#110 - Ra Vincent Interview (Set Design, Hollywood, The Hobbit, Marvel, Sculpting, Labour Guilds etc.)

Ra Vincent is a New Zealand sculptor/artist/set designer and has worked on films such as Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit, Thor Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit. He is in the process of building Silverlight Studios a gargantuan film facility in Wanaka, NZ for upcoming film workers in the insustry.

SOCIAL MEDIA

TWITTER - @ra_vincent

WANAKA SILVERLIGHT STUDIO - https://www.epa.govt.nz/fast-track-consenting/referred-projects/silverlight-studios-wanaka/

#hobbit #jojorabbit #thorragnarok

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:10 - How Ra Has Managed To Stay Mellow Despite The Franticness Of Hollywood

03:40 - Avoiding Burnout

05:12 - Labour Union Strike In America

06:20 - No Film Union In NZ/New Zealand Film Industry Vs American Film Industry

08:45 - How NZ Film Industry Changed Over The Last Two Decades

09:55 - Difference Between Guilds In America/How Ra’s Diversified Skillset Helped Him

11:45 - The Purpose Of The Wanaka Silverlight Studios 

14:14 - Uniqueness Of New Zealand’s Landscape

15:16 - Why The Hobbit Wasn’t Shot On Location As Much As Lord Of The Rings

17:14 - LED Immersive Lighting Environment Technology

18:41 - Advantages Of Shooting On Locations/Using LEDILE Technology With Location Shooting

20:40 - LED Technology Utilised With Set Design

22:21 - Why Green/Blue Screen May Still Be Needed/Hollywood Doesn’t Have Foresight

25:47 - Every Country Has A Different Film System Of Operation 

27:33 - Working With Dan Hennah/Lord Of The Rings And The Hobbit Were Shot Completely Differently

29:14 - Creatives Buidling Sets Up Until The Eleventh Hour/

30:34 - Managing Creative People In The Film Industry

32:33 - Encouraging Creative People

34:43 - Working With Taika Waititi/Working With Like Minded People

37:18 - How Marvel Operates/Thor Ragnarok/Every Marvel Film Since Has Been Inspired By Thor Ragnarok

39:58 - The Eccentrics Of L.A.

40:38 - Ra Is Keen To Get Mentor People

43:05 - Upkeep Of Hobbiton/Making It A Tourist Attraction

45:20 - Sculpting/Longest Part Of The Process

47:20 - Timelines Of Sculpting Being Wrong/Gandalf Sculpture 

48:50 - Working Out A Budget/Managing Pressure Of A Big Budget

50:20 - Ra Loves The Exploration Aspect Of Planning Design

51:20 - Big Bosses/Pandemic Messing With Ra’s Work

53:22 - MIQ System In NZ Is Causing NZ To Lose A Lot Of Film Productions

54:15 - Ra Is Coming Back To NZ To Pitch For Some L.A. Work There

54:50 - NZ Government Is Really Slow

55:30 - Silverlight Studio Will Only Take 2 Years To Build

56:54 - Studio Space Shortage In NZ