Fresh From The Field — Mānawatia a Matariki – By Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Fresh from the Field is a weekly article series sharing the fresh and inspiring work of our Aotearoa Design Assembly community. For June & July we are focusing on Design & Te Ao Māori – featuring interviews with Māori designers, project features spotlighting their work & design processes, to thought leadership articles that inspire and challenge the Aotearoa NZ Design community.
In today’s feature project Te Wānanga o Aotearoa walk us through their brief and design process behind the Mānawatia a Matariki video
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The brief
The production team was asked to devise a short video to express the three phases of Matariki: remembering those who have passed, celebrating the present, and planning for the future. The video would be intended for audiences of all ages and ethnicities in Aotearoa New Zealand and should encourage people to think about how they might observe Matariki in their own lives. The finished product would sit on the client’s Matariki website. It would also be divided into three separate 30-second segments – one for each phase of Matariki – for social media advertising. From previous projects, it was determined that a light-hearted video featuring a whānau would perform best. Major constraints included time, budget, and brand considerations.
The Design Response
Brainstorming for the setting and storyline was heavily influenced by the team’s personal experiences. Losses in the last year led us to reflect upon our own upcoming observance of Matariki. Previous Matariki projects with the same client focused so heavily on themes of loss and remembrance that the team felt the joyfulness of the holiday was too easily overlooked. How can we encourage our audiences to move gracefully through their remembrance into a space of celebration and hope?
In the act of remembering, we explored the impact of perspective on shared memories and the ways in which the same story might be told in a completely different ways by different people. To illustrate this concept in the video, we revisit the same circumstances through the eyes of our characters, each of whom embodies one of the three phases of Matariki. The Sister shows us how we might remember those who have passed through her memories of her father’s childhood gift to her. The Brother moves us through a space of gratitude into a space of celebration. Finally, the Child reveals the unbridled optimism of the future and what could be.
The script was developed collaboratively, and the performers were given creative license to modify their lines to suit their character. Budgets were optimised by using available settings, props, and costumes. Timetables were tight due to prior commitments of the production team and the performers, so filming and principal photography took place over two shoots, one during the day and one at night, supported by the small production crew. The editing was turned around in record time to meet project deadlines, with the first 30-second video being released just three days after the shoot wrapped.
What was most effective about this project was the foundational relationship between the client and the production team which allowed for increased trust, collaboration, and creative freedom. Although the client was operating under strict brand guidelines which necessitated a certain tone and voice, the production team was given space within those constraints to craft a unique story and new, interesting characters. The client’s trust in the production team, and the team’s clear understanding of the intended message of the video, allowed all involved to work collaboratively and build on each other’s expertise. A balance of marketing and filmmaking knowledge propelled the video to hit all the right emotional notes without becoming overbearing.
The Design Team
FILM CREW
Producer/Writer – Becky Sees
Director/Writer/DOP – Tereanuku Tapsell
1st AC/Gaffer/Grip – Jahren Tauroa
2nd AC/Grip/Editor – Aniwa Haitana
Audio Engineer – Morgan Samuel
Production Manager – Kayla Waretini
Hair, Makeup & Wardrobe – Anthea Kingi
Senior Designer – Jade Ormsby
Photographer – Erica Sinclair
https://matariki.twoa.ac.nz
https://www.facebook.com/TeWanangaoAotearoa/
https://www.instagram.com/tewananga/?hl=en
The Client Team
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Client details
https://www.facebook.com/TeWanangaoAotearoa
https://www.instagram.com/tewananga/?hl=en
https://www.twoa.ac.nz/
Collaborators
CAST
Brother – Quinton Tunoho
Sister – Waimihi Hotere
Sister (Child) – Mairareiao Flavell
Daughter – Chaz Tunoho
