Behind The Scenes

Tour Members

We put out the call and the marvellous people of Invercargill answered in droves to mark the poignant last tour. Some had been on the tour before, while others had always wanted to and saw this as their very last chance to learn about the buildings before it was time for them to go.

The crowed swelled to over 100 on the day, when a normal tour was around 25, so large we inquired about getting the police in to help with traffic, but thankfully everyone, including the drivers, were very well behaved.

We will forever be grateful for the tour members for allowing us to film them and be a part of their journey into Invercargill’s historic CBD block under the guidance of Mick.

Videocopter - Drone Footage
Arthur Steinhauser

On board, a few days before the tour, was the amazingly talented team from Videocopter, who took the breath-taking drone footage of the historic CBD for the documentary. We had to get up at dawn and put in a full day… and it was worth it. We wrestled with air traffic control, with planes, cars and pedestrians, but owner/ operator Arthur Steinhauser had it covered.

Check out more of his amazing work at www.videocopter.nz

Narrator and Tour Guide
Mick Hesselin

Mick has always been an inspiration to listen to. We had personally been on two tours beforehand, then prior to the filming he took as around again on a private tour. Each time he had us captivated. Despite the fact he shies away from being the centre of attention, his love of history, and his gift of a good yarn will always have you enthralled.

Composer
Alec Reid / Al-Ectricity NZ

We were thrilled to be able to have local and very talented composer Alec Reid to do the score for the documentary. Not only was he a pleasure to work with, but he shared the same passion for what we wanted to convey. He bought to the documentary music that hung in the air with majestic pause, with inspiration, along with hints of playfulness. He managed to harmonize with mood of the tour. Noting, that the tour was not something to lament about, but something to keep close. A memory in the making. A tone that marks the progression of time, and a reminder how nothing stays the same forever.

To listen to more of his music visit his YouTube channel.

Our Funders

The real heroes of the hour are our very generous funders Community Trust South, Invercargill City Council and Invercargill Central Ltd. Without them none of this could have happened and we are forever greatfull for their contributions to the community and backing our project.

Producer / Director / Executive producer

As a team, we had one goal in mind. To document the buildings and have a lasting archival account for future generations. Incorporating the final tour into the documentary gave us a ground-level perspective, a human connection. It also created an important time capsule, not only of the buildings, but also the people of Invercargill who were there that day.