NZ music video makers recognised

NZFA Media Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NZ on Air manager and video makers recognised for contribution to NZ music video

NZ on Air Music Manager and champion of the New Zealand music video Brendan Smyth was recognised alongside a range of kiwi music video makers including Chris Knox, Jonathan King and Stuart Page, by the New Zealand Film Archive on Saturday 30 May in Wellington.

A crowd of 120 people watched music videos and MC’s Frank Stark (NZFA Chief Executive) and music industry consultant Roger Shepherd, present a range of awards recognising those who have made significant contribution to the music video industry in this country by devoting their film making skills to showcasing the work of New Zealand’s musicians. They also watched a lot of music videos.

The awards ceremony was the culmination of the Ready To Roll? Top 100 project (www.filmarchive.org.nz/readytoroll) which included online viewing and voting for people’s favourite top 100 NZ music videos as selected by Film Archive staff to be representative of genre, style and era. Voting numbers were significant with over 40,000 votes cast in the online project.

The Wall of Fame idea came out of an extensive project to find and preserve New Zealand music video clips conducted by the Film Archive in conjunction with Roger Shepherd, the former owner of Flying Nun Records. Shepherd has spent the last 12 months contacting record company’s, collectors and independent labels to ensure music videos are deposited with the Film Archive and archived for the benefit of all New Zealanders. He is still searching for various missing eras, including the punk years of the late 1970s when he believes many videos were not saved appropriately but may still be hiding in someone’s attic or garage.

The People’s Choice Award on the evening went to the 1983 hit “Maxine” which came out on top as the favoured video with the online voting public. Sharon O’Neill was unable to attend the award ceremony as she lives in Australia, however Radio New Zealand broadcaster and film critic Simon Morris, who directed the clip, was in the audience and accepted on Sharon’s behalf.

The other awards were given to video makers for their contribution to the music video making scene rather than specific clips, which was appropriate given that music video makers often create dozens, if not hundreds of clips over their careers.

The second award was given to Joe Lonie, musician and music video maker who cut his teeth making videos for his own band Supergroove in the 1990s. His music video “Gather to the Chapel” for Liam Finn (2007), filmed in one complete take, was screened.

The next award was awarded posthumously to Dalvanius Maui Prime whose first attempt at music video production brought about his group’s – and his hometown’s – first appearance on Ready to Roll in 1984. The Patea Maori Club’s music video for "Poi E" was screened to acclaim on Saturday night.

Auckland media star and musician Chris Knox was presented an award in absentia for his experimental and playful approach to music video making. His artistic approach was highlighted with his self-executed animation for “Face of Fashion” (1984) featuring the rapid appearance and disappearance of a very full head of hair.

A feature film maker Jonathan King, recently back from promoting “Under the Mountain” at Cannes, thanked the musicians who lent their music to his film making finishing school. Dam Native’s “Behold my kool style" (1996) was warmly received by the audience.

3D glasses courtesy of Real Groove Magazine were distributed to the audience for Ed Davis’s ground-breaking 3D music clip for Charlie Ash – “Ah-ha” (2008).

Christchurch expereimental film maker Stuart Page has had a long and varied career including some exceptional music videos. His 1988 video for Snapper’s “Buddy” was screened in advance of his award-winning documentary about photographer and educator Laurence Shustak which screens in Wellington on Thursday 4 June.

You could call Kevan Moore the godfather of New Zealand music videos, with his work directing television shows like C’Mon in the 1960s. He recieved an award following a rare showing of “Music to watch girls by" (1965) by Herma Keil.

Jed Town was presented an award with his technical creativity, including the use of double and quadruple exposures, slides, projections and in-camera editing for his Fetus Productions song “Flicker” (1985).

Other inaugural inductees included Fane Flaws of the Hawkes Bay and Aucklanders Kerry Brown and Chris Mauger; all for their large bodies of work in the 1990s.

The final inductee to the Wall of Fame was Brendan Smyth – who has overseen the allocation of NZ on Air funding to music video for nearly 20 years. A hero of New Zealand music and the New Zealand music video.

The Award Winners for the 2009 inaugural Music Video Wall of Fame

“Maxine” by Sharon O’Neill (Simon Morris) - Peoples Award

Brendan Smyth

Joe Lonie

Dalvanius Maui Prime

Chris Knox

Fane Flaws

Jonathan King

Ed Davis

Stuart Page

Kevan Moore

Kerry Brown

Jed Town

Chris Mauger

ENDS

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