Written By: - Date published: 4:33 pm, November 27th, 2007 - 124 comments
Categories: election funding, john key -
Tags: election funding, john key
Just in case you don’t know, today is John Key’s first anniversary as National Party leader and his backers have given him the gift that keeps on giving & well over $50,000 worth of boring propaganda. Others including our good mates at blogblog have done the analysis of the spin behind this one so I thought we’d employ the oldest of journo tricks and follow the money. That’s why I had a talk to a few of my mates in the film industry and guess what? Film ain’t cheap. I’ve had a bit to do at the amateur end of the scale but today I’ve had a crash course in just how rich you have to be to make this sort of thing.
We sat down and identified this as at least two weeks of shooting across at least four locations: Christchurch, Wellington, Porirua and Auckland. We’ve all seen Key’s crew in the Porirua market video. It’s at least a seven person crew. That’s an assistant, two cameras, a soundperson, a director and a couple of stills photographers. For each of these factor in $2000 a week plus expenses (maybe $500 for the assistant) and remember we’re talking expensive expenses & each of these people is being flown around the country being fed and put up in hotels.
Then there’s the cost of gear. The first camera (there are some shoots with three) is probably a digibeta & that’s at least $500 a day and by the time you factor in all the other gear we’re looking at $1000-$2000 a day in gear. And remember there’s probably up to ten days of shoot here. That’s up to $40k on gear and staff alone.
Then there’s the cost of editing. A suite with an editor will run to hundreds of dollars an hour and there’s a good three day edit here. Add to that the cost of a sound mix at $3000(ish) and authoring it to DVD (at least another $2000) and the numbers are starting to add up. And that’s not counting the scripting cost & though I get the feeling our taxes paid that one because I’m sure Key will have a publicly funded communications adviser who can script a shoot.
What really blew my mates away though is the use of Coldplay & the truth is none of us knew what that would cost because it’s just out of the league of anyone we know. But here’s a little story. I went to dinner with a record label owner the other night & nothing special, just a struggling indy label with a few good acts. But here’s the kicker & he’d been approached by an ad company wanting to use one of his songs for an ad campaign in the UK. Their offer for the UK rights for a year? Forty thousand pounds. And that’s for an unknown band. Now, when you use a band’s music on the Internet you need the world rights and when that band’s Coldplay? Man, I can’t even guess what that would cost.
So this is the deal & at least $50,000 just to get the thing made and then who knows how much for the right to play “Clocks”. By the looks of it they’ve shelled out for a MediaOne video advertising campaign on the Herald to promote it too.
Now that’s a lot of money by anyone’s standards and given the fact that it’s a tedious bloody thing (and even the most sycophantic Tory adviser could see that) the question is why? No, scratch that, actually the real question is “Why???” Well I’ve kicked this around and all I can figure is that it’s the old story of them trying to get their spend in early. After all that’s a big chunk of cash they’re spending this year so they have a resource for next year that will be outside of any EFB campaign period.
Amazing, all that cash just so he can sell himself as an ordinary bloke. Happy Anniversary John.
UPDATE: For those arguing our figures are inflated because Key may have relied on volunteers, think again. Looks like he’s engaged the services of Production Shed TV, an outfit that boasts “over 40 years of combined industry experience, along with solid connections to many major industry players.”
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Scoopit!
“Oh and Prick you can’t really expect people to buy into the idea that National is positive and Labour is negative – you tories have been running attack spin for years now and it’s been fuckin sickeningly divisive. If you chumps can’t take a dose of your own medicine you should never have opened the box. Suck it up bitch.”
I think you just proved the point actually Robbo – with friends like you, who needs enemies?
DPFClawsDblStd – you can fuck off with that arguement ‘cos anyone with half a brain can see I’m no Labour man. I like democracy – your crew started a nasty game that ain’t doing democracy any good. Unfortunatley Labour and it’s supporters seem to have decided to give them a dose back. You reap what you sow.
Profit – the size of the crew comes from watching the Porirua vid. Watch it. Count them. Can you count Profit?
Oh and I’m not the one who said it was a $50k shoot – but I trust the standard to have gone to the right folk to find out. I’ve also noticed Mr Key doesn’t want to talk about the cost. Perhaps with all of your experience you’d like to throw up some analysis that show how much cheaper it could be? Thought not.
I wonder how much money Charles Ashe is spending on his publicity?
It just seems hypocritical for Teh Party’s acolytes to be banging on about how much a promotional DVD cost. They say it was funded by the party, not the taxpayer, so what’s the big deal. I don’t think anyone cares that much whether it cost $20k, $50k, or $100k
If it was done in an amateur way, I’m sure there would be just as much rabid criticism.
Teh Party is in no position to be critical on this issue, given how much it has rorted the taxpayer for political funding over the past 8 years.
DPFDblStdClaws – What a party spends on its PR and who’s pocket that money comes from are totally valid questions for discussion and pertainent to the political debate. If you don’t like that debate don’t join. Surely that’s so simple even you can get it?
Oh and you’ve still not told me why you choes my witticism for your handle:
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2007/11/little_may_stand.html#comment-360421
It’s very flattering but I’d still like to know the “why” of it.
Sorry – that should be “whose” not “who’s”. And I’m like supposed to be an expert in that shit. The shame of it…
And it’s “pertinent”, Robinsod.
Guess what guys.
the music used is similar to coldplay but it is most definately not coldplay.
Listen to clocks, and you should notice that while the music is similar in Key’s dvd, it is not coldplay.
Care to reassess your budget?
Slightlyrighty – care to reassess your reading comprehension skills?
The potential Coldplay royalties are not included in the $50,000 figure, which is for production costs alone. We also haven’t included the cost of the heartland tour or the cost of the MediaOne online advertising campaign.
As for whether or not it’s actually Coldplay, I don’t think it’s that simple. Even if it’s a cover version I’m pretty sure you don’t escape royalties that easily. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Got any half-credible rebuttal of that $50,000 figure yet?
It’s probably worth pointing out at this point that if the song ain’t clocks there’s gonna be some extra cash laid out for someone to do a safe version of it (and then some copyright lawyer’s fees to ensure it is a safe version – and they’d want pretty good lawyers ‘cos the last thing they’d need would be to face legal action over it.)
How much would that be then?
Do we throw up after watching the DVD, or before?
Tane.
The problem is not the money spent. Personally I don’t mind that the nats have spent 50K of THEIR OWN MONEY on this type of promotion.
I do mind that Annette King has probably spent close to that amount on a glossy newsletter that landed in my letterbox. The cost of this publication, emblazoned with the logo of the house of representatives and the Labour Logo, would have been paid for BY THE TAXPAYER.
Note the difference tane.
http://thesproutandthebean.wordpress.com/2007/11/28/as-hollow-as-an-imitation-coldplay-song/
This “Coldplay” business is tragic. See if any of your tin-eared “industry” mates who thought that was the real Coldplay have heard of stock music. You can buy this sort of stuff for a few hundred bucks for a royalty-free CD. For example http://www.musicforproductions.com/search_quick.aspx?soundalike=Coldplay
And if they can’t even get the music right imagine how far out they are on the production costs.
Funny though.
Like fruit flies. Flitting madly in the little time they have.
“The National Party is now holding all comments on the YouTube video of John Key’s try hard video following from what I can only guess is a poor reception with the comments. Free speech anyone?”
Do you even remotely understand the concept of freedom of speech?
Your freedom to speak ends at my doorstep. I.e. while you my freely comment on your own website, don’t expect someone else to provide you the means to communicate said message. You would be more than welcome to delete this comment, and any other comment you lke, and it wouldnt affect my freedom of speech.
Again, what is the problem with the nats spending their own money on a video no matter how terrible it is. Its much better that they spend their own money that someone *chose* to give them, rather than MY money which is taken by taxes.
You know… like that $800,000 of illegal expenditure that magically became legal.
Theyve butchered Coldplay’s Clocks enough that they have managed to avoid paying for the rights. They did use it at their conference though – and im willing to bet they didnt pay for that. Like all good tories – always looking to rip people off!
IrishBill
OK, so the shock value of the enormous expense of using Coldplay’s “Clocks” is gone so what is left? Ummm I know But here’s a little story …
Burt you old drunk. IrishBill’s accounted for $50,000 on production. We still don’t know what Clocks or National’s butchered version of it cost them. I understand there was a campaign in the Herald too.
That’s a lot of cost right there for sweet fuck all.
Quick question: Are you on the National Party payroll or are you just an obsessive, lonely man?