Last year Script to Screen worked closely with the Whirinaki community to design a storytelling workshop where the outcome would be making a short film together.
The workshop was aimed at rangatahi aged 16-25, along with their teachers, community leaders and whanau. It took place in July 2016 over three days at Matai Aranui Marae in Whirinaki, and provided rangatahi from the Far North region a safe and creative space to write and develop their short ideas into compelling outlines. With access to talented screenwriting mentor Michael Bennett, the workshop fostered and encouraged a huge step forward for these Northland storytellers. On the second day participants had the chance to share their stories, and receive feedback. A judging panel chose one idea for the group to make together as a community short film.
The idea chosen was called NATALIE, by 16-year-old Northland College student Qianna Titore. Mentor Michael Bennett spent 6 hours guiding Qianna as she wrote a 9 page script for the film. The workshop ended with a read through of the script, performed by participants of the workshop Jo and Julina Wikaira – who were later cast as Natalie and Natalie’s mum.
The workshop participants came back together at Matai Aranui Marae ten days after the writing workshop, to shoot Qianna’s short film NATALIE in three days. Script to Screen brought heads of department from Auckland and Northland to mentor the novice filmmakers in the crew roles like camera, clapper loader, continuity, art department, lighting, grip, sound recording, acting, and catering. Mentors included esteemed writer/director Michael Bennnett, one of NZ’s most reputed cinematographers Leon Narbey and grip Annie Frear.
All the participants worked incredibly hard over the three days, with the rushes being assembled in the evenings, allowing a rough cut to be screened at the wrap party. The process of making a short film from start to finish in only two weeks was a massive learning curve for the whole team, and the community were very proud to have made their first film. The mentors were thrilled to be part of a community-minded project, fuelled on generosity and heart.
See NATALIE at Wairoa Maori Film Festival as part of the Kiriata Māori: Māori Shorts 2017
and part of the Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts 2017 at the New Zealand International Film Festival.
He wānanga mō nga rangatahi ki te mahi kiriata ō Te Tai Tokerau. Nau mai, haere mai
Are you a passionate storyteller who would love to learn about filmmaking?
Script to Screen presents a filmmaking workshop aimed at rangatahi in the Far North region. The workshop includes story-writing, hands-on learning about shooting and acting in scenes.
Join us in the July school holidays for a free five-day workshop that will give you the tools you need to take stories from your community and tell them on screen.
The aim of the workshop is to foster local talent and encourage aspiring filmmakers. The workshop is suitable for ages 15+, and adults of all ages are welcome.
No experience or prior knowledge of filmmaking is necessary – but those with experience are more than welcome and will also benefit from the workshop.
Come along and learn how to make your story come to life through film.
When: 10 -14 July 2017
Where: Kohewhata Marae, 6869 Mangakahia Road, KAIKOHE
Cost: This workshop is free. Koha to cover kai is welcome
Registration: If you would like to attend please RSVP to Sjionel on sjionel@script-to-screen.co.nz or phone 09) 360 5400 to sign up.
*Film still taken from Qianne Titore’s short film NATALIE made as part of the 2016 Hokianga Filmmaking Workshop. NATALIE is screening at Wairoa Film Festival and New Zealand International Film Festival .
Is there a trick to staying on an even keel in this business, or is it inevitable you’ll be a little off kilter most of the time?
Gaylene Preston, Jackie van Beek, Madeleine Sami, Roseanne Liang, Tim van Dammen and Tom Sainsbury ponder the subject of wellness in consideration of the long hours and relentless stress endured to birth a project.
Join us and our friends at The Basement for Wellness Week and hear six mini-addresses about the struggle to stay strong and sane while still making projects that are exceptional.
The Basement, Thursday May 25, bar opens 5pm, talk 6-7pm, $5 koha appreciated
NB: Be seated by 5:55pm as we’re starting 6 sharp! Stay for pizza afterwards, on us!
Our speakers all come direct from the trenches having recently made documentary MY YEAR WITH HELEN, feature films THE BREAKER UPPERERS, THE INLAND ROAD and MEGA TIME SQUAD, short film DO NO HARM and web series FRIDAY NIGHT BITES and WAIHEKE REPUBLIQUE.
Due to high demand registrations for this workshop are closed. If you would like to be added to the waiting list you can do so here.
We know how important it is to create character driven stories, but how to get there can feel like a mystery.
Script to Screen presents a two-day feature film workshop for emerging filmmakers with story consultant and dramaturg Brita McVeigh.
Brita will guide participants through individual exercises, group work, and conversation that provide tools for writing from inside your characters.
Don’t miss this interactive and practical workshop that will help you bring your stories to life so they can ultimately connect with an audience.
What to bring: All participants need to be working on a feature film project that they can use for the workshop exercises. The project can be at any stage of development, be it synopsis, first draft or beyond. Directors and producers are encouraged to attend, but must be working on a feature film and be prepared to participate in the exercises.
Date: Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 May, 2017
Time: Saturday 9.30am – 4:30pm, Sunday 9am – 2:30pm
Venue: Samoa House, 283 Karangahape Rd, Auckland CBD (entry off Beresford Square, down the lane)
Cost: $20. Please bring cash on the day. Morning and afternoon tea will be provided. Please bring lunch with you or there are many cafes in the area.
Brita McVeigh is based in Sydney and works with actors, directors, writers and producers, as a dramaturg, acting coach, directing coach and story consultant. In just over a decade, Brita’s working methodology has contributed to the development of more than 126 feature film, short film, television and theatre projects. She currently works between New Zealand and Australia, both in person and via skype, during development, rehearsal or production, depending on what each project requires.
Brita is a regular guest teacher at AFTRS, the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, and at Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School. She has mentored for the Script to Screen FilmUp programme, where she works one on one with directors on how to strengthen their technique when directing actors. Brita is an advisory board member and Story Advisor at Story Camp Aotearoa, a five-day residential screenwriting retreat for film-makers. Since 2011, over 700 creative professionals, have attended Brita’s Acting for Humans workshop series.
This workshop was made possible with the support of the New Zealand Film Commission, Foundation North and the Creative Communities Scheme.
Script to Screen is proud to award eight filmmakers places on the 2017 FilmUp Mentorship Programme.
FilmUp is our high-end development programme for writers, directors and producers who have already shown considerable talent and tenacity in their work.
Each participant is matched with a filmmaker mentor from NZ or Australia, and will attend a series of hub days that include round tables, workshops, and group work as part of the eight-month programme that is tailored to their individual needs.
This year we are delighted to award two places to already established feature filmmakers, who will work with international mentors.
The participants of the 2017 FilmUp Mentorship Programme are:
Dianne Taylor (senior mentorship)
Florian Habicht (senior mentorship)
Abigail Greenwood
Chantelle Burgoyne
Jamie Lawrence
Jessica Hansell
J. Ollie Lucks
Zia Mandviwalla
See the participants’ biographies here.
We would like to thank all the filmmakers who applied.
FilmUp is made possible with financial assistance from the New Zealand Film Commission.
There’s big difference between writing a screenplay and writing a screenplay that people will read till the last page.
Join us for a one-day screenwriting workshop with experienced NZ screenwriter Nick Ward (Stickmen, Second-Hand Wedding, Outrageous Fortune, The Almighty Johnsons), who has an extensive career in screenwriting, from feature films to television.
In an entertaining in-depth workshop, Nick shares his secrets to writing a screenplay that engages the reader and reads professionally. Come and hear how to inspire producers, avoid the common pitfalls and deal with the tough realities of getting your story to the big screen.
This workshop is suitable for screenwriters of all levels, from beginners to those with experience, and directors and producers are also welcome.
If you attended the Christchurch workshop with Nick Ward in 2015 please feel welcome to come again. The workshop is organic in form and responsive to questions from the audience, so will naturally take a different shape to last time.
When: Saturday 8 April 2017, 9am – 5pm.
Where: CPIT Broadcasting School, Television Studio – 171 Madras Street, accessible through the car park on the corner of Madras Street and Southwark Street, Christchurch. MAP.
Cost: The workshop is free.
Coffee, tea, biscuits and fruit provided. Please bring your own lunch or buy from one of the cafes nearby.
Registration: Please RSVP to Sjionel sjionel@script-to-screen.co.nz or 09 360 5400.
This workshop is made possible with support from the Creative Communities Scheme.
“Storm the gates, grab hands with each other, run like red rovers at the lifeguard chairs, snarl at the bases like wild starving beast dogs, boost each other up those watchtowers and pull those motherf***ers down.” – Jill Soloway
“…painting is not made to decorate apartments. It’s an offensive and defensive weapon against the enemy.” – Pablo Picasso
Amidst the struggle to get work made and seen, is our filmmaking becoming too polite? Is it enough to take the role of pleaser rather than disruptor?
Dramaturg and coach Brita McVeigh leads a conversation with a panel of NZ storytellers about the role of art and artist in the tumultuous times we find ourselves in.
Writer/director Tearepa Kahi (POI E, MT ZION), writer/director Daniel Borgman (LOVING PIA, THE WEIGHT OF ELEPHANTS) novelist Emily Perkins (THE REHEARSAL, NOT HER REAL NAME) and theatre/performance artist Julia Croft talk to Brita McVeigh about how the changing political world around us is impacting the way they approach their work.
Join us and our friends at The Basement, Thursday March 23, 5pm drink, 5:30-6:30 talk, $5 koha appreciated.
Stay afterwards to keep talking and for a slice of pizza on us!
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Aotearoa Short Film Lab New Zealand’s most prestigious hothouse mentoring scheme for screenwriters and aspiring screenwriters to workshop new ideas for short film. Established in 2010 as a partnership between Show Me Shorts and Script to Screen, the Lab offers seven local short film makers the opportunity to develop their short film concepts and scripts with the guidance and advice of experienced industry mentors during a full-day workshop.
The seven screenwriters who will participate in the 2017 Aotearoa Short Film Lab are:
For the first time this year one international short film maker has also been selected to participate. Marisa Brown is an Australian-based filmmaker who will be attending the Lab to workshop two story ideas, along with her director Chris Tomkins.
There were more than 50 applications for the 2017 Lab. Festival Director of Show Me Shorts, Gina Dellabarca, who was among the selection panel commented: “I was impressed with the diversity in the types of stories in this year’s applications. There were scripts for comedy, drama, fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, animation and more. It is heartening for the industry that our screenwriters and aspiring screenwriters are working on such a variety of projects. I only wish we could include more of them in our Lab.
The mentors guiding participants will include experienced short film and feature film screenwriters: Michael Bennett (MATARIKI, CONFESSIONS OF PRISONER T), Zia Mandviwalla (NIGHT SHIFT, AMADI) Dianne Taylor (BEYOND THE KNOWN WORLD, APRON STRINGS), Michelle Savill (ELAINE RIDES AGAIN, ELLEN IS LEAVING) and Yamin Tun (WAIT, JOY).
Previous Short Film Lab participants have described the interactive workshop as “inspiring” and “invaluable”, and many have gone on to make the shortlist for NZFC Fresh Shorts funding. In 2013, the first film developed with the assistance of the Lab – Lauren Jackson’s I’m Going to Mum’s – premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won Best Short Film Script at the SWANZ Awards.
Script to Screen and WIFTNZ in association with UniFrance and the Alliance Française French Film Festival are proud to present a masterclass delivered by renowned and visionary French film director and screenwriter, Rebecca Zlotowski.
Rebecca began her career writing several short films, before making her directorial debut with feature film BELLE EPINE (2010) starring Léa Seydoux. The film screened at Critics’ Week, was nominated for the Camera d’Or and won the Louis Delluc Prize for Best First Film. Her next film GRAND CENTRAL also starred Seydoux, and premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2013. She also co-wrote feature films JIMMY RIVIERE (2011) and DESPITE THE NIGHT (2013), and in 2015 she was on the short film jury for the Cannes Film Festival.
Zlotowski is in New Zealand to promote her latest film PLANETARIUM, a supernatural drama set in 1930s Paris starring Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp, which premiered at Venice Film Festival. The film will now screen at the 2017 Alliance Française French Film Festival.
Join us for an in-depth 3 hour masterclass with Rebecca delving into her process of bringing PLANETARIUM to life. Participants will be provided with a copy of the script of the film, and are invited to watch the film at one of the four Auckland screenings before the masterclass. For any participants coming from out of town, PLANETARIUM is also screening around the country.
See the screening schedule for PLANETARIUM HERE.
When: Monday 13th March, 1-4pm
Where: Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium
Registration: The workshop is free, but places are limited so please register your attendance.
Rebecca Zlotowski was born in 1980 in Paris. After graduating from the prestigious Ecole Normale Supérieure and being a French Language and Literature agrégée, Rebecca Zlotowski joined the famous Paris film school La Fémis where she encountered other distinctive filmmakers such as Teddy Lussi Modeste, Jean-Claude Brisseau, Philippe Grandrieux, Antoine d’Agata (with whom she will collaborate on a future project), and Lodge Kerrigan. Selected at the 2010 Cannes Critics’ Week, her first directorial effort Belle Epine won the Prix Louis Delluc as well as the Critics’ Award for Best First Feature Film. Three years later, Grand Central was selected at the Un Certain Regard in Cannes. Planetarium is Zlotowski’s third feature film.
“The advantage for us and other streamers is that we don’t have to make money on theatrical. Online is the growth engine. I can lose significantly on theatrical but the buzz surrounding the release will increase our subscriber base” – Efe Cakarel, CEO and founder of MUBI
Script to Screen and WIFT NZ present an international panel with German broadcaster Susanne Müller (Executive Director, Feature Films and International Co-productions, ZDF German Television), Head of Sales at the Match Factory Thania Dimitrakopoulou, and producer, EP and entertainment lawyer Bryce Menzies (Marshalls & Dent) as they discuss the transition from the traditional market structure to an SVoD-led environment. The panel will be moderated by Managing Director of Match Factory, Viola Fügen.
As the emphasis on foreign sales as a way to reach your audience wanes, and online global reach gains relevance for niche projects, Netflix and Amazon are aggressively reshaping the traditional sales models. (As outlined by the Hollywood Reporter from Berlin “Netflix and Amazon Evolve From Industry Disrupters to Market Darlings.”) The rising importance of SVoD platforms is a simultaneously exciting and frightening prospect for television and indie filmmakers alike.
The panel join us in New Zealand as speakers at WIFT NZ’s third annual Co-production Summit – Up with the Play, a market-focussed programme for experienced producers working in film, television and digital media. This year the summit focuses on German/New Zealand co-productions.
Tuesday 28 February, 6:30pm drinks. 7-8pm talk. Studio One – Toi Tū, 1 Ponsonby Road. $10 koha suggested. Includes a glass of wine before the talk and a slice of pizza afterwards.
Proudly brought to you in collaboration with WIFT NZ, with support from Screen Auckland and the Goethe Institute.