About Mana Wairua:

 Mana Wairua is a documentary series that follows the spiritual and very personal journey of individuals as they step through the darkness… and into that light.  The series will play on Māori Television in 2013. 

Mana Wairua is about focusing on the guiding light that leads us to a brighter destination – it may come in the form of creativity, whakapapa, aroha, kai, rediscovering Te Ao Māori etc…

It’s about life changing experiences with stories pertaining to all Māori.

Our spirit’s journey from dark to light, tells the story of what guides each of us there.

We are seeking stories from people that have found their way back from adversity to a place of strength. As a production crew are all experienced in capturing these types of stories in a caring, relaxed and safe environment.  There will be a range of different stories , violence, life of crime, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse etc….

If you think this might be relevant to you or someone you know please read through the requirements listed below and what the process involves.  There is no obligation to be involved if you want to make contact to find out more.  

Requirements: 

Our people should be in a position where they are confident and comfortable enough to talk about their journey -the journey will cover where they have come from, their ultimate lows, the journey out, how they got out, where they are now, and their hopes and goals for the future.   

We will also shoot supporting interviews with people that are in their lives, people who were there during the darker times, the people helped to support them out and the people in their lives today – the positive influences.  These interviews will be filmed on a separate day to our main interview. 

It will vary from case to case but as a general marker we suggest that our people will have been ‘well’ for about two years.  However this is just a guide, its really about ensuring that our talent are kept safe. 

Following is some information regarding the filming process.  

Step 1: Research – you will sit down with with one of our directors (who are all really approachable) and go through the details of your story.  The researcher and director will guide you through this process.   There will be no cameras at this meeting – however sometimes we will make voice recordings of the conversations as it is faster than writing.  

Step 2: Film the interview – together we will decide on a suitable date for everyone to film the interview – this process will be determined by you and how you are feeling as you tell your story, we can stop at any time.  This can take several hours but we will stop for meals and coffee breaks along the way.  

Location for the interview:

In our experience we believe that it is preferable to shoot these interviews in a neutral space away from the home environment, we will set up an interview space in Auckland and arrange for our talent and any necessary support people to come to us.  We will organise this fully at our end. 

People Involved in the Interview Process: 

The director:  This person you will have met prior to the interview, they will be the person that leads you through the story and will tell you what is coming up and what to do.  

Two camera people – they will be behind the cameras and will capture the interview.  

Sound Man – He will put a microphone on you and is in charge of making sure the sound is good. 

Support people – Anyone you want to come and tautoko you (that is completely up to you). 

After The Interview:

To compliment your story we will need to film some footage of you doing your normal every day stuff – for example if you coach a rugby team we could film you at training or at a game.  We will work together to come up with the best time to film this.  

We will need to film some support interviews with people who have been with you throughout this journey, someone that knew you when you were at your lowest and can talk about how you were then and how it made them feel. 

We also need to film someone who was there when you started to make changes, and finally someone or people that stand along side you today and can attest to how inspirational you are today (and we know you are!) 

These will happen at a separate time to your interview.  

In total it will probably take about three days to get all of this filming done, it will be split up over a few weeks to make it convenient. 

The process is very inclusive, we will work with you to decide the best way to tell your story. 

Please let me know if you need to know any more information.  

I can be contacted on the numbers listed below or by email.