Script to Screen, in partnership with Northland Youth Theatre, presents a free four-day film workshop in the July school holidays for 15 – 23 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.
On Day 1, participants will hear from writer/director Hamish Bennett (The Dump, Ross & Beth, Bellbird) about finding a story they want to tell and crafting a narrative that is compelling on screen. On Day 2, participants will develop their own film concept and write a scene for their film, guided by actor Laurel Devenie (Shortland Street).
On Day 3 Laurel will lead a workshop on acting for the screen, including working with the scenes written the day before. Each participant will get the chance to act in a scene. On the last day, we will tape the scenes, watch them as a group and discuss what was learned.
Tuesday 13 July – Fri 16 July
9am – 2:30pm each day
Northland Youth Theatre, 86 Bank St, Whangarei 0110
Morning Tea, Lunch and Afternoon Tea provided. However, if you have special dietary requirements (gluten free, dairy free, keto, paleo, etc) please bring food with you.
The workshop is free but please register via EventBrite as spaces are limited.
This workshop is presented in partnership with Northland Youth Theatre and is made possible thanks to generous support from New Zealand Film Commission and Foundation North.
Frenzied screaming aside, fans can bring an unexpected energy to your project, promoting it to their peers in ways that you never imagined. They can power up your project by funding it, sharing it, showing up for it and keeping it in the conversation.
Fans have created ‘Always blow on the pie’ t-shirts, Kiri & Lou birthday cakes, and wooden kitset figures of Jacinda and Ashley’s 1pm daily briefings. Embrace them and mobilise them, just as Wellington Paranormal did with Covid Safety messages, Hunt for the Wilderpeople did with Instagram stickers, and Tākaro Tribe did with talking dolls, and you will reap the benefits.
These local productions engage fans to grow and cultivate a loyal audience and we want you to join their ranks. Find out what you can do, not just after release but during development and at all stages of production to feed the fans.
In this TALK, globally recognised speaker on fans and online communities Sacha Judd and Gemma Gracewood editor-in-chief at Letterboxd will go through some case studies to show the power of fans. They will discuss fans, merchandise, cosplay, conventions, and the delightful power of letting your audience help chart your project’s course—all the way to a sequel, a franchise, a spin-off and beyond.
Thurs 17 June 2021
6:30pm – 7:30pm – TALK
7:30 – 8:30pm – Cash bar, socialising, networking and pizza
TAPAC, 100 Motions Rd, Western Springs, Auckland
After the TALK, stay and have pizza on Script to Screen, there will be a cash bar and socialising with fellow filmmakers.
$5.75 (incl. GST) for sales via EventBrite to secure your seat.
$5 cash at the door.
Book your ticket in advance to secure your seat. When you book your ticket via Eventbrite, there’ll be an opportunity for you to guide the discussion by submitting a question ahead of time.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
SACHA JUDD
Sacha runs the Hoku Group, a family office combining private investments, early-stage tech ventures and a non-profit foundation. She was a founder of Refactor (a series of events around diversity in technology), and Flounders’ Club (a network for early-stage company founders). She speaks at conferences and in-house events on diversity & inclusion in the tech sector, fandom and online communities, and how fans will transform the world.
This TALK is presented in association with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective.
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Script to Screen Alumni Florian Habicht‘s new film James & Isey is currently screening in cinemas all over Aotearoa. How can a film, shot without a film crew, become a hit at the NZ box office?
Florian would love to have coffee or lunch with you at Bestie Cafe in Auckland, and share some of his filmmaking secrets with you.
To enter, simply email us a publicity stunt idea for James & Isey and Florian will choose his favourite and try and make it happen!
James & Isey in cinemas now! Find a screening near you.
Entries close: Sun 30 May 2021
Florian Habicht was born in Berlin, and immigrated with his family to New Zealand in the eighties. He studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts Auckland and Binger Filmlab in Amsterdam.
He is one of our most prolific filmmakers being responsible for some of NZ’s most innovative films, from experimental Woodenhead (2003), cult documentaries Kaikohe Demolition (2004) & Rubbings of a Live Man (2008), to his participatory Love Story (2011) and cinematic homage to British band Pulp – Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets (2014). Florian released his seventh feature film Spookers in 2017. James & Isey (2021) is his eighth feature, currently showing in cinemas. His films have been distributed in over 18 countries.
This workshop has now reached capacity. You may join the waitlist if you are still interested in attending and we will contact you if a space becomes available.
Due to popular demand, we’re excited to be bringing you another Auckland workshop! Join us for a one-day workshop in Waitākere this June to learn how to jumpstart your feature film idea or revitalise an old one. This interactive and practical one-day workshop will give you the means to propel your feature film project forward.
Over the course of one day, Hamish Bennett (Bellbird) will explore character and story and how the two are intertwined. He will use clips and examples to support the learning.
Hamish will talk about how to tap into your own knowledge and experiences to build a story that is authentic and memorable. He will also talk about his process preparing as a director and give you methods for making time for writing when you’re not a full-time writer.
No matter what your experience is, come along. The passion that drives you to create will be invigorated and you’ll come away with new knowledge and ideas to further develop your stories.
Saturday 12 June 2021
9:00am – 5:00pm
The Seminar Room, Level 1, Lopdell Precinct, 418 Titirangi Road, Titirangi, Auckland
Parking: Free parking behind the Lopdell building, entrance is off South Titirangi Road. Alternative parking is available outside the building on Titirangi Road or at the parking building opposite – off South Titirangi Road.
Who it is for: Emerging to established filmmakers. If you are at the beginning stages of writing a feature film or are interested in writing a film this workshop will be very beneficial.
Cost: General Admission $23 (incl. GST) via EventBrite
What to Bring: Pen and paper. Please bring your own lunch or there are plenty of cafes in the area if you wish to buy lunch. Snacks, tea and coffee will be provided.
This Script to Screen workshop is made possible thanks to generous support from Auckland Council Creative Communities and the New Zealand Film Commission.
What happens when the process for taking your film to market, securing international sales, attending festivals and ensuring an audience sees your film is disrupted by a pandemic?
Join us to hear from New Zealand feature film producers about how they navigated the new online world of markets and sales for their recent films. They will discuss how they dealt with disruptions to cinematic releases both here and abroad, the unexpected opportunities that arose along the way, and what they think will be helpful for you to know while the world adapts to this pandemic and a new normal.
In Auckland, Alex Behse (co-producer of There’s No I in Threesome), Alex Reed (co-producer of There’s No I in Threesome and The Girl on the Bridge) and Emma Slade (producer of The Justice of Bunny King, Nude Tuesday) will chat to Philippa Campbell about taking their films to the international market and the release of their films during covid. There is No I in Threesome was acquired by WarnerMedia and had its world premiere on HBO Max. A theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand is planned for later this year. The Girl on the Bridge premiered at Whānau Marama (NZIFF) and screened at Cannes Docs – Marché du Film online. The Justice of Bunny King and Nude Tuesday are yet to be released.
If you’re developing or producing a feature film don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into this evolving process.
Book your ticket in advance to secure your seat. When you book your ticket via Eventbrite, there’ll be an opportunity for you to guide the discussion by submitting a question ahead of time.
Auckland
Wed 5 May 2021
6:30pm – 7:30pm – TALK
7:30 – 8:30pm – Cash bar, socialising, networking and pizza
TAPAC Theatre, 100 Motions Road, Western Springs, Auckland
After the TALK, stay and have pizza on Script to Screen, there will be a cash bar and socialising with fellow filmmakers.
$5.75 (incl. GST) for sales via EventBrite to secure your seat.
$5 cash at the door.
Script to Screen TALKS are made possible thanks to generous support from New Zealand Film Commission, Foundation North and White Studios. A special thanks to our venue sponsor TAPAC.
What happens when the process for taking your film to market, securing international sales, attending festivals and ensuring an audience sees your film is disrupted by a pandemic?
Join us to hear from New Zealand feature film producers about how they navigated the new online world of markets and sales for their recent films. They will discuss how they dealt with disruptions to cinematic releases both here and abroad, the unexpected opportunities that arose along the way, and what they think will be helpful for you to know while the world adapts to this pandemic and a new normal.
Georgina Conder (co-producer of Cousins) and Vicky Pope (producer of Savage) will talk to entertainment lawyer Sarah Cull about their experiences taking Cousins and Savage to audiences in a world seriously impacted by Covid-19. Both films are now in the Top 20 Films at the NZ Box Office having earned more than $1million during their theatrical runs.
If you’re developing or producing a feature film don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into this evolving process.
Book your ticket in advance to secure your seat. When you book your ticket via Eventbrite, there’ll be an opportunity for you to guide the discussion by submitting a question ahead of time.
Wed 19 May 2021
6:30pm – 7:30pm – TALK
7:30 – 8:30pm – Cash Bar, Socialising/Networking and Pizza
Te Auaha, Tapare Iti, Level 1, 65 Dixon St, Te Aro, Wellington
After the TALK, stay and have pizza on Script to Screen, there will be a cash bar and socialising with fellow filmmakers.
$5.75 (incl. GST) for sales via EventBrite to secure your seat.
$5 cash at the door.
Script to Screen TALKS are made possible thanks to generous support from New Zealand Film Commission, a special thanks to our venue sponsors, Te Auaha.
“Nōku te whiwhi ki te mahi i runga i tēnei kaupapa whakamīharo. FilmUp was a game-changer for me and my career – the intensives allowed me to work with incredible mentors, peers and form relationships which lead to me directing on a prime-time drama and developing my feature film. I highly recommend this amazing opportunity!”
– Cian Elyse White,
FilmUp 2020 participant (mentor Louise Gough)
“FilmUp is brilliant! It’s the knowledge that someone has your back, and you aren’t doing this filmmaking thing alone. That support is invaluable especially at the beginning of a project when filmmaking often feels very solo.”
– Vanessa Wells,
FilmUp 2020 participant (Mentor Justin Pemberton)
Want to build momentum in your career and push yourself to your full potential?
The FilmUp Mentorship programme returns for its ninth year to support and empower up to eight tenacious and talented filmmakers to reach the next stage in their creative careers. If you are developing a feature film or documentary this programme could be just what you need to progress your work to the next stage.
A mentor for each filmmaker forms the cornerstone of the programme, along with six FilmUp Hub days when the participants come together for group work.
Applicants must have a feature project in development, and be able to demonstrate that their project and career are at the right stage for mentorship and wrap-around support.
Successful applicants will take part in 20 hours of mentorship with an experienced film practitioner over an eight-month period and six FilmUp hubs spread between August 2021 and February 2022. These hubs are tailored to meet the needs of the selected filmmakers and include workshops, peer discussions and round tables with industry leaders.
Participants are the driving force of a successful mentorship as they take hold of their own learning and development. This autonomy is fostered from the start of the programme when participants are actively involved in the selection of their mentor. Throughout the programme there is wrap-around support from Script to Screen.
Since its inception in 2013, FilmUp has gone from strength to strength, with a growing alumni of talented local filmmakers who have benefitted from the programme including Briar March (The Coffin Club, There Once Was An Island: Te Henua A Nnoho), Chelsea Winstanley (Jojo Rabbit, MERATA: How Mum Decolonised the Screen, What We Do in the Shadows), Florian Habicht (James & Isey, Spookers, Love Story), Gaysorn Thavat (The Justice of Bunny King), Jake Mahaffy (Free in Deed), Nic Gorman (Human Traces), Sophie Henderson (Baby Done, Fantail) and Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa (Take Home Pay, Three Wise Cousins). You can read about other participants and an impressive list of mentors who have helped these filmmakers take a step up in their careers here.
To apply you need to be working on a feature film or documentary. Here’s what’s required for the application:
APPLICATIONS CLOSE: Tues 18 May, 11:59pm
Make sure you read our Top Tips to make your FilmUp application shine while crafting your application.
FilmUp is made possible thanks to financial support from the New Zealand Film Commission
We’ve made some changes to the roll-out of our high-end intensive development programmes for 2021. So if you are a filmmaker planning to apply to FilmUp, Story Camp or Strength in Numbers in 2021 make sure these dates are on your radar!
All of our high-end, contestable programmes are open nationally and take place in Auckland. Travel will be covered for selected participants from outside of Auckland. Due to COVID-19 and current New Zealand government border restrictions, all applicants must be residing in New Zealand at the time of applying.
All programmes are contingent on funding.
FilmUp
FilmUp is a nine-month professional development programme for practising writers, directors and producers. It supports and empowers up to eight emerging to senior practising filmmakers selected each year to further develop a project and participate in group workshops. Throughout the programme, each participant receives 20 hours of mentorship with an esteemed industry mentor, participates in group work & round tables, and receives wrap-around support.
Applications Open: Early May 2021
Applications Close: Mid June 2021
Group Workshops Held: from August 2021 – April 2022
Story Camp Aotearoa
Story Camp Aotearoa is a residential feature film lab that fosters craft, voice and vision. Eight selected screenwriters or creative teams workshop their projects with exceptional international and local advisors in a rigorous five-day experience designed specifically to meet the development needs of a feature film.
Applications Open: Early July 2021
Applications Close: Mid August 2021
Residential Lab: Five Days in Late November
Strength in Numbers
Strength in Numbers is focused on building sustainable businesses in our screen industry. Selected filmmakers participate in a series of workshops over a 5 to 6 month period. The programme offers a unique opportunity for practitioners in the screen industry to work together on the building blocks of business models that will sustain their future.
Applications Open: Late September 2021
Applications Close: Early November 2021
Group Workshops held: from February 2022 – June 2022
Image: Story Camp 2020. Credit: Evie Mackay Photography
Script to Screen is excited to bring you a late-night TALK with award-winning director Jessica Hobbs, in conversation with moderator Rob Sarkies. Jessica started her career in New Zealand and has risen to work on some of our favourite series made in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Jessica has directed episodes of The Split, Apple Tree Yard, Broadchurch and most recently multi-award-winning show The Crown. She directed two episodes of Season 3, including the finale starring Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. She has gone on to direct three episodes of Season 4 including the finale.
Before moving to the UK Jessica was the lead director on the award-winning series The Slap, directed episodes of Rake and Love My Way, and won an Australian Directors Guild Award for her work on Devil’s Dust. She was also awarded the Australian Film Institute Award for ABC mini-series, Answered by Fire.
In this Script to Screen TALK, Jessica will join us live from London to talk to director Rob Sarkies (The Gulf, Consent, Jean, Two Little Boys, Wanted, Out of the Blue, Scarfies). They will discuss what it is like working on a series drama in the UK right now, her approach to directing, and her ambitions for the future.
ABOUT THE PANEL
JESSICA HOBBS
Jessica Hobbs began directing short films in her 20s, during an eight-year stint as an assistant director. After helming Cliff Curtis TV drama Overnight in 1995, she got her break on Australia’s Heartbreak High. Hobbs went on to build up an impressive — and award-winning — Australian resume, including hit show Love My Way, East Timor mini-series Answered by Fire, winning the Australian Film Institute Directing Award for both, and the first two episodes of BAFTA-nominated ensemble drama The Slap, which she also set up. After relocating to England, she directed Emily Watson in the high profile mini-series Apple Tree Yard, based on the Louise Doughty bestseller about a married woman who has an affair. Other directing credits include Broadchurch, River, BBC mini-series The Split, written by Abi Morgan, and most recently seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown for Netflix.
ROB SARKIES
Rob Sarkies works across feature films, series television and commercials as a creator and director. His work includes Out of the Blue about the Aramoana shootings, Consent based on Louise Nicholas’s fight for justice, Jean about aviator Jean Batten, black-buddy-comedy Two Little Boys, Wanted, The Gulf and NZ classic Scarfies.
Tues 23 March
9:00pm – 10:00pm NZDT – TALK
Passion, Persistence, Patience and Intense Ominous Whooshing
Script to Screen is proud to present a one-day directing workshop in Queenstown with David Stubbs (Daffodils, Black Hands, Reservoir Hill). This interactive workshop will give you the tools you need to find the best director within you.
Over one day, David will talk about his experience finding inspiration, choosing the right projects, how to build longevity in your career as a director and give you an in-depth look into the best and the hardest parts of being a director.
David will teach you how to effectively work and communicate with key collaborators and take you through the detailed journey of the director from pre-production to post.
Saturday 20th March 2021
9:00am – 5:00pm
The Stables, Sherwood Queenstown, 554 Frankton Road, Queenstown
Who it is for: This workshop is aimed at beginning and emerging directors, as well as those wanting to transition from other roles in the industry into directing. Producers and writers wanting to learn more about the directing process will also find this workshop valuable and are encouraged to attend. All levels of experience welcome.
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.
COVID Alert Level Note: This workshop will go ahead under Alert Level 1. It will be reviewed under Alert Level 2 and will not go ahead if the country is under Alert Level
Travel Grants
Film Otago Southland are generously offering a max of 5 x $100 travel grants to enable participants from outside Queenstown, but who reside within the Otago and Southland region, to attend.
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. The first five confirmed applicants will be supported. Any person accepting the grant and failing to attend the workshop in person will be liable to return the grant.
About David Stubbs
David Stubbs is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker with an eye for the uncomfortable truths in everyday life. He has moved between drama, documentary, music videos and digital projects in a 35-year career that’s been eclectic and highly accomplished. Most notably he was the director and co-producer on feature films Daffodils (2019), Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses (2016), TV drama mini-series Black Hands (2020), and series/digital projects Reservoir Hill (2010 – 2011) and Girl versus Boy (2013-2015). David’s films and television have screened internationally on networks, Netflix and at numerous prestigious film festivals. In 2010 David won an International Emmy Award, a Qantas Media Award and in 2017 was judged Best Director Documentary at the New Zealand Film Awards.
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, Queenstown Lakes Council Creative Communities and the New Zealand Film Commission.
