Big Screen Symposium & Script to Screen

Celebrating New Zealand talent the 2024 BSS Keynote address included seven New Zealand acting practitioners with unique stories and outlooks. In this podcast Lucy Lawless shares her thoughts on the BSS 2024 theme Stepping into the Unknown.  

This session, was presented by Te Mangai Paho. 

Celebrating New Zealand talent the 2024 BSS Keynote address included seven New Zealand acting practitioners with unique stories and outlooks. In this podcast Beulah Koale shares his thoughts on the BSS 2024 theme Stepping into the Unknown.  

This session, was presented by Te Mangai Paho. 

Celebrating New Zealand talent the 2024 BSS Keynote address included seven New Zealand acting practitioners with unique stories and outlooks. In this podcast Robyn Malcolm shares her thoughts on the BSS 2024 theme Stepping into the Unknown.  

This session, was presented by Te Mangai Paho.  

American writer, director and showrunner Lulu Wang speaks with NZ-based screenwriter Shuchi Kothari about her adaption process of the book The Expatriates, her journey finding her voice as a writer and her directing work. They touch on her feature film The Farewell which draws on a personal story for her, and more recently her six-episode drama series Expats which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and quickly became one of the most highly rated shows of the year. This session is presented by Images & Sound. 

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.

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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.  

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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. 

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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.  

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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.  

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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 

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

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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.  

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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.