Andrew Marshall - Film and TV Producer
Our speaker on Tuesday was Andrew Marshall, a film and TV producer based in Queenstown.
He discussed his experience in the industry and shared insights about producing films and television shows. He explained his work on projects like "Caterpillar" and "A Remarkable Place to Die," highlighting the challenges and processes involved in bringing these projects to life. Andrew emphasized the role of a producer in enabling storytelling through various means, including financing, locations, and people, and encouraged questions from the audience to make the discussion more interactive.
Andrew gave us a history of his career journey in the film industry, starting with studying drama and media studies in high school and later obtaining a film-focused production degree. He described his first break as a production runner in New Zealand and how he quickly advanced to working on The Hobbit in Wellington. Andrew then moved to Los Angeles, where he worked at Walt Disney Studios, negotiating perk packages for actors like Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, before returning to New Zealand to work on films with more creative input.
Andrew discussed his career in film production, sharing experiences from his early work on "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" to producing "The Power of the Dog" and his latest film "Caterpillar." He explained the producer's role in enabling storytelling through managing budgets, casting, locations, and logistics, while noting that producers typically receive less public recognition than directors. The discussion covered film financing in New Zealand, including government funding through the Film Commission and the importance of thinking internationally when developing projects.
An interesting insight into what a producer does in the film industry as opposed to what a director does.