Still have questions about Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts Stage One applications? Then this webinar is for you!
Join us for our second live webinar on Thursday 08 October at 5:30pm to ask all your last-minute questions about Whiringa Tauatahi – Stage One and how to make your 2020 Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts application shine ✨.
Teams needs to register on the Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts Portal to access the application. If you are considering applying, register now and familiarise yourself with the application portal. If it raises any questions for you they can be answered next Thursday.
You need to sign up for the webinar in advance. There will be an opportunity to send questions during the webinar but you can also submit your question ahead of time to help shape the discussion.
The webinar will be available for you to view on Script to Screen’s YouTube and Facebook afterwards if you are unable to join the discussion live, and for you to refer to afterwards.
KŌPERE HOU – FRESH SHORTS KEY DATES
APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW(Apply via Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts Portal)
APPLICATIONS CLOSE: 1pm, Monday 19 October 2020
ANNOUNCEMENT OF SHORTLISTED TEAMS: Week commencing 16 November 2020
APPLICATIONS CLOSE: 1pm, Monday 11 January 2021
ANNOUNCEMENT OF FUNDED TEAMS: Week commencing 8 February 2021
DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP DATES: 6-7 March 2021
USEFUL LINKS:
Read Guidelines
Read Application Pointers
REGISTER FOR KŌPERE HOU – FRESH SHORTS APPLICATION PORTAL
COVID-19 Update as at 25/08/20.
Covid-19 Level 3 Restrictions in Auckland means Hamish Bennett will no longer be able to travel to Wellington to present this workshop. We are pleased to say that educator and script consultant Gavin McGibbon is stepping in to present a workshop on what it takes to build a screen story that connects with people.This means the Wellington Workshop will go ahead but with some safety precautions in place. There are only a few tickets left so if you no longer wish to attend, please request a refund through Eventbrite to make your place available for someone else. See below for more information and instructions.
Great stories create an umbilical cord between the screen and the audience, where we feel everything that the character does.
This one day workshop will look at the elements we need to consider as writers to build that level of engagement with our own stories, through writing exercises, viewing and discussing scenes. We will look at a wide range of aspects of story and character from how we hook an audience from the first moment they meet our protagonist to ensuring that our stories don’t run out of momentum.
To gain the most out of the workshop, please come with a film concept in mind.
Don’t miss this interactive and practical workshop that will help you navigate through the complexities of writing a feature film.
Sat 29 Aug 2020, 9am – 5pm
Where: Drama 3, Te Whaea National Dance & Drama Centre, 11 Hutchison Road, Newton, Wellington.
Who it is for: All levels of writing experience – emerging to established filmmakers. The workshop will largely refer to the feature film format, but will be valuable to those developing shorts, features and series.
Cost: General Admission $23 (incl. GST). Tickets via Eventbrite.
What to Bring: Pen and paper. Tea and Coffee will be provided. There are plenty of cafes in the area to buy lunch.
ABOUT GAVIN MCGIBBON
Gavin McGibbon until his recent return back to New Zealand, was the Programme Leader of the MA Screenwriting programme at Liverpool John Moores University. He has taught playwriting at Victoria University of Wellington for the International Institute of Modern Letters, where he also worked 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 has also worked for the New Zealand Film Commission, the New Zealand Film School, Massey University, Victoria Continuing Education and he is a freelance script consultant.
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.
As Wellington is at Alert Level 2, there are some important things to note:
Do not attend the workshop if you are feeling unwell, are a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19, waiting for a COVID-19 test result or are self-isolating.
These workshops are made possible thanks to generous support from New Zealand Film Commission, Creative Communities Wellington and our venue sponsor Te Whaea National Dance and Drama Centre.
We’ve been busy zooming, emailing and texting as a team every day, creating a future for Script to Screen that can respond to and embrace change; and exploring new ways to connect our community and support our alumni’s wellbeing during these extraordinary times and we’re pleased to be launching our initiative, Awhi: Peer to Peer Conversations.
Script to Screen is establishing Awhi for alumni to draw on each other when a situation calls for an impartial phone conversation. It can give them a sounding board for an issue to be talked through, an idea tested, a problem solved or to simply have someone to call on that might have been in the same position as you.
Awhi is a safe space available to our whānau of filmmakers where they can be open and honest, get guidance in their careers, suggestions to progress their work and encouragement from someone who understands what it’s like in our film industry. Everyone who signs up to Awhi can be the maker and/or receiver of a call. This is the beginning of a community that supports each other through conversation – even if they have never met.
If you are an Alumni of one of our programmes we invite you to register here.
If you feel like your mental health is in crisis or are worried about the mental health of someone you know, please visit the Mental Health Foundation website for a list of some of the services available in New Zealand that offer support, information and help. All services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week unless otherwise specified.
Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
Healthline – 0800 611 116
Samaritans – 0800 726 666
In April 2020, Script to Screen established Awhi for alumni to draw on each other when a situation calls for an impartial phone conversation. It can give them a sounding board for an issue to be talked through, an idea tested, a problem solved or to simply have someone to call on that might have been in the same position as you.
Awhi is a safe space available to our whānau of filmmakers where they can be open and honest, get guidance in their careers, suggestions to progress their work and encouragement from someone who understands what it’s like in our film industry. Everyone who signs up to Awhi can be the maker and/or receiver of a call. This is the beginning of a community that supports each other through conversation – even if they have never met.
If you are an Alumni of one of our programmes we invite you to register.
How Awhi works:
Script to Screen will connect alumni for one-on-one video or phone conversations. Each person can use Awhi to be connected to a peer up to twice a year, and we suggest keeping the conversation to no longer than 60 mins.
When you want to make an Awhi call, fill out our Awhi Conversation Request Form so we can match you with the best person from the Awhi community.
Once we receive your submitted form, we will work to find a match and then connect you both via email. If you requested the call, then it is up to you to email the filmmaker we have connected you with to schedule a time for your conversation.
We will process all requests as they come in, however we will need to wait on a response from the peer we want to connect you with before we can come back to you, so allow for that in your planning.
If you feel like your mental health is in crisis or are worried about the mental health of someone you know, please visit the Mental Health Foundation website for a list of some of the services available in New Zealand that offer support, information and help. All services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week unless otherwise specified.
Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
Healthline – 0800 611 116
Samaritans – 0800 726 666
Tony Ayres is an award-winning Australian showrunner, writer and director, and is one of the founding members of internationally renowned Australian production company Matchbox Pictures, now owned by NBC Universal Studios. In 2018 Tony established his own production company Tony Ayres Productions (TAP), developing and producing feature films and television for global audiences and international marketplaces.
Tony was the showrunner on International Emmy and BAFTA nominated series, The Slap and an EP on its US remake. He co-created and was Executive Producer on multi-award winning series Glitch (3 seasons). He was also an executive producer on International Emmy nominated Wanted (3 seasons), and multi-award winning series The Devil’s Playground, Old School, Underground: The Julian Assange Story, and The Straits. He executive produced comedy series The Family Law (3 seasons), Bogan Pride and Maximum Choppage. He produced miniseries Barracuda and the multi- award winning Seven Types of Ambiguity. He directed the multi-award winning TV movie, Saved.
In children’s TV, Tony created and executive produced the International Emmy and BAFTA award winning Nowhere Boys and the telemovie based on the series, Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows. The series is internationally acclaimed, winning the AACTA Award for Best Children’s Television Series, two Logies, three Kidscreen Awards, a Rockie, and a Prix Jeunesse Award.
In feature films, Tony directed Cut Snake (2015), The Home Song Stories (2007) winner of 24 international and Australian awards, and Walking on Water (2002), which premiered at the Berlinale. He also EP’d feature films Ali’s Wedding and Lou.
Currently Tony is the showrunner for upcoming US Netflix series Clickbait, and co-created and EP’d the Matchbox/ABC refugee detention centre drama Stateless alongside Cate Blanchett and Elise McCredie. Stateless stars Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, Dominic West and Cate Blanchett.
The South Shorts Mentorship programme returns for 2020 with nine emerging filmmakers selected to take part. Under the leadership and guidance of renowned screenwriter Briar Grace-Smith, participants will develop their short film projects through a script-focused mentorship. Over a sixth-month period, the participants will get individual script notes from their mentor, do group script reads for peer feedback, and hear from experienced filmmakers about their process making short films.
Now in its sixth year, the programme is aimed at guiding emerging South Auckland affiliated talent to develop their short film scripts. The search for South Shorts participants begins with our annual two-day South Auckland Short Film Workshop, after which participants can apply for the mentorship programme.
“This group includes an exciting mix of experiences with participants coming from acting, playwriting, tertiary film courses and filmmaking, as well as those with a passion to tell stories.” says Programme Manager, Eloise Veber “We’re thrilled to find such talented storytellers for our South Shorts Mentorship Programme.”
The nine filmmakers (L – R) selected for South Shorts 2020 are:
Filmmakers who have been through this programme include Vea Mafileo (For My Father’s Kingdom), Jeremiah Tauamiti (Liliu), Hanelle Harris (Sis, Baby Mama’s Club) and Vela Manusaute (The Messiah).
South Shorts is made possible thanks to generous support from Foundation North and New Zealand Film Commission.
“This workshop honestly transformed my thinking about storytelling structures and opened up new possibilities in exciting and practical ways. It incorporated both big ideas thinking and also specific craft tools, which I will begin to use immediately in my writing. The workshop was rich in content and spoke well to many levels, including experienced, working screenwriters. ” – 2019 Melbourne Workshop Participant
We are excited to be bringing script guru Stephen Cleary to New Zealand to present this brilliant 2-day workshop in Auckland and Wellington.
Split into single-gender groups, people tell stories differently. Men often tell stories with all-male characters. Women rarely tell stories with all-female characters. Women together tend to maintain a theme across their stories. Men don’t. Women talk less. Men reveal less about themselves.
Gender variations within storytelling matter. Our understanding of screenwriting mostly comes from work done by men trying to figure out how the stories they told worked. The vast majority of those stories centred on male characters who were powerful or had access to power.
This workshop is about characters who aren’t male and powerful. How do you dramatise their stories, those characters, to make them compulsive? How do you tell stories about people who struggle for power, or who will never have power? Does power work differently for male and female characters (answer: yes)? How? Come to this workshop and find out, and with any luck change how you think about story structure, forever.
READ THE FULL WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
WELLINGTON
7 – 8 NOV 2019
Venue: Hunter Building Lecture Theatre 119 (HULT119),
Victoria University, Kelburn Parade, Wellington
Cost: $250 (+ GST). Tickets available via Eventbrite.
What to Bring: Pen and paper. Morning and afternoon tea will be provided. BYO Lunch.
Prepare for the Workshop: Links to Films and series that will be referenced during the lab are available here.
Presented in partnership with Victoria University of Wellington.
Stephen Cleary is available to do a limited number of assessments while he is in Auckland. To be eligible for one of these assessments you must have booked your ticket to the Power, Gender and New Story Structures workshop and register for an assessment by Friday 22 Nov, 9am.
You will get a one-on-one 90-minute meeting and 2 pages of notes. The script assessment fee is $500 +gst.
If you would like a TV series assessed, Stephen will need either the first episode script plus outline of the rest of the season and an overview of the project, or a synopsis of the story overall and a breakdown of episodes. Each spot is not actually reserved until payment is received.
Payment details:
Account Name: Script to Screen – Te Tari Kupu A Whakaahua
Account Number: 03 0255 0178775-00
Reference: Cleary90min – Your Name
REGISTER FOR A SCRIPT ASSESSMENT
“This workshop honestly transformed my thinking about storytelling structures and opened up new possibilities in exciting and practical ways. It incorporated both big ideas thinking and also specific craft tools, which I will begin to use immediately in my writing. The workshop was rich in content and spoke well to many levels, including experienced, working screenwriters. ” – 2019 Melbourne Workshop Participant
We are excited to be bringing script guru Stephen Cleary to New Zealand to present this brilliant 2-day workshop in Auckland and Wellington.
Split into single-gender groups, people tell stories differently. Men often tell stories with all-male characters. Women rarely tell stories with all-female characters. Women together tend to maintain a theme across their stories. Men don’t. Women talk less. Men reveal less about themselves.
Gender variations within storytelling matter. Our understanding of screenwriting mostly comes from work done by men trying to figure out how the stories they told worked. The vast majority of those stories centred on male characters who were powerful or had access to power.
This workshop is about characters who aren’t male and powerful. How do you dramatise their stories, those characters, to make them compulsive? How do you tell stories about people who struggle for power, or who will never have power? Does power work differently for male and female characters (answer: yes)? How? Come to this workshop and find out, and with any luck change how you think about story structure, forever.
READ THE FULL WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
AUCKLAND
30 Nov – 1 Dec 2019
Venue: Lecture Theatre WG404, Sir Paul Reeves Building
Auckland University of Technology – City Campus,
2 Gov Fitzroy Place, Auckland City
Cost:$250 (+ GST). Tickets available via Eventbrite.
What to Bring: Pen and paper. Morning and afternoon tea will be provided. BYO Lunch.
There are cafes in the area if you want to buy lunch.
Prepare for the Workshop: Links to Films and series that will be referenced during the lab are available here.
This workshop is presented in partnership with AUT
Stephen Cleary is available to do a limited number of assessments while he is in Auckland. To be eligible for one of these assessments you must have booked your ticket to the Power, Gender and New Story Structures workshop and register for an assessment by Wed 20 Nov, 5pm.
You will get a one-on-one 90-minute meeting and 2 pages of notes. The script assessment fee is $500 +gst.
If you would like a TV series assessed, Stephen will need either the first episode script plus outline of the rest of the season and an overview of the project, or a synopsis of the story overall and a breakdown of episodes. Each spot is not actually reserved until payment is received.
Payment details:
Account Name: Script to Screen – Te Tari Kupu A Whakaahua
Account Number: 03 0255 0178775-00
Reference: Cleary90min – Your Name
REGISTER FOR A SCRIPT ASSESSMENT
Script to Screen and the New Zealand Film Commission have partnered on the development of 16 short films. The teams behind the films were selected from a very competitive round of 106 applications; and will attend a three-day residential development lab this November as part of the Fresh Shorts initiative.
The Fresh Shorts programme offers grants of up to $15,000 to six new or emerging filmmaker teams to make a short film. The selection also includes experienced filmmakers in new roles. As part of the selection process, each team will attend a three-day development lab in the Auckland region where they will receive tailored script feedback from industry mentors and participate in group workshops to further develop their scripts and strengthen their skills for future projects.
Following the lab and submission of the re-worked projects, six teams will be selected to receive a grant of up to $15,000 to make their short film. An announcement will be made early February 2020.
The 16 selected teams and their projects are (L-R):
Fresh Shorts is a New Zealand Film Commission initiative run in partnership with Script to Screen.
Script to Screen brings a one and a half day workshop on screenwriting to Rotorua. This is your opportunity to learn from IIML’s Master of Scriptwriting programme director, Ken Duncum.
We are excited to be bringing this interactive and practical workshop to the Bay of Plenty aimed at helping you navigate through the complexities of writing a feature film. Over the course of one weekend, Ken Duncum will coach and cajole you through a process of developing your own film idea, giving you tips for finding and building a story that resonates.
Don’t miss this interactive and practical workshop that will help you navigate through the complexities of writing a feature film.
“Ken Duncum is an exceptional teacher. The structure and underlying philosophy of his approach to script writing provides me with the perspective and courage to write more and write better . ”
– 2018 Auckland Workshop participant
When:
Sat 24 Aug, 9am – 4pm
Sun 25 Aug, 10am – 3pm
Where:
Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
Rotorua Mokoia Campus, Gate 1, G Block – Lecture Theatre G210. The lecture theatre is an accessible space.
Directions: Enter the Campus at Gate 1, drive straight down the driveway until you reach block G. Parking is to the left of the building. After entering the building, come to level 2 via stairs or elevator.
Cost: General Admission $20 (incl. GST). Tickets available via Eventbrite
What to Bring: Pen and paper. Morning and afternoon tea will be provided. BYO Lunch. There are cafes in the area, and the campus is 5mins drive from central Rotorua. There will be space available to eat your lunch if you would like to bring it with you.
Who it is for: This workshop is aimed at emerging to established filmmakers who are writing a feature film. However 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. Suitable for ages 17+.
This workshop is presented in partnership with the Bay of Plenty Film Office, and is made possible with financial support from Rotorua District Creative Communities and the New Zealand Film Commission.
