November 16th 2012

Hawke’s Bay scenery delights movie scouts

Two movie location scouts and a television commercial producer were taken on a special tour of the regions scenic highlights, ahead of the premiere of the movie Eternity.

The red carpet premiere of the sci-fi mystery feature film, written and directed by New Zealand filmmaker Alex Galvin, attracted around 600 people to the Hawke’s Bay Opera House last Friday. Scenes for the movie were shot in Hawke’s Bay with Hastings District Council joining a number of local businesses, organizations and individuals in supporting the production.

Tessa Tylee from Film Hawkes Bay says “This was a fantastic opportunity to show the scouts and producer what is on offer in Hawke’s Bay for the industry. The whole tour was a phenomenal success, with the group being extremely impressed with the scenery and possible film locations to be found in the region.”

Tessa Tylee says “At present Hawke’s Bay is not top of mind with location scouts but we hope that this tour and the premiere will change that perception. In fact, I have already received a call from an Auckland based commercial producer asking about the possibility of using a location in Hawke’s Bay for a shoot.”

“Movie and television commercial producers are looking for special locations with scenery that is not found within two hours drive from Auckland. They are also seeking areas which replicate scenery found in other parts of the world,” Tessa Tylee says.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule says “Holding the premiere of Eternity at the Opera House presented us with a great chance to highlight the opportunities that are available for filming in Hawke’s Bay in the future. Many people who attended the premiere commented on how stunning the Hawke’s Bay scenery looked and I hope that film producers around the world will recognize the potential that exists for filming in our region.”

The tour took the group through the Napier prison and the city’s Art Deco streets. Then it was on to the Tukituki Valley, Waipawa and Onga Onga for some spectacular river scenes. The tour also included the Gwavas Garden homestead, a trip along Oak Avenue in Hastings and a look through the Opera House. The group then took to the skies in a helicopter flown by local businessman Mike Toogood. The flight took the group to the headwaters of the Tutaekuri River, down the Ngaruroro River and the Dartmoor Valley and out to Ocean Beach.

Tessa Tylee says “One of the areas which really caught the eye was Cape Kidnappers with its sheer cliffs and world class golf course. The whole tour was incredibly successful and we look forward to Hawke’s Bay becoming one of the more sought after locations in New Zealand for movie and commercial production.”
ends

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Arguably Reassuring: Inspector-General Finds GCSB "Arguably" Legal

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• 15 cases involving 22 individuals did not have any information intercepted by GCSB.

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