Award-winning producer talks with Creative Industries Screen Arts students

Earlier this month, award-winning producer Jon Landau joined Creative Industries students for an hour-long conversation on producing and creativity. He spoke to the second and third-year Screen Arts students from Wellington, via Zoom, where he was busy putting the last touches to the upcoming release of the Avatar sequel The Way of Water.

With long-time business partner, director James Cameron, Jon is known for producing Titanic (1997), a film which won him an Oscar and earned $2.19 billion in gross revenues, and Avatar (2009), which earned $2.8 billion. Other credits include Solaris, Alita, Battle Angel and the 2020 documentary Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You

It was the first of what the School hopes will be an on-going series of conversations with industry insiders. “The aim of the Creative Industries professional engagement Conversations/Kōrero will be to advance our Screen Arts students’ and staff’s understanding of industry developments and best practice locally and internationally,” says HoS Vanessa Byrnes.

Jon certainly brought his experience and insights to the table, sharing with students what he believed made films great and enduring, as well as highlights of his career and where he saw technology progressing within the film industry. He stressed the need for artistry as a producer, especially the ability to understand deeply not just ‘What’s the story?’, but to constantly investigate ‘What’s the story about?’ He told the students, that above all else, the producer is a people leader who is leading the creation of a highly collaborative art form.

Prior to the event, the students spent time in class watching earlier interviews and developing questions for the renowned producer. Afterwards said how impressed they were by how down to earth he was and how openly he talked about the process and the challenges of making movies, says lecturer Daniel Wagner, who also MCed the conversation.

“It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to hear from one of the top producers in the industry, and they worked hard before the event to prepare thoughtful and relevant questions. Afterwards, they were buzzing and very impressed by how down to earth he was and how openly he talked about the process and the challenges of making movies.”