Joining the workforce after high school gave Invercargill born-and-raised Caleb Lay time to work out what direction he wanted to take when he entered his tertiary studies. “I didn’t have a clue what to do after school, so taking a couple of gap years to make some money, upskill, and figure out my future was what I decided on.” At 17, Caleb started work as a crew member at South City McDonalds. “A few months in, I was given the opportunity to upskill and take on a Shift Manager role, which taught me helpful management skills I would use two years later on many film sets.”
Caleb explains he wasn’t especially academic at school, however, being a creative, and a performer was something he felt quite passionate about. “It was something I considered myself not too bad at.” As a kid, he enjoyed making video skits for family and friends; it was a close friend Caleb did theatre with who suggested to him the Bachelor of Screen Arts programme at SIT. “I thought that getting into filmmaking or the film industry could be my calling (and) I thought it would be a good first step into a creative career. So, after a few months of hard thinking, I decided to enrol at SIT.”
Having lived in Invercargill all his life, Caleb was aware of SIT, “especially with their Zero Fees Scheme, it made studying very appealing.” He wasn’t sure what to expect of the course, but he’d heard great things from various alumni students who’d shared their positive experiences.
Caleb acknowledged he learnt a lot in his three years at SIT. He competently upskilled his knowledge in storytelling, directing, business, camera operating, and people skills; he learnt more about where he best fits in on a film set, “where I am most comfortable and what I enjoy the most (1st AD or Camera Operator)”; he learned how to be a better team player - knowing when and where to support his fellow classmates. “I also learned how much I don’t enjoy writing literature reviews, essential, but it wasn’t my strong point.”
And one of the biggest lessons Caleb very quickly learned in the first semester. “Filmmaking isn’t as easy as I thought it would be… it is pretty insane the amount of time and effort that goes on behind the scenes”. From script writing to location scouting, Caleb found a new appreciation for what filmmakers typically go through to create a 10-minute short film - a lot of effort! “It is such a rewarding feeling when it all comes together in the final draft, and it comes out the way you planned”, he explains.
“Not everyone will be able to say this, but I really enjoyed working alongside my classmates throughout the three years.” Most were very passionate about film and had expertise in different areas. “[It] helped me learn quicker and implement some of their knowledge into my own work.” Classmates who had high standards gave Caleb “that extra push” to do better on his assessments. “I can’t thank them enough for that – they challenged me to be better. Without them, I feel my work standards wouldn’t be as high.”
SIT provided Caleb access to top-quality equipment for filmmaking. “If you have a vision and are competent with lighting, audio and camera operating, SIT is a playground for your creativity.”
Thanks to the Zero Fees Scheme, spending only 10k on his tertiary education was a huge highlight for Caleb. “Being free of student debt is pretty cool!” And Tutors, Patrick Gillies and James Wilkinson “were a great source of wisdom and knowledge around filmmaking, which helped me become more passionate about filmmaking in general”. He also enjoyed SIT’s campus environment and getting to know new people from different creative strands such as music and animation.
Caleb suggests a very common problem for students is time management; it was one of the hardest aspects he dealt with in his first year. “I was working weekend shifts, 5am – 2pm, both Saturday and Sunday, which became a struggle in the long run when trying to find time for completing assessments.” In his second year, Caleb became more structured with his planning. “I managed to have weeks where I wasn’t absolutely exhausted. To this day, I’m still trying to find better ways to manage my time – I think I’ll always be working on it!” Falling behind was (and still is) another one of his worries. He wanted to continually advance and keep up with the top dogs. “…I am always trying to find new ways to upskill myself as a videographer and as a businessman. My mindset is focused on progressing.”
“Over the years of study, I wasn’t certain if I wanted to move away to chase a job in the film industry, with the cost of living and the uncertainty of being able to secure a job. I’m not much of a risk taker, but I am a hard worker, and I was trying to figure if I could make a career in Southland... I love the quiet life down here in the Deep South.”
In late 2021, Caleb was asked to film a friend’s wedding. At the time he had not thought of doing freelancing. “After enjoying the process of capturing such a special occasion, I thought wow, maybe I could do this for a career.” Cut to early 2022, Caleb had been approached by a few different local businesses to provide content for them; from there the business started growing rapidly. “I am very grateful and thankful to my clients who have passed my name onto other local businesses – without them, the freelancing career would be much more difficult.”
Now his own boss, Caleb currently works as a fulltime videographer/photographer through his business, Hōnetana Productions, providing content to businesses in and around Southland. “SIT has set me up with the knowledge and experience for being able to execute quality content for clients. Through studying, Caleb realised the potential work opportunities, and what he really wanted to do for a living.
From creating funny videos to entertain friends and family, to working commercially with businesses, Caleb says it still blows his mind. “The fact that it started as a hobby and is now a career, is just a dream come true for me – I can’t believe it sometimes. I’m very blessed.”
In the future, Caleb says working overseas on a gig would be amazing. “Being able to see the world while working sounds like the best time to me. One of my dreams is to travel with the NZ Olympic Team and capture content of them competing at the Olympic Games – it’s a big one, but it would be a huge tick off the bucket list that’s for sure!”
He’s also looking forward to growing his business to a point where he can employ someone. “It maybe years down the track, but it’s something I’m always thinking of.” Caleb believes life’s all about giving it all you’ve got. “Don’t get comfortable with your status quo – always look for a way to better yourself. It sounds like the start of cheesy quote from a sports movie, but it’s true – don’t get complacent.”