Our five Your Big Break finalists are going to face many challenges when they touch down in New Zealand. This could well be their first experience at the helm of a film with a full crew; they’ll have logistical decisions to ponder, major creative calls to make and deadlines to meet.
But there’s one thing I [...]
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE
The moment of truth approaches. On January 19th, the judges – who include Barrie Osbourne – will convene to select their four picks. Rounding out the final five will be the Viewers’ Choice. Then, on January 22nd, the five finalists will be announced at www.your-big-break.com. For around five hundred of you, that will mean [...]
The five finalists have just been announced on the website …
… and you’re one of them.
Your phone’s ringing, but you can’t find it. You scramble through your stuff, searching … patting your pockets, frantic now … you answer just in time. Your hunch was right: the call is long-distance, from New Zealand. There isn’t much [...]
We know that a movie, be it two minutes or two hours long, tells a story.
That’s all very well – but what is story? And what is it that makes some stories more successful than others?
Okay, you’re thinking – YBBC just bit off more than he can chew. Maybe more than anyone can chew. Some [...]
In the last Kiwi Classic entry, I checked out Jason Stutter’s overlooked classic, Tongan Ninja – made for a song but big on laughs and insane martial arts action, Pasifika-style.
Wellington-based Stutter got his break making a series of short films, all showcasing his unique sense of humour and flair for visual comedy and culminating in [...]
Thought it was about time I showed a little neighbourly spirit and headed across the Tasman Sea to Australia.
Clinton J. Isle’s script Homecoming is a recent upload, and a striking example of how economical thinking can not only keep your entry within the limits of the competition guidelines – but can also focus the power [...]
CAPTURING THE THEME
One week. Two days. Twenty-One hours. I’m looking at the countdown timer and that’s what it says right this second. Keeping pace with the countdown is the rate of entries – following our technical hiccup the other day (now resolved) the floodgates have opened and Your Big Break is being inundated with cool [...]
We’re heading into the last two weeks before Your Big Break entries close. Some of you have already submitted your entry (or entries), while others will still be working hard. So, what’s the best strategy – use every second you have, or upload as soon as you can?
As you know, there are two ways to [...]
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 [...]
Tuesday: WHERE WE’RE AT
So I have a couple of days off for Christmas, and when I get back THERE ARE NEARLY 40 NEW ENTRIES! Sorry to shout, but that’s the best Christmas present you guys could have given Your Big Break Critic. I’m writing this blog entry … and then I’m diving in!
A few of [...]
