Big Screen Symposium & Script to Screen

Writer/director, David Lowery’s keynote address dissects his experience of capturing the zeitgeist in his career to date.  How can you ensure your story is relevant and interesting to modern audiences?  David breaks down his rollercoaster ride from trying to make films for posterity to making films that affect people deeply and collaborating closely with a tight-knit filmmaking family. This session is presented by Screen Auckland. David's keynote address took place on Saturday 28 Oct at the Big Screen Symposium 2018 in Auckland, NZ. The Big Screen Symposium is New Zealand's annual premiere film event, proudly brought to you by Script to Screen and janda. This podcast is available on Podbean, Spotify and Apple. 

There are times for all filmmakers where there is no clear path ahead. Lynette Walworth and David Lowery share insights from their filmmaking journeys with moderator, Brita McVeigh. They explore the roadblocks they’ve faced, the deviations from the path and ultimately the way through in this intimate and enlightening conversation. This session is presented by Fish Entertainment. David and Lynette's session took place on Saturday 28 Oct at the Big Screen Symposium 2018 in Auckland, NZ. The Big Screen Symposium is New Zealand's annual premiere film event, proudly brought to you by Script to Screen and janda. This podcast is available on Podbean, Spotify and Apple. 

Fremantle’s Director of Drama, Jo Porter joins Phillipa Campbell in conversation to discuss her experience developing, producing and selling the trailblazing six-part Australian television series PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK. Together they explore the powers and pressures of adapting a beloved novel and the process of navigating a co-commission. This podcast is available on Podbean, Spotify and Apple. Jo's session took place on Fri 27 Oct at the Big Screen Symposium 2018 in Auckland, NZ. The Big Screen Symposium is New Zealand's annual premiere film event, proudly brought to you by Script to Screen and janda.

Stop-motion animation has enjoyed a renaissance over the past two decades despite the advancement of modern animation techniques. World-renowned experts in this field, Rachel Larsen and Antony Elworthy share insights into how they bring stop motion productions to life with filmmakers like Tim Burton, Wes Anderson and Harry Sinclair. Antony and Rachel's session took place on Saturday 28 Oct at the Big Screen Symposium 2018 in Auckland, NZ. The Big Screen Symposium is New Zealand's annual premiere film event, proudly brought to you by Script to Screen and janda. This podcast is available on Podbean, Spotify and Apple.

Got a script in development? Have you thought about your audience?

Listen to this Script to Screen TALK and find out what local distributors consider before they take on a project for distribution. Having a strong script and a great filmmaking team is not enough. Most often, unlocking NZ Film Commission production funding depends on a commitment from a local distributor. Hear from Tony Bald at Paramount Pictures, Andrew Cozens at Madman, Nigel Forsyth at Studio Canal and Kelly Rogers at Rialto Distribution. Moderator Emma Slade talks to the panelists about what they look for and why, including genre and story elements, team, and at what stage of development they like to get on board. This talk took place on Thursday 9 November, 2017  at 6:15 pm at the Basement Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand.  

Moderated by Brita McVeigh.

David Michôd and Luke Davies have been in Los Angeles, living and working in close proximity a lot of the time for nigh on 10 years.

They talk to Brita McVeigh about their quite different respective experiences of this Hollywood chapter of their lives, their observation of each other’s individual working processes, and their feedback loops on each other’s projects.

They are now working together as co-showrunners of the TV adaptation of CATCH 22, in development. They explore how the collaboration is taking shape: how they have been writing together, how they attempt to create flow, how they try to be efficient, and how they are dividing the labour.

This session took place on Sunday 1st October, 2:40pm at the Big Screen Symposium 2017 in Auckland, NZ.

The Big Screen Symposium is New Zealand's annual premiere film event, proudly brought to you by Script to Screen and J&A Productions.

Moderated by Brita McVeigh. 

“An exquisite, beautifully shot meditation on love clouded by fear and doubt.” LOVESONG REVIEW, New York Times, Stephen Holden

Experienced independent director So Yong Kim is known for creating intimacy and atmosphere in her critically acclaimed films IN BETWEEN DAYS, TREELESS MOUNTAIN, FOR ELLEN and LOVESONG. In this session she talks about working with the actors to create this mood, and cultivating an individual voice when directing feature films.

As a sought after episodic director for leading series TRANSPARENT, AMERICAN CRIME, QUEEN SUGAR and ROOM 104, So Yong will contrast her feature film experience to directing episodic television using someone else’s blueprint.

So Yong Kim's session took place on Sunday 1st October, 11:10am  at the Big Screen Symposium 2017 in Auckland, NZ.

The Big Screen Symposium is New Zealand's annual premiere film event, proudly brought to you by Script to Screen and J&A Productions.

Presented by Images and Sound

Leading distribution strategist Peter Broderick gives an up-to-the-minute overview of the lay of the land, the opportunities, and the perils of distribution. This session is designed to empower filmmakers to design the best roadmaps for their projects.

In this masterclass Peter reviews possible destinations, and explains the importance of starting with clearly defined goals. He demonstrates how traditional routes often turn into dead ends including wide theatrical distribution; highlights promising new paths such as semi-theatrical campaigns; and addresses how essential windows are in marking the legs of the journey. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how you can reach your potential audience in today’s world.

Presented by Loading Docs

Peter's session took place on Sunday October 1st, 11:10am at the Big Screen Symposium 2017 in Auckland, NZ.

The Big Screen Symposium is New Zealand's annual premiere film event, proudly brought to you by Script to Screen and J&A Productions.

Moderated by Shuchi Kothari.

During this in-depth craft focused session, David Michôd delves into his directorial process and approach with moderator Shuchi Kothari.

Find out how David develops his vision for the look and feel of a film, and ensures it translates on to the screen. David will share his aesthetic preparation including the way he collaborates with DoPs, production designers and actors in pre-production and on set.

Having moved from gritty debut breakout ANIMAL KINGDOM to THE ROVER that was in official selection at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival then big budget Netflix WAR MACHINE, David addresses how scale has impacted his directorial vision and process.

David's session took place on Saturday 30th September, 3:00pm at the Big Screen Symposium 2017 in Auckland, NZ.

The Big Screen Symposium is New Zealand's annual premiere film event, proudly brought to you by Script to Screen and J&A Productions.

Los Angeles based Luke Davies is one of Australia’s most sought after writers. In this session, he delves into the challenges of adapting source material for the screen.

Luke adapted his own novel Candy for the screen, and the book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley into LION, which went on to be nominated for 2017 Academy Awards Best Adapted Screenplay and to win a BAFTA in this same category.

His current work includes BEAUTIFUL BOY, an adaptation of a memoir chronicling meth addiction and recovery through the eyes of a father, produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B, directed by Academy Award nominated Felix van Groeningen and starring Steve Carrell; and a six-part limited series adaptation for television of the beloved Joseph Heller novel CATCH 22.

Luke talks about his creative process when working with existing material to create blueprints for compelling film and television. This includes tough decisions he has made, and craft problems he has solved.

Presented by South Pacific Pictures.

Luke's session took place on Saturday 30th September, 11:40am at the Big Screen Symposium 2017 in Auckland, NZ.

The Big Screen Symposium is New Zealand's annual premiere film event, proudly brought to you by Script to Screen and J&A Productions.