Taika Waititi concentrates on day job

Taika Waititi is revelling in working solely on his film.

Actor, comedian, musician, painter, photographer, fashion designer, now screenwriter and director - is it exhausting being so multitalented?

"Yes, it's a terrible burden," Taika Waititi sighs, clutching his hand to his brow in effete artist fashion.

He is stretched so thin he needs two Taikas to do all the work.

You may have heard of Taika Cohen, half of The Humourbeasts comic duo, and stage and screen actor (Scarfies, Futile Attraction, Toy Boy, The Strip). He goes under Waititi (his father's surname) for "all the visual art stuff", including his Oscar-nominated short film, Two Cars, One Night.

With such a profusion of creativity going on, the Wellington film-maker says it's quite a novel experience to be obliged to concentrate on one thing solidly on a daily basis. "It's really cool actually, having a day job, so to speak.

"It's all fun stuff for me, but I'm finding it really good to be able to focus on one thing for a while.

"I've got a few more ideas for projects after this and I'd like to concentrate on film for a while."

His feature project, Eagle Vs Shark, is the tale of two socially awkward misfits, Lily and Jarrod, and the strange ways they try to find love: through burgers, video games and revenge on high-school bullies.

Waititi developed the script at the Directors and Screenwriters' Labs at the Sundance Institute, which he attended last year after being selected from 2000 applicants.

"The idea came from something that's always interested me, that is, the way people connect with each other - or fail to connect; how they try to fall in love - or don't manage to fall in love," he says.

"I'm particularly interested in the stories of people who aren't 'popular', who never feel like they fit in, because that's really everybody at some time.

"Even the bullies have been bullied by someone else."

He loves stories in which the underdogs triumph.

"But even when they don't triumph, it's still compelling stuff.

"Everybody is the underdog at some point, and nobody fits in really, so we might as well not even try, just relax and be ourselves."

Don't expect to see Waititi joining the exodus of New Zealand film talent heading for Hollywood.

He won't be putting his hand up to direct the next James Bond. "Well, never say never," he grins.

"Maybe I'd like to try my hand at Harry Potter VII ... but the idea of moving overseas doesn't really appeal. I can't imagine doing what I do anywhere else - for one thing, I'd have to build a whole new network of friends from scratch.

"It's so easy to do stuff here.

"And it's easier to keep in control when it's a smaller budget; things really start spinning out of control when you're talking Hollywood budgets."

The intense five-week shoot around Wellington, Titahi Bay and the Wairarapa ends this week, and it's hoped the movie will be out in theatres towards the end of next year.

It is being produced by Ainsley Gardiner and Cliff Curtis of Whenua Films and funded by the New Zealand Film Commission.

- NZPA