The Project

BY HAND is a contemplative short documentary about craft, collaboration, and legacy.

It follows the quiet dignity of making things slowly and the deep emotional bond between two people who have built a life and a body of work together.

Through the parallel narrative of creating a wooden wagon wheel, we are taken into the world of Ali and Greg Lang, the last wheelwright and coach painter in Aotearoa New Zealand. We observe their hands-on process, instinctive ways of working together, and extraordinary skill as they prepare to establish an international Wheelwright Hub in the heart of the rural village of Gladstone.

In a world that moves quickly, BY HAND pauses to honour time, process, and the human connection at the heart of making things by hand.

The Team

Kia ora! I'm Jane Ross, and I am the writer, director, and producer of BY HAND. I trained at Avalon Film and Television Production Course and hold a Master of Arts with distinction from the University of Otago, specialising in New Zealand documentary. My credits include contributing script writer for the Gibson Group’s Facelift, co-producer of the award-winning short documentary Through a Glass, Lightly, and executive producer of Never Forgotten: The Marines of Masterton. My work focuses on stories of craft, community, and human connection, which is at the heart of BY HAND.

I am deeply grateful to the academic staff and friends at Victoria University, Wellington, for their generous support and for providing access to on-site editing facilities, which have been invaluable in bringing BY HAND to life.

The Team

Cameron Madams – Assistant Director & Editor
Cameron is a filmmaker and writer from Hawke’s Bay with a passion for cinema and award-winning short films internationally. He has been a professional videographer and content producer since 2024, with experience across writing, directing, producing, assistant directing, and editing. Cameron’s skill ensures every story beats with emotional clarity and cinematic precision, including his work editing BY HAND.

Adam Joseph Browne – Cinematography
Adam is a New Zealand-based cinematographer and filmmaker with a decade of experience across narrative and documentary work. His practice combines observational documentary techniques with cinematic framing, naturalistic light, and textural imagery, creating visually immersive stories. Adam’s recent work includes the documentary feature Marimari and colour grading the New Zealand feature 1978, alongside directing and shooting NZ On Air–funded music videos for Hemi Hemingway and B.A.D.S.

Derrick Sims – Cinematography
Derrick is an Arkansas-born, Wairarapa-based filmmaker with nearly two decades’ experience as DOP, camera operator, editor, and colourist. He has worked on features, shorts, commercials, and music videos across North America, Europe, and New Zealand, bringing both technical skill and deep cinematic knowledge to every production.

Zara Millikin – Sound Recording
Zara is an emerging Wellington-based filmmaker and recent MFA graduate, where she won the Geoff Murphy Emerging Filmmaker Award. Her work spans writing, directing, and production support, and she brings a finely tuned ear to BY HAND, capturing the textures, rhythms, and intimacy of the Wheelwright Hub.

William Philipson – Composer & Music Editor
William is a Wellington-based composer and music editor specialising in screen and concert music. He has scored over 400 episodes of Shortland Street, as well as feature films including High Tide Don’t Hide and Dead. For BY HAND, William’s compositions highlight the rhythm, craft, and emotional intimacy of the Langs’ work, blending warmth and subtlety into the film’s soundscape.

Luca Gray – Guitar Performance
Luca travelled from Napier, Hawke’s Bay to the Wairarapa to collaborate on-site at Arrow FM 92.7 Access Radio, recording impromptu blues and country guitar performances. His playing is woven into BY HAND’s original sound composition, enhancing the emotional resonance and tactile rhythm of the film.

The Funding

So far, funding has supported pre-production and location filming at the Wheelwright Hub in Gladstone. We are deeply grateful for the generosity of our funders to date:

• Masterton Arts Fund – $2,000

• Carterton Creative Communities – $2,000

• Tararua Creative Communities – $1,475

• Carterton Rotary – $1,000

• WBS – $1,000

• Mat Ward and Lisa Ross-Ward – $100

• Lucia Zanmonti – sponsored location photography

Now we need your help to bring BY HAND to completion and share this story with audiences across Aotearoa and beyond.

Your support will directly enable us to:

• Edit the film to reveal the rhythm, intimacy, and craft of the Langs’ work

• Design sound that highlights their hands-on process and collaboration

• Colour grade to capture the warmth and texture of every frame

• Compose music that complements the pace and quiet emotion of the story

• Submit to festivals and distribute so this story reaches viewers who will cherish it

All donations are welcome, and every contribution helps us honour Ali and Greg’s extraordinary skill, lifelong partnership, and the enduring value of making things by hand.

Tax credit for New Zealand donors
Donations made through Boosted qualify for a 33% donation tax credit for New Zealand tax residents. Gifts of $5 or more can be claimed when you submit your Boosted receipt to Inland Revenue, provided you have taxable income in that year. This means your support goes even further.

The Details

Filming for BY HAND has taken place over the course of a year at the Wheelwright Hub in Gladstone, capturing Ali and Greg Lang’s hands-on craft and instinctive ways of working together. Myself and my crew have loved observing their process, attention to detail, and the deep collaboration and commitment to their craft and to each other, which has shaped both their lives and their work.

The project now moves into post-production, where we will edit the footage, design the sound, colour grade the images, and compose music to reflect the rhythm and intimacy of their work. We want to share this story through local, national, and international film festivals, giving audiences a chance to experience the quiet dignity and human connection that defines making things by hand.

Every donation helps bring this project to life and share it with audiences who will be inspired by Ali and Greg’s skill, collaboration, and legacy. Your support means this story can reach its full potential.

The Impact

Before filming began, I invited Cameron, Adam, and myself to meet at Aunt Ginger’s Café in Carterton to discuss the project. Over the iconic cheese scones, we talked through the story we were about to tell. From there, we traveled out to meet Greg and Ali on location at the Wheelwright Hub, making the trip several times to connect with the people and the place before filming.

What struck me most was how quickly my crew became invested in telling the story as authentically and meaningfully as possible. Their excitement and commitment reinforced just how significant this story was and how much care would go into capturing every moment on screen.

BY HAND shares more than just a story about two remarkable makers. It offers audiences a chance to witness the quiet dignity of making things by hand, to connect with a deep tradition of craft, and to experience the human collaboration that sustains it. The film celebrates rural creativity in Aotearoa New Zealand and preserves an important cultural legacy, showing how skill, instinct, and partnership come together to create something lasting.

Every contribution to this project helps ensure that audiences, both here and abroad, can experience this story, and that the dedication of Ali and Greg Lang, and the team capturing it, is recognised and shared. Your support allows us to honour the craft, the people, and the place at the heart of BY HAND.