AI for VFX | BSS2024

Three Canadian guests with diverse backgrounds and experiences will discuss international co-productions and industry trends in Canada. The shared concerns, values, and history of New Zealand and Canada make them an ideal country to partner with and partnering is a great way to fully finance your projects.  Fraser Ash has worked with renowned creatives on complex film and TV productions, Alain Strati has industry knowledge from his policy and government relations work at the Canadian Media Producers Association, and Paula Devonshire, a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation, brings unique values from her work in the Canadian screen industry.    Moderated by Entertainment Lawyer Sarah Cull. The talk is a collaboration with WIFT and the speakers are in New Zealand thanks to support from Ontario Creates, Telefilm Canada, Canadian Heritage, the Canadian Media Producers Association, the Indigenous Screen Office, the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Te Māngai Pāho and Screen Wellington. They are attending the WIFT New Zealand / Canada Co-Production Summit. 

Story creators Robyn Malcolm, Dianne Taylor and producer/director Peter Salmon come together with moderator Max Currie to talk about their collaborative process, from the very earliest story conversations to the writing, all stages of production, and publicity. Peter, Dianne and Robyn will discuss some of their learnings and how they managed challenges that inevitably arose along the way. 

Following the recent New Zealand release of The Moon is Upside Down, Loren Taylor (writer/director/actor) joins moderator and writer Duncan Sarkies (Scarfies, and Two Little Boys) to discuss her writing process, the challenges of creating stories and characters that come alive on screen, and how she and her team moved this unique and beautifully crafted feature from her initial idea to production and release. With a production schedule of just 22 days and a budget of $1.5million The Moon is Upside Down is a significant achievement. This promises to be a fascinating discussion and a rare insight into processes that will appeal to filmmakers at all levels, especially those wanting to make their first feature film.

Kimball Thurston leads the strategy for future technology for VFX production at Weta FX. This session uses real-life examples as he offers insight into the AI intersections with creative artists and how these tools add to the creative process, not take away from it. This session is presented by Weta FX and WingNut Films. 

The eleven regional film offices around New Zealand might be seen as competitors, but they’ve found a way over the last decade to cooperate and collaborate with each other in the spirit of ‘NZ Inc’, recognising the healthy ‘coopetition’ can be the best way to combine resources and achieve shared goals. They’re working towards a vision shared by many, a well-functioning Aotearoa New Zealand screen industry. This panel discusses how and why the RFOs work together and what lessons can be learnt about this collaboration. And most importantly, what exactly does a well-functioning screen industry look like, from North to South? Join this outstanding panel are moderator Jaclyn Philpott (Association of Film Commissioners International) visiting from Los Angeles, Petrina D’Rozario  from Screen CanterburyNZ, Mark Westerby from Screen Wellington, Kahli Scott from Film Queenstown Lakes and Jade Kent from Film Bay of Plenty. 

Australian Casting director Anousha Zarkesh, an influential creative force in the Australian screen industry, is in conversation with producer Fraser Brown discussing how to establish a great relationship with your Casting Director. They cover searching for new talent and attaching high-profile actors, the importance of cultural considerations and respect protocols and considerations in early develipment and budgeting. This session is a collaboration with Actors Equity. 

ALEXANDER SWORDS presents Diverse Story Telling Patterns. He introduces the building blocks and patterns discovered in his research for Narrative Design. This gives an insight “under the hood” of how the different conventions function to engage audiences around the world. You’ll discover what film and tv writers can learn from narrative design in games. 

Historically speaking, there has been a lack of representation and access for those who are deaf, disabled or neurodivergent within the screen industry. Chelsea Bridges, Jared Flitcroft and Felicity Hamill have a mission to improve industry standards by using their skills as access coordinators. This new role helps create a safe place on set for everyone. It can also improve every stage of production from development through to post-production to ensure best practice is implemented in front of and behind the camera. This session was moderated by Dale Corlett and Tayla Hancock from the New Zealand Film Commission.  

With many people unable to continue working full time due to changing life circumstances and wellbeing concerns or outright leaving the screen industry, job-sharing is becoming a widely recommended practice. Jonathon Dutton from Screen Well Australia presents the findings from the Screen Australia funded initiative, Breaking Down the Barriers to Job-Sharing which involved piloting job-sharing on a Matchbox Picture’s production in Sydney.  Following Jonathon’s presentation, Screen Guild’s ED Kelly Lucas initiates a discussion with the audience to gain some answers about how our screen industry could successfully implement job-sharing. 

NZ On Air Head of Partnerships Raewyn Rasch introduces a case study of Sky Originals show Miles From Nowhere, where producers Ahmed Osman and Sam Wilton talk about the strategies they implemented to ensure inclusive representation of the Muslim community throughout the entire production process from casting to call sheets to creative decisions. Focused on representing the changing face of Aotearoa New Zealand, they explain how this level of equity and representation in front of and behind the camera can be achieved.  This session was presented by NZ On Air.