Gabriel Reid

Gabriel Luke Reid (born 24 February 1969) is a New Zealand director working in television, film and theatre. His doctoral thesis examines the impact of digital technologies on feature film production.

Life and career

Reid holds a Ph.D. in Film, Television and Media Studies from the University of Auckland. His thesis presents a history of digital film production technologies as they have been developed and applied, primarily in the mainstream American cinema.^[1] It includes case studies of The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, interpreted as instances of film making that are at once consequential for the development of digital production techniques and as ambiguously positioned between the local (N.Z.) and the global. Other case studies centre on projects for which all images are computer generated (i.e. animated feature films) and projects for which live action images are acquired via digital camera systems. A distinctive feature of this study stems from Reid's success in securing interviews with key figures in film making. He conducted research at renowned studios and visual effects companies, including Animal Logic, Blue Sky Studios, Industrial Light & Magic, Park Road Post, Pixar Animation Studios and Weta Digital. His interviewees included Andrew Adamson, Pete Docter, Bill George, Donald McAlpine, Barrie M. Osborne, Tim Johnson, Chris Wedge and Dean Wright.^[2]

Reid graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1997 and a Master of Arts (First Class Honours) in 2000. His M.A. thesis examines film adaptations of works by Shakespeare.^[3] Conducting research at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre and Renaissance Films, his interviewees included John Barton, Hugh Cruttwell, Adrian Noble, Trevor Nunn, David Parfitt and Imogen Stubbs.

At Auckland Grammar he was president of the Senior Film Society and a member of Bel Canto choir, led by David Hamilton. At university, as vice-chair of Theatre Workshop, Reid oversaw productions of Salome, The Revenger's Tragedy and As You Like It, which featured Toa Fraser and Oliver Driver.^[4]

As a grandson of Mercury Theatre founder Professor John Reid, Reid's interest in the performing arts was nurtured from an early age. He worked as a child actor on stage and television alongside such stalwarts as Deryck Guyler, George Henare and Billy T. James. At sixteen he directed a season of Godspell and, years later, his work as a theatre director was garnering excellent reviews. Of his production of Amadeus, The New Zealand Herald wrote: "The multi-talented Mr Reid...directs with scrupulous care and refreshing confidence."^[5] Reviewing his production of The Crucible, The Strip magazine wrote: "Gabriel Reid is a clever, tightly disciplined, diligent director, with a bold and clear eye for design. This totally satisfying production coaxed new subtleties from the script — which could become far too dramatic for its own good in the hands of a less questioning director — yet diluted none of its power. It was craft and precision that fused this production into an example which could inspire even more experienced directors."^[6]

Reid was invited to join the staff of Auckland Metropolitan Opera (now known as New Zealand Opera) for the company's inaugural production (Die Fledermaus starring Dame Malvina Major at the newly opened Aotea Centre). Over a period of years he worked on opera seasons featuring renowned artists, such as Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Sir Donald McIntyre. Subsequently, Reid was an assistant director on notable television and film projects, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and The Chronicles of Narnia. As an actor he has played featured guest roles in television series and films, including Shortland Street, Street Legal, Outrageous Fortune and We're Here To Help. His first short film As Dreams Are Made On was invited to screen at several international festivals, including Rhode Island International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and New Zealand International Film Festival.^[7] His most recent short film Every Moment won four awards at Tropfest 2015, including Best Film and Best Actress (Bree Peters).^{[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]} Subsequently, it has screened at various international festivals. Reid and his writing partner, Maile Daugherty, were awarded Best Short Film Screenplay at the 2016 New Zealand Writers Guild Awards, the SWANZ.

In 1999 Reid founded Pageant Films. The company has produced several thousand promos and numerous industry-acclaimed campaigns for New Zealand's largest television broadcasters; TVNZ, MediaWorks and their subsidiary networks (TV One, TV2, TVNZ6, TVNZ7, TVNZ Heartland, TV3 and C4).^[17] Reid's work has earned multiple nominations at Promax/BDA Australia, winning Gold in 2010, and has featured some of New Zealand's most notable artists, such as Temuera Morrison and Karl Urban. Pageant is developing a slate of feature film projects including adaptations of classic works, the drama Division^[18] and the romantic dramedy Misspelt for which the producing team includes Andrew Adamson and Mark Johnson.

Dr Reid is a member of the New Zealand Writers Guild and Vice President of the Directors and Editors Guild of New Zealand (DEGNZ), formally known as the Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand.

References

External links

• Gabriel Reid at the Internet Movie Database
• As Dreams Are Made On at the Internet Movie Database
• Every Moment at the Internet Movie Database
• Gabriel Reid at the Directors and Editors Guild of New Zealand