Big Screen Symposium & Script to Screen

Script to Screen was delighted to present this in-conversation with Lee Tamahori, one of New Zealand’s most successful and celebrated filmmakers. He is the director and co-writer of The Convert, starring Guy Pearce and Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne and premiering at Toronto International Film Festival where it was described as ‘a stunning, sweeping & action-packed historical epic’. Paula Morris moderated the discussion exploring Lee's approach to making the film, including story themes, ideology and past experiences that guided his decisions.

----more----

Lee Tamahori has an extraordinary body of work not limited to Once Were Warriors, Mulholland Falls, Along Came A Spider, Die Another Day, and more recently Mahana aka The Patriach.  ----more----

This talk contains Explicit Language and mentions domestic violence and sexual assault. These themes and topics could be upsetting for some listeners. Discretion is advised.  ----more----

This podcast is brought to you thanks to generous support from the New Zealand Film Commission, Foundation North, Images & Sound, White Studios and The Capitol Cinema.  

----more----

The voiceover was recorded by Jamie Irvine, and the music is by Podington Bear.  

You can read more about these speakers at our website www.script-to-screen.co.nz 

Explore the roots of accomplished New Zealand writers Briar Grace-Smith, Michael Bennett, and Pip Hall, and how they have each paved their way for a successful career in the screen industry. Jackie Dennis probes into their screenwriting process and seeks their advice for aspiring screenwriters including navigating writer's block and special tips. 

This talk was held in August 2023, at the Christchurch Screen Canterbury offices. 

----more----

Pip Hall writes for television and theatre and has won awards in both mediums. Pip’s most recent works are Jonah and One Lane Bridge.  

Briar Grace Smith – Writes for feature films and tv series. Most recently, Briar wrote and co-directed the Feature film Cousins and was a writer for  Season 2 of Rurangi. 

Michael Bennett – writes across many mediums, including novels, Tv series and feature films. His most recent release is The Gone, but our audience will also know mini-series In Dark Places and the feature film Matariki.   His novel Better the Blood is currently being adapted for the screen. 

Jackie Dennis, Executive Director of Script to Screen, moderated the conversation held in August of 2023 at the Screen CanterburyNZ offices. ----more----

This podcast is brought to you thanks to generous support from the New Zealand Film Commission, Te Puna Matarau, Screen CanterburyNZ, Images & Sound and South Island Media. ----more----

The voice-over was recorded by Jamie Irvine, and the music is by Podington Bear.  

You can read more about these speakers at our website www.script-to-screen.co.nz 

Experienced screenwriter, script editor and development producer Nicole Dade breaks down the script development process and discusses how to develop your own idea so that it moves forward. Nicole talks about the main structural element of the story, the story world, and examines how the importance of finding the heart and primal theme of the story is fundamental to its success. 

This talk was held in June 2023, at the Christchurch Screen Canterbury offices.  

----more----

Nicole is referencing slides throughout this talk, but it is easy to following her development essentials without them. 

This podcast contains one moment of strong language which hasn’t been censored.  

----more----

Nicole Dade is a screenwriter, story developer and story/script producer with 15 years’ international experience in TV, film and online scripted content. She is a screenwriter of original and commissioned work and also contributes to writers’ rooms as writer, script editor or script producer. A skilled story and script consultant, Nicole is highly regarded for her creative and strategic insight and for her expertise in screen story and genre craft...----more----

This podcast is brought to you thanks to generous support from the New Zealand Film Commission,  Te Puna Matarau,  Screen CanterburyNZ, White Studios and Images and Sound. ----more----

The voiceover was recorded by Jamie Irvine, and the music is by Podington Bear.  

You can read more about these speakers at our website www.script-to-screen.co.nz 

----more----

Episode Example (13min): The Beach | Full Episode | Bluey

----more----

This podcast is brought to you thanks to generous support from the: New Zealand Film Commission, Foundation North, Te Auaha NZ Institute of Creativity, The Capitol Cinema, White Studios and Images and Sound.  

----more----

The voiceover was recorded by Jamie Irvine and the music is by Podington Bear.   

You can read more about these speakers at our website www.script-to-screen.co.nz 

Three outstanding writer-directors, Welby Ings, Matthew J. Saville, and Paula Whetu Jones discuss their observations with producer Karin Williams in crafting feature films Punch, Whina and Juniper. If you are telling a story from real life, learn from the experiences of these filmmakers as they recall the creative choices used to weave these screen stories of truth, memory, and social history.  

This talk was recorded in Auckland, in March 2023.   ----more----

This podcast is brought to you thanks to generous support from the New Zealand Film Commission, Foundation North, White Studios and Images and Sound.  

The voice-over was recorded by Jamie Irvine, and the music is by Podington Bear.

You can read more about these speakers at our website www.script-to-screen.co.nz 

In our Opening Keynote Addresses, six creatives in roles integral to the filmmaking process respond to our theme Mana Auaha, Creative Power. Composer Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper, colourist Alana Cotton, costume designer Jane Holland, editor Jabez Olssen, production designer Ra Vincent, and unit stills photographer Kirsty Griffin each share insight into their individual creative process and what Mana Auaha means to them. This session is presented by Screen Auckland. The speakers are introduced by event MC and actor Morgana O’Reilly. 

The Big Screen Symposium was held in Auckland on the 9th and 10th of July 2022. 

In this session, Australian screenwriter and producer Shaun Grant speaks with NZ screenwriter Fiona Samuel about his adaptation process, how to choose your next project, and finding your voice as a writer. They touch on his feature films Snowtown, Berlin Syndrome, and most recently Nitram, which was the first Australian film to premiere In Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in a decade. This session is presented by Script to Screen.  

The Big Screen Symposium was held in Auckland on the 9th and 10th of July 2022. 

In this panel discussion presented by the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective, publicist Courtney Mayhew and comedian Joe Daymond dive into the importance of social media content and its role in helping your next project reaching its audience. They discuss building a successful strategy, what you need to stand out and how to do so while remaining authentic to your story and audience. This panel is moderated by Letterboxd Editor in Chief and Tangata Tiriti Chair of the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective, Gemma Gracewood.  

The Big Screen Symposium held in Auckland on the 9th and 10th of July 2022. 

In this conversation, ground-breaking writer turned showrunner and producer, Neil Gaiman, speaks with moderator Sacha Judd about the joys and constraints of adapting his stories for the screen. They discuss collaboration; bringing worlds and characters he created in the past into the present; and what he’s learnt steering projects as a showrunner including Netflix’s the Sandman, which was yet to be released at the time of recording. This session is presented by South Pacific Pictures. 

Update: this is now the Screen Industry Workers Act

The Screen Industry Worker’s Bill was introduced to Parliament in 2020 and is expected to pass in the coming months. In this panel discussion, Principal Policy Advisor at MBIE (Emby), Gayathiri Ganeshan; the Executive Director of SPADA, Sandy Gildea; ED of DEGANZ, Tui Ruwhiu; ED of the NZ Writer’s Guild Alice Shearman; and the director of Equity New Zealand, Denise Roche speak with producer-director Leanne Pooley, offering an overview of the Bill and what it means for the screen industry. This session is presented by the SAE Institute. 

The Big Screen Symposium was held in Auckland on the 9th and 10th of July 2022.