Gerard Johnstone, in conversation with Dominic Corry, will talk about the big picture intentions he had approaching the film as well as some deep detail on methods he used to scare us and make us laugh.
M3GAN is short for Model 3 Generative Android, and is written by Akela Cooper (Malignant) from a story by James Wan (Saw, Aquaman). The animatronic doll is created by combining a doll, a dancer/performer, a voice artist and CGI. We’ll hear how Gerard brought this unique android character to life and the local talent he worked with in the process.
Shot partly in Auckland in 2021, the film moved from Canada to New Zealand due to the pandemic, employing New Zealand cast and crew and working with WETA Workshop.
This film has revealed a distinct directing style for Gerard Johnstone as his pathway takes him from low-budget comedy horror Housebound to working with Blumhouse Productions and one of Hollywood’s big film studios, Universal Pictures.
Come along to this talk to hear how Gerard did it!
Tue 31 January 2023
7:30 – 8:30– Online TALK
This is a FREE Online event. Those who purchased tickets for the in-person event will be fully refunded.
GERARD JOHNSTONE
After twice winning the 48Hours film contest, Gerard Johnstone used some of the prize money to make a pilot for a comedy. Though the project went nowhere, TV3 went on to screen two seasons of his award-winning comedy The Jaquie Brown Diaries. In 2014 Johnstone’s first movie — horror comedy Housebound — garnered acclaim, awards and interest from America. In 2016 Johnstone rebooted 80s series Terry and the Gunrunners as Terry Teo. The show’s online debut won headlines, after it was judged too mature to screen in a children’s slot. Johnstone’s second feature is Blumhouse horror movie M3gan, from an idea by James Wan.
DOMINIC CORRY
Dominic Corry has been one of New Zealand’s most vocal and enthusiastic film critics for over ten years.
Script to Screen TALKS are made possible thanks to generous support from
New Zealand Film Commission & Foundation North. A special thanks to our venue sponsor Capitol Cinema.
“South Shorts has given me the opportunity to connect not only with industry experts but also with other South Auckland storytellers, whose feedback and knowledge have been invaluable in the development of my writing. It has given me the confidence (and the audacity) to develop my first short film, in a time when we need and deserve more South Auckland, Māori and Pasifika stories.”
The South Shorts Mentorship programme supports new and emerging screenwriters from the South Auckland community to develop their short film scripts. Participants are led through focused script development over a six-month period under the guidance of experienced screenwriting mentor Briar Grace-Smith (Rūrangi, Cousins, Waru), and leave the programme with a completed short film script and practical tools to develop their own work.
During this six-month programme, the participants attend a series of one-day hubs, held on a Saturday. The hub days involve script read-throughs, writing exercises and hearing from guest speakers about their experiences making films.
This initiative is intended for people who either live in South Auckland or are connected to the South Auckland community – maybe you grew up there, have whānau there, have worked there for years or feel connected to the community in some way.
Applications for the 2023 South Shorts Mentorship Programme are open now.
Opening: Wednesday 26th October
Closing: 5 December, 1pm
Notification of outcome: mid January 2023
To apply you will need to submit:
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“Absolutely Blimmen Brilliant!”
“Exemplary and valuable in every respect”
– 2022 Queenstown Creating Series Drama Workshop Participants
How does an idea become a story, and how does a story become a series?
This one-day workshop digs into those all-important first steps that take you from the very beginnings of an idea to having a developed project you can use to attract collaborators, platforms and funders.
During this practical hands-on day, workshop participants will create new projects from scratch, interrogate successful shows & analyse why they work, bring original ideas to develop in the room, and learn about the essential materials you need to sell a project and how to create them.
The workshop is pitched at the developing writer – if you have ideas you would like to turn into a series drama, this day is for you. Bring a notebook & pen, an original idea – a few lines is fine – and your creative energy.
When & Where:
Saturday, 5th November 2022
9:00am – 5:00pm
Ara Institute of Canterbury, NZ Broadcasting School (TV Building)
33 Southwark Street (Cnr Madras and Southwark), Christchurch.
Cost: General Admission $23 (incl. GST) via EventBrite
What to Bring: Please bring a pen, paper and your own lunch (there are also cafes in the area).
About Fiona Samuel
Fiona Samuel is an award-winning writer and director for television, theatre, radio and film and an esteemed writing teacher and mentor. In her career she has created a body of work that centres female experience, starting with her ground-breaking television drama series The Marching Girls and continuing with an acclaimed trilogy of telemovies Piece of My Heart, Bliss, and Consent – The Louise Nicholas Story.
Alongside this work, Fiona is also a teacher, mentor and script consultant, teaching the Masters in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington and working with directing students at the South Seas Film & Television School in Auckland. Fiona is an NZ Arts Foundation Laureate, a MNZM for services to television and theatre and the Co-President of the NZ Writers Guild.
This workshop is made possible thanks to generous support from Screen CanterburyNZ, Creative Communities Scheme, and our venue sponsor Ara – New Zealand Broadcasting School.
Raising production finance for your series demands great imagination, inventiveness and resilience. Although it can seem so unreachable, financing your series and reaching your audience in New Zealand and overseas, is possible.
There is an increase in the number of international co-productions in place to finance series that are conceived in New Zealand, and an increase in commissions from broadcasters / platforms / distributors as well.
To help demystify the process Executive Producer Richard Fletcher of Libertine Pictures will present a case study on the financing of three seasons (29 episodes) of Mystic. In the telling of this financing story you will learn how a NZ production company created an international series and how the parties involved contributed to the development, financing, along with false starts, alliance changes, and conditions that came with the money. The case study will cover the unofficial co-production with UK production company Slim Film + Television, bringing on an international distributor, and the broadcasting arrangements in NZ, Australia and the UK. Plus a candid look at the behind the scenes challenges and obstacles in getting the series into production.
This Deep Dive Workshop is a rare opportunity to hear about the pieces of the puzzle that came together to get Mystic into production and on screens around the world. Come along and be inspired by how you might do it too.
About Mystic
Mystic is a co-commission by UK children’s BBC channel, CBBC and TVNZ with investment from NZ On Air and Te Puna Kairangi (Series 2 and 3) with financing from Fulcrum Media Finance and is coproduced by Libertine Pictures and Slim Film + Television. The series is distributed by Daro Film Distribution and has sold to over 65 territories worldwide, including North America, Germany and France and to broadcasters including, ABC, ZDF, Canal +, Netflix and Disney +. It is based on New Zealand author Stacy Gregg’s internationally bestselling book series Pony Club Secrets with a combination of NZ and UK writers and was entirely shot and post-produced in New Zealand.
When: 9:30am-12:30pm Tuesday 18 October, with a 30min morning tea break
Where: Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Grey Lynn, Auckland
Who it is for: Mid-career and experienced practitioners who write, produce and direct projects
Cost: General Admission $80.00 (incl. GST)
ABOUT RICHARD FLETCHER
Richard has more than 20 years’ experience in international film and television production. He has produced and executive produced a range of feature films, documentaries and TV series, including Under the Vines, Mystic, We Are Still Here, Muru, Gloriavale, Griff’s Canadian Adventure, The Letter for the King, Rhys Darby: Big in Japan, The Legend of Baron To’a, Griff’s Great Kiwi Road Trip, Daffodils, Yellow is Forbidden, Belief: the Possession of Janet Moses, Wild Survivor, Walking with Dinosaurs 3D, The Last Ocean, Boy, Under the Mountain and River Queen. His productions have played at major international festivals including Berlin, Busan, Melbourne, Shanghai, Sundance, SXSW, Toronto and Tribeca film festivals and he has worked with a range of partners including the ABC, BBC, Disney, ITV, National Geographic, Netflix, Network Ten, Sky, TVNZ and Twentieth Century Fox.
Richard previously worked at the New Zealand Film Commission as Head of Business Affairs and in distribution in Australia for Beyond Films and in the UK for the Feature Film Company.
He has extensive domestic and international relationships across all sectors of the screen production industry. He has practical experience of film and television drama and factual production, financing and distribution in multiple jurisdictions. In addition, Richard has considerable experience in successfully managing the requirements of government funders, private investors and distributors.
For more information about Richard’s background and experience, visit his page at www.nzonscreen.com
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Calling all aspiring filmmakers, storytellers and creatives! Want to learn how to use the power of cinema to tell your stories?
The 2022 South Auckland Short Film Workshop is a two-day workshop about how to turn an idea into a short film. Whether you’re new to filmmaking or have some experience, we are calling everyone who aspires to tell their stories on the screen to come and learn what it takes to bring your story to life.
Over one weekend you will be guided by experienced filmmakers about the principles of how to write a short film, the role of the director, what it takes to get your short film off the ground, and making a good pitch to funders and collaborators. Speakers include Marina Alofagia McCartney (Milk & Honey, Vai), Bala Murali Shingade (Perianayaki, 800 Lunches), Shreya Gejji (Kāinga, Perianayaki) and Nikki Si’ulepa (Same But Different, Mā, Snow in Paradise). The pitching panel will be made up of Michael Bennett (Beyond the Veil, In Dark Places), Marina Alofagia McCartney and Nikki Si’ulepa.
This workshop is intended for people who either live in South Auckland or have a connection with the area.
Who it is for: New and emerging creatives from any industry or background with a connection to the South Auckland community who have an interest in short filmmaking.
When: Sat 1st Oct and Sun 2nd Oct, 2022 (9am-5pm each day)
Where: Māngere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, Theatre. Free parking available.
Cost: General Admission $10 plus fees. Tickets via Eventbrite.
What to Bring: Pen and paper. Coffee, tea and snacks provided. You can bring lunch with you or there is a café in the building, and many places to buy lunch in the immediate vicinity.
Participants from this workshop can apply for Script to Screen’s South Shorts 2023 Mentorship Programme. Read more about South Shorts here.
9am – Welcome
9:30am – Introduction to Screenwriting with writer Marina Alofagia McCartney
12pm – Lunch
1pm – How to pitch your story with Marina Alofagia McCartney
2pm – Break
2:30pm – Case Study: Making award-winning short film Perianayaki with writer/producer Shreya Gejji and director Bala Murali Shingade
4:30pm – End
9am – Low-budget filmmaking – Get out and make it! with writer/director/actor Nikki Si’ulepa
11am – Break
11:30am – Pitching! Deliver a short verbal pitch of your short film concept to the panel for some feedback – panellists are writer/director Michael Bennett, writer Marina Alofagia McCartney and writer/director/actor Nikki Si’ulepa
12:30pm – Lunch
1:15pm – Pitching continues…
5pm – End
Marina Alofagia McCartney (Pitonu’ū, Satupa’itea and Vailoa, Palauli – Savai’i, Samoa / Newcastle –England / Romani – England) is an award-winning filmmaker and scholar with films featured in numerous festivals, including Palm Springs, NZIFF, ImagineNATIVE, Hawai’i International Film Festival. Her last film Vai, an award-winning portmanteau feature made with 9 Moana Pasifika women, opened the NATIVe section at the 2019 Berlinale, and screened at festivals including SXSW, Edinburgh Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival. Marina is a PhD candidate exploring Moana Pasifika film, a proud Mum and developing several creative projects including her next feature and her NZFC Catalyst short, The Return.
Nikki Si’ulepa is an Aotearoa-born Samoan with German and Chinese ancestry from the villages of Sātalo, Falealili and Solāua. She’s an actor, writer, director, camera operator, screen tutor, and founding Pacific Islands Screen Artists Komiti member (PISA, est. 2020). She’s worked in the New Zealand screen industry since her debut acting role in Whole of the Moon in 1995 where she won two best actress awards. Her films have also won awards and nominations and have screened at international film festivals including Berlinale, Tribeca, Sydney, Melbourne, FIFO, Queerscreen, NZIFF, Hollyshorts, and imagineNATIVE.
In 2021, Nikki created ScreenFit classes for writers, directors and actors of various skills, backgrounds and experiences to come together and work scenes to stay ‘screen fit’. Nikki has taught acting for screen and facilitated workshops on writing and filmmaking at South Shorts, The Actors Program, Excel Performing Arts, Actors Lab Studio, and various PISA events. Nikki can be seen on Canadian and New Zealand television screens in South Pacific Pictures’ thriller, The Sounds, in Roseanne Liang’s (Shadow in the Cloud) post-apocalyptic comedy drama, Creamerie, and guest stars opposite Kiwi Xena icon, Lucy Lawless in My Life is Murder. Nikki’s currently writing and developing a new slate of films and series’.
Nikki loves arthouse films, vegan ice cream, fun film festivals, and short walks on the beach
Bala Murali Shingade is a writer, director and actor for screen and theatre based in Tāmaki Makaurau. In 2019, he wrote and directed 800 Lunches, a short film funded by the Outlook for Someday as part of Someday Stories Series 3. His second short film, Perianayaki, was funded by Script to Screen and NZFC’s Fresh Shorts program. Perianayaki premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festival 2022, where it received the NZ’s Best Short Film award, the Audience Choice award and the Emerging Talent award.
Bala has also written and directed theatre and has worked as an actor in various screen and stage productions. In 2020, Bala was one of six recipients of the Arts Foundation’s Springboard award.
Shreya Gejji is a Kiwi-Indian screenwriter and producer. She has worked in various production roles for television and web content. Dubai Dreams, her first feature screenplay, was a finalist at the Screen Writers Awards New Zealand in 2015.
Perianayaki, Shreya’s first short film as writer and producer, was awarded NZ’s Best Short Film at the New Zealand International Film Festival in 2022. She is one of the writers on Kāinga, the third film in the Waru and Vai trilogy produced by BSAG Productions. Shreya is in early pre-production for her directorial debut short film Night Visions scheduled to shoot in 2023. She is also a co-producer of a funded feature television documentary about the New Zealand Kabaddi team.
Shreya is in the third year of her PhD with Creative Practice at the University of Auckland, currently writing the first draft of an ensemble feature screenplay.
Script to Screen, in partnership with Northland Youth Theatre, presents a free four-day film workshop in the October school holidays for 14 – 22 year olds.
The workshop helps young participants to develop skills in crafting a story idea, writing a script and acting. The aim of the workshop is to foster writing talent and encourage aspiring filmmakers. No experience or prior knowledge of filmmaking is necessary.
The programme will be taught by actor and Director of West Coast Youth Theatre, Holly Shanahan (Power Rangers Jungle Fury).
When and where:
Tuesday 11 October – Friday 14 October 2022
9am – 2:30pm each day
Northland Youth Theatre, 197 Lower Dent Street, Whangārei 0110
Programme Structure:
Day 1 – Participants learn how to find a story they want to tell and how to craft a narrative that is compelling on screen.
Day 2 – Participants develop their own film concept and write a scene for their film.
Day 3 – Holly leads exercises in acting for the screen. Using what was written on day two, participants act in scenes written by other group members, guided by Holly.
Day 4 – We will tape the scenes, watch them as a group and discuss what was learned.
Cost: The workshop is free but please register via EventBrite as spaces are limited.
Morning Tea, Lunch and Afternoon Tea are provided. However, if you have special dietary requirements (allergies, gluten free, dairy free, keto, paleo, etc) please bring food with you.
How does an idea become a story, and how does a story become a series?
This one-day workshop digs into those all-important first steps that take you from the very beginnings of an idea to having a developed project you can use to attract collaborators, platforms and funders.
During this practical hands-on day, workshop participants will create new projects from scratch, interrogate successful shows & analyse why they work, bring original ideas to develop in the room, and learn about the essential materials you need to sell a project and how to create them.
The workshop is pitched at the developing writer – if you have ideas you would like to turn into a series drama, this day is for you. Bring a notebook & pen, an original idea – a few lines is fine – and your creative energy.
When & Where:
Saturday 24th September 2022
9:00am – 5:00pm – Workshop for paid participants
5:00pm – 7:00pm – Industry Mixer – Join us after the workshop in the courtyard of the Stables at the Sherwood for some drinks and nibbles provided by Film Otago Southland. The mixer is a free event open to workshop participants and any industry members who would like to join.
Cost: General Admission $23 (incl. GST) via EventBrite
What to Bring: Pen and paper. Snacks, tea and coffee will be provided. Please bring your own lunch, there is a restaurant on-site or Queenstown township is a short drive away.
Christchurch dates: This workshop will also be held in Christchurch in November 2022
About Fiona Samuel
Fiona Samuel is an award-winning writer and director for television, theatre, radio and film and an esteemed writing teacher and mentor.
In her career she has created a body of work that centres female experience, starting with her ground-breaking television drama series The Marching Girls and continuing with an acclaimed trilogy of telemovies Piece of My Heart, Bliss, and Consent – The Louise Nicholas Story.
Alongside this work, Fiona is also a teacher, mentor and script consultant, teaching the Masters in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington and working with directing students at the South Seas Film & Television School in Auckland. Fiona is an NZ Arts Foundation Laureate, a MNZM for services to television and theatre and the Co-President of the NZ Writers Guild.
Travel Grants
Film Otago Southland is generously offering travel grants to enable participants from outside Queenstown, but who reside within the Otago and Southland region, to attend.
-For those within an hour’s drive of Queenstown, $50 travel grants are available.
-For those further afield, $100 travel grants are available.
Film Otago Southland will offer up to $500 worth of grants, which will be issued, first come first served.
Please email Kahli Scott (kahli@filmotagosouthland.com) to request this support. Confirmation of your workshop registration will be required before the grant will be offered. Any person accepting the grant and failing to attend the workshop in person will be liable to return the grant.
This workshop is presented by Script to Screen and made possible thanks to generous support from Film Otago Southland, Queenstown Lakes District Council Film Office, Central Lakes Art Support Scheme, Queenstown Lakes Council Creative Communities and the New Zealand Film Commission.
Don’t miss this interactive and practical weekend workshop that will help you navigate through the complexities of writing a feature film.
Great stories create an umbilical cord between the screen and the audience, where the audience feels everything that the character does. This workshop will look at the elements that you need to consider to build that level of engagement with your own stories.
Through writing exercises and watching clips, you will look at a wide range of aspects of story and character including how to hook an audience from the first moment they meet your protagonist, tips and tricks to making an audience connect with how your character feels, and ensuring that your stories don’t run out of momentum.
To gain the most out of the workshop, please come with a film concept in mind.
When: 9am – 5pm Saturday 27 August & 10am – 3pm Sunday 28 August
Where: Samoa House, 20 Beresford Square, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010
Who is it for? Anyone writing a feature film
Cost: General Admission $40.00 (incl. GST) via Eventbrite.
ABOUT GAVIN MCGIBBON
Gavin McGibbon was the Programme Leader of the MA Screenwriting programme at Liverpool John Moores University. He has worked as a development executive for the New Zealand Film Commission, taught playwriting at Victoria University of Wellington for the International Institute of Modern Letters, where he also works as an MA Supervisor on Ken Duncum’s MA Scriptwriting Course. Students that Gavin has taught have gone on to win numerous awards for their writing and are currently working on major television shows in the UK.
Gavin, now makes his living as a freelance screenwriter and has optioned films and tv series in the UK, as well as here in New Zealand. He is currently writing two feature films for Libertine Pictures.
Gavin has a very different take on scriptwriting and what it takes to build a story that connects with people. He doesn’t believe in formula – he believes in craft meeting art, and using that combination to create an engaging, emotional journey for an audience.
This workshop is made possible thanks to generous support from Creative Communities and New Zealand Film Commission
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