Comedy Directing with Jonathan Brough

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Comedy Directing

The real skill of a comedy director is working out what kind of funny suits each project. There are so many different flavours of comedy, and it moves so fast, that deciding on your tone – then being able to execute it – is crucial.

This workshop presented by the Directors & Editors Guild of NZ and taught by award-winning comedy director Jonathan Brough, will be a deep dive into the how of making a scene funny, but also the why – not just how you get the laughs, but where you put them.

The sessions will have a particular emphasis on ‘serious comedy’ – shows like Fleabag, Search Party and Please Like Me – the evolving genre that’s rapidly becoming an audience and broadcaster favourite. We’ll analyse scenes and look at the laughs from all sides, so you can develop your own comedy storytelling taste and style.

About Jonathan Brough

Jonathan is a New Zealand-born director of film & television, based in Melbourne, Australia. Equally acclaimed for his work in comedy and drama, his television credits include The End, a black comedy about assisted dying featuring Frances O’Connor & Harriet Walter that will screen on Sky Atlantic (UK) and Foxtel (Aus) early in 2020, Rosehaven Series 1,2 & 3, Ronny Chieng: International Student, The Family Law, The Unauthorised History of New Zealand & Eating Media Lunch and Outrageous Fortune. With a great affinity for working with comedians, he has won two Australian Directors’ Guild Awards for Best Director, Comedy – in 2016 for his work on Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane and again in 2018 for Rosehaven.

He has also made several acclaimed short films including The Model (Official Selection Cannes Film Festival), Permanent Wave (London & Sydney Film Festivals), No Ordinary Sun (‘Best Short Film’ New Zealand International Film Festival 2005 / Official Selection Edinburgh / Hof / Slamdance) and Snowmen (in competition, Interfilm Berlin/ Pacific Meridian Film Festival).

 

 

Workshop Details

When:
Saturday 13 June, 9:30am – 12:30pm
Sunday 14 June, 9:30am – 12:30pm

Saturday’s session will have a more structured approach, followed by a more fluid and activity-based session on Sunday. Some homework will be sent out to participants to prepare before the workshop.

Where: Online workshop hosted on Zoom

Size: Up to 16

Price: Workshop offered at a discounted rate due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DEGNZ member – Free
Non-member – $50

To Apply

DEGNZ invites practitioners with a keen interest in directing comedy or comedy drama to apply. You need to have some prior experience directing and/or creating comedy. This doesn’t have to be extensive, and can include short pieces made for online or work that hasn’t been broadcast.

The workshop would benefit emerging directors (with short film/commercial/web series credits) through to more experienced directors looking for fresh insights and inspiration.

DEGNZ will select up to 16 participants. Applicants will be notified.

Applications Close: Tuesday 2 June, 1PM

STEP 1: Complete the registration form below.

STEP 2: Send in one PDF to tema@deganz.co.nz:

  • your CV or bio with filmography, including any links to your comedy work, and
  • a brief, maximum 1-page letter that summarises:
    • why you would like to participate, and
    • your experience directing/creating comedy and any relevant project(s) you might be working on.

Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Registration Form

 

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

NZFC

Last updated on 19 May 2020

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May 25 Submission Deadline for the Screen Industry Workers Bill

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Screen Industry Workers Bill

The Screen Industry Workers Bill

We are just over a week away from the Monday 25 May deadline for public submissions to the select committee.

In order to see pay and working conditions improve for you and others working in the industry, we need every DEGNZ member to have their say on the Screen Industry Workers Bill that Government has introduced to Parliament. It’s vital for us to see this Bill go through as it will allow DEGNZ to collectively bargain for minimum rates and terms and conditions for all directors, editors and assistant editors.

Consider this: in its first reading in the House, 63 MPs voted for the bill, and 57 voted against. Your submission will help MPs understand what it’s like working in the industry and why this law change matters.

The law change would replace the controversial ‘Hobbit Law’, an amendment rushed through Parliament that classified all film workers as ‘independent contractors’, unable to bargain collectively and receive other benefits associated with being an employee.

To help you make your submission, we’ve published information and a submission template on this campaign page.

Hobbit Law Cartoon

Last updated on 15 May 2020

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View from the Bottom (of the North Island)

As the first glimmer of dawn lights the sky and the promise of Level Two becomes more real, its time I stopped leaving all the communication to our ED Tui. He is doing an amazing job. Thank you, Tui. Tui and Tema, our events manager, are working as hard as ever but they have volunteered to take a pay cut till things improve and I thank them for that.

When I started in television (the 1970s), a New Zealand documentary tradition was being established by the NZBC – at that time the only player in town. The documentaries we were making reflected New Zealand’s preoccupations of the time. A major theme was ‘who are we?’ What defines a New Zealander? Culturally the country was in its adolescence and we spent a lot of time gazing in the mirror. A decade later we had matured. We were more self-confident and turned our attention outward. But from that time a number of qualities became attached to the idea of being a New Zealander – self-reliance, inventiveness (the number 8 wire cliché), love of the outdoors and sport. For me the value we Kiwis put above all others was ‘fairness’. We see ourselves as a just society that tries to treat people fairly. The phrase ‘a fair go’ is part of our lexicon. Now, thanks to our Prime Minister, we can add another value – kindness. The word resonated and we have embraced it.

Those two values are at the very heart of what our Guild is about. We are here to look after the well-being of our members. They are the values that drive everything we do. They are the reason we became a union. Perhaps as well as promoting ‘buy local’ to support the NZ economy, we should be pushing ‘watch local’ to support our industry!

So be fair, be kind and I reckon we should have a great party when we come out of lockdown.

Howard Taylor
President

Last updated on 6 May 2020

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Screenlink: The Editor, a Composer’s Friend or Foe?

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Screenlink: The Editor, a Composer's Friend or Foe?

SCGNZ and DEGNZ present “The Editor, a Composer’s Friend or Foe?”

A special event that looks at the importance of communication and teamwork between an Editor and a Film Composer… Will they be friends or foes by the end of the mix?

Join us for a discussion between acclaimed New Zealand editors Annie Collins (One Thousand Ropes, The Great Maiden’s Blush, Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story) and Jonno Woodford-Robinson (Mortal Engines, Pork Pie, What We Do In the Shadows), chaired by Andrew Hagen from the Screen Composers Guild. There will be time for audience questions from Facebook in this sure-to-be interesting evening, so come join us live and see how you can avoid falling onto the wrong side of the (musical) tracks.

As part of the Q&A, they’ll be discussing some film clips, provided by the editors. These won’t be played during the session. We suggest watching the clips at 5pm, before the beginning of the live event at 5:30pm. Links to these clips will be made available on this post, the day before the event.

WHEN:  Thu 14 May, 5:30pm
WHERE: Directors and Editors Guild of New Zealand Facebook page. If you don’t have a Facebook account, please refer to the information further down on how to watch the live-stream.

This event is presented by the Directors & Editors Guild of NZ and the Screen Composers Guild of NZ as part of the Screenlink series.

Watch the Live Recording

 

Jonno’s composer recommendations

Sharing Jonno’s list from the Q&A:

  • Graeme Revell (Dafur Now, The Negotiator)
  • Calexico
  • Johan Soderqvist (Let the Right One In)
  • Agnes Obel – a pianist
  • Yann Tiersen (Amelie)
  • Penguin Cafe & Penguin Cafe Orchestra
  • Lisa Gerrard (The Insider)
  • Carter Burwell (Fargo, Burn After Reading)
  • Danny Elfman (Men in Black)
  • James Newton Howard (6the sense, Unbreakable, King Kong)
  • Henrik Górecki (Fearless)

For Non-Facebook Users

Follow these steps to watch the live-stream:

  1. Tune in at this link on Facebook.
  2. Click to play the live video once the broadcast has started.

You do not need to create a Facebook account to watch. Simply ignore any Facebook prompts to Log In / Create New Account, or click ‘Not Now’ if the option appears. Prompts will look like so:

Log in prompt e.g.

Notes:

  • Non-Facebook users can watch the live-stream without an account, but won’t be able to ask questions/comment.
  • Firefox may not support Facebook Live. We recommend using Safari or Chrome.

Last updated on 28 January 2022

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DEGNZ Forum: Draft Screen Sector Strategy 2030 Panel Discussion

With COVID-19 upon us, it’s even more important than ever that we get a strategy for the screen sector right. DEGNZ is hosting a panel discussion on Facebook Live to be moderated by business journalist and commentator Rod Oram on Friday 1 May at 2PM.

Senior screen industry practitioners Bailey Mackey, CEO, Pango Productions; Philly de Lacey, CEO, Screentime; Stephen Knightly, Board Member, NZ Game Developers Association; Mel Turner, Producer, Ground Control; Duncan Greive, Managing Editor, The Spinoff, and Julia Parnell, Director/Producer, Notable Pictures, will share their thoughts on the draft and what now needs to be taken into account to forge a sustainable and successful future for NZ’s screen industry.

WHEN:  Fri 1 May, 2pm
WHERE:  Directors and Editors Guild of New Zealand Facebook page. If you don’t have a Facebook account, you can watch the live-stream below on this post, but you won’t be able to ask questions/comment.

Feedback on the draft Screen Sector Strategy 2030

The Screen Sector Strategy 2030 Facilitation Group is currently seeking industry feedback on the draft strategy. The extended deadline to provide your feedback via questionnaire is Friday 8 May. Find out more

Panel Discussion Live-Stream Recording

Note: Firefox may not support Facebook Live. We recommend using Safari or Chrome.

Last updated on 1 May 2020

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