film over eight long months. Having also been in the role of visual effects supervisor during shooting, Ben had the difficult task of ensuring the film was carefully edited around visual effects shots that would not exist for another six months.
Composer and engineer Jeremy Cullen of Wellington's MARMALADE AUDIO had the massive task of creating the sound scape for BLACKSPOT. Jeremy would not only end up mixing the film, he composed, notated, conducted recorded and even performed piano for the original score. Along with ADR and the sound design, Jeremy's work remains one of the most impressive personal achievements within BLACKSPOT.
John Dames and the crew at CORE AUDIO VISUAL in St. Louis Missouri were the knights in shining amour to the BLACKSPOT visual effects shot list. Headed by co-visual effects supervisor Chris Mills, the 350 odd computer generated effects and composites were tackled over four months.
Using video conferencing from Wellington, Chris, Ben and Luke were able to work hand in hand with COREAV in the United States, exchanging shot examples and giving feedback to achieve a remarkable looking body of work in a remarkably short amount of time. Particularly of note were the vast numbers of "day for night" shots, created in an effort to have the audience lost within a landscape rather than in a veil of solid-black night.
With the edit, sound and visual effects all completed, it was time to go to PARK ROAD POST for the final grade and compile. Having charitably awarded BLACKSPOT a full sponsorship for the telecine process, Park Road set about creating a digital colour grade that would enhance the moods that had been created by the edit and sound design. Digital colourist Matt Wear spent several weeks working with Ben, carefully colour matching shots and fine-tuning the sequence- themed grade states. Park road Telecine Supervisor John Newell oversaw the grade process- right through to the High Definition up-res and output.
After three long years, BLACKSPOT finally greeted its first audience at Peter Jackson’s Camperdown cinema in Wellington. The cast and crew joined in celebration of a first feature well done, having made a full-length film while all holding down full time jobs within the frantic New Zealand film industry- and all for under US. $38,000.
The experience of bringing BLACKSPOT to life has been extremely rewarding. Many of our cast and crew are currently drawing up independent film plans of their own after being inspired by their time working together on the film. A gratifying development, given what we believe film and filmmaking to be all about, moving an audience with a blinding passion and inspiration for storytelling.