Making of the video
Glamour, stars, wardrobe, makeup, big budgets.... sorry fans, but the making of the National Conversation Video involved none of that.Instead, it was made on the smell of an oily rag, at a cracking pace, with a tiny budget and a lot of goodwill.
“It was a highly professional job, but there were no frills at all”, says Judy McGregor, who with Sue O’Shea and Moana Eruera acted as a gofer (as in ‘go for that...”) for young director Briar March. That involved holding up light reflectors during a Wellington gale, - “whew, that was hard”, says Sue – or lugging heavy sand bags to steady the camera tripod.
People were generous with their time, and babies and animals provided unexpected and unscripted sound effects that added to the stories.
One of the interviewees soldiered on despite a broken foot, and another did her interview in between doctor’s appointments.
“We call the 12 stories on the video our little Lucifers”, says Sue O’Shea, “because they’re designed to be fire starters.”
The video features a wide variety of stories and work situations: young working parents, retired volunteers, small business owners, a low paid cleaner, people with disabilities, young workers, and men and women in non-traditional work.
The HRC’s local Subway sandwich bar proved to be a treasure trove of talent.
“We wanted to include young people working in fast food, and a small business owner’s issues. We found both literally on our doorstep!” says Sue.
The Thorndon Subway owner, Peter Riddell, employs 11 young people aged 15-17, and, despite his costs having risen, supports the rise in the minimum wage – something he thinks needed to happen.
Phyllis Puia, who has worked as a cleaner for over 30 years, is delighted that her hourly rate has gone up to $15, but thinks more daytime cleaning jobs are needed so that cleaners can spend time with their families.
These are two of the 14 stories about people and work featured on the video.