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THE Capital's reputation as a thriving centre of film making in New Zealand goes up a notch or two from today.
The New Zealand Film and Television School, based in Newtown, officially opened its doors to its first batch of wannabe Wellywood film makers.
Set up by a trust of film industry representatives, it was to have opened in March, but this was delayed pending course certification by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
Director Ruth Jeffery, the New Zealand Film Commission's film development director for 12 years until taking the post, said this week everything's sorted now. Ten students, ranging in age from 19 to 42, were to start today. They've paid $12,500 for the first 40-week course. There will be two further intakes, each of about 20 students, next February and July.
Students will have to master the main areas that come together to make a film - production principles, differences between film and TV, story-telling, lighting, script development and writing, sound recording, directing, business administration, finance, marketing and distribution, production management and design.
"It's an entire preparation from every aspect of being in a film crew," Jeffery says. "From the beginning of story-telling where the story idea comes, right through to how you market...