Big Screen Symposium & Script to Screen

Embracing the Meme: Harnessing the power of fans to increase your reach

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.
 
 

Don‘t Give up on your Dream Soundtrack

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 you don’t plan well. This TALK will help you get your dream soundtrack by demystifying the jargon and giving some helpful tips to guide you about music choices, music rights, and how to effectively communicate with your composer.
Music supervisor Karyn Rachtman (Pulp Fiction, Boogie Nights, Moulin Rogue) and screen composer and music editor Samuel Flynn Scott (Phoenix Foundation, Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, The Gulf) will chat to our Executive Director, Jackie Dennis about what they think filmmakers should consider when thinking about soundtrack and score.

Building a Slate you Believe in

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 development process for screen projects is able to continue and in some cases thrive. In this TALK, the panel will delve into curating the talent you work with and how to decide which projects to work on.
Now more than ever a captive audience demands engaging content. Tony Ayres and Kristina Ceyton’s feature films and television series demonstrate each of their abilities to produce projects that please both audiences and critics.
Tony is well known for creating some of Australia’s most revered film and television drama including The Home Song Stories, Nowhere Boys, The Slap, Glitch and most recently Stateless – created and executive produced with Cate Blanchett and Elise McCredie. Stateless is a series about the people caught up in Australia’s immigration system, it premiered at Berlinale this year and Netflix acquired global rights (release date soon to be announced).
Kristina’s most recent films, allegorical thriller The Babadook, historical thriller The Nightingale (both directed by Jennifer Kent) and Buoyancy (dir. Rodd Rathjen) about 14-year-old Chakra who is sold as slave labour to the captain of a Thai fishing vessel, all deal with challenging subject matter and have gone on to be award-winning films.

Late Night TALK with Jessica Hobbs

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 The Crown. She directed two episodes of Season 3, including the finale starring Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. She has gone on to direct three episodes of Season 4 including the finale.
Before moving to the UK Jessica was the lead director on the award-winning series The Slap, directed episodes of Rake and Love My Way, and won an Australian Directors Guild Award for her work on Devil’s Dust. She was also awarded the Australian Film Institute Award for ABC mini-series, Answered by Fire.
In this Script to Screen TALK, Jessica will join us live from London to talk to director Rob Sarkies (The Gulf, Consent, Jean, Two Little Boys, Wanted, Out of the Blue, Scarfies). They will discuss what it is like working on a series drama in the UK right now, her approach to directing, and her ambitions for the future.
 

EPK, BTS, OMG: Smart strategies for getting all the materials for all media on set

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 founding member of the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective Courtney Mayhew spoke with photographer Kirsty Griffin,  writer/director Todd Karehana and Selwyn Kumar a Social and Digital producer at TVNZ about Smart Strategies for getting all the materials for all media on set.
This Podcast is part of The A-Z of Screen Publicity workshop sessions.  The two-day workshop was run by Script to Screen in partnership with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and was held on 7 & 8 May 2021 in Auckland.

COFFEE AND PUBLICITY: Getting the best out of an hour with a publicist

 
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 strategies. How can it be adapted to suit screen creatives? The first ten questions a publicist will ask you, and how to come in prepared for success.
This Podcast is part of The A-Z of Screen Publicity workshop sessions.  The two-day workshop was run by Script to Screen in partnership with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and was held on 7 & 8 May 2021 in Auckland.

PERSONAL BRANDING: Making Authentic Connections with your Own Audience

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, Actor and Director, and NZ Playwright and Director Stuart Mckenzie in a korero about Personal Branding and Making Authentic Connections with your own Audience.
This Podcast is part of The A-Z of Screen Publicity workshop sessions.  The two-day workshop was run by Script to Screen in partnership with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and was held on 7 & 8 May 2021 in Auckland.

HELLO WORLD: Getting the Temperature of America as the World Re Opens

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 who is Editor-in-Chief at Letterboxd, and a founding member of the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective talks to David Magdael a Publicist who has over two decades in PR and marketing for award-winning documentary films, indie features and broadcast content. Followed by Michelle Huff Elliot Co-Founder and Partner at Strategic Heights Media in korero to Brooke Hawe the communications manager at 387 Entertainment.  Michelle manages strategic publicity campaigns for high-end clients, she talks to Brooke about what international publicists’ pitches look like and multicultural marketing in the North-American context.
This Podcast is part of The A-Z of Screen Publicity workshop sessions.  The two-day workshop was run by Script to Screen in partnership with the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective (ASPC) and was held on 7 & 8 May 2021 in Auckland.