Double Vision Wins The Day

April 9, 2014
Kurt McDonald – in action on a mountain biking trail in Queenstown.   Photo:  James Allan.

Kurt McDonald – in action on a mountain biking trail in Queenstown. Photo: James Allan.

Midway through last year, Kurt McDonald very nearly dropped out of screen production studies at EIT. Now, combining filming skills and a passion for mountain biking, he couldn’t be more pleased that he persevered.

Based in Queenstown, Kurt is returning to Hawke’s Bay this week to celebrate graduation (Friday, March 21) with his family and friends at Napier’s Municipal Theatre.

The former Havelock North High School student is also celebrating his job as a bike mechanic, the contacts he’s making in the mountain biking world and opportunities for making promotional videos featuring outdoors activities and Central Otago’s spectacular scenery.

The job offer from a Queenstown bike shop came as mountain bikers who race in northern hemisphere events were flocking to New Zealand to train over summer. But it wasn’t well-timed for Kurt’s studies – he was well into the final year of his Diploma in Screen Production.

A mountain biker from about the age of 10, Kurt qualified as a bike mechanic through a Gateway programme. But, using his mother’s digital camera, he also liked to film what his mates were doing on their bikes.

Leaving school, he decided to pursue his interest in video recording at EIT’s ideaschool.

“The first year was awesome and everything I expected,” he says. “In the second year, I lost motivation. I worked in a bike shop all summer and did a lot of racing, and when I came back to class, I’d lost my spark.”

Kurt’s interest in filming centres on biking action and promotional sport videos that give “that cool vibe”. But as a second-year student, he was being asked to develop a storyline, write a script, create sets and cast actors to feature in an individually crafted movie.

“It took me back to English classes and high school when what I wanted to do was work with a camera and edit.”

While tempted to “up sticks”, he heeded his lecturers’ advice.

“They said it was obviously my choice, but they invited me to talk through my ideas and plans and look at what had led me to screen production studies. They told me that potential employers would see that I had stickability and a good worth ethic if I completed the diploma – and that’s what has happened.”

Kurt’s lecturers wrote him a plan to finish but warned it would require a lot of hard work. Rising to the challenge, he wrote, directed and edited his first short film – a drama about a prisoner – completed his studies six weeks early and was able to leave for Queenstown to take up his new job.

Now, he is also scoring filming work, directing and editing a promotional video for an action sports clothing brand and also filming video for a heli-biking tour company.
Longer term, he wants to work for a professional mountain biking team racing on the world circuit.

“I would be able to offer my services as a mechanic and also write the media releases and video race events,” Kurt says. “I’d be one person doing two jobs, and having the qualifications for that helps.”