THE (RE)WRITING’S ON THE WALL

You may have heard this before: screenwriting isn’t writing; it’s rewriting.
That’s because unlike other forms of creative writing, a screenplay is never finished. You might write a draft, then stop and have people read it, get some notes, even send it out to professional readers (or studios, if you have an agent) – but regardless [...]

SPOTLIGHT: UNITED KINGDOM

Last week I checked out a few notable entries from the United States. This week I’m looking to the United Kingdom. Could we eventually see a UK entry among the five finalists? In order to get through, these entrants will not only need to answer the brief, and entertain – they’ll need to be able [...]

KIWI CLASSIC: EAGLE VS. SHARK

Thursday: KIWI CLASSIC: Eagle Vs. Shark
Anyone who saw Taika Waititi’s Oscar-nominated short film Two Cars, One Night (about to receive the feature-length treatment in his second feature, Boy, which bows at Sundance 2010) would perhaps have been blindsided by his first feature, Eagle Vs. Shark. It’s significant that its title – which refers to the [...]

A BLOCKBUSTING BACKDROP

One of the great drawcards of Queenstown as a shooting location is the unparalleled variety of scenery it offers, all within easy reach – staggering vistas that filmmakers have used to their advantage in many high-profile productions.
Queenstown is not only an adventure tourism capital and a spectacular tourist destination – it’s also a cinematic chameleon. [...]