We are as far away from Hollywood as you can get, but Kaj Tata is developing a viable career for himself through Rāngai, a film production company and university level education facility here in Turanga-nui-a-kiwa, Gisborne. Kaj is a young man with a bright future. Not only is he creative and conscientious, he is wise enough to seize every opportunity offered to him. Kaj was working in a packhouse in Tauranga when he made the decision to move to Gisborne to study Māori arts. But, before he had the chance to sign up, his cousin offered him a role as an extra on the film, The Convert.
“It was an awesome experience being on a set and I got paid really well. Way more than I was earning at the packhouse. So, I started asking around, all the different jobs, like camera operators, to see how much money they made, and that’s when I changed my mind about what I wanted to do. Mum pointed out this film school in Gisborne, and that was it for me.” Kaj is in his second year of a bachelor's degree in screen arts with a film major, and not only is he learning the theory, he gets real world experience, on par with a paid apprenticeship.
Rāngai work in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and tertiary providers, like EIT. The company was founded by Shannon Dowsing on the belief that he could focus revenue from commercial work to create better outcomes for students, or ‘Elevate Your Success,’ as the company’s tagline states. It also gives the rohe an alternative industry and economy to the primary industries that we rely on so heavily in the regions.
Rāngai produce news, commercials, documentary work, and film local sports, which, last year, was mostly funded by Rāngai as a service to the community to connect people who couldn’t access weekend sports after being cut off by the cyclone. It’s all paid work, and the wages go into the pockets of the students, even if the company are sponsoring it. Last year the students earned an average $8500 each to support their cost of living. Kaj proudly had his first lead story with Te Ao Marama recently, as camera operator working solo capturing the story for the news show. He filmed an interview and establishing shots, prompting the interviewees and making sure they were comfortable as he worked with the control room and crossed over with the main studio in Auckland.
His work continues to evolve weekly, being flown to Auckland after previous successful jobs. He filmed the Kī-o-Rahi National tournament, Rāngai providing the opportunity to work with Rotorua based production company Local Geecko, “I was pulled aside and offered more work opportunities. Next minute I got a phone call from Auckland, and they flew me up there to film the Indian hockey tournament. I was the camera operator and I also got the chance to work as a technician in the control room. I was thrown in the deep end but they taught me a lot.”
Kaj clearly enjoys his studies and being from out of town means he’s had to make new friends, which is easy at Rāngai. They’re an inclusive bunch, and a good representation of a cross section of the Gisborne community. Students span across the age range, with a mix of cultures, genders and neurodiversity. It feels good to walk into a room full of curious creatives, and the students are only too happy to show me the film props they made in their art department. One of the students jokes that Shannon gives them a hard time, but I can see he has a great rapport with them.
Shannon is originally from here, with whakapapa to Ngāti Porou. He didn’t engage well with traditional schooling. “It just wasn’t for me. So I left school and took on an apprenticeship in telecommunications, which meant I was learning on the job, alongside mentors. I learned better that way and it shaped my character.” He strongly believes education should be linked to employment. With that experience he moved to London and found work with a rapidly growing technology company.
“We used to say that we were on the bleeding edge of technology. That’s the point you reach when you’re past the cutting edge,” and that’s where Shannon seems to be more comfortable than most. He was in London for 12 years and ended up a shareholder of the tech business he worked for. The work was exciting and varied and he had full creative autonomy. From augmented and virtual reality for the military, building visualisations systems in the Robotic Surgery Center in Qatar, live broadcast of rugby in 3D to UK cinemas, and building holograms in India, Shannon travelled the world... and all of it was through training on the job. Eventually his experience and knowledge led him to being a 3D tech consultant for Frame Store during their post production of the first Avatar movie, alongside Weta.
When they completed the successful sale of the company, Shannon moved back to Gisborne, serving on the Gisborne District Council for six years, which was a learning curve he enjoyed. Now he’s focused on other big picture stuff. Rāngai is unique as a privately owned tertiary education facility in Gisborne, and he doesn’t just offer film making courses. There is game development, animation and character design, too.
Next he is also looking at building student accommodation in Gisborne to make it more affordable for students to participate. There is a need in the region for 20+ rooms with a much lower cost than the current housing market. “A student from the coast can't be expected to put 3 years of accommodation on their student loan or they just won’t take the opportunity.” He is also developing another film studio and school in Queenstown at the newly-built Research and Innovation Centre. Not only is Shannon brave enough to dream big, he has the skills, experience and energy to follow through and make dreams a reality for aspiring rangatahi who want to work in a creative field.
Rāngai is open for enrolments for the Level 4 Certificate in Communication Media. This is the course for anyone who wants to give it a go and get a taste of what film production involves. Rāngai courses are fees free. There is no set criteria for entry. If you enjoy the lower level courses then there are pathways to continue into a degree in screen arts where you could major in film, animation, game design or character creation.
Get in fast. Enrolments for the certificate are open until 24th June.