Big sky country
Well my name is Sofie, and I’m making a movie. Its about people and the place they call home, it’s about a landscape I’ve fallen in love with and a tricky situation in need of a solution.
Welcome to the stunning Mackenzie basin,
it is here that the conversion from dryland sheep and beef farming to New Zealands loved and hated Dairy has ignited passions, and here I will make my movie.
I’m telling the story of the people, the wildlife and the challenge of finding a balance. It ask what values the land holds for us, and whether a dollar sign translates to increased worth. It will ask if dairy farming is the right choice for this landscape and what the future of the Mackenzie might/should/will be….
I want to tell a Mackenzie story, and to do this with any kind of integrity I want it to be voiced by the people of this place. But ultimately and unavoidably it is my story – I am the storyteller.
However objective I might try to be, ultimately this will come to a balanced argument, through my eyes – how I see a fair and balanced presentation to be. For now I seem to be managing the balance well, from day to day I am swayed by a different argument, so here’s hoping the result is worth watching.
On the road
What right do I have to be telling this story?
As a New Zealander the land is a part of my identity, and this sense if identity is what drives me, it’s a huge part of what I do and the things that I love – that is my right, and all it needs to be.
I’m a small town girlie from the bustling metropolis of Urenui. Growing up I had a great love of bugs, and that hasn’t changed as you can see in my personal blog. I grew up amongst the trees, skipping school sports to go trekking with my father and making my pocket money feeding calves, wrangling racehorses and sweeping wool from the woolshed boards.
I have a bachelor of science majoring in Zoology and Ecology, and a postgraduate certificate in zoology from Massey University, and did a few bits and pieces after that (A certificate in performing arts, various drama projects and some sciencey jobs too).
New Shiney Boots!
Now I am on my way to becoming a master – getting my masters that is. I’m enrolled in the Natural history film making masters course at the University of Otago’s Centre for Science communication. It is through this course that I am making the film.
The blog…
…chronicles my accumulation of ideas and the wonderful adventures I’m having along the way. It’s a way for me to collect the things I come across without formal filing, and means you can see and comment on my ideas, and know a little of where I’m coming from and the extra information that might not make the film (did I mention it’s only 25 minutes long!).
But that’s quite enough about me, if you have questions I’m sure you’ll ask…
…now to get on with this movie.
Step 1. Get new boots
Step 2. Make a film
Step 3. Change the world
Well done girlie. Will now have to keep up to date with your filming goings on,
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