Bodybuilding in NZ Documentary

[littleisland]

Hey there,

 

My name is Paul and I am a producer with Little Island Films and we are currently making a documentary about bodybuilding in New Zealand.

 

What we are aiming to to do is challenge and break the stereotypical image we are presented with in the media, as we see Bodybuilding as much more than a sport, we see it as a culture that not many of us really know much about and we would like to learn and educate people about it. Please visit our website, www.littleislandfilms.com, to get a sense of the style of film we wish to create as we intend on it being a much more than typical documentary fare, making it more of an artful endeavour.

 

Joshua, the writer/directors' style is very conversational and are looking to capture genuine moments rather than a full interview and chances are at this stage that we may not use any of the content for the film as we are in the research phase, however I would like to have the camera running in case we strike apon a moment of inspiration. Also, if we ask anything you may be uncomfortable with or you want to pass on, thats totally fine.

 

So in a nutshell we primarily want to learn all about Bodybuilding: it's history, the NZ industry, how it began, any insights you have had in your journey and experience. We want to learn about the culture of bodybuilding, the psychology of it: why people do it, what it means to them, the physical and emotional strain it puts on people. Stereotypes and misconceptions about the sport. Your own personal experiences with any funny or interesting anecdotes.  

 

If you are interested in being part of this project, please send a short bio including your level of experience or place within bodybuilding NZ to paul@littleislandfilms.com and we will be very grateful if you are willing to share your journey and knowledge with us.

 

Many thanks,

 

Paul

[Realtalk]

Hi Paul you should post the names of the people you select to document in your film on this forum. Then we can tell you if they are actual body builders or just absolute tools. I'd be happy to help you in that regard. I'm sure you don't want a repeat of the doco that was on the current affairs show a few months ago.

[tyreguy]

Fair comment Tom.

[maccaz]

yeah thats important if this thing is gonna be watchable

 

noone wants to see a documentary on nz bodybuilding greats such as josef rakich, freezma v22, swift,

etc

 

rather watch a pro wrestling doco with gymrat (may he RIP)

[Hu Gh]

are you going to cover drug use in bodybuilding and how? coz most ppl in nz who know what they doing sure as f*ck wont be going on cam talking about it and theres lots of ppl who think they know that they doing etc but they just deluded fuckwits that look like shit and get fat coz stuff themselves with carbs in their 'offseason' even though most hardly compete if at all.

 

If you dont cover the drug use accurately both for the common nz gym guy on gear scenario and those at the top in nz e.g. steve ortan (not lance golding whos not even a bber, just a shit talking fb guru, or moe saying he only sells protein powder) then your doco a peice of sht and waste of time watching aside from as a comedy and generally be laughing at you not with you.

 

 

I guess my question to you pablo or whatever your name is, is who the f*ck is even running this doco of yours?? It would be good if it actually involved someone like steve o (not a nuthugger at all never met him just seem pics) in say your role or giving the doco some sort of direction and insight. idk who you fellas are but youll probably rush through or miss all the imortant shit you should include coz you know f*ck all about it?

 

Be like if i tried to make a doco about great white sharks and all i had was a pic of one and a few sand sharks in a tank. probably would just get high as f*ck off ice i bought with movie funding and then root sluts off tinder (coz tell them i have own yacht or whatever aka doco boat) on cam4 and chuck it up saved vids on fb and on you pron.com. Like be a good weatch but not really that relevant or accurate in depicting the life cycles of white sharks and their interactions with their environments, wheras if i get some shark guru onboard with suitable fishing boat that knows where to catch and tag them probably better bet. 

 

im at work and off my face havent slept since sat but you get the general idea/gist of what im saying or not br0? if not can pedo pls fix my post or someone do cliffs. coz idk what i even wrote but i feel like there some good sht in there

[Pseudonym]

Mate, I don't know where to begin fixing that! You can do it yourself when you sober up. (And Paul, you can decide whether to respond to that as is... or not!)

 

However, in regards to "giving the doco some sort of direction and insight" by involving bodybuilders in it... well, isn't that what Paul's trying to do now?

 

 

I agree with Realtalk though... I think you do need to be careful who you choose to show, and expecially what their motivation for being interviewed is. I would be trying to find someone who has been in the game for years, but has no vested interest - and therefore they're a little bit cynical and talk less bullshit.

 

In my experience, bodybuilders (and also general gym junkies) tend to fall into two groups... Those who do it for the increased attention it brings from other people, and those who do it for a more internal reason - self-satisfaction, I guess you'd say.

 

Unfortunately, the people most likely to end up on camera are the first group. But the second group would be the ones that interest me more.

 

Guys like Phil Kuklinski (top bber, now recently retired, I think) or Alex & Leeanne Simays (bbing couple, competed and organised events for years). Or Terry Hills, who was renowned for organising great bodybuilding competitions but became somewhat disillusioned with it all (hopefully that's not putting words in his mouth...)

 

They may not thank me for nominating them, of course, but I think all of these guys would have something interesting to say if they agreed to talk.

[HarryB]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha