Napier New Zealand
Commercial video production for Napier
Napier, Ahuriri in te reo Māori, sits on the shore of Hawke Bay with the hill of Mataruahou at its back and the Heretaunga Plains stretching south towards Hastings. Notlith makes commercial films for businesses here remotely, from your own photographs, plans and brand files, adding creative direction, AI-assisted imagery, editing, colour and sound.
Remote production · From your photos
A city rebuilt after 1931
On 3 February 1931 the Hawke's Bay earthquake destroyed much of Napier's centre and lifted the bed of the Ahuriri Lagoon, Te Whanganui-a-Orotū, into dry land. The town was rebuilt in the styles of the early 1930s, chiefly Art Deco with Spanish Mission and Stripped Classical buildings, and suburbs such as Marewa were later laid out on the new ground.
That rebuild still shapes the city's image. Emerson Street, Tennyson Street and Hastings Street keep their 1930s frontages, Marine Parade runs along the bay under Norfolk Island pines, and Art Deco Weekend brings period dress and vintage cars to the streets each February. MTG Hawke's Bay and the National Aquarium sit close to the waterfront.
Catalog demonstration
In pictures
Port, orchards and vineyards
Napier Port lies beneath Bluff Hill, near the inner harbour and the quays of Ahuriri, and handles cargo from across the region along with cruise calls in season. Industrial areas at Pandora, Onekawa and Awatoto support manufacturing, transport and services, while Hawke's Bay Airport sits at Westshore.
South and west lie the orchards, packhouses and vineyards of the Heretaunga Plains, with apple and stonefruit growing alongside wine country around Hastings, Havelock North and Taradale. Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 flooded parts of this land and of Napier itself, and recovery has become part of the story many organisations here now tell.
How we work with Napier businesses
We have no office in Napier and send no crew. We build films from the material you can share: product and site photographs, label artwork, floor plans, menus and brand guidelines. AI-assisted imagery adds movement, light and setting, and every frame showing your product or premises is checked against your references.
When a project depends on real capture, such as interviews, a harvest, an event or a working site, a local camera operator is the honest choice, and we can edit their footage afterwards. Our demonstration films are fictional concepts. The scope, versions and usage of each project are agreed in the quote.
Catalog demonstration
See the production approach
Venue films
Welcoming guests? We film your venue too.
Restaurant, hotel, shop or property: from your photos, we make a hybrid film that makes people want to visit.
Preparing your film
Do you come to Napier to film?
No. Notlith works remotely from the photographs, documents and footage you send. If a brief needs filming on location, we say so and can edit material recorded locally.
Can a film show Art Deco buildings?
Yes, from your own photographs or licensed images. We do not generate imitations of specific real buildings or present generated period scenes as historic records.
Can you work with businesses in Hastings and the wider region?
Yes. Many projects for Hawke's Bay cover more than one town, and we can prepare versions that name each place correctly.
What should we send first?
A short description of the purpose and audience, a selection of current photographs and any brand guidelines. We review them before proposing an approach.
Sources for the local context
On quote
Start with your images
Share the subject, references and intended release. Your quote sets out the scope, versions and applicable terms.