FEATURE

“Life isn’t about endings, is it? It’s a series of moments. And umm… it’s not if, you know, if you turn the camera off it’s not an ending, is it.” – Tim, The Office finale, 2003.

I’ve been back for a few weeks now, and trying to put such an intense and rewarding experience into a reflective summation is proving hard to do.

There are dozens of words that I could come up with to describe my time at Killer. It really did broaden my horizons and open my eyes to the independent film industry. I really did have my finger on the pulse of a relentless city that never lets up. And I wasn’t dreaming that I met all those amazing people and was immersed in some of the best material I will ever read. I now know what will work in the international market place – and that a script, no matter how well written, will not work if it isn’t aimed at the right company, actor or financier.

I did learn a lot, and I have more people to thank for that than I could fit  into one blog. Of course, I’d like to thank Script to Screen and the sponsors, Stella Artois and The Film Investment Corporation Foundation, for making it happen.  As for in New York, top of the list would be David Kaplan and James Sehring – the two assistants at Killer. Relaxed, efficient, and only occasionally stressed, these two future big players juggled the stars and the desperate with ease. They also welcomed me in like one of their own the first week I arrived, and without them, my time in New York would have been half as fun and only thirty percent as educational.

Seeing Christine Vachon at work is also something that has to be seen to be believed. It deserves this paragraph to itself. Christine was overseas for the early part of my time at Killer, but even the day before she returned, you could feel it. Everyone was more focused, more attentive, and a little more on edge. Jaws tightened. Pupils narrowed. She has an affect on the ether like nobody I have ever met. First hand, she is a force. In one day, she resurrected two projects that had been sitting in development for almost a year – by simple will power. By not taking no for an answer. By pitching it her way. She is, and I’m sure always has been, one of the most confident and certain people on this earth. If David and James showed me how to fit in to the industry, from watching Christine, I learnt how to make the industry sit up and listen. I hope that one day, I will be the one trying to get her on the phone for those precious five minutes. But until then, I am simply privileged to have seen a professional at the peak of her career – she is the Michael Jordan of the independent film industry.

Other than work, the city itself gave me so much, and asked for little in return. I find it hard being back New Zealand, and not going out with a raincoat, umbrella, sunscreen and hat all at once. I find it hard driving again, and not having a train every three minutes. The other night, I was a little perturbed by a scratching noise as I came home. I turned around and it was a leaf, tumbling across the road. It was the only sound in the night. In New York, there was always a siren, a kid rapping, a car cruising under the sodium lights. It was always moving.

It is like a high-speed train. If you want to get on, it only goes at one speed – supersonic. So you either let it go by, or you buy that ticket and enjoy the ride. More than once, it can knock you down and sap your energy. But for the most part, it is an inspiration, even in the struggle. I see how Woody Allen makes a film every year. There is always something happening on every corner. A moment you couldn’t make up. The guys in Alphabet City who ride bikes with boom boxes attached, blaring Puerto Rican music. The wheelchair bound Vietnam vet, who always asks for change in Tompkins Square Park, and simply says ‘take her easy’ whether you oblige or not. The aspiring models, smoking outside the East Village speak-easys. The weekend markets, Coney Island, the parades just for the hell of it. The graffiti. The food – unlimited and jaw dropping. The people – diverse, eclectic and open to telling you their stories.

It’s loud, noisy and electric. It’s the best city in the world.