Video Production - New Zealand: Documentary & TV - Nixon Pictures All Blacks & WWI Project Download Page

Video, Television, Corporate, DVD Production and Filming. Based in Auckland, New Zealand. From concept planning to filming to final output. Over 10 years experience.

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2001 - Best Documentary
2001 - Best Script
2005 - AVA Silver medal

Documentary making is our passion. Be it a personal ambition or part of someone else's desire to tell the world their story - we will listen, shoot and give it all the attention it deserves.
Bruce Nixon

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Based in New Zealand

'All Blacks At War: The First XIII'

Current Stage: Treatment & Funding

Date Established: September 2007

Projected Broadcast Date: Post 2011

Broadcaster: NZ & International Release

Funding: NZ on Air and/or Foreign Funding

Producer: Larry Keating

Co-Producer & Creator: Bruce Nixon

Director: John Hagen

Director of Photography: Renaud Maire

Presenter/Narrator: Former 1992 All Black Marc Ellis

Documentary - All Blacks At War: The First XIII
The 13 All Blacks who lost their lives in WWI no longer have a voice to tell their tale of what it was like to grow up in a new country on the brink of war. Now they can have that voice - through this film. We'll delve back into the early 1900's and examine each man, his personality, his rugby career and ultimately, the price he eventually
paid for his King and country. Presented
and narrated by a former All Black,
we'll travel between the past and
present, returning to the battlefields
with our film crew.

If you can assist in our venture, please contact us:

Email info@nixonpictures.co.nz

Or visit the 'about us' link for more contact information. Thank you for your interest and helping us to pay our respect to these 13 sportsmen who knew what it meant to give everything they had, be it on the rugby field or the battle field.

n 1905, a rugby team from New Zealand in an all black strip took on the might of the United Kingdom and France and won convincingly. The British and French were stunned, and could only marvel at the strength, power and audacity of these opponents who represented a whole new breed of rugby player. A whole new breed of man that epitomised this young country far away on the other side of the world.

Yet with this All Black legend barely cemented, fate was set to test the qualities of these men like never before. Within 10 years, the First World War had broken out.

All Black players were back to Europe once more, shoulder to shoulder with thousands of their fellow countrymen. But this time, the stakes were to be very different. Instead of fighting for match winning points, they were now fighting for their lives amid the blood and horror of Gallipoli, the Somme, Passchendaele, Messines and the scorching sands of Palestine.

This series is the story of 13 All Blacks who made that journey and never returned.

Following in their footsteps will be 1992 All Black Marc Ellis. He will walk the battlefields today, bringing into sharp focus the excitement, the fear and the desperation of each of these thirteen players. Scrambling the dusty cliffs of Gallipolli, crawling through the forests of France, sinking into the muddy fields of battle amid lethal gunfire he will bring to life the war and its impact. Yet as well as their darkest hours there will be the uplifting triumphs that shine through. Their spiritual victories. Their moments of hope. Their support, camaraderie and fortitude. Precisely the qualities they exhibited on the rugby field. Where to win, it was similarly important to stay focussed and full of self belief against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Historical footage, photographs and letters will add depth to each story as the characters unfold. And All Black rugby will remain at the heart of the story as the driving force, linking these men together. A reminder of a parallel, almost surreal life.

Nearly a century on, the memory of these thirteen players will live again.

A celebration of the qualities they possessed both on and off the rugby field.

A recognition of their achievements and their ultimate sacrifice.

This is truely a global human story, portrayed by a sign over a market square in Les Quesnoy, France, which reads simply... 'Place des All Blacks.'

Nixon Pictures is
a member of Made From New Zealand; An open global community of New Zealand businesses and entrepreneurs.

CLIENT LOGIN ACCESS GRANTED

Welcome to the client access page. Here you will be able to download files such as the presentation overview, director's statement and storyboards as they become available. Please respect the classified nature of these files and your private access code.

The Director's Statement: What we'll see...

A three-page concept document by Director John Hagen.

Screenwriter: Phil Gifford

Broadcaster's Presentation: Actual synopsis to TV3 (NZ) 2010, including storyboard artwork and consisting of 14 pages.

The Creator's Overview: The historical background to this project - five pages.