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Gabriel Luke Reid (born 24 February 1969) is a New Zealand director, screenwriter and producer working in television, film and theatre. His doctoral thesis examines the impact of digital technologies on film production.


Education

Reid holds a
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in Film, Television and Media Studies from the
University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...
. His thesis, titled ''The Impact of Digital Technologies on Feature Film Production'', presents a history of digital film production technologies as they have been developed and applied, primarily in the mainstream American cinema. It includes case studies of ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
'' and ''
The Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia (wor ...
'', interpreted as instances of film making that are at once consequential for the development of digital production techniques and as ambiguously positioned between the local ( N.Z.) and the global. Other case studies centre on projects for which all images are computer generated (i.e. animated feature films) and projects for which live action images are captured digitally. Reid conducted research at renowned studios and visual effects companies including
Animal Logic Animal Logic (also known as Animal Logic VFX) is an Australian visual effects and computer animation digital studio based at Disney Studios in Sydney, New South Wales in Australia, Vancouver in Canada, and Rideback Ranch in Los Angeles, Califo ...
,
Blue Sky Studios Blue Sky Studios, Inc. was an American visual effects and computer animation animation studio, studio, which was active from 1987 to 2021. It was based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and was founded on February 22, 1987, by Chris Wedge, Michael F ...
,
Industrial Light & Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American Film, motion picture visual effects, computer animation and stereo conversion digital studio founded by George Lucas on May 26, 1975. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lu ...
,
Park Road Post Park Road Post Production is an international film and television post-production facility located in Miramar, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. Built out of the state-owned National Film Unit (NFU), the new facility opened upon completion ...
,
Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
and Weta Digital. His interviewees included
Andrew Adamson Andrew Ralph Adamson (born 1 December 1966) is a New Zealand film director, producer, screenwriter and animator. He is best known for directing the DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks animated film ''Shrek'' (2001), which is based on the Shrek!, ...
,
Matt Aitken Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as part of the 1980s/early-1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. Biography He beg ...
,
Pete Docter Peter Hans Docter (born October 9, 1968) is an American filmmaker and animator, who has served as chief creative officer (CCO) of Pixar since 2018. He has directed the company's animated films ''Monsters, Inc.'' (2001), ''Up (2009 film), Up'' ( ...
, Bill George,
Donald McAlpine Donald M. McAlpine Australian Cinematographers Society, ACS, American Society of Cinematographers, ASC is an Australian cinematographer. Early life and education Donald McAlpine was born in Quandialla, New South Wales. Career McAlpine was a ...
, Tim Johnson, Barrie M. Osborne,
Chris Wedge John Christian Wedge (born March 20, 1957) is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. He is best known for being the lead animator of the sci-fi action film ''Tron'' (1982), co-founding the now defunct animation studio Blue Sky Studios ...
and
Dean Wright Dean Wright (born May 15, 1962) is a film director and visual effects supervisor, best known for his work on The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy and ''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the ...
. Prior to securing his doctorate, Reid earned a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
and
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
(
First Class Honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied, sometimes with significant var ...
). His MA thesis, titled ''Mr. Shakespeare Goes to Hollywood'' and supervised by Professor MacDonald P. Jackson, examines film adaptations of works by
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
. Conducting research at the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
,
Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
and Renaissance Films, Reid interviewed notable directors, actors and producers, including John Barton, Hugh Cruttwell, Adrian Noble,
Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is an English theatre director and lyricist. He has been the artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He has dir ...
, David Parfitt and Imogen Stubbs. Dr Reid has lectured on
Film History The history of film chronicles the development of a visual art form created using film technologies that began in the late 19th century. The advent of film as an artistic medium is not clearly defined. There were earlier cinematographic scre ...
and New Zealand Cinema at
Unitec Institute of Technology Unitec ( Māori: Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka) is the largest institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand. 16,844 students study programmes from certificate to postgraduate degree level (levels 1 to 9) across a range of subjects. The main c ...
.


Career

As a grandson of
Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury also r ...
founder Professor John Reid, Reid's interest in the performing arts was nurtured from an early age. Before hitting his teens, he secured representation with New Zealand's first professional talent agency, founded by former wrestler
Robert Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully dur ...
. Reid acted on stage and television alongside such stalwarts as
Deryck Guyler Deryck Bower Guyler (29 April 1914 – 7 October 1999) was an English actor, best remembered for appearances in sitcoms such as ''Please Sir!'' and ''Sykes (TV series), Sykes''. Early life Guyler was born in Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula, C ...
, George Henare and Billy T. James. At Auckland Grammar he was president of the Senior Film Society and a member of Bel Canto choir, led by David Hamilton. At sixteen he directed a season of ''
Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set t ...
''. Five years later, his work as a theatre director was garnering excellent reviews. Of his production of '' Amadeus'',
The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...
wrote: "The multi-talented Mr Reid...directs with scrupulous care and refreshing confidence." Reviewing his production of ''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...
'', The Strip magazine wrote: "Gabriel Reid is a clever, tightly disciplined, diligent director, with a bold and clear eye for design. This totally satisfying production coaxed new subtleties from the script — which could become far too dramatic for its own good in the hands of a less questioning director — yet diluted none of its power. It was craft and precision that fused this production into an example which could inspire even more experienced directors." As vice-chair of Theatre Workshop, Reid oversaw productions of ''
Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...
'', ''
The Revenger's Tragedy ''The Revenger's Tragedy'' is an English-language Jacobean revenge tragedy which was performed in 1606, and published in 1607 by George Eld. It was long attributed to Cyril Tourneur, but "The consensus candidate for authorship of ''The Reve ...
'' and ''
As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...
'', which featured
Toa Fraser Toa Fraser (born 1975) is a New Zealand born playwright and film director. His first feature film, ''No. 2 (film), No. 2'', starring Ruby Dee won the Audience Award (World Dramatic) at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. His second, ''Dean Spanley'' ...
, Oliver Driver and Brown Nation star Rajeev Varma. Soon after, he was invited to join the staff of Auckland Metropolitan Opera (now known as New Zealand Opera) for the company's inaugural production, ''
Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original literary source for ' was ...
'' starring Dame Malvina Major at the newly opened Aotea Centre. Over a period of years he worked on numerous opera seasons. These productions featured such renowned artists as
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". On 1 December ...
and Sir
Donald McIntyre Sir Donald Conroy McIntyre (born 22 October 1934 in Auckland) is an operatic bass-baritone from New Zealand. Operatic career McIntyre made his formal debut as Zaccaria in ''Nabucco'', at the Welsh National Opera, in 1959. In 1964 he created ...
. Subsequently, Reid was an assistant director and production assistant on notable television and film projects, including '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', '' Bridge to Terabithia'', ''
The Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia (wor ...
'' and ''Kiwi Christmas''. As an actor he has appeared in television series and films, including ''
Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand Prime time, prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital. The show was first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992 and is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, be ...
'', '' Street Legal'', '' Jackson's Wharf'', '' Outrageous Fortune'', '' We're Here To Help'' and '' American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story''. His 2004 short film, '' As Dreams Are Made On'' starring Raymond Hawthorne, was invited to screen at
Rhode Island International Film Festival Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newpor ...
,
Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venic ...
and the
New Zealand International Film Festival The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) () is a film festival held annually across New Zealand. The festival is operated by the New Zealand Film Festival Trust. It programmes international and New Zealand films. History The festiva ...
. His 2015 short film, ''Every Moment'', won four awards at
Tropfest Tropfest is the world's largest short film festival. It has also become known as the world's first global film festival. Founded by actor/director John Polson, Tropfest began in 1993 as a screening for 200 people at the 'Tropicana Caffe' in ...
N.Z., including Best Film and Best Actress (Bree Peters). Reid and his writing partner, Maile Daugherty, were awarded Best Short Film Screenplay at the New Zealand Writers Guild Awards, the SWANZ. The short was nominated in three categories at the New Zealand Film Awards. In 2019 the
New Zealand Film Commission The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; ) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amended in 1981, 1985, 1988, 1994 a ...
made Reid a recipient of Catalyst He Kauahi; a substantial grant facilitating feature film development via the production of high-end, narrative shorts. The grant was applied to ''Impossible'', a short film, written and directed by Reid, produced by Karpal Singh and Belindalee Hope, starring Paul Norell and Diamond Langi. Post-produced at Sir Peter Jackson's
Park Road Post Park Road Post Production is an international film and television post-production facility located in Miramar, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. Built out of the state-owned National Film Unit (NFU), the new facility opened upon completion ...
, the short was mixed by two-time
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
winner
Michael Hedges Michael Alden Hedges (December 31, 1953 – December 2, 1997) was an American acoustic guitarist and songwriter. He was known as a virtuoso who used unorthodox playing techniques, and much of his output was classified as new age music. Hedges ...
. At its 2023 ceremony, the New Zealand Cinematographers Society (NZCS) awarded Gold to director of photography Andrew McGeorge for his work on ''Impossible''. In 1999 Reid founded Pageant Films. The company has produced several thousand promos and numerous industry-acclaimed campaigns for New Zealand's largest television broadcasters;
TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...
, MediaWorks and their subsidiary networks ( TV One, TV2,
TVNZ6 TVNZ 6 was a digital-only, commercial-free television channel operated by Television New Zealand. It launched in September 2007, and was available in 60.3% of New Zealand homes on the Freeview (New Zealand), Freeview and SKY Network Television, ...
,
TVNZ7 TVNZ 7 was a commercial-free New Zealand 24-hour news and information channel on Freeview (New Zealand), Freeview digital television platform and on Sky Television (New Zealand), Sky Television from 1 July 2009. It was produced by Television Ne ...
,
TVNZ Heartland TVNZ Heartland was a retro pay TV channel operated by TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company ...
,
TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...
and C4). Reid's work has earned nominations at PromaxBDA Australia, winning Gold in 2010, and has featured some of New Zealand's most notable artists, including
Temuera Morrison Temuera Derek Morrison (born 26 December 1960) is a New Zealand actor who first gained recognition in his home country for playing Dr. Hone Ropata on the soap opera ''Shortland Street''. He garnered critical acclaim for starring as Jake "The M ...
,
Karl Urban Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and television series such as '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film ''Ghost Ship''. ...
,
Robyn Malcolm Robyn Jane Malcolm (born 1965) is a New Zealand actress, who first gained recognition for her role as nurse Ellen Crozier on the soap opera ''Shortland Street''. She is best known for playing Cheryl West, matriarch to a sometimes criminal wor ...
, Angela Bloomfield and
Oscar Kightley Oscar Vai To'elau Kightley (born 14 September 1969) is a Samoan-New Zealand actor, television presenter, writer, journalist, director, and comedian. He acted in and co-wrote the successful 2006 film '' Sione's Wedding''. Biography Kightley was ...
. Pageant is developing a slate of screen and theatre projects. Commencing in 2012, Dr Reid served ten years on the board of the Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand (DEGANZ), including two terms as vice president. Commencing in 2017, he served five years on the board of Film Auckland Incorporated (FAI). On occasion, he has discussed in the media the state of the New Zealand screen industry.


References


External links

*
As Dreams Are Made On
at the
Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Every Moment
at the
Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Impossible
at the
Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
* Gabriel Reid at the Directors and Editors Guild of New Zealan

* Gabriel Reid at AboutMe.co

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Gabriel 1969 births Living people People educated at Auckland Grammar School New Zealand male stage actors New Zealand male television actors New Zealand male film actors University of Auckland alumni