Geoff Steven: From feature filmmaking to network commissioning...

Geoff Steven has been an integral part of the NZ television and film industry since 1975. He's made experimental films, commercial feature films, and documentaries. Steven has also worked as a network commissioner, and now has a job with the World Heritage Project.

In this ScreenTalk, Steven talks about:

• Starting out as a director and making his first documentary Te Matakite o Aotearoa - The Māori Land March
• Forming the 'Alternative Cinema' group in the early days of our feature film industry, and the influence of this on the setting up of the Film Commission
• Making the experimental film Test Pictures
• The interim Film Commission funding his early feature film Skin Deep
• Then moving on to the feature Strata, which was rushed into production to take advantage of a funding scenario, and 'just didn't work'
• Starting to work as an independent documentary producer and encouraging newly-established TV3 to make local shows
• Ending up as Commissioning Editor at the network
• Building up local production at TV3, including establishing the Inside New Zealand documentary strand
• Switching networks to TVNZ and working as Commissioning Editor there for 12 years
• Aiming to commission programmes that were quality but popular
• His current work with the World Heritage Project 

This video was first uploaded on 27 November 2008, and is available under this Creative Commons licence. This licence is limited to use of ScreenTalk interview footage only and does not apply to any video content and photographs from films, television, music videos, web series and commercials used in the interview.

Interview - Clare O'Leary. Camera and Editing - Leo Guerchmann