Apply Now: Directing Actors with Mark Travis

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The Directors & Editors Guild of NZ invites you to apply for a 2-day Directing Actors workshop with renowned American director, writer and teacher Mark Travis.

The workshop will be held in Auckland on Saturday and Sunday, 10 and 11 June.

About Mark Travis

Acclaimed as “the director’s director”, Mark W. Travis is regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities in the art and craft of film directing. Drawing from his impressive background in design, writing, acting, and his wide range of experience directing theatre, film and television, Mark is able to bring new insights and exceptional clarity to the complex task of directing the feature film.

Mark’s unique approach to working with actors and characters (The Travis Technique™) has gained the attention of directors, writers and actors worldwide and is becoming a standard approach for stimulating powerful performances.

For the past 20 years Mark has been sharing his directing techniques with student as well as professional directors, around the world, visiting over 17 countries and 30 film schools and organisations, including the American Film Institute, Pixar Animation Studios, UCLA Extension and Griffith University. Mark served as Tammy Davis’ directing mentor on New Zealand film Born to Dance.

Directing Actors

Directors will be immersed into the complex world of actor, character and story. The interpretation of story, the perception of character and the techniques of acting, when combined, create a complex world full of expectations, desires, projections, misunderstandings, and even miscommunications. Yet, this world is the core of every story told on screen and must be entered by the director with a sense of confidence and conviction and a willingness to collaborate.

Mark will introduce participants to the essential aspects and tools of The Travis Technique™, specifically the Interrogation Process and the Power of Staging. Using scenes from an established screenplay with the participation of professional actors, participants will get the opportunity to practice and explore this organic approach to directing actors.

 

All participants will be required to do some prep ahead of the workshop on the script that will be used across both days.

 

Cost: DEGNZ members free, Non-members $100

When: Saturday 10 June, 9am – 5pm & Sunday 11 June, 9am – 4pm.

Where: Kingsland, Auckland

Lunch will be provided each day.

 

TO APPLY please send your application in ONE PDF or DOC to tema@deganz.co.nz with ‘Directing Actors Workshop’ in the subject line. In your application, please provide:

  • CV
  • links to samples of your work
  • a maximum one-page letter stating why you want to attend this workshop
  • please also include your mobile number and dietary requirements.

Application Deadline: 9am, Monday 29 May.

This event is brought to you with the support of the New Zealand Film Commission.

Last updated on 21 February 2018

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Watch: Film Talk with One Thousand Ropes Filmmakers

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One-Thousand-Ropes

Last month we held a wonderful Film Talk with writer/director Tusi Tamasese and producer Catherine Fitzgerald talking with Chris Dudman on the making of One Thousand Ropes.

One Thousand Ropes is a powerful character drama of a father reconnecting with his youngest daughter and together putting to rest the ghosts that haunt them.

It was a spectacular evening exploring the many versions of the story and characters that led to the eventual film, the temporality of the film, the balance between violence and healing, and the question of belonging.

This event was part of the Film Talk Series, presented by DEGNZ and Rialto Cinemas in Auckland.

 

Last updated on 20 March 2020

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The Rehearsal Room with Miranda Harcourt – Wellington

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RR with Miranda Harcourt

The Rehearsal Room brings together professionals – actors and directors – in a safe, supportive environment to practise working with each other on scenes under the guidance of an experienced moderator.

Register on our event page to have your name in the draw to participate. For each event, 4 directors and 8 actors will be selected. If you are selected, we’ll email or phone you to confirm your participation.

 

When: Saturday 27 May 2017, 9:30am – 1:30pm

Where: Te Aro, Wellington

Register at: Eventbrite

Director registrations close: Thursday 18 May

Actor registrations close: Tuesday 23 May, 10am

Cost: Free – Open to DEGNZ & Equity NZ members ONLY.

 

Moderator

Miranda Harcourt is a celebrated acting coach who has worked with renowned actors and directors on films all over the world. For seven years she was the Head of the Acting Department at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School and now works as an independent coach. Directors she has worked with include Jane Campion, Peter Jackson and Garth Davis. Actors include Nicole Kidman, Juliette Binoche, Dev Patel, Saoirse Ronan, AnnaSophia Robb and many others. Miranda is currently in post-production on The Changeover based on Margaret Mahy’s classic teen novel, which she co-directed with husband Stuart McKenzie.

 

Who is The Rehearsal Room for?

Professional actors and directors. It is open to Actors Equity and DEGNZ members of all levels of experience, from novices to virtuosos.

Material

Directors will be asked to provide a two-character scene (2 pages) or, if you prefer, a scene will be provided for you. Directors and actors will receive scripts in advance.

Structure of the event

Directors and actors will spend time rehearsing their scenes, with emphasis on connection and content.

After morning tea, participants will block their scenes, before presenting them for shooting, followed by viewing and discussion. The shooting is a wide shot only, intended as a means to review performance, not for directors to direct camera.

The Rehearsal Room is hosted by Directors & Editors Guild of New Zealand and the Equity Foundation, with financial support from New Zealand Film Commission.

Last updated on 26 February 2018

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Watch: Film Talk with West of Eden Filmmakers

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We hosted a Q&A evening with director/editor Alastair Riddell, writer/producer Vanessa Riddell, and the cast of independent drama West of Eden.

Set in rural New Zealand during the 1960s, West of Eden tells the story of two men in love, at odds with the inherent conservatism of their surroundings. It was a great evening with plenty of questions for the cast and crew to consider surrounding themes, funding, and distribution. But what the creators of the film always returned to was that West of Eden is a love story.

This event was part of the Film Talk Series, presented by DEGNZ and Rialto Cinemas in Auckland.

 

Last updated on 20 March 2020

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Just Do It?

I was listening to an interview with British director and editor Ben Wheatley on a podcast the other day.

Wheatley in case you don’t know him is considered the new enfant terrible of British film.

He started out making videos for YouTube and got noticed, went on to create online content and then moved into TV comedy.

He wanted to know how he could get into feature film and was told he needed to make a short. Being impatient, Wheatley pooh poohed that idea and went straight to a feature. He shot his first one in eight days, drawing on his experience doing fast-turnaround TV and approaching it like shooting a documentary, going hand held. The result was Down Terrace, which was released in 2009. It was well received by critics and has an 85% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes. His second feature Kill List, which was shot in 12 days, marked Wheatley as a filmmaker to really watch. Wheatley has with the recent arrival of his latest feature Free Fire now made six feature films, nearly one a year—and the budgets have been getting bigger as has the star power—amongst others Tom Hiddleston in High Rise and Brie Larson in Free Fire.

Wheatley’s from the ‘Just Do It’ variety of filmmakers. He and his mates from outside the film industry (but in the production industry) got together to make Down Terrace, and they’ve been working with each other ever since. He’s trained himself as an editor as well as a director, and this editing experience and his TV training he says has helped him get the coverage he needs on his films and not more, as well as always making his day.

There’s a theory that says TV directors lack a voice and therefore can’t make a decent film. Wheatley’s disproven that as he has a highly distinctive filmmaking voice. And in expressing that voice he’s come up with a process and philosophy that he prescribes to. From amongst many of his thoughts on filmmaking, here are six Wheatley tips for aspiring filmmakers (with my paraphrasing):

  1. Create the Industry Around You—i.e. kick the doors down and don’t wait around for bureaucrats/permission.
  2. Acquire a Particular Set of Skills—if you want to be a good low-budget filmmaker, you need to understand the process and all the roles of production well to be efficient.
  3. . Keep It Small—the bigger the beast, the harder it is to wrangle.
  4. Your Actors Are Your Biggest Asset—great performances work anywhere, poor performances just don’t cut it.
  5. Chop It—get rid of what’s not good… brutally. And don’t be afraid to go against convention when you do.
  6. Don’t Be Precious—just make stuff, and learn from it.

Of course, there are a lot of people out there already with the ‘Just Do It’ approach. And many of them are making bad films because it takes more than an attitude to make a good film—it also requires talent. Which doesn’t mean to say that you can’t learn from your mistakes and get better as you go. Filmmaking however is an unforgiving beast, particularly when it comes to funders. You have a good chance of surviving self-funded flops, critically and box office wise, particularly if not many people have seen it and you’re not using one to promote your next project. Make a flop with a funding body however and you are going to find it hard to get another project up as a director.

Just do it? Yes, that philosophy has its merits. But if you can, make the first one good, and the next one better than the last. That way, you might be the next Ben Wheatley (or Taika Waititi).

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

Last updated on 21 February 2018

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