An estimated 1000 film technicians, directors, producers, actors and artists met tonight to discuss the situation surrounding the production of The Hobbit, which has been delayed and endangered by a worldwide actors boycott started by New Zealand Actors’ Equity / MEAA; a meeting of Equity was scheduled to take place the same evening, so it was decided to protest outside the meeting, which then failed to take place.

Having attended the meeting myself as an interested member of the film community (not as media), I agreed not to report on what was said; but the situation overall is not good.  Put it this way, if Sir Richard Taylor feels strongly enough about this to call an emergency meeting of the entire industry, well - that’s not a good sign.  We’ll see how it progresses from here, but I’m not optimistic myself.  It’s also telling that the meeting had so many concerned people from the industry in attendance, considering it was called in Miramar on only 3 hours’ notice…