As a movie critic with a rich history of traversing the global film landscape, I must say that Wellington, New Zealand has truly caught my eye (and not just because it’s nestled in the beautiful lands of Middle Earth). The city’s latest push to establish itself as a top-tier games, VFX, and animation producing hub is nothing short of inspiring.
Currently serving as the production base for the “Avatar” film series, Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, is once again promoting itself as a top-tier global destination for game development, VFX, and animation. To support this claim, it has recently released a new showcase titled “Make It Here,” which will be followed by various events related to location scouting, production, and festivals.
Once known as a UNESCO City of Film, Wellington is where renowned film companies like Weta Workshop, Weta FX, and Park Road Post-Production reside. It also houses Victoria University of Wellington’s Miramar Creative Centre, which is a prominent film school. This city has been the site for iconic movie productions such as James Cameron’s “Avatar” and its sequels, Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings,” Taika Waititi’s “Time Bandits,” Jemaine Clement and Paul Yates’ “Wellington Paranormal,” and more recently, “After the Party.
The city has plans to broaden its involvement in game development and software production. Chantelle Cole, who oversees the Game Development Sector Rebate (GDSR) at NZ On Air, commented, “There are many untold success stories arising from Wellington’s game industry as well as studios spread across New Zealand (Aotearoa).
The ‘Make it Here’ initiative showcases creative production companies from our local region, such as Big Adventure, Floating Rock, Weta FX, Lost Cosmonauts, PikPok, A44 Games, Beyond, Wildboy, and others. Notably, PikPok, one of New Zealand’s oldest and largest studios, has had its games downloaded more than 500 million times. Moreover, Dinosaur Polo Club’s games, ‘Mini Metro’ and ‘Mini Motorways,’ have been played by over 10 million players worldwide – that’s twice the population of Aotearoa. The GDSR was established to foster growth and advancement in this sector. Wellington is proving itself to be a force in the global game development industry,” stated Cole.
Mark Westerby, director at Screen Wellington, stated that while Wellington will remain a hub for traditional filmmaking, innovative technology is expected to significantly boost our creative sector, particularly in the realm of digital exports,” (paraphrased)
WetaFX boasts a list of recent projects such as “Cocaine Bear,” “The Last of Us,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.” Meanwhile, 37 Degrees Studio has been involved in creating content for “Legendary Journeys.
The “Make it Here” showcase debuted at a professional gathering held on Tuesday (New Zealand time) at Massey University’s School of Film, Screen, and Creative Media. This event was followed by a string of location-based events, such as the Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan and the Location Expo in Las Vegas, which are scheduled for next month.
Some upcoming events in New Zealand, Aotearoa, include the New Zealand Game Developers’ Conference (17-19 October), Wellington Games Week (13-19 October), Show Me Shorts Film Festival (16-20 October), NZ Youth Film Festival (6-7 December), Maoriland Film Festival (March 2025), Wellington Animation Film Festival (March 2025), and Square Eyes: Kids Film Festival, along with animation workshops (dates not specified).
Watch the showreel here.
Read More
- AAVE PREDICTION. AAVE cryptocurrency
- W PREDICTION. W cryptocurrency
- PENDLE PREDICTION. PENDLE cryptocurrency
- SOL PREDICTION. SOL cryptocurrency
- CONE PREDICTION. CONE cryptocurrency
- ATR PREDICTION. ATR cryptocurrency
- XRD PREDICTION. XRD cryptocurrency
- PSP PREDICTION. PSP cryptocurrency
- OXT PREDICTION. OXT cryptocurrency
- PLXY PREDICTION. PLXY cryptocurrency
2024-10-01 08:16