Abstract
Abstract
The Creative component of my Masters thesis is a film I co produced about New Zealand’s highest nesting seabird, the Hutton’s Shearwater and a dedicated man who has been largely responsible for their identification and survival. To gain access to these birds my filming partner and I had to travel to a remote area of the Kaikoura Mountains in New Zealand, which was at an elevation of 4,000 feet. There we were able to film the last two
remaining wild colonies of Hutton’s Shearwater in the world. We also traveled to the bird’s wintering grounds in Western Australia. These locations are both very remote and we spent weeks at a time with different groups of people in these locations during the one year duration of our filming. It became apparent that the interaction and dynamics of the groups was a big factor in how well the shoot was coordinated and completed. This experience prompted an interest in the group dynamics of film crews in remote locations and the Academic component of this thesis is a first step in trying to establish some understanding of that dynamic.
Remote locations provide one of the most challenging environments in which a film crew has to work. Despite the isolation inherent in the location they are required to maintain a high level of productivity. Under stressful condition these groups must work to create a dynamic within the group that will help them to achieve their goals. A highly competitive marketplace, tighter schedules and budgets mean considerable pressure is placed on film crews operating in these difficult environments. No studies have ever been conducted on the dynamics of film crew working in such remote locations. To partly fill this void I interviewed four individuals who had worked in crews in remote locations. An analysis of the literature relating to the dynamics of other groups who have experienced similar conditions formed the basis for the interviews. My research found that team design strategies, gender perceptions, travel schedules, and debriefing could be important factors that affect groups and their productivity in remote areas.