Fast approaching its first birthday as a new-and-improved Mediaplex, TIM WONG spoke to The New Zealand Film Archive's Rebecca Adams about relocating premises, Radio With Pictures and indoor-outdoor flow.


HOW I used to know The New Zealand Film Archive was as a dirty white building on the corner of Taranaki and Ghuznee St, one I would often pass on my way to design school. Although curious and naturally drawn to anything with the word "film" in it, it never really occurred to me to explore further, perhaps because it appeared so uninviting – the frontage a corner slot of prime window space deadened by an empty, abandoned interior. A sprawl of cables and discard TV sets emerged at some point, broadcasting static and various other projections, but to me, it just seemed like a) bad installation art, b) a squatter's paradise, or c) the precursor to something resembling a human/social bubble experiment, where an artist or model would take up one of those 'transparent residencies', exhibiting his or her daily routine of eating, sleeping and defecating to the rest of the world.

Of course, a whole lot has changed since then. Walk past The Film Archive today, and that previously redundant wall of glass screams indoor-outdoor flow, beckoning foot traffic by way of a clearly visible bar, expresso machine and row of Apple Macs. Adorned in mondo orange decor and heady Bauhaus overtones, the building's street appeal certainly vindicates a new image and direction for The Film Archive – one that according to publicist Rebecca Adams, was a direct decision, "to use the new space as the key brand." She elaborates: "The Film Archive building both inside and out is a very spare, modern space. A striking palette of orange, grey and white has been employed – the public areas are about clean lines and a minimal aesthetic." Needless to say, the before and after shots are dramatic, touting nothing short of an extreme makeover.


At 25, and an indelible Wellingtonian, Adams seems like the perfect person to help guide the remodelled Film Archive into the 21st century. An 80's child, her transition from film student to publicist seems typical of the generation: grow up, study, burn out, work in a job that has nothing to do with your degree, head overseas, return home, and eventually find that things fall into place. For Adams, this meant departing India (where she developed a love for Bollywood), training herself in marketing and becoming involved in the arts, before spying The Film Archive job on The Big Idea. "[I] applied on a whim," she recalls. "Well, I actually spent ages on my CV – this is my dream job – got it, and moved home."

Although clearly passionate about the role, it's Adams' relative youth that perchance sees her best qualified in bringing The Film Archive to a younger audience. It's also where I kind of come in – active, in my 20's, interested in the arts and anything to do with the moving image, yet guilty of several common Film Archive misconceptions. For a start, Adams assures me had I stepped inside its doors prior to the completed renovation, I wouldn't have got far, on account of the building being closed to the public for two years (it reopened May 2004). Further more, The Film Archive's headquarters were previously located in the Rialto complex (known as The Film Centre) on Cable St, before relocating premises (and shifting its extensive, overgrowing collection) to the new site.

The move was also more than a cosmetic one. "The most significant difference between the spaces," says Adams, "is that here in Taranaki St we have our own 120 seat cinema." She adds, "In Cable St The Archive had to rely on using the Rialto theatre for occasional screenings and school groups (up until 4pm). Now that we have our own we can present so much more of what The Archive has to offer on a regular basis, at least four nights a week and often more."


"We can organise screenings for corporate events or private parties and offer the use of cinema to local filmmakers, students and organisations like the Fringe Film Festival (which we host in Winter this year) at a very reasonable cost. We also have a continuous stream of school groups throughout the year. In terms of exhibitions in the new space we concentrate solely on moving image. In the Cable St building, they tended to be more in the way of static, museum like display[s]."

Hence the brand transition from "Archive" to "Mediaplex" – a fresh moniker adopted by the new, more user-friendly facility. Appropriately, it's a name that reflects the versatility of The Archive's take on the moving image, while feigning the same "pick 'n mix" appeal of a cinema multiplex. Crucial to this is the inclusion of the coffee bar – a pivot point that the rest of the Mediaplex revolves around – and one which well a truly bucks the "tired old museum" trend. "Apart from good coffee, what it means is that the public have a staff member there to help them out, show them around, introduce them to the online catalogue and answer any questions," explains Adams. "Our front of house staff are all film buffs and can help visitors get a lot more out of the space than they otherwise might."


The result is a less passive, more hospitable Film Archive, designed with the interactive experience in mind. "The focus now is on showing the footage rather than on static displays of equipment, photos and information, so in that respect we stand apart from other galleries, libraries or archives," she reveals. "In the media gallery we have a number of small screens that can be watched by one or two people, a TV Lounge that seats about ten, three video jukeboxes, two continuously playing T.V 'Stacks' in the coffee bar, and a number of screens in the library so people can select their own titles. This is all on top of the Cinema itself."

In addition to The Archive's permanent fixtures (headed by the 25,000 title research library, open to the public 6 days a week), are regular exhibitions and an increasingly diverse programme of film screenings. According to Adams: "We've got a number of live performances – musical and otherwise planned in conjunction with screenings – and in the first half of 2005 we are presenting some staggering new media work from such luminaries as Phil Dadson, John Di Stefano and Janine Randerson. We've also been lucky enough to have been chosen as the HQ for this year's Fringe Festival in February and March (as opposed to the Fringe Film Fest) and have growing relationships with Radio Active and The Package. Aligning ourselves with these kind[s] of organisations means we're reaching a predominantly young audience and what we want is for them to feel at home here, like they can just come in and explore."


One other misconception is that The Film Archive only promotes New Zealand content. Apart from opening its doors to various festival events, the Film Society and recent collaborations with The French Embassy, the new Mediaplex Cinema has proven to be as multifaceted as its name suggests. "Saturday nights at The Film Archive are set aside for the International Cinematheque – we play everything from German Documentaries to Hollywood classics," informs Adams.

"Last year we also had a couple of collaborations with the Goethe [Institute], the presentation of the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival and the Marl Video Art Awards. Later in the year we will host a Universum-Film A.G. poster exhibition. Also on Thursdays in March and April we are playing several movies from the American Other Cinema series. Later [still], we will be playing a series of French police dramas."

So whereas it might be typical to catch a Peter Jackson flick or more recent local fare like Whale Rider, there's certainly more to The Film Archive than meets the eye. "Basically it's about recognising that our moving image heritage does not exist in a vacuum and providing some kind of context for the New Zealand work," she declares. For Adams personally though, much of the attraction is in the eye of the beholder. "The beauty of somewhere like The Film Archive is that it's up to you what you get out of it. Exhibitions and screenings are great but for me nothing beats going down to the library and watching old episodes of Radio With Pictures."