Kiwi Talkz #110 - Ra Vincent Interview (Set Design, Hollywood, The Hobbit, Marvel, Sculpting, Labour Guilds etc.)
Ra Vincent is a New Zealand sculptor/artist/set designer and has worked on films such as Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit, Thor Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit. He is in the process of building Silverlight Studios a gargantuan film facility in Wanaka, NZ for upcoming film workers in the insustry.
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER - @ra_vincent
WANAKA SILVERLIGHT STUDIO - https://www.epa.govt.nz/fast-track-consenting/referred-projects/silverlight-studios-wanaka/
#hobbit #jojorabbit #thorragnarok
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
01:10 - How Ra Has Managed To Stay Mellow Despite The Franticness Of Hollywood
03:40 - Avoiding Burnout
05:12 - Labour Union Strike In America
06:20 - No Film Union In NZ/New Zealand Film Industry Vs American Film Industry
08:45 - How NZ Film Industry Changed Over The Last Two Decades
09:55 - Difference Between Guilds In America/How Ra’s Diversified Skillset Helped Him
11:45 - The Purpose Of The Wanaka Silverlight Studios
14:14 - Uniqueness Of New Zealand’s Landscape
15:16 - Why The Hobbit Wasn’t Shot On Location As Much As Lord Of The Rings
17:14 - LED Immersive Lighting Environment Technology
18:41 - Advantages Of Shooting On Locations/Using LEDILE Technology With Location Shooting
20:40 - LED Technology Utilised With Set Design
22:21 - Why Green/Blue Screen May Still Be Needed/Hollywood Doesn’t Have Foresight
25:47 - Every Country Has A Different Film System Of Operation
27:33 - Working With Dan Hennah/Lord Of The Rings And The Hobbit Were Shot Completely Differently
29:14 - Creatives Buidling Sets Up Until The Eleventh Hour/
30:34 - Managing Creative People In The Film Industry
32:33 - Encouraging Creative People
34:43 - Working With Taika Waititi/Working With Like Minded People
37:18 - How Marvel Operates/Thor Ragnarok/Every Marvel Film Since Has Been Inspired By Thor Ragnarok
39:58 - The Eccentrics Of L.A.
40:38 - Ra Is Keen To Get Mentor People
43:05 - Upkeep Of Hobbiton/Making It A Tourist Attraction
45:20 - Sculpting/Longest Part Of The Process
47:20 - Timelines Of Sculpting Being Wrong/Gandalf Sculpture
48:50 - Working Out A Budget/Managing Pressure Of A Big Budget
50:20 - Ra Loves The Exploration Aspect Of Planning Design
51:20 - Big Bosses/Pandemic Messing With Ra’s Work
53:22 - MIQ System In NZ Is Causing NZ To Lose A Lot Of Film Productions
54:15 - Ra Is Coming Back To NZ To Pitch For Some L.A. Work There
54:50 - NZ Government Is Really Slow
55:30 - Silverlight Studio Will Only Take 2 Years To Build
56:54 - Studio Space Shortage In NZ