We are delighted to announce nine esteemed advisors will join us for the rigourous programme of group workshops, team sessions and individual sessions carefully crafted to serve feature film projects in advanced development.
The complete line-up of advisors for 2018 are:
– Renowned director and writer Jane Campion
– Producer/EP Andrew Mason (THE MATRIX trilogy, TOMORROW WHEN THE WAR BEGAN)
– Creative and Strategic Advisor Alesia Weston (USA)
– Esteemed painter Star Gossage
– Editor Nick Meyers (SWEET COUNTRY, THE BOYS)
– Producer Kath Shelper (TENDER, SAMSON & DELILAH)
– Directing & acting coach and story consultant Brita McVeigh
– Actor, casting director and filmmaker Loren Taylor
– Aus/NZ Producer Tim White (THE LUMINARIES, THE DARK HORSE)
Read there full bios: https://script-to-screen.co.nz/story-camp-mentors/
Story Camp Aotearoa is a residential feature film workshop that fosters craft, voice and vision. Talented New Zealand filmmakers workshop their projects with exceptional international and local advisors. The week long workshop is crafted around the specific needs of the chosen teams.
This year we are proud to pilot Story Camp Advanced, a workshop for creative teams with feature film projects close to production. The selection panel of producer Philippa Campbell, director Hamish Bennett and producer Tim White were impressed by the calibre of the ideas and the talented teams behind them.
The selected teams participating in Story Camp Advanced are:
Story Camp Aotearoa is made possible with financial assistance from the New Zealand Film Commission
Participants who pitch a short film project at the 2018 South Auckland Short Film Workshop will also be invited to apply to the 2019 South Shorts Mentorship Programme.
Approximately eight participants will be chosen to take part in the programme spanning five months, which offers focused script mentorship for the selected short film projects under the leadership of two dedicated and experienced mentors.
South Shorts will offer participants guidance through the process of writing and developing a short film. Participants may intend to self-fund the film, crowd-fund, or prepare to apply to the New Zealand Film Commission’s Fresh Shorts initiative. Script to Screen is looking for distinctive new South Auckland voices with a passion for storytelling and something powerful to say. Selected participants may be new to short film writing or come with some experience.
How do I apply?
Participants will be chosen based on a combination of their pitch during the 2018 South Auckland Short Film Workshop and a written statement submitted to Script to Screen following the event. The statement should include why South Shorts would be valuable to you and your short filmmaking craft.
Applications close: Monday 3rd December at 9am
Programme Outline
The South Shorts Mentoring Programme will start in early 2019 and span across a five-month period. It will include three to four full day ‘hubs’ and individual script mentoring sessions and script notes.
Dates for the South Shorts Mentorship Programme will be set in December 2018
“I probably wouldn’t have a project without it (Script to Screen), because it was at the South Shorts Workshop where I had to pitch, and I hadn’t done that before. Script to Screen’s really accessible to anyone and it takes away the “you’ve got to be this and that to make a film”. It makes you realize that anyone can make a film, as long as you have good story – as cheesy as that sounds. But it’s important because it’s a really good outreach in the community. Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
-Vea Mafile’o (South Shorts Alumni and current FilmUp mentee)
This initiative is made possible with assistance from Foundation North.
Thank you to everyone who applied to our first ever EPISODIC LAB AOTEAROA this May. Over 95 teams submitted 116 series concepts, showing a real hunger for development opportunities in writing for the small screen.
The selection panel of Australian-based writer/development producer Katherine Fry, writer/director/actor Oscar Kightley and writer/director Fiona Samuel were impressed by the calibre of the ideas and the talented teams behind them. They had a very difficult job choosing only eight projects to be developed in the lab.
Fiona Samuel said on behalf of the selection panel, “We could easily have chosen twice the number of proposals from this crowded and talented field. There are so many entertaining and compelling stories waiting to be told and so many writers with the potential to take on episodic drama and bring something new to our screens.”
The eight selected teams will develop their skills and their projects with guidance from experienced television writers from New Zealand, Australia, USA and Denmark during the five-day immersive lab.
Writers and teams who will be participating in the inaugural Episodic Lab in Auckland July 23-27 are:
Participants biographies can be found at here
The Episodic Lab Aotearoa is made possible thanks to the generous support from NZ on Air, Lightbox, NZ Film Commission and Images & Sound.
Script to Screen is proud to award eight filmmakers places on the 2018 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, and will attend a series of FilmUp hub days that include round tables, workshops, and group work as part of the eight-month programme that is tailored to their individual needs.
The participants of the 2018 FilmUp Mentorship Programme are:
Armagan Ballantyne
Awanui Simich-Pene
Chelsie Preston Crayford
Ivan Barge
Jess Feast
Michele Powles
Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa
Vea Mafile’o
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.
EPISODIC LAB AOTEAROA is for writers or teams who have already demonstrated talent and tenacity writing or creating for television, web series, theatre or film.
If you are applying as a team, the team should include those who are actively working on the story only. You may be a team of writers, or your team may include a director, producer, and/or actor(s) but only if they play a central part in story generation. You cannot apply without at least one writer.
Each writer or team can submit one or two episodic concepts.
The independent selection panel will consider the strength of applicants’ prior produced work, the quality and originality of the episodic concept, the craft ability of the writer(s), and the feasibility of getting the series up onto the screen.
Applications opened: Thursday 29 March, 2018
Applications close: Monday 7 May 2018, 10pm
5-day immersive lab: July 23-July 27, 2018, Auckland*
*Travel and accommodation will be provided for participants who live outside of Auckland
To apply you will need to provide the following in one .pdf document:
There is a $20 application fee. Please deposit this to the following account: Script to Screen Te Tari Kupu A Whakaahua – 0302550178775-00 Ref: Episodic Lab – Applicant name.
Note: Script to Screen and its EPISODIC LAB AOTEAROA partners, selectors, participants and advisors are contractually bound to confidentiality in relation to all projects submitted and workshopped as part of the lab. Participation in the lab does not require writers or teams to share or relinquish any intellectual property rights in relation to their projects.
The EPIDOSIC LAB AOTEAROA is made possible thanks to generous support from NZ On Air, Lightbox, the New Zealand Film Commission and Images & Sound.
Script to Screen is delighted to launch a brand new pilot programme to develop distinctive writing talent in television drama. EPISODIC LAB AOTEAROA is the first programme of its kind in New Zealand.
“Globally, this century has seen an explosion of television storytelling. In New Zealand we have diverse talent coming through in the web sphere and the question is, where next? The Episodic Lab will increase the number of New Zealand writers – and the types of writers – creating longer form work that reaches the screen” says Script to Screen’s Executive Director Esther Cahill-Chiaroni.
“NZ On Air is supporting the Episodic Lab initiative as a way to encourage writers with fresh ideas that add to the range of television storytelling options. Better options for development was a key theme that came through the industry drama day we hosted last year,” says NZ On Air Chief Executive Jane Wrightson. “We hope to see great New Zealand stories come through this initiative that win platform and financing support.”
Writers and/or teams with a track record will compete for 8 places in the pilot Episodic Lab, where they will workshop their concepts with experienced television writer advisors from New Zealand, Australia and beyond. The programme starts with five immersive days working on story after which participants go on to receive follow up mentoring and support, including introductions to the executives of episodic television platforms, production houses and funders.
NZ streaming service Lightbox, announced earlier this year, their commitment to invest in local content and continued support of homegrown talent. Lightbox Head of Content Charlotte Hill commented, “As fellow lovers of TV storytelling, Lightbox is delighted to play a part in cultivating the next generation of New Zealand writing talent and fostering the important growth of NZ voices on screen. We are proud to support the inaugural Episodic Lab and applaud Script to Screen for developing this groundbreaking initiative.”
Applications will be open from late March until the end of April, and the five-day lab takes place in Auckland July 23-27.
Esteemed international and local Episodic Lab advisors will be announced over the coming months.
The EPIDOSIC LAB AOTEAROA is made possible thanks to generous support from NZ On Air, Lightbox, the New Zealand Film Commission and Images and Sound.
In addition to the 2017 South Auckland Short Film Workshop, Script to Screen is proud to reintroduce the South Shorts Mentoring Programme.
Six participants of the South Auckland Short Film Workshop will be chosen to participate in a 6 month programme, which offers over 20 hours of mentoring on a short film project.
The programme will guide emerging writers and producers through the process of developing a short film, whether the filmmakers aim to make the film on their own, or getting a script ready to apply for the New Zealand Film Commission Fresh Shorts scheme. We are looking for distinctive new voices with a passion for storytelling. Participants may have some, little or no prior knowledge of filmmaking.
How do I apply?
The participants will be chosen based on a combination of their pitch during the 2017 South Auckland Short Film Workshop, and a written statement submitted to Script to Screen after the workshop outlining why the mentoring programme is for them.
Apply here: https://form.jotform.co/73235710827860
Programme Outline
The South Shorts Mentoring Programme will start in early 2018, and participants will need to be available to attend the following days. Dates have not yet been set and will be discussed with the participants in December 2017.
Kick-off Lab (7 hours) – All mentors and participants attend a one day intensive lab to launch the programme.
Hubs (6 hours) – The participants come together for two 3 hour hub meetings during the six month period. This is a chance for the writers to discuss their experiences, what they are learning and hear from a guest speaker about a particular topic.
Ongoing Mentoring (6 hours over a six month period) – Participants are each offered 6 hours of one-on-one sessions with their mentor over the course of six months. The content of these sessions will be tailored to suit the needs of each team, but centre around developing the story and script, ready for either shooting the film or applying for funding.
Wrap-up Lab (3 hours) – A half-day wrap up workshop completes the six-month journey. Teams will chart progress, discuss challenges they encountered and plan the way forward for their film.
Image from Loading Docs TIHEI. Directed by Hamish Bennett and produced by Orlando Stewart.
This initiative is made possible with assistance from Foundation North.
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.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday 6th March 2017, 5pm
“Thank you for connecting me with the industry both here and in Australia. I have a greater understanding of the business of writing having met with Alice (Bell) every week and the importance of having ‘product’ as a writer. I’m delighted to have made new long-term creative relationships. What you have made is so important, this year has been transformative.” – Sophie Henderson, 2014 FilmUp participant
If you are a writer, director, or producer with proven talent and feature film projects in development, you could be one of the eight filmmakers to participate in this year’s FilmUp Mentorship Programme.
A tailored mentorship for each filmmaker forms the cornerstone of the programme, which also includes story workshops, facilitated group work and round table discussions with esteemed film industry practitioners.
The driving force of successful mentorship is that participants actively take hold of their own learning and development. This autonomy will be fostered from the start of the programme, as we once again invite you to play a part in choosing your mentor.
Although the mentorship is for the filmmaker rather than for individual projects, applicants need to have projects in development. Preference will be given to those filmmakers highly likely to get a feature film off the ground in the near future.
Applicants will need to demonstrate how mentoring at this stage in their career will be valuable and be in a position to reflect on and advance their work during the programme which runs from April to December.
The programme will offer the following to successful applicants:
Who can apply?
Filmmakers who are have feature films in development as writer, director or producer, and can demonstrate tenacity, originality, and competence in their field. You will need to demonstrate you have proven talent in short film, television, documentary or feature film. Your track record could be in a different role, for example editing, cinematography, or acting.
Senior Mentorship: established feature film writers, directors and producers.
Key Dates
Applications open Thursday 9th February 2017 and close on Monday 6th March 2017 at 5pm.
A selection panel will choose the successful applicants and all applicants will be advised of the results in late March.
Successful applicants must be available for a one-day intensive on Friday 7th April, 2017 and for 4 full-day hubs throughout the year – Thursday 4th May, Thursday 20th July, Monday 2nd October and the closing hub day on Friday 8th December.
Application Requirements
Applicants will need to submit:
DOWNLOAD THE FILMUP APPLICATION FORM HERE
DOWNLOAD THE SENIOR MENTORSHIP APPLICATION FORM HERE
Please email your application in a single .pdf file to sjionel@script-to-screen.co.nz (Learn how to combine .pdfs here)
Applications close at 5pm on Monday 6th March, 2017.
Any questions can be directed to sjionel@script-to-screen.co.nz, or you can call the office on 09 360 5400.
FilmUp is made possible with financial assistance from the NZ Film Commission.