The lost art of dressing like a movie mogul
Apple TV+ bills The Studio, its Seth Rogen-led skewering of the Hollywood studio system, as a 'comedy'. It is also, according to the show's costume designer, Kameron Lennox, a fantasy.
'These characters are trying
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NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
NZ hosts Jason Momoa's ‘Chief of War' as Hawaiian film industry faces challenges
A passion project for Momoa, the Hawaiian star co-created the series with writer Thomas Pa'a Sibbett after years in development. With a reported budget of US$340 million ($575m), it is one of the most expensive television series produced. It is also a milestone in Kānaka Maoli (native Hawaiian) representation onscreen. Controversially, however, the production only spent a month in Hawaii and was mostly shot in New Zealand with non-Hawaiian crews. Momoa has even expressed an interest in New Zealand citizenship, but the choice of location is more a reflection of the troubled state of the film industry in Hawaii. On the other hand, it is a measure of the success of the New Zealand screen industry, with potential lessons for other countries in the Pacific. Kaina Makua as King Kamehameha and New Zealand actor Luciane Buchanan as Ka'ahumanu in Chief of War. Photo / Apple TV+ Ea o Moʻolelo – story sovereignty Set at the turn of the 19th century, Chief of War tells the moʻolelo (story, history) of King Kamehameha I's conquest of the archipelago. Hawaii was historically governed by aliʻi nui (high chiefs) and each island was ruled independently. Motivated by the threat of European colonisation and empowered by Western weaponry, Kamehameha established the Hawaiian Kingdom, culminating in full unification in 1810. The series is an example of what authors Dean Hamer and Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu have called 'Ea o Moʻolelo', or story sovereignty, which emphasises indigenous peoples' right to control their own narrative by respecting 'the inalienable right of a story to its own unique contents, style and purpose'. Chief of War is also the biggest Hawaiian television series ever produced. Although Hawaii remains a popular setting onscreen, these productions have rarely involved Hawaiians in key decision-making roles. Sea of troubles The series hits screens at a time of major disruption in Hollywood, with streaming services upending established business models. 'Linear' network television faces declining viewership and advertising revenue. Movie studios struggle to draw audiences to theatres. The consequences for workers in the industry have been severe, as the 2023 writers' strike showed. Those changes have had a catastrophic impact on the Hawaii film industry, too. Long a popular location – Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980, 2010-2020), Magnum P.I. (1980-1988, 2018-2024) and Lost (2004-2010) were all shot on location in Hawaii – it is an expensive place to film. Actors, crew and production equipment often have to be flown in from the continental United States, and producers compete with tourism for costly accommodation. An industry in transition These are not uncommon problems in distant locations and many governments try to attract screen productions through tax incentives and rebates on portions of the production costs. New Zealand, for example, offers a 20-25% rebate for international productions and 40% for local productions. Hawaii offers a 22-27% rebate. But this is less than other US states offer, such as Georgia (30%), Louisiana (40%) and New Mexico (40%). Hawaii also has an annual cap of US$50m on rebates. To make things even harder, Hawaii offers only limited support for indigenous film-makers. Governments in Australia and New Zealand provide targeted funding and support for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori film-makers. By contrast, the Hawaii Film Commission doesn't provide direct grants to local film-makers or producers (indigenous or otherwise). Small amounts of Government funding have been administered through the Public Broadcasting Service, but this is now in jeopardy after US President Donald Trump recently cut federal funding. The Hawaii screen industry faces a perfect storm. For the first time since 2004, film and TV production has ground to a halt. Many workers now doubt the long-term sustainability of their careers. Lessons from Aotearoa NZ While there are lessons Hawaii legislators and industry leaders could learn from New Zealand's example, there should also be a measure of caution. The Hawaii tax credit system is out of date. But despite industry lobbying, legislation to update it failed to reach the floor of the legislature earlier this year. New tax settings would help make local production viable again. Secondly, decades of investment in Māori cinema have led to it becoming diverse, engaging and creatively accomplished. Hawaii could benefit from greater direct investment in Hawaiian storytelling, respecting its cultural value even if it doesn't turn a commercial profit. On the other hand, New Zealand has a favourable currency exchange rate with the US that can't be replicated in Hawaii. And New Zealand film production workers have seen their rights to unionise watered down compared to their American peers. But if Hawaii can get its settings right, a possible second season of Chief of War may yet be filmed there, which could mark a genuine rejuvenation of its own film industry.
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- NZ Herald
Antarctic leopard seals perform unique songs for hours, study finds
Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Male leopard seals sing songs structured like nursery rhymes. Photo / Jamie Quirk When male leopard seals dive down into icy Antarctic waters, they sing songs structured like nursery rhymes in performances that can last up to 13 hours, scientists say. An Australian-led team of researchers compared the complexity of the songs composed by the aquatic mammals to those of other animals – as well as human musicians like the Beatles and Mozart. Lucinda Chambers, a bioacoustics PhD student at Australia's University of New South Wales, told AFP that people are often surprised when they hear the 'otherworldly' hoots and trills sung by leopard seals. 'It kind of sounds like sound effects from an 80s sci-fi movie,' said the lead author of a new study in the journal Scientific Reports. During the spring breeding season, male leopard seals dive underwater and perform their songs for two minutes before returning to the surface for air. They then repeat this performance for up to 13 hours a day, according to the study.
The Spinoff
4 days ago
- The Spinoff
Nine-and-a-half minutes with Chief of War's local star Luciane Buchanan
Tara Ward goes into battle on the Chief of War press junket. Being part of an international press junket for a new TV show is a weird experience. To begin, you open an email filled with instructions about the types of questions you can ask, whether you'll see the 'talent' on camera or simply hear their voice, and how many minutes you have to chat. Then, you're transported into a Zoom waiting room, where you speak with several different but equally upbeat American publicists, who bounce you from one waiting room to another and back again. It's a slick operation run with impressive military precision, as other journalists from around the world also jump in and out and publicists say things like 'head on over for a six-minute wait,' and 'Phoebe, is there an embargo for Korea?' Just when you think you're going to be trapped in that Zoom void for the rest of your life, you're suddenly thrust into the bright sunshine and New Zealand actor Luciane Buchanan is on the screen in front of you. Buchanan is sitting on a balcony somewhere in Hawai'i, a stunning vista of blue skies and calm seas stretching far behind her (I am in Dunedin, it's 6 degrees celsius and my lunch dishes are piled up next to me). Buchanan is immediately warm and friendly, and gives no hint that she's stuck in an endless cycle of interviews with journalists like me, who all want to squeeze what juice they can out of a tightly-managed 10-minute chat about her new Apple TV+ show, Chief of War. Based on true events, Chief of War is a sweeping historical drama that tells the story of the unification and colonisation of Hawai'i at the turn of the 18th century, through the eyes of warrior Ka'iana (Jason Momoa). The nine-part epic has been a passion project for Momoa, who not only stars in the series, but also co-created, co-wrote and co-directed. Chief of War filmed in both Hawai'i and New Zealand, and features several New Zealand actors including Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis, Te Ao o Hinepehinga and Te Kohe Tuhaka. Buchanan plays Ka'ahumanu, who was trusted friend to Ka'iana and wife of King Kamehameha, and who also became one of Hawai'i's most powerful political leaders of the 19th century. It's the latest starring role in a big-budget drama for Buchanan, who most recently impressed audiences around the world as Rose in Netflix thriller The Night Agent. It's also a long way from her first acting role at the age of 17, when Buchanan played Billy T James's daughter Cherie in the 2011 biopic Billy. 'I was petrified, I didn't know what I was doing,' Buchanan remembers. As intimidating as that experience was, Buchanan left the three-week Billy shoot with the realisation that she wanted to pursue a career in acting. Roles in shows like Filthy Rich, The Brokenwood Mysteries and The New Legend of Monkey soon followed. Buchanan also co-wrote and starred in the short film Lea Tupu'anga / Mother Tongue, which screened at Sundance Festival. She then decided to try her luck in Los Angeles, where her 2022 breakthrough role in The Night Agent saw her hit the top of IMDb's list of most searched actresses in the world. In fact, Buchanan was sitting in a Los Angeles bar watching a Dodgers game when her manager casually revealed she'd won the role of Ka'ahumanu. Buchanan immediately felt the pressure of bringing such an important historical figure to life on the small screen, and began the 'huge learning curve' of researching Ka'ahumanu's life and understanding the rich and complex history of Hawai'i. 'I'm a big fan of Polynesian history, and I love learning about my Tongan history when I'm sitting around with family, so being able to deep dive into this world felt like a dream,' she says. Buchanan also dedicated herself to learning 'Olelo Hawai'i, the indigenous language of Hawai'i (the first two episodes of Chief of War are spoken only in 'Olelo Hawai'i). Mastering a new language added an immense challenge to the role, but Buchanan was determined to do justice to Ka'ahumanu's legacy. 'I said to myself, what if I went all-in for this character? What if I did everything I possibly could – what would that look like?' she recalls. 'I truly feel proud of myself. I gave it everything.' Chief of War is a large-scale international production, but Buchanan says it was special to film part of the series in Aotearoa, working with the small local crew (some of whom she met all those years ago on Billy) and New Zealand acting icons like Morrison and Curtis. And while she flew to Hawai'i for the Chief of War press tour, Buchanan is now back in Auckland filming a movie – 'New Zealand just keeps on calling me home' – and is so busy that she hasn't had time to catch up on any of her favourite television shows, including Mobland and The Bear. As we speed towards the nine-minute mark, I realise I've forgotten everything from the PR email and have committed the sin of having the chat box on my Zoom call closed. I've missed the crucial PR warning messages of '2 minutes', '1 minute' and 'wrap', and expect the Apple TV+ police to pull up outside my door at any moment. As we say our goodbyes, nine-and-a-half minutes after we first met, Buchanan says what a privilege it was to play Ka'ahumanu, a woman so important to the Hawai'ian people. 'I still pinch myself to this day that I was the lucky one who got to portray her.'
