“Telling a story in three minutes – let alone one that’s compelling, affecting, emotionally engaging or just purely entertaining – is a challenge that’s not for the faint of heart. On top of that, your brief is to capture something intangible, yet profoundly inspiring: the spirit of New Zealand, a country it’s possible you haven’t yet visited. For some of you, transporting yourself there on the page will take an extraordinary feat of imagination.”

Way back then, before even a single entry had been received, let’s face it – I had no idea if any of you would do it. I had no idea if it could even be done. None of us did. Maybe when you first saw the brief, you didn’t either.

But you did all of those things. You imagined yourself in New Zealand. Wherever you are in the world, you looked at this place from the inside out and you wrote your stories as if it was your place. As New Zealanders in spirit, you engaged us, affected us, made us laugh and above all, entertained us with your entries.

New Zealand is a place that has to be seen, its air breathed and its earth walked. Here, you can climb into cloud-capped peaks and find an untouched lake that has your name on it. You can traverse a single country and feel as though you’ve travelled the world, with the photo album to prove it. You’ll find tranquility that can being peace to a troubled heart, or you can grab a choc-top with sprinkles, then do some seriously outrageous bombs. And you can be alone in a pristine wilderness, where it’s easy to imagine that you’re the first who has ever walked there – a place so perfect and close to your heart that you feel as though you might have created it yourself.

Those aren’t my thoughts – they’re yours. You created them, among many others, and in order to do so, you showed that you can imagine a little of what it’s like to spend some time in the youngest country on Earth. Now that you’ve imagined it, we hope you’ll visit and see New Zealand for yourself. A great place to start planning is newzealand.com., where you’ll find holiday ideas, activities, driving routes, and great deals. And if you want to stay in touch with the New Zealand online community now that the competition has ended, you can become a fan at our 100% New Zealand page on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PureNewZealand.

From me, thanks for being an amazing community to be in the midst of – you guys have all done yourselves proud with your support, enthusiasm and creativity, and it has truly been a pleasure to be here.

But most importantly, from all of the Your Big Break team – thank you for taking part, all the very best with your future filmmaking endeavors and we hope to see you in New Zealand soon!

– Your Big Break Critic

P.S. If you’re so inclined, you’re more than welcome to follow me on Twitter – don’t forget to say hi if you do! :)

Andres and I in the NZ tent

Naturally the first hurdle to overcome Friday was… WHAT TO WEAR? The Spirit Awards have always been a more casual event, especially as it had always been held in the afternoon on the beach. However, this year they decided to move it to downtown Los Angeles and have it as an evening thing. Luckily (or not so lucky I guess), I have gained some weight over the past few months so I could not fit into anything in my wardrobe but a white, eye lit number so my decision was made for me!

Ryan and I at home before the awards

My husband managed to reschedule his clients for the afternoon (he is a shrink) and therefore he accompanied me, despite the fact that he hates these sorts of events and complained that I dressed him like a Jonas Brother!

We piled into my Mini Cooper that has not been washed for at least 5 months and that has a pirate flag attached to its rear antenna and headed downtown. We had been given VIP/ Valet parking passes but did not realize this meant that we would drive right up to the red carpet and all the paparazzi. It was quite the scene as A list celebrities got out of the chauffeured limos etc and then there was Ryan and I in our pirate mobile… no one really knew what to do with us!

After an entrance like that, we decided to skip the red carpet and clamber up to the cocktail tents to get a drink and to erase the memory of the previous 5 minutes! The event was sponsored by people like Paget, Elle Magazine, Acura, LG etc and each sponsor had a tent. We went straight to the 100% Pure New Zealand tent where we ran into Andrés, Barrie Osborne and his lovely wife Carol Kim. The tent was packed with people chatting, watching the movies and having a good time. It was SO great to be able to watch my movie play and hear peoples’ unbiased reactions and comments. As I said to my husband, it is one thing to have friends and family tell you they love your movie, but it is a whole lot more validating to hear it from a complete stranger saying it to another stranger!

Ryan outside the NZ tent

Hanging with Barrie as my movie plays in the background!

Andres, Barrie and I posing for the cameras!

Everyone’s films played in a loop and to be honest – there was not a single person (that I heard) that said anything disparaging. I think that everyone was genuinely impressed with what they saw. Andres was working the crowd with his reel and I think made some great connections, which was great. I am so proud of him as before this experience he had never been on a plane! There is going to be no stopping him now!

After a while, I was asked to do a small interview with EMPIRE magazine. They are going to be doing an article on Andrés as they have Peter Jackson quoting him as the next Neill Blomkamp which is pretty darn impressive! We walked over to the press tent (walked passed none other than Elton John) where they asked me about how I got the idea for Sweet As and about my past etc and what I am doing now, but the highlight of it all as when I was compared to David Fincher, Tim Burton (gasp!) and Guy Richie! I felt like I was walking on air for the remainder of the evening!

After this it was into the main tent for the event to start. There were round tables set up all inside and a stage to the far end of the tent. The 100% Pure NZ tent was two rows from the stage and next to Ethan Hawke, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Matt Dillon, the Precious cast and crew etc – HOW EXCITING! Andrés spotted Adrien Brody and did his best sneaky paparazzi snaps of him so I am sure will have better photos than I!

The Tourism NZ table

Matt Dillon at the table next to us

Phil Keoghan at our table

Inside the tent

At our table we had the great company of some of Tourism NZ folks as well as Susan King (the film writer for the Los Angeles Times), John Powers (the film critic for Vogue magazine), Barrie and his wife as well as Phil Keoghan (the host of the TV show the “Amazing Race”). Dinner was served (salmon on rice with green beans) and there was a HUGE bottle of champagne and whiskey at each table.

Jeff Bridges performing a song as Ethan Hawke watches

What was so great about the Spirit Awards was that it was a true mélange of A-list actors, directors and writers as well as up and comers etc. Women were very well represented as were minorities etc and it totally gave me the impression that it is an attainable goal (in fact Katherine Bigelow’s win at the Oscars just solidified it for me!). The acceptance speeches were truly heartfelt and it was the perfect mixture of comedy, drama and entertainment.

After the awards it was back to the tent for some drinks. I ran into my neighbor Sharon Lawrence who is an actress and the head of “Women In Film” here in Los Angeles. She saw Sweet As, LOVED it and handed me her card (she had never done this before) and told me to call her and talk to her about some finishing funds!

It was then off to another venue for the after party. Ryan, Andrés and I were starving and were hoping to devour some cheese and crackers there but when we arrived we noticed that they only had dessert food. In fact it was not technically dessert food either – it was childhood, lunchbox snack food such as Twinkies, Hohos, Twizlers etc. Strange and not satisfying but cute and fun!

The kids' food at the afterparty!

We had a few more drinks (Andrés and I do not drink alcohol so it was Orange Juice for him and Diet Coke for me – we live dangerously!). The dance floor was dead, but that did not stop team NZ, Andrés and I. I discovered that besides being a super talented filmmaker, Andrés has some killer dance moves – my favorite being the forward moonwalk (that’s right folks – that was not a typo)! We danced a little and then Ryan and I decided to retire for the evening as we had a 2 year old’s birthday party the next morning!

Andrés sipping his OJ before busting a move!

Eddie Izzard (the host for the evening) and moi

It was the perfect ending to what has been a dreamlike past few months. I cannot thank Tourism NZ, Barrie and all the cast and crew that worked on my movie enough for this life-altering experience. I am truly lucky to have had this opportunity and I hope that I can parley it into something bigger and better to make you all proud of!

– Aya

After spending a couple of days with the parental-units on one end of Auckland, I finally journeyed back to my flat on the other end. Upon arrival, I took off my shoes, threw down my luggage, opened all the windows and the french doors that lead out to the balcony, sat down on my bed, picked up the remote for my 20 year old Sony Trinitron CRT television at the foot of my bed, pressed the power button … and was then treated to a high-pitched whine, a muffled popping noise and the very distinct smell of burning capacitors. After which, my television – as we in the IT industry like to say – “released the magic smoke that made it work.”

Nothing says “welcome back to reality, you chump” better than an exploding television set.

True story. Swear to God.

My 100 year-old villa

But I had no time to worry about my newfound inability to watch my DVDs — after ending a work contract several weeks before my Your Big Break experience and having to pay bills while I was away, I was now flat broke and desperately in need of a job. The life of the penniless filmmaker is somewhat different to the opulent and privileged experience of a Your Big Break finalist and the first thing to do was to start emailing all my past employers to see if there was any editing work to be done. Thankfully my short time in the industry has given me a positive reputation and, after a week of fretting, nail-biting and stocking up on 2-minute noodles, I was offered a couple of contracts that I greedily accepted.

Oh sweet, tender cash! I’m still slave to your seductive cologne of paper, ink and wallet-lint!

Me at my workstation

So, life picks up where it had left me and the Your Big Break experience is now but a fading memory. Has my life been changed by it? Absolutely! For only a fool would think that returning to normality was somehow a step backwards from that opportunity (even if the view from my bedroom window is a tad different from my Queenstown apartment!). If the experience of directing such a tremendous and expensive project was not enough, then the mere fact that – as a finalist – I had accomplished such a task adequately and safely without scaring the production staff to death is something noteworthy. In short, five young filmmakers, without an ounce of cred to their names, had successfully delivered five $100,000 projects and we didn’t screw it up. It is a monumental achievement and one that – thanks to Your Big Break and its organizers – will open doors and deliver more opportunities for us from now on.

Spot the difference.

As I’ve said before, I have a policy of never entering film competitions. Having seen enough friends and colleagues burn up on re-entry after being shot out of the sky by a tactical rejection nuke or knock themselves unconscious from repeatedly banging their heads against studio gates with their film degrees pinned to their shirts, it became pretty clear to me that most film competitions that offer you the so-called chance-of-a-lifetime opportunities have about as much legitimacy as snake oil. Film competitions often ask too much from the filmmakers up front – complete feature film screenplays, peer-based judging systems, endless rounds of short-listing, sometimes even expensive entry costs – and offer too little in return when you compare it to what you COULD have achieved if you hadn’t wasted your time daydreaming of winning the grand prize of a film competition.

The reason why I broke my policy of never entering film competitions is because Your Big Break delivered on EVERYTHING it promised – including the chance of a lifetime. The involvement of people like Peter Jackson and Barrie Osborne and facilities like Park Road Post, the collective value of the prize, the assurance of production value and a working environment for the finalists that would rival any other prize by any other competition, not to mention that the low barrier of entry (write as many 3-minute scripts as you want!) measured against a very difficult to hit target (epitomize the spirit of a tourism campaign!) was – to be blunt – a work of sheer genius. Your Big Break is aptly named and lives up to its expectations, plucking five lunatics from across the globe and gifting them with a director’s calling card like no other competition or mere boon or grant could.

Filmmaking is enough like a lottery already without the addition of peer-judged, costly, near-random lolly-scramble competitions and unrealistic promises of ’skipping the lines’ and turning you into Steven Spielberg overnight.  Your Big Break was the exact opposite – it certainly wasn’t random nor costly to anyone entering, nor were there any barriers for entry and each script was viewed by a panel of four people who don’t just work in the industry, their very words and actions steer its course! And as for the prizes – they were of the smartest and most ideal quality you can offer any young filmmaker: a finished film with a magnificent budget and a running time that makes it an ideal showreel piece, and that film gets guided and polished by the absolute best in the industry. The gift of a no-holds-barred creative product that shows YOU, the filmmaker, in all your glory beats ANY million dollar indie feature deal in my book.

And so I thank you, Your Big Break, one last time. I thank you for being so good to me. I thank you for being so real to me. I thank you for the testicular fortitude you’ve had for being the first DECENT film competition I’ve ever seen or heard of. And I thank you for getting all of us creatives together to connect with each other.

I tip my hat to you.

And what’s next for me? Well beyond the day-job and reacquiring of funds, my next step is to make the most of the exposure from this event in my life. I’m already hitting the streets and looking for directing work for television commercials – something that would be a step more enjoyable than straight editing for a living – and I’ve launched a new website for myself, though it’s only a placeholder at this stage, and started making new DVD showreels and business cards.

Seizure concept art

But more importantly, my experience in Queenstown and Wellington has strengthened my resolve to get my first feature film project off the ground. The film is a psychological horror about a young woman who has her memories scrambled by the trauma of an epileptic seizure, and soon begins to suspect that the life she has returned to isn’t what she thinks it is. The project – entitled Seizure – has a script we love and we’ve begun to develop other promotional assets including an 8-issue comic book, a filmed teaser, conceptual artwork by Weta Workshop, a complete business prospectus and a development timeline that will hopefully see us seeking production financing for the film at AFM (the American Film Market) this November. Anyone out there who wants to assist us in this project is more than welcome to get in touch with us!

Seizure comic book (rough version)

Well, that’s it from me – it’s been a hell of an experience and I’ve come out of it not only richer in experience and wisdom, but also in friends and colleagues whom I look forward to working with in the future! It’s been amazing and I can only envy the next batch of young filmmakers who, someday, will experience their first great opportunity just as we meager five have.

Your Big Break?

You better freakin’ believe it.

This is Rajneel Singh, last finalist of the greatest filmmaking competition in the world, signing off.

- R

Working Day

Director Andrés Borghi

CAST

William: Andrés Borghi

Maori Chief: Inia Maxwell

Kiwi Kapa Haka Group:

Gareth Johnson

Jordon Clarke

Neil Sarich

Tane Rupuka

Dyson Greening

Shilo Davis

Jesy Ruha-Newey

Albie Webster

CREW

Executive Producer : Barrie Osborne

Producer: Catherine Madigan

First Assistant Director: Joe Nolan

YBB Production Manager: Jill Soper

Production Manager: Gary Strangman

Production Accountant: Vanessa Redmond

Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Hinch

Production Runners: Carey Cambridge & Heidi Watson

AD/Set PA: Mark Soster

DOP: Renaud Marie

Camera Assistant: Jonny Yarrell

Clapper Loader: Eoin O’Liddigh

Data Wrangler: Sam Mathews

Gaffer/Grip: Joe Bollinger

Grip/LX Assistant: Sol Bollinger

LX Assistant: Chris Moore

Crane Grips: John Hogan & Chris Thompson

Sound Recordist: Ken Saville

Supervising Art Director: Ken Turner

Art Department: Amy Newbury, Kevin Butson & Nick Williams

Costume: Pip O’Brien

Make-up Artist: Georgia Lockhart-Adams

Location Scout: Daz Coulton

Location Manager: Stefan Crawford

Unit Manager: Kathy Muggridge

Safety/Medic: Mark Gabities

Editor: Annie Collins

Editorial Assistant: Simon Burgin

POST PRODUCTION

Park Road Post Production

Post Production Coordinator: Alison Ingram

DI Colourist: Matthew Wear

DI Editor: Katie Hinsen

RED Workflow Manager: Anthony S. Pratt

VFX Artist: Daizo Inaoka

VFX Coordinator: Paul Glubb

Data Wrangler: Natalie Best

SOUND

Sound Designers: Dave Whitehead

Sound Designer: Tim Prebble

Dialogue Editor: Chris Todd

Re-recording Mixer: Tim Chaproniere

Foley Recordist: Robyn McFarlane

Foley Artist: Carolyn McLaughlin

Music: composed by Pablo Borghi

Many Thanks to Xtreme Freight Forwarding, Wellington

Local Action & Chief Grips Queenstown

Sweet As

Director Aya Tanimura

CAST

Granny – Dame Kate Harcourt

Nanna – Helen Moulder

James – Luke Hawker

Sean – Milo Cawthorne

CREW

Executive Producer: Barrie Osborne

Producer: Catherine Madigan

YBB First Assistant Director: Joe Nolan

YBB Production Manager: Jill Soper

Production Manager: Gary Strangman

Production Accountant: Vanessa Redmond

Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Hinch

Production Runners: Carey Cambridge & Heidi Watson

AD/Set PA: Mark Soster

DOP: James Cowley

Camera Assistant: Jonny Yarrell

Clapper Loader: Eoin O’Liddigh

Data Wrangler: Sam Mathews

Gaffer/Grip: Joe Bollinger

Grip/LX Assistant: Sol Bollinger

LX Assistant: Chris Moore

Crane Grips: John Hogan & Chris Thompson

Sound Recordist: Ken Saville

Supervising Art Director: Ken Turner

Art Department: Kevin Butson & Nick Walker & Amy Newbury

Costume: Pip O’Brien

Make-up Artist: Laurie Buckland

Location Scout: Daz Caulton

Unit Manager: Kathy Muggridge

Safety/Medic: Mark Gabites

Casting: Suzanne McAleer & Stu Turner

Editor: Jonathan Woodford-Robinson

Editorial Assistant: Simon Burgin

POST PRODUCTION

Park Road Post Production

Post Production Coordinator: Alison Ingram

DI Colourist: Matthew Wear

DI Editor: Katie Hinsen

RED Workflow Manager: Anthony S. Pratt

VFX Artist: Daizo Inaoka

VFX Coordinator: Paul Glubb

Data Wrangler: Natalie Best

SOUND

Sound Designers: Dave Whitehead

Sound Designer: Tim Prebble

Dialogue Editor: Chris Todd

Re-recording Mixer: Tim Chaproniere

Foley Recordist: Buster Flaws

Foley Artist: Rowan Watson

Music composed by Dave Whitehead

Many Thanks to Xtreme Freight Forwarding, Wellington

Local Action & Chief Grips Queenstown

Something Special

Director  Kristi L Simkins

CAST

Jimmy – Dan Musgrove

Voice of Jimmy – Billy Squire

Voice of Miles – Nic Sampson

Voice of Sarge – Dallas Barnett

CREW

Executive Producer : Barrie Osborne

Producer: Catherine Madigan

YBB First Assistant Director: Joe Nolan

First Assistant Director: David Norris

YBB Production Manager: Jill Soper

Production Accountant: Vanessa Redmond

Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Hinch

Production Runners: Carey Cambridge & Heidi Watson

AD/Set PA: Mark Soster

DOP: Simon Riera

Stedicam Operator: Dana Little

Camera Assistant: Jonny Yarrell

Clapper Loader: Eoin O’Liddigh

Data Wrangler: Sam Mathews

Gaffer/Grip: Joe Bollinger

Grip/LX Assistant: Sol Bollinger

LX Assistant: Chris Moore

LX Assistant: Niall Mueller

Crane Grips:  George Wilson

Sound Recordist: Ken Saville

Supervising Art Director: Ken Turner

Art Department: Kevin Butson

Costume: Pip O’Brien

Make-up Artist: Angela Mooar

Location Scout: Phil Turner

Unit Manager: Kathy Muggridge

Safety/Medic: Keith Raymond

Casting: Suzanne McAleer & Stu Turner

Editor: Paul Sutorius

Editorial Assistant: Simon Burgin

POST PRODUCTION

Park Road Post Production

Post Production Coordinator: Alison Ingram

DI Colourist: Matthew Wear

DI Editor: Katie Hinsen

RED Workflow Manager: Anthony S. Pratt

Data Wrangler: Natalie Best

SOUND

Sound Designers: Dave Whitehead

Sound Designer: Tim Prebble

Dialogue Editor: Chris Todd

ADR Recordist: Chris Ward

Re-recording Mixer: Tim Chaproniere

Foley Recordist: Robyn McFarlane

Foley Artist: Buster Flaws

Many Thanks to Xtreme Freight Forwarding, Wellington

Local Action & Chief Grips Queenstown

Frosty Man & the BMX Kid

Director:  Tim McLachlan

CAST

Frosty Man: Bruce Allpress

BMX Kid: James Rolleston

CREW

Executive Producer: Barrie Osborne

Producer: Catherine Madigan

First Assistant Director: Joe Nolan

YBB Production Manager: Jill Soper

Production Manager: Narelle Wilson

Production Accountant: Vanessa Redmond

Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Hinch

Production Runners: Carey Cambridge & Heidi Watson

AD/Set PA: Mark Soster

DOP: Aaron Morton

Camera Assistant: Jonny Yarrell

Clapper Loader: Eoin O’Liddigh

Data Wrangler: Sam Mathews

Gaffer/Grip: Joe Bollinger

Grip/LX Assistant: Sol Bollinger

LX Assistant: Chris Moore

Crane Grip: George Wilson

Sound Recordist: Ken Saville

Supervising Art Director: Ken Turner

Art Department: Kevin Butson &Steve Norfolk

Costume: Pip O’Brien

Make-up Artist: Laurie Buckland

Location Scout: Phil Turner

Unit Manager: Kathy Muggridge

Safety/Medic: Stefan Crawford

Casting: Suzanne McAleer & Stu Turner

Editor: Jonathan Woodford-Robinson

Editorial Assistant: Simon Burgin

POST PRODUCTION

Park Road Post Production

Post Production Coordinator: Alison Ingram

DI Colourist: Matthew Wear

DI Editor: Katie Hinsen

RED Workflow Manager: Anthony S. Pratt

VFX Artist: Daizo Inaoka

VFX Coordinator: Paul Glubb

Data Wrangler: Natalie Best

SOUND

Sound Designers: Dave Whitehead

Sound Designer: Tim Prebble

Dialogue Editor: Chris Todd

Re-recording Mixer: Tim Chaproniere

Foley Recordist: Buster Flaws

Foley Artist: Rowan Watson

Music: One by One, the Black Seeds

Written by B Weir / B McKenzie

Used with the permission of Native Tongue Music Publishing

Many Thanks to Xtreme Freight Forwarding, Wellington

Local Action & Chief Grips Queenstown

First up …

Blank Spaces

Written & Directed by Rajneel Singh

CAST:

Dave – Dave Van Horn

Cartographer – Tom Maxwell

Supervisor – Junior Apeti

CREW:

Executive Producer: Barrie Osborne

Producer: Catherine Madigan

YBB First Assistant Director: Joe Nolan

First Assistant Director: David Norris

YBB Production Manager: Jill Soper

Production Managers: Narelle Wilson & Gary Strangman

Production Accountant: Vanessa Redmond

Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Hinch

Production Runners: Carey Cambridge & Heidi Watson

AD/Set PA: Mark Soster

DOP: Rewa Harre

Camera Assistant: Jonny Yarrell

Clapper Loader: Eoin O’Liddigh

Data Wrangler: Sam Mathews

Gaffer/Grip: Joe Bollinger

Grip/LX Assistant: Sol Bollinger

LX Assistant: Chris Moore

Jimmy Jib Operator: Richard Mekalick

Helicopter Pilot: Alfie Speight

Sound Recordist: Ken Saville

Supervising Art Director: Ken Turner

Art Department: Amy Newbury, Kevin Butson & Nick Walker

Costume: Pip O’Brien

Make-up Artist: Georgia Lockhart-Adams

Location Scout: Stefan Crawford

Unit Manager: Kathy Muggridge

Safety/Medic: Keith Raymond & Mark Gabities

Casting: Suzanne McAleer & Stu Turner

Editor: Ken Sparks

Editorial Assistant: Simon Burgin

POST PRODUCTION: Park Road Post Production

Post Production Coordinator: Alison Ingram

DI Colourist: Matthew Wear

DI Editor: Katie Hinsen

RED Workflow Manager: Anthony S. Pratt

VFX Artist: Daizo Inaoka

VFX Coordinator: Paul Glubb

Data Wrangler: Natalie Best

SOUND:

Sound Designers: Dave Whitehead

Sound Designer: Tim Prebble

Dialogue Editor: Chris Todd

Re-recording Mixer: Tim Chaproniere

Foley Recordist: Robyn McFarlane

Foley Artist: Carolyn McLaughlin

Music composed by Dave Whitehead

Many Thanks to Xtreme Freight Forwarding, Wellington

Local Action & Chief Grips Queenstown

Thanks Peter!

Hello y’all!!

Well, yeah, I won. This is my big break! Thanks Peter!  So here I am. And it sure was a wild trip!

We first had to struggle with the U.S. embassy to get the visa on time and we got it the same day I was supposed to travel and four hours before getting on the plane. I hardly had time to prepare all my stuff!

I stayed at the Standard Hotel in Downtown L.A., a very modern and cool place where the bathroom has transparent walls (thank god I was alone in the room), and I went to the Spirit Awards that same night.

My photo with Jemaine. I think this is my favorite photo ever.

We had a new Zealand tent there where the films were being projected one after another and we could have drinks and all that stuff. Aya and her husband joined us to have a great time and Barrie came by later to spend some time with us. We had a nice talk about movies, projects and life itself while we took photos of everything around.

Andrés with Your Big Break Executive Producer Barrie Osborne at the Spirit Awards (Craig Barritt/WireImage.com)

We enjoyed the awards very much. The whole ceremony was great! And later we went to the afterparty to make some lame dance movements following the beat. Groovy!

Andrés with 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli at the Spirit Awards (Craig Barritt/WireImage.com)

The next day Aya took me in Alfie, her weird car, to see something of what Hollywood and L.A. have to offer. She told me that she may (or may not) change the name of the car to Pumpkin since I told her that the word on the car’s plate (Calabaza) meant pumpkin in Spanish.

… and please don’t ask me what Pajero (A famous type of car in New Zealand) means in Spanish …

Sorry, I had to take a picture of this.

We went to the Chinese theatre and the Kodak Theatre but the security was really high since the Oscars were the next day. But it was fun! We spent most of the time searching for a book that I can’t seem to find anywhere. It’s called “The Evil Dead Companion”, so if you know about it let me know!

And now I’m back here, back to normal life. I wonder how long my normal life will last now …?

A huge thanks To Peter Jackson, Barrie Osborne and all the incredible New Zealand people that made this possible. I still can’t believe I’m not dreaming all this.

*_*

Andrés

In a way if feels like I was in New Zealand just yesterday and in another it feels like it was years ago! Either way, it definitely has been an adjustment – it kind of felt like I was a bullet shot out of a gun and traveled at inhuman speeds in New Zealand, only to get lodged and stop almost instantly when I arrived back in Los Angeles.

Passed out with my dog "Little Pig" - this is what I did for the first 24 hours that I was home!

There really are no words to describe the experience. It was a dream come true which is just one of the clichés that come to mind to describe it – I guess clichés are there for a reason- they are true! From the moment I learned that I was a finalist, my heart did not stop beating at a quickened pace. On the plane ride over, I did not sleep a wink, nor watch movies as I storyboarded Sweet As over and over again, tweaking things and also editing the script. In the back of my mind I had so many questions and unknowns.

Luckily, I landed in Queenstown and was met by my amazing production supervisor who quickly put my mind at ease. Everything was so well organized and thought out that it really enabled me to concentrate on directing – a luxury that I have never been afforded before as I am usually wearing multiple hats on any set!

Filming Sweet As (even with its challenges) was so much fun. The crew, the cast, the locations etc all came together for one of those rare moments of “cosmic magic”. I remember a moment where I was standing behind the video playback screen and thinking “wow” both for the image that I saw as well as a quick reality check where I could not believe that here I was in New Zealand, directing my own movie!

Things moved at such a quick pace over there that I had very little time to think about things that I had done as I always had something new coming at me. Production was over before I knew it and it was off to Wellington to do post (what used to be my least favorite part of the movie making process)! As everyone keeps saying, Park Road Post in truly an amazing facility. I know I sound like a broken record, but you step inside and it is as though you have been transported to film nerd heaven! It is beautiful, functional, state of the art and comfortable – I felt like Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (only my candy was post production equipment)!

Again, you could not have asked for a better team of people – everyone was the best of the best, but also extremely supportive and respectful. Not only that, I feel as though I have made some friends for life!

At the screening of my movie, I was asked to make a little speech. I was not expecting to do this and although not a great public speaker, I thought I would rattle off some thank yous and be able to sit right back down. Things did not go as planned! After talking about losing my way since the early days of making movies, I started to cry – not little, dainty, Oscar winning tears but large, fat, blubbering tears that did not stop for the next few minutes as I attempted to express my gratitude, my renewed belief that I CAN and WILL make this a full time job etc. My emotions really overwhelmed me, and there was no holding it back (how embarrassing)!

Thank god I had little time to mull over that as the next morning I was on a fight back home. I remember getting on the plane and then getting off but nothing in-between – I must have passed out for the 13-hour flight!

Having one of many lunches with friends once I got back - this one with Alia and my dog "Little Pig"

Back in Los Angeles I was greeted by my beloved dog “Little Pig” along with my husband Ryan and all my friends. I slept for what was almost an entire day and then began the whirlwind of catching up with everyone so lots of lunches, breakfasts, afternoon teas etc! I think I managed to gain about 10 pounds in my first week back (agh!).

It has since been time to knuckle down – There are two directing fellowships that I am applying for (Barrie Osborne has been kind enough to write me a recommendation for one of them!) as well as a short film that I had been wanting to make for quite some time about my friend’s mother. I wrote, shot and edited the 2 minutes by myself and it made me want to fight to get to a position where I have the money and ability to hire others to help me out! Nothing like a reality check to go from having a DP and the RED to shooting yourself on your digital SLR!

Dying on a hike with LA in the background (trying to loose the weight from all the lunches)!

Anyhow, the short was completed and I am now waiting to hear back if the financing came through for an untitled Tupac documentary that I have been asked to co-direct. In addition, my friend that I met years ago on the movie Solaris and I have been working on a one-hour TV drama for over 3 years now. We are determined to get it ready to pitch and distribute to showrunners in the coming months (if indeed anyone wants to listen to us – hint hint to any showrunners out there!). In between the madness, I also managed to enter my dog into the annual Bulldog Beauty Pageant (it is a fund raiser for animal shelters here in Los Angeles). Over 400 bulldogs entered. Sadly my Pig did not win anything (not even best legs) … we believe that he was robbed!

With my dog "Little Pig" at the bulldog beauty pageant

Last but not least, my husband and I were lucky enough to get tickets to the Independent Spirit Awards this past Friday. It was an AMAZING experience that I shall update you all in another blog update! Also, if you are looking for more photos and gossip from me, you can always check out my blog.

Aya