The Finishing Line

July 9 is the date by which our major funding application needs to be in to the NZ Film Commission. But before that, and hopefully by the end of this week, I need to deliver a draft application for provisional approval as an official co-production with the UK. Not to mention the application for provisional approval for the Screen Production Incentive Fund.

In the meantime, a flurry of activity is under way. Yesterday was budget delivery day, and it arrived in good shape. Our Welsh line producer has 30 years of experience and did a great job on it. Currently I'm extracting UK and NZ spends, which need to be separately itemised for the applications.

For someone who is primarily a writer, delving into the bowels of spreadsheets doesn't exactly turn me on. But it's all part of the process of making things happen. I think anyone involved in the film industry should learn as much about the entire industry as possible, and there's no way of learning quite like having to perform new tasks. When I first produced a short film, I had no idea whatsoever. By the end of it, I'd learned a few things and had a load of fun at the same time.

Not too much fun at the moment, but the finishing line looms. Unfortunately it will be followed by another, and another, and another... That's the biz we're involved in.