News

NHNZ footage researcher Lemuel Lyes has received a GBP1000 bursary to attend a training week in England.

In memory of highly regarded British footage researcher Jane Mercer, Focal International established the Jane Mercer Footage Training Bursary to provide financial assistance for anyone currently working in the industry to pursue an area of academic or vocational development.

Mr Lyes received confirmation of his successful application this week and, was one of two people to be awarded a scholarship for 2009. He will use the bursary to travel to London in June and attend a week long footage training course run by Focal International.

NHNZ head of production management Sandra Hunt said the company was delighted with the award which recognized My Lye's expertise and, NHNZ's active involvement in the highly specialized footage field.

"We're always supportive of staff wishing to develop their skills in an international arena. Lemuel's passion for footage research combined with an ability to source the best images available makes him a worthy recipient and a valued member of a larger team all working to create outstanding productions."

Mr Lyes is looking forward to a hands-on lesson on the history of film technology and a workshop on international copyright law. As part of the training week, he will also go behind the scenes at the Imperial War Museum, British Film Institute, ITN Source and the BBC Motion Gallery.

"Down here in the South Pacific I'm about as far away as I could possibly be from most of the world's archives. I'm looking forward to visiting some of those institutions and benefiting from the knowledge and experience of some of the leaders in the footage industry."

Mr Lyes joined NHNZ in 2003 as an assistant editor. Since then he has worked as a program researcher before opting to specialize in footage research four years ago. Prior to that he completed a Bachelor of Broadcasting Communications in Television Production and, worked for TVNZ on Colour of War: The Anzacs, a series completely based on archival footage.