#xytech

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

Our Flag Means Death Season 2

The New Zealand Film Commission and Tourism New Zealand partner with Max for season two of Our Flag Means Death to showcase New Zealand to international audiences.

Fast Facts

96% New Zealand crew

78% New Zealand cast

Production based at Kumeu Film Studios

Post-production took place in Auckland

10 New Zealand HODs

67 shoot days

35 sets built

780 Crew

Our Flag Means Death is executive produced by creator-showrunner David Jenkins and Emmy®-nominated star and New Zealander Taika Waititi. In addition to his duties as showrunner, Jenkins directed the first two episodes of season two. Garrett Basch, Dan Halsted, Adam Stein, and Antoine Douaihy also serve as executive producers. Production for the show moved from Los Angeles to New Zealand for its second season.

Our Flag Means Death stars New Zealanders Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby and David Fane, as well as Madeleine Sami (most recently of the Australian mystery-comedy Deadloch) and Samoan-born Anapela Polataivao.

Many of the key creatives and department heads are New Zealanders, including writer Maddie Dai, production designer Ra Vincent, hair and makeup designer Nancy Vincent and art decorator Megan Vertelle. Together, this talented team elevated Our Flag Means Death, contributing their individual expertise to create a visually stunning and emotionally engaging viewing experience. Of the 780 crew contracted onto the show, 350 worked full time.  

Creative talent and picturesque landscapes were key motivators for the move Down Under. Showrunner David Jenkins said “We were looking at the season two budget and asking ‘How do you get the most money on screen?’ New Zealand was the answer. I’ve seen more of our budget end up on screen than it did in the U.S. in season one.”

New Zealand also added a breath-taking backdrop to the swashbuckling adventures of the crew. The lush greenery and stunning coastline provided the perfect setting for the 67-day shoot in Auckland at the end of 2022. There were around 50 sets involved, including the 30-acre forest behind the Kumeu Film Studio, Piha Beach, Howick Historical Village and the wild, black sand Bethells Beach.

And there’s one returning figure impossible to miss on the soundstage: The Revenge, the stately ship that Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard (a.k.a. Ed) commandeered at the end of season one. In real life, it was carefully transported across the Pacific Ocean from the show’s original Los Angeles soundstage. The Revenge is approximately 7m x 28m and there were 3x boat sets that were used to create 10 different boats. The production shot in the Dive Tank at Kumeu Film Studios, built a floating market in the Republic of Pirates, and provided storm water effects for The Revenge.

Virtual Production

Given that many scenes in Our Flag Means Death take place on the deck of a ship at sea, virtual production was the most practical and cost-effective way of filming.

Virtual production is the process of generating motion picture or computer-generated photorealistic imagery displayed on a dynamically active large scale LED wall to create a ‘virtual’ environment or location on a soundstage.

Surrounding the ship was a giant “volume” wall comprised of 1700 LED monitors displaying a photorealistic ocean background with rolling waves. As a crane-mounted camera weaved around, the images on the digital display moved with it, creating a seamlessly integrated backdrop.

The New Zealand vendors that worked on the screen were NEP Sweetwater, NEP Big Picture, Riggaz with Attitudes, Theatrical Solutions, Xytech and Disguise.

The creative benefit of shooting on the volume wall was that the production could shoot in multiple locations and times of day all within just a few hours. Additionally, the actors could interact with what they are seeing and the lighting shifted in real time.

Careful planning of scenes and shots resulted in the rapid and efficient deployment of a select number of pre-processed moving plates (backgrounds) on set. Paihia, Bay of Islands, Mercer Bay Loop and Waitakere were among the New Zealand locations featured in the plate shots.

The New Zealand Screen Production Rebate - (International) and 5% Uplift

The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) and Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) partnered with Max on season two of the show as a part of the New Zealand Screen Production Grant 5% Uplift.

The partnership recognised the significant economic, cultural and industry benefits the Our Flag Means Death production brought to New Zealand. This included a marketing partnership with TNZ and NZFC to promote New Zealand as a tourism and filmmaking destination. It also included a knowledge-sharing programme related to the LED Volume Wall used during production, and collaborations with New Zealand-based virtual production companies and a wider industry workshop.

The 5% Uplift has now been redeveloped:It’s simple to navigate, and the criteria is clearer and more objective. Has increased opportunities to earn points in the test. Has increased weighting on New Zealand screen workforce development and production activity. Recognises repeat business to encourage studios and productions to return. Introduces sustainability criteria to support Aotearoa New Zealand’s shift to a low-emissions economy.

Applications open for the redeveloped 5% Uplift on 1 November 2023, documentation and guidance will be provided before this date.

The New Zealand Film Commission administers the NZSPR for International Productions on behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

The purpose of the NZSPR for International Productions is to incentivise the production of foreign and domestic large budget films, television and other format productions in New Zealand in order to provide economic and industry development benefits to New Zealand. More information here.

A domestic rebate is also available to New Zealand productions and Official Co-productions. Click here for more information.

About Our Flag Means Death

Our Flag Means Death is based (very) loosely on the true adventures of 18th century would-be pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby). After trading the seemingly charmed life of a gentleman for one of a swashbuckling buccaneer, Stede became captain of the pirate ship Revenge. Struggling to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew, Stede’s fortunes changed after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). To their surprise, the wildly different Stede and Blackbeard found more than friendship on the high seas…they found love. Now, they have to survive it.

In New Zealand, season two debuts on Neon on October 6 and is coming soon to Sky Open.

Source: New Zealand Film Commission

[itsedwinlv]

Being part of the Fun Committee entails testing the Diva Light and the new tripod at work for our Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. Happy Holidays!. . . . . . . #OfficeBFF #WorkBFF #Holidays #Xytech #DivaLight #UglySweater #Walmart #DivaPug #HoliGAYs #HoliSLAY #HoliSLEIGH #FunCommittee #ChristmasSweater (at Xytech Systems) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6UUmb_JmZj/?igshid=cyn5vjriy1m4

[jobsforfans]

Studio Operations Department Clerk

Burbank, CA

Warner Bros. Studio Facilities seeks a Department Clerk for the Studio Operations department. This person will Assist Studio Operation managers with logistical planning of production activity on the Warner Bros. Main Lot and/or Warner Bros. Ranch

Opportunity Overview

What part will you play?

Warner Bros. Studio Facilities seeks a Department Clerk for the Studio Operations department.

This person will Assist Studio Operation managers with logistical planning of production activity on the Warner Bros. Main Lot and/or Warner Bros. Ranch.

Accompany a Manager or Director on production scouts and location inspections both before and after shooting, and memorializing those walk-throughs via maps and memos.

Answer phones throughout the Studio Operations call center, noting inquiries from prospective new clients (which are logged into the Studio’s online Salesforce database).

Respond to general questions regarding on-lot questions, and compiling and posting daily production call sheets for distribution across WBSF.

Assist corporate, production, and facility divisions with SAP/EBP troubleshooting, edit error analysis and correction via e-mail and phone requests; enter studio work authorizations (SWAs); and convert non-production requisitions into WA Purchase Orders.

What do we require from you?

Experience with Salesforce, Xytech MediaPulse, and SAP or similar systems preferred, but not mandatory.

Must be proficient in Outlook, Word, and Excel.

Background must demonstrate an enthusiasm for production support, a strong focus on client services interactions and an ability to communicate effectively on all levels.

This person must have solid organizational skills, the ability to pay attention to details, and work effectively in a fast paced, high-volume environment.

Prior studio experience is strongly preferred.

[805aerial]

NBC Sports Selects Xytech Systems' MediaPulse to Power Scheduling Logistics of 2018 Olympic Winter G

(Los Angeles, CA--February 22, 2018) Xytech, the leader in facility management software for the broadcast, production, media services and video transmission industries, has been selected by NBC Sports to power the scheduling logistics of NBC Sports Olympic broadcast efforts in PyeongChang, South Kor from Video Production : Creative COW News http://ift.tt/2BIzkhH via 805Aerial.com

[funwithbonus]

Expo Blitz: XYTECH and Dutch Pinball | Click_here!=>http://bit.ly/2yuclDD

[michaelhaynes]

Xytech Launches MediaPulse Managed Cloud https://t.co/bTtGbyPadr #News #Tech https://t.co/VPz0hFOVxq

Xytech Launches MediaPulse Managed Cloud https://t.co/bTtGbyPadr #News #Tech http://pic.twitter.com/VPz0hFOVxq

— Michael Haynes (@_michaelhaynes) September 16, 2017

via Twitter https://twitter.com/_michaelhaynes September 16, 2017 at 11:09AM

[rzproduction]

G-SHOCK - Julian Savea from ZIGAMAN on Vimeo.

I had the chance to shoot the very talented rugby superstar Julian Savea for G-SHOCK - Directed by Jason Bock.

Director: Jason Bock Creative Director: Scott Maddox, James Polhill Producer: Harry Moore DOP: ZIGAMAN Colourist: Matic Prusnik 1AC: David Chan 2AC: Tarandeep Singh Ashat Gaffer: Barnaby Sweet Lighting Assist: Joseph Radonich Lighting Assist: David Peterson Art Director: Catherine Ellis Production: Fish & Clips

Shot on the Alexa Mini with Crystal Express Cooke Anamorphic - Special thanks to Bryn Seager everyone at Panavision Asia Pacific, Staples Rentals and Xytech Technologies for the support.

[itsedwinlv]

Move over Belle and Prince Charming, Beast and Cinderella are here to SLAY! . . . . . . . #Halloween #Disney #Cinderella #BeautyAndTheBeast #DisneyCostume #HalloweenCostume #PrinceAdam #PrinceCharming #Belle #Beast (at Xytech Systems) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpnWy6pBooV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1gg73udeliqv9

[itsedwinlv]

Xytech Holiday Party. . . . . . #XytechSystems #HolidayParty #LoveIsLove #LoveWins #JustBe #Pride2019 #GayTravel #Husbands #Husbears #BearsLA #BearLA #AIDSLifeCycle #DiscoverLA #LosAngeles #TheValley (at Radisson Hotel Chatsworth) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6ANSFGJ0Fz/?igshid=18esx6hxpcb0w

[funwithbonus]

XYTECH modular technologies. Dutch Pinball's new manufacturer. Hoping for the best.

[michaelhaynes]

Xytech Launches MediaPulse Managed Cloud

https://goo.gl/XaxVbK #News #Tech

[805aerial]

WRAL-TV Selects Xytech's MediaPulse to Keep its Lede

(Los Angeles, CA--January 25, 2017) WRAL, one of the countrys most respected and innovative television stations, has selected Xytech MediaPulse to manage the stations production and news activities. MediaPulse plays an important role behind the scenes at WRAL, helping to schedule reporters, photogra from Video Production : Creative COW News http://ift.tt/2jfT1k7 via 805Aerial.com