Big Screen Symposium & Script to Screen

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, Culture and Heritage) who launched the Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund (Pūtea Kiriata Hiranga - Premium Fund) at the Big Screen Symposium. Then producer Emma Sladetalks to Annabelle Sheehan (NZ Film Commission), Cameron Harland (NZ On Air) and Larry Parr (Te Māngai Pāho) asking questions about the fund. The Premium Fund is jointly administered between the NZFC and NZ On Air, and is developed in partnership with Te Māngai Pāho. Essential information on the fund and the guidelines are available on the NZFC Website.

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.

  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.

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.

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.

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 spin-off and beyond. In this session, Tamar Münch asks the Writer, Actor, Producer of Paranormal Activity Paul Yates, and Sacha Judd Director of Hoku Group and Super-fan how they Embrace the Meme. This korero covers the importance of Engaging with Fans. 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.

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 Marae, Kenny Williams a Brand and Marketing Strategist talks about creating an online buzz for your project and taking an Iwi approach to building a community. This korero is all about making sure your sh*t is valid on social media 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.

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 Editor at Stuff, and Lisa Taouma director and producer at Coconet TV and Tiki Productions, in a korero about MAPPING AOTEAROA’S MEDIA LANDSCAPE IN 2021. 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.

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 Script to Screen, Gemma Gracewood founding member of Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective and Amie Mills Head of Funding at NZ On Air.  

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 and mentor, Sue May spoke to Ainsley Gardiner, Co-Director, Cousins; Chris Henry, Managing Director of 818 and PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE, Roseanne Liang, Director of Shadow in the Cloud and Creamerie; and Courtney Mayhew, Publicist from matter about THE CREATOR / PUBLICIST RELATIONSHIP: Setting Yourself Up for Success with Culturally Competent Connectors. 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.

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 session A IS FOR AUDIENCE Gemma Gracewood who is Editor-in-Chief at Letterboxd, and a founding member of the Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective spoke to Rueben Wiremu Senior Manager, TVNZ Marketing, Amatailevi Stella Muller Director at Bright Sunday and Stephen Smith Head of Audience Strategy at Radio New Zealand about Creating a Real Connection Between Your Story And Its 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 as part of the  A-to-Z of Screen Publicity programme.

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 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

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 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.

In this session filmmaker David Lowery uses a scene from his latest feature The Old Man & the Gun as a starting point to follow the evolution of an idea from first draft to final cut. He leads us on his own very specific filmmaking journey in order to explore the tangents and the detours that inspiration can take on its way to the big screen. This session is presented by The Weta Group of Companies. David's session took place on Friday 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. This podcast is available on Podbean, Spotify and Apple.

Michael Bennett, Miriama McDowell, Jessica Hansell, and Todd Karehana each give their take on our theme Authenticity & Pretence in the context of their recent projects, working practice, and view of the world. Presented by NZ On Air This session took place on Sunday 1 October, 9.30am 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.                     .