A CHAT WITH BARRIE
I’m sure you can imagine just how busy Barrie Osborne is. In the midst of developing a slate of major international motion pictures with A-list writers and directors, Barrie is also producing films from talented newcomers Tim McLachlan, Kristi Simkins, Aya Tanimura, Rajneel Singh and Andrés Borghi – our Your Big Break finalists.
Your Big Break producer Barrie Osborne
Barrie has been involved with Your Big Break since day one. The competition was the brainchild of Barrie’s Wellington neighbour Howard Greive, whose company Assignment Group is Tourism New Zealand’s advertising agency. Greive had been thinking about an international competition that would unite filmmakers from around the world and challenge them to capture their own idea of the spirit of New Zealand – and who better to produce the films than Barrie Osborne, who happened to live just down the street?
“I went over to Howard’s house, and he showed me his concept for Your Big Break,” Barrie says. “And I thought, what a cool idea – it’s using the Internet and social networking to promote tourism to New Zealand, and it’s targeting young filmmakers and potentially attracting people from around the world. So just based on that alone, I thought, this is really unique. I was certainly interested in helping.”
Thankfully, Tourism New Zealand loved the idea and months of planning began, focussing on how the competition would work, what the brief might be and what kind of experience might await the finalists. They also discussed how a large volume of entries might efficiently be judged.
“I suggested a system they use for the major awards like the Academy Awards, which is a weighted system – it’s not a lowest common denominator system where if all five judges placed the same film last, it would be the winner overall.” Barrie reveals. “I started following the entries from the very beginning so that I wouldn’t get too far behind.”
Watching all the entries, Barrie found that many filmmakers stood out for him – even if in some cases, the judges’ eventual consensus meant that ultimately, they weren’t Your Big Break finalists. “There were a lot of really unique, interesting ideas,” Barrie says. “People that I’d be interested in following up with later on – I would love to keep in touch with them.” So if your entry didn’t make the final five, don’t despair: your work has been seen – and possibly noted – by one of Hollywood’s top producers. ”There are some really, really talented people out there, but unfortunately we couldn’t pick twenty or fifty – we could only pick five.”
Despite that limitation, Barrie is delighted with the five films that are now in pre-production, production or post-production. “If you look at the spectrum of the finalists, you’ve got two people from New Zealand, one person from the U.S., one person from Australia and one person from Argentina,” Barrie says. “And in terms of the type of messages their pieces reflect or the type of films they are, one’s a pretty broad comedy, one’s an action comedy, one is a very lyrical, evocative, emotional piece that will be successful if it’s executed subtly, and one is a fantasy piece about how New Zealand came into being. And then there’s another, very graphic visual piece that I think is a very unique idea. So they span many different types of genre, and they’re all unique unto themselves.”
And with that, Barrie’s off out the door to meet with Aya and see how her preparations are going (Sweet As goes before the cameras this Sunday, NZ time).
Tomorrow, I’ll be heading out to Park Road Post Production to check in on Tim and his editor, Jonno Woodford-Robinson, who are deep into editing Frosty Man and the BMX Kid. I’ll try and sneak some pics while I’m there – the interior of that place has to be seen to be believed!
– Your Big Break Critic
There’s someone from Australia and only one from the US? That’s not what their entries say…
Hey Joseph, I think Aya is from Australia, but lives in the U.S. …
YBBC Lets do Coffee I’m hanging down the street, Literally. I live on Maupuia rd! I’ll come make sandwiches for you guys! Peanut butter and Jelly ok?
Haha, thanks Joseph – but from what I hear, Park Road has the catering situation under control.
Do they do Mexican food?
Its confusing for me to keep up with as well but this is the breakdown – I am half Australian, half Japanese (Japaralian if you will). I was born in Hong Kong but grew up all over the world. I now reside in Los Angeles.
Hope that helps??!!
Thank you YBBC and Barrie Osborne..
Seriously, Howard Greive had a top notch idea… And Barrie the true gentleman is one of the best blessings we could have to educate us all, and lead by example. Thank you Barrie for your kind words to us all. Well appreciated.
AYA & All
Enjoy it all, ur blessed to be amongst the NZ people and the whole YBB team and crew 
best regards,
mo
@Joseph Sherman-Mendez if you check out park road post website (link at the bottom of the site) youll see why ybbc would have to decline. I’m so so jelous. Wellywood is my dream come true.
Thank you for the update Mr. Osborne ~ You guys are making dreams come true for the ones who are there and “HOPE” to one day be discovered for those of us who submitted… I’m so anxious to see what the five finalists turn out and love reading their blogs… I would love to make a movie about the five people making their movies… haha! from submitting to telling their bosses & families they may be leaving…passports! and the New Zealand experience for all five…If you really want to promote New Zealand…lets take this to the BIG screen! Keep us Posted! ~ Marla Brettel
“There were a lot of really unique, interesting ideas,” Barrie says. “People that I’d be interested in following up with later on – I would love to keep in touch with them.” Thanks YBBC, you’ve now got 900 people sitting there waiting for Barrie’s emails again. lol XD
I wonder when B.O. will pick the top 1075 entries…….everyone wins!! free YBB t-shirts for everyone!!
As Aya’s mother I would like to put her “nationality” debate to rest.
I, her mother, am Australian and and currently acquiring Swiss nationality.
Her father is Japanese and ever more shall be so.
We both live together in Switzerland.
Her Brother, who was born in Japan, is Japanese/Australian and married to an American. Their son was born in New Zealand and now they all live in Mexico.
Aya was born in Hong Kong, is Australian/Japanese married to an American and she lives in Los Angeles.
Her younger sister is Australian / Japanese and a naturalized Swiss. She lives in London.
I do hope this helps the sticklers in search of the “truth”.
Now you can decide. lol
I am in Queenstown and am keeping my eyes open in case I am lucky enough to run into anyone involved in YBB. I would give anything to run into Barrie. Who knows, maybe I will and he could afford a second for a quick handshake.
-Ed
http://www.your-big-break.com/entry/10169