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.
Six filmmaking teams have been selected for funding through the 2020 round of Fresh Shorts and will each receive a grant of $15,000 to make their short film.
The final six were selected from a pool of 97 applications. 18 teams were shortlisted and given feedback from independent assessors. Supported by Fresh Shorts facilitator Miriam Smith they submitted a more detailed application to Whiringa Tuarua – Stage Two in January. From the 18 submissions, six were selected.
Script to Screen and the New Zealand Film Commission will partner to support the development of these films with a two-day lab in March and a six-week mentorship process following the lab to get the teams shoot ready.
Chris Payne, Head of International Relations and Fresh Shorts panel member at the New Zealand Film Commission said, “The panel was impressed with the originality, diversity, and strength of the directors’ voices, they all have something important to say, and we’re excited to support their progression.”
Jackie Dennis, Executive Director of Script to Screen who was also part of the selection process said, “This is a fantastic group of filmmakers who have really engaging stories to tell – and it’s a ground shift to see five of the six directors are female! We are now tailoring the two-day workshop and mentorship support to match the needs of each team and their project.”
The 6 selected teams and their projects are:
Fresh Shorts is a New Zealand Film Commission initiative run in partnership with Script to Screen.
Auckland has now moved into Alert Level 2. This workshop is going ahead under Alert Level 2 restrictions.
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, are waiting for a COVID-19 test result or are self-isolating.
Script to Screen is excited to bring you our first workshop for 2021! Join us this February to jumpstart your feature film idea or revitalise an old one. This interactive and practical two-day workshop will give you the tools you need to propel your feature film project forward.
On day one, writer/director Hamish Bennett (Bellbird) will teach you how to build your screen story around interesting, original and compelling characters. Then producer Emma Slade (The Justice of Bunny King, Come To Daddy, The Changeover) will give you invaluable insight into what’s needed to produce a feature film.
On day two, Hamish Bennett will return to talk about his directing process, then producer Karin Williams will help you devise a dynamic logline that gets your project noticed.
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 20th – Sunday 21st February 2021
9:15am – 5:00pm each day
St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont St, Ponsonby, Auckland
(Free off-street parking available)
Who it is for: Emerging to established filmmakers. 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.
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 or there are plenty of cafes in the area if you wish to buy lunch.
Workshop Schedule
Saturday 20th Feb 2021
Sunday 21st Feb 2021
This Script to Screen workshop is made possible thanks to generous support from Auckland Council Creative Communities and the New Zealand Film Commission.
The South Shorts Mentorship programme returns in 2021 with ten emerging filmmakers selected to take part. Under the leadership and guidance of renowned screenwriter and director Briar Grace-Smith (Cousins, The Strength of Water), participants will develop their short film projects through a script-focused mentorship.
Now in its sixth year, the programme guides emerging South Auckland affiliated talent to develop their short film scripts. Over a sixth-month period, the participants get individual script notes from Briar Grace-Smith, meet for workshops where they do group script read-throughs, and hear from guest filmmakers about their experience making short films.
“Since its inception in 2015, South Shorts has seen numerous alumni gone on to make films. The programme provides a safe space for aspiring and emerging South Auckland filmmakers to gain confidence in themselves as writers while building a sense of community within the industry,” says Eloise Veber, Script to Screen Programme Manager. “Ultimately we want to see more stories from South Auckland filmmakers produced and seen by audiences. We feel so privileged to continue to do this work thanks to support from our funders.”
The search for South Shorts Mentorship participants begins with our annual two-day South Auckland Short Film Workshop held each year in October.
Congratulations to the filmmakers selected for South Shorts 2021:
The South Shorts Mentorship Programme is made possible thanks to generous support from Foundation North with additional support from the New Zealand Film Commission.
Script to Screen is delighted to announce the projects and teams selected to take part in Series Bootcamp 2020, a programme created to nurture emerging and mid-career writers and producers as they develop their series concepts.
The teams will workshop their series concepts over two stages. At stage one, each team will have an online session with an advisor from the U.S. The two advisors, Laurence Andries (VP of Programming at the Writer’s Guild Foundation, How to Get Away with Murder, Blue Bloods, Six Feet Under) and Jill Goldsmith (Boston Legal, Law & Order, Rizzoli & Isles), will give feedback on how to further develop the concept to appeal to an international audience. The teams will bring that feedback to stage two and attend a two-day intensive workshop to continue to develop their concepts with exceptional local story and producer advisors. Some participants are experienced in other formats so the workshop will also cover the nuances of writing and producing series for the screen.
For this first Series Bootcamp, Script to Screen received 61 applications. Three external selectors went through a robust process compiling a shortlist of 15 and ultimately selected seven projects to be developed. They said “there was so much evident talent – freshness, originality & skill. We wished there were more places to offer. To have made the shortlist was a real mark of quality, and the selection was passionately argued. Our congratulations to all the chosen teams – the future is bright!”
Script to Screen thanks all the filmmakers who applied.
Congratulations to the teams whose series concepts will be developed at Series Bootcamp 2020:
Series Bootcamp is made possible thanks to generous support from the New Zealand Film Commission, US Embassy and the US Arts Envoy.
The 2020 South Auckland Short Film Workshop is a two-day workshop to learn the art of making short films. Whether you’re new to filmmaking or have some experience, we are calling everyone who aspires to tell their stories on screen to come and learn what it takes to bring your film to life.
This workshop is intended for people who either live in South Auckland or have a connection with the area.
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 pitching to funders and collaborators. Speakers include Marina McCartney (Milk & Honey, Vai), Todd Karehana (Ahikāroa, My Brother Mitchell) and Nikki Si’ulepa (Same But Different, Mā, Snow in Paradise)
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: Saturday 31 Oct – Sunday 1 Nov 2020, 9am – 5pm each day
Where: Te Haa o Manukau – Ground Floor, 2 Osterley Way, Manukau.
$5 all-day parking is available at 50 Manukau Station Road – an Auckland Transport carpark next to the bus station which is a short walk to the venue.
Cost: General Admission $5.75 (incl GST). Tickets via Eventbrite.
What to Bring: Pen and paper. Morning and afternoon tea will be provided. Please bring lunch with you or there are plenty of cafes in the area to buy lunch and there is space available to eat your lunch if you bring it with you.
Participants from this workshop will be eligible to apply for Script to Screen’s South Shorts 2021 Mentorship Programme. Read more about South Shorts 2021.
Image: Money Honey written and directed by Isaac Knights-Washbourn. Winner of NZIFF Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts Best Film Award and Show Me Shorts 2020 Best Director Award.
MARINA MCCARTNEY
Marina was born and raised in Manukau City, New Zealand. From a Geordie Father, Samoan Mother and Cook Islands step-Mother, she is interested in how cultural heritage effects the way we are viewed and how we view others. She holds an MA in Screen Production (First Class Honours) and is an award-winning filmmaker and academic. Her areas of expertise are Pacific Studies, Pacific filmmaking, Pacific representation on screen and of the Pacific woman. She is a PhD candidate and Vice Chancellor’s Doctoral Scholar exploring Pacific filmmaking and is developing a range of projects including her next feature film, The Return.
TODD KAREHANA
Todd Karehana (Ngai Te Rangi, Ngāti Awa, Ngati Ruapani) is an experimental storyteller with a passion for creating new images of minorities. He has five years’ experience in the New Zealand film and television industry with companies such as Kura Productions, Pango Productions, and Piki Films. Alumni of the Masters in Screen Production programme at The University of Auckland, Karehana was the writer and director on several short films such as The Kweenz of Kelston, and My Brother Mitchell – which screened at numerous international film festivals. His recent credits include; storyliner, writer, script editor and Social Media Manager on drama series Ahikāroa, storyliner and writer on children’s animated series The Exceptional Squad, Social Media Manager on animated series Aroha Bridge, and, writing support on feature film Ngā Pouwhenua.
NIKKI SI’ULEPA
Nikki Si’ulepa is an award winning actor, writer, director and camera operator of Samoan heritage from the villages of Sātalo and Solaūa. Nikki’s short films have screened at international film festivals including Berlinale, Tribeca, Sydney, NZIFF, and imagineNATIVE. Her debut NZFC funded short film, Snow in Paradise was shot entirely on location in Aitutaki, Cook Islands and was selected for the Berlinale in 2011 and again for the NATIVe program in 2019. Nikki was one of 250 participants and the only Kiwi/Pacific Islander selected from over 7,000 applicants for the Berlinale Talents program in 2017. Nikki’s self funded her next short film, Ma, and Aroha was one of ten short films in the K’Rd Stories collection. Nikki next short, Counting Cars (post production), was an experiment to test her working relationship with her wife, Rachel Aneta Wills, in anticipation of their romantic comedy feature film Same But Different: A True NZ Love Story. Nikki is currently in post production with short film, This is Your Half Hour Call and is developing a television series and two feature films. Nikki likes vegan Magnum ice-cream.
Saturday 31st October
Sunday 1st November
Script to Screen is delighted to announce the projects and filmmakers awarded places at Story Camp Aotearoa 2020, a residential feature film lab that fosters craft, voice and vision. The lab, which takes place in Port Waikato, is tailored to meet the specific development needs of each project. Nine selected projects with 11 writers and six producers will workshop their feature films over the week with exceptional local advisors, and international advisors who are attending virtually.
This year Script to Screen received an astounding 116 applications. Three experienced independent practitioners went through a rigorous process compiling a shortlist of 19 and ultimately selecting nine projects to be developed at Story Camp in November. We would like to thank all the filmmakers who applied.
“The calibre of applications this year surpassed expectations, making the selection process both tough and rewarding for the selectors. We are delighted with the breadth of exceptional stories selected, and particularly excited to see emerging filmmakers secure places within this highly competitive round” says Story Camp Programme Director Esther Cahill-Chiaroni.
Congratulations to the filmmakers whose feature film projects will be developed at Story Camp Aotearoa 2020:
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.
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