Big Screen Symposium & Script to Screen

In this podcast, storyteller and film director Sebastián Lelio gives a masterclass on the film experience, conceived as a two-way dialogue between filmmaker and spectator. Sebastián uses examples from his Academy Award-winning feature film A Fantastic Woman to demonstrate ways a filmmaker can offer opportunities to a spectator to reframe how they see the world. This session is presented by Images...

What happens when the process for taking your film to market, securing international sales, attending festivals and ensuring an audience sees your film is disrupted by a pandemic? In this Podcast New Zealand feature film producers Georgina Conder (co-producer of Cousins) and Vicky Pope (producer of Savage) talk to entertainment lawyer Sarah Cull about their experiences taking Cousins and Savage to...

In this TALK, globally recognised speaker on fans and online communities Sacha Judd and Gemma Gracewood editor-in-chief at Letterboxd go through some case studies to show the power of fans. They discuss fans, merchandise, cosplay, conventions, and the delightful power of letting your audience help chart your project’s course—all the way to a sequel, a franchise, a spin-off and beyond.    

Have you ever found yourself confused by music rights, or grappling with decisions about soundtrack or score for your film, TV or online project? Wondering what the difference is between publishing rights and master rights? Music can enhance visual expression when used well, setting a mood or atmosphere. But licensing agreements need to be negotiated and it can become complicated and expensive if...

In this online talk, Script to Screen invited Australian powerhouse creatives – showrunner/screenwriter/director/producer Tony Ayres  (Stateless, The Slap, The Home Song Stories) and producer  Kristina Ceyton  (The Nightingale, The Babadook) to discuss Building a Slate You Believe In with moderator  Karin Williams . Despite the pandemic impacting screen production, distribution and exhibition, the...

Script to Screen is excited to bring you a late-night TALK  with award-winning director Jessica Hobbs, in conversation with moderator Rob Sarkies. Jessica started her career in New Zealand and has risen to work on some of our favourite series made in Australia and the United Kingdom. Jessica has directed episodes of The Split, Apple Tree Yard, Broadchurch and most recently multi-award-winning show...

What stories do you need your production materials to tell? Defining EPK, B-Roll, BTS, Featurette, Making-of, Fan Service Videos, Partner video promos etc. The power of BTS stills & video for building engagement. How to be smart with tight resources. What decisions to make before going on set? Connecting your publicity stories to your main story. In this session, EPK, BTS, OMG, publicist and found...

  Now that you know everything, where do you start? In this session Coffee and Publicity we hear from speakers Adria Buckton from Trigger Marketing Publicity, and Leanda Borrett Marketing and Publicity Manager at TVNZ in a korero about NZ On Air’s Music Publicist Mentoring scheme, aka “the coffee cup fund”, which was set up in the midst of Covid to help self-managed artists plan their publicity st...

We know: you’re busy, you’re underfunded, you have deadlines, you can’t keep up with one of your social media accounts, let alone all of them - and yet, other busy creatives have time to also start a podcast? How to prioritise your public persona. In this session, Chris Henry Director of 818 and PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE speaks to powerhouse duo Miranda Harcourt internationally recognised acting Coach,...

Being prepared for international sales with the best materials possible; what international publicists’ pitches look like; multicultural marketing in the North American context; what it’s like doing Zoom junkets; coming out the other side of Covid; cultural competence, and other global issues to be aware of. In this session Hello World we hear from two publicists working in the US. Gemma Gracewood...

From Takaro Tribe’s talking dolls to Kiri & Lou fan-made birthday cakes; from Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s Instagram stickers to Officer O’Leary and Officer Minogue delivering Covid safety messages, fan service can take many forms. A dive into fans, fandom, merchandise, cosplay, fan-cons, and the delightful power of letting your audience chart your course—all the way to a sequel, a franchise, a spi...

A deeper dive into the world of creating online buzz and meeting audiences where they already are. Which social channel is right for your story—and why you don’t have to use them all. Empowering your artists as your social superstars. How to pivot when you find an unexpected audience. Gifs, memes & quirky bits, and how to take Gen Z into account (aka not be cringe). In this session The Digital Mar...

Despite the power of social, conventional media still plays a pivotal role in connecting your stories to Aotearoa audiences. Hear how today’s editors approach coverage of arts and entertainment for their audiences, and how you can get a story placed. Simon Day, Commercial Editorial Director at The Spinoff, Kate Rodger Entertainment Editor and Film reviewer from NewsHub, Carmen Parahi Pou Tiaki Edi...

In May 2021 Script to Screen partnered with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective to present the A to Z of Screen Publicity Workshop. The workshop’s purpose was to support the industry to increase discoverability by audiences for the shows being made. The sessions were recorded and this is one of ten that you can listen to. Opening remarks were made by Jackie Dennis Executive Director at Scrip...

Mā te huruhuru te manu ka rere (with feathers the bird can fly) What do publicists do? In two case studies, we look at the holistic role of a publicist - why bringing them in early and keeping them through unit and release bridges the gap between your project and your audience (and provides care of artists along the way). What a publicist needs from you to make it happen. In this session publicist...

H He aha te mea nui o te Ao? (What is the most important thing in the world?) He tangata! He tangata! He tangata! People (audience), people (publicists), people (creatives) Who is your target audience? How do you know? Statistics or Intuition? How does what they think, feel and do connect with the story you have to tell, and how can you transform that alignment into a devoted throng? In this sessi...

In the wake of Covid-19, the Government announced a screen sector recovery package. This package includes a Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund of $50m to support the production of high-quality feature films or series dramas that tell strong Aotearoa New Zealand stories with international appeal. This session opens with an address from Hon. Carmel Sepuloni (Minister for Arts, Cult...

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 Mark Chamberlain...

Many of us long to see ourselves and our communities represented on screen. Filmmakers are in the unique position of being able to bring to life the diverse characters and worlds we want to see. But with power comes responsibility. It can be a hard task navigating the balance between staying true to your story while satisfying the audience’s expectations for your character. Especially if those cha...

In Kenyan filmmaker, Wanuri Kahiu’s Keynote address, she explores the AFROBUBBLEGUM movement. What if our art, our stories, our voices were more about celebrating joy than overcoming suffering? Would we think ourselves more worthy of happiness? Using examples of joy traditions and cultures expressed through African art, Wanuri presents an argument for the zeitgeist of joy and hope. This session is...

CEO of the Swedish Film Institute, Anna Serner, has garnered international attention for her radical work towards gender equality in the screen industry.  In this electrifying talk, she provokes us to think differently about gender equality and lays out her step-by-step plan to achieve it. This session is presented by  WIFT NZ . Anna's keynote address took place on Saturday 28 Oct at the Big Scree...

Premiering at Berlin in 2019, VAI is the second feature to come from the team behind groundbreaking 2017 film, WARU.  A collaborative anthology, the film brings nine Pasifika female writer/directors together to realise a story that follows the life of a woman named Vai as she travels across the Pacific.  A film about empowerment through culture, we hear how these nine trailblazing women brought th...

The Right Honorable Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is also our Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, focuses her keynote address on the value of storytellers to New Zealand culture.  Laying a challenge to government to shift focus from the economic impact of the screen industry to the importance of storytellers and their place in modern society.  How does storytelling impact the way we navi...

Anna Dean  works at the forefront of audience engagement across the digital, film and social landscapes.  In this session, Anna shares key learnings on changes to audience engagement in recent years. She provides practical tips to help you articulate your project in a way that connects, and challenges you to think about what your audience actually wants rather than what you think they should know....

Can new technologies address environmental issues and competing world views?  Leading global thinker, Lynette Wallworth discusses her work in the Virtual and Augmented Reality sphere and the ways in which she “brings together technological advances and ancient understandings, new media and old practices, electronics and the electricity of human touch.” Lynette's session took place on Friday 27 Oct...