A kaupapa Māori framework approach to filmmaking

Author: Madison Henry-Ryan

Supervisors: Caroline McCaw, Kirsty Dunn

Madison Henry-Ryan
1 December 2022

Henry-Ryan, M. (2022). A kaupapa Māori framework approach to filmmaking. (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design). Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6148

Abstract

The aim of this project is to explore kaupapa Māori filmmaking practices through practise-led research. I will focus on the processes and environments and how these create barriers or encourage Māori filmmaking aspirations. This thesis also investigates kaupapa Māori methodologies and processes used to make films, through epistemological and metaphysical traditions. This includes the examination of Māori in Screen, the experiences of our people in the film industry, and how methodologies can be applied in the way we go about making films and telling stories.

In order to make the research relevant to my own experience, I will share insights on the whakapapa of my film work via case studies and the methodologies I've used as a filmmaker. The reason why I am doing this research is to further understand the practice of indigenous filmmaking in the context of my own journey as a filmmaker. Through film, I have the opportunity to showcase a unique way of storytelling and knowledge transmission methods of our tūpuna, with contemporary methods and technology. Put simply, realising old ways with new ways.

To help realise this research, I will develop a kaupapa Māori framework approach to filmmaking and apply it to produce a short outcome that encapsulates the framework I have explored in my research. Through my key findings, I wish to discover frameworks and methodologies that help offer new ways of understanding and examining films grounded in Māori worldviews and experiences. This thesis therefore investigates alternative processes of filming that I have developed from a kaupapa Māori perspective through my filmmaking experience. The questions for this thesis that I will be investigating are: What kaupapa Māāori practices exist in filmmaking?

From this I hope to research this and discover: How can I create and develop my own kaupapa Māori cultural framework for film? Once I have a grasp of this, I aim to test it by asking: What will it look like to create an applied outcome pioneering new technology using a kaupapa Māori filmmaking approach? In conclusion I hope to deduce: How can my experiences in making film and the results of my research be used to empower others in the screen industry?

Keywords: Aotearoa, Māori filmmakers, filmmaking, Māori in film, kaupapa Māori, Māori films, film industry, New Zealand

Licence

A copy of the thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International