Two Little Boys, the upcoming movie from director Robert Sarkies starring comedians Hamish Blake and Bret McKenzie, is due for release in early 2012.  The film is based upon the novel of the same name by Duncan Sarkies, and was filmed in over 50 locations throughout Southland over summer 2010/11.

Two Little Boys, the upcoming movie from director Robert Sarkies starring comedians Hamish Blake and Bret McKenzie, is due for release in early 2012.  The film is based upon the novel of the same name by Duncan Sarkies, and was filmed in over 50 locations throughout Southland over summer 2010/11.

As part of the production for Two Little Boys, Tent Pole Films partnered with local tertiary provider Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) to run an internship programme for nine SIT students, giving them the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in the film industry.

Audiences can get their sneak preview behind the scenes of the film by tuning in to sixteen ‘webisodes’ being released weekly from September 5^th on YouTube. The webisodes were produced by SIT film school students and follow the experiences of four of the student interns on set - the Director’s Assistant, Wardrobe Assistant, Production Runner and Art Production Runner.  The series is called ‘Four Little Interns on Two Little Boys’.

Producer Vicky Pope says, “One of the toughest challenges for graduates of film courses is the first step to get their foot in the door of the professional sector of the industry. Because of the fast turnaround, high stake nature of the work, film HODs generally appoint people they have worked with previously, who they know they can rely upon to deliver. In this sense, the programme was a fantastic opportunity for the student interns to demonstrate their capabilities to other professionals and begin to build a foundation of contacts for future work.”

Bachelor of Digital Media graduate Hannah Ley was a Production Runner for the film, and with this experience, she subsequently gained her first professional role on Wellington telefeature ‘Rage’ as a Unit Assistant.  ”Getting into the internship is biggest thing I achieved at SIT.  Through that I got to work on another movie, and from that I got to work on another movie.”

Bachelor of Digital Media student  Ash Bartlett’s internship as a Lighting Trainee also translated into further work, with the opportunity to join the Lighting Department of NZ Film ‘Sione’s Wedding 2’ in Auckland.   “SIT gave me the skills I needed and the internship gave me the foot in the door to make contacts.  It was a huge step up.”

CEO Penny Simmonds said, “Because SIT is so industry focused we are always looking for opportunities for students to get involved in actual industry projects which enable them to get relevant industry experience. The Two Little Boys film provided an excellent opportunity for this.”

To view the webisodes, search ‘Four Little Interns’ on YouTube or head to www.sit.ac.nz.