2014 International Editing Mentor

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Earlier this month, DEGNZ was pleased to welcome Justine Wright to New Zealand as our 2014 International Editing Mentor.

Over the course of her stay, Justine spent time working with NZ editor Cushla Dillon who was the selected 2014 mentee. Here’s what Cushla had to say of the experience:

“I felt hugely privileged to share time and conversation with Justine, to talk about editing and being an editor. For those who don’t know, Justine is a NZ film editor who lives in London and has edited Last Day in September, Into the Void, The Last King of Scotland, The Iron Lady and recently, Locke. She was a very warm, intelligent woman who laid her work life open for me to dissect.  I had specific areas I wanted to address for this mentorship. One in particular was to see how I could up-skill in order to work on bigger film projects. But of course the process is always the same, and it was interesting to hear how in the UK, most key creative crew depend on agents for their work. Her agent vets her projects and puts her forward and basically negotiates her fees and conditions. She discusses the merits and weaknesses of the script with her agent so when she meets the director she knows what she needs to discuss. But what I also wanted to explore with her was the ‘how, why and what if’ of editing. I had the incredible experience of watching several versions of scenes from one of her films, from assemble to fine cut. The editing within the film was a masterful feat, and the coverage enabled them enormous latitude in the edit room. The week since she left, I have felt the ‘ghost of Justine’ at my side as I have been editing a documentary, feeling her words and experience keeping me focused on the right questions to be asking as I edit. The mentorship raised the bar for me to aim for with my editing skills, and ultimately I am responsible for keeping that bar high. I am extremely grateful to the Directors and Editors Guild for making this mentorship possible.”

DEGNZ was also lucky enough to have Justine run a one day editing masterclass during which eight lucky editors viewed the rushes and cut together a scene from scene footage Justine supplied.

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Here’s what they said was the best thing about the masterclass:

“Material I would never encounter otherwise, and experiencing how other people think and work.”

“Having footage of top rate actors and first class coverage together- awesome!!”

It has been an immensely rewarding experience to have someone as kind, open and knowledgeable as Justine here willing to share what she has learned with us all.

We again acknowledge and thank the NZ Film Commission for making this mentorship possible.

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International Director’s Mentorship- Call for Applications!

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Directors & Editors Guild of NZ (DEGNZ) invites applications from experienced film directors with a feature film project in advanced development to apply for an International Director’s Mentorship with a successful, seasoned director from the international industry.

This mentorship is designed to assist a director with project development, career planning, creative relationships, new practices in audience engagement, and relationships with producers and agents.

The mentorship will allow for a visit by the mentor to New Zealand to spend up to two days working with the mentee on the submitted project, and 20 – 30 hours of mentoring time via Skype or phone across a six-month period. At a later mutually agreed date, the mentee will be encouraged to fly to wherever the mentor is working to meet and observe. The mentee will have a voice in selecting the mentor they would like.

The overall intention of the mentorship is to inspire a NZ director, demystify the international film industry and offer genuine insight into creative process and engagement with the industry as a whole, while providing a solid platform upon which to build an international career.

To apply, please provide:

• Maximum one-page letter about why you should be chosen and what you hope to gain from the mentorship.
• A narrative feature film script and one page synopsis for the project you wish to apply with.
• Up to three potential mentor names.
• Up to 3 examples on DVD or online of past work (not showreel). If DVD, 3 copies required.

A panel will be convened to interview shortlisted applicants.

This initiative is not intended for projects in early development. We will not offer script notes or enter into correspondence with applicants whose projects are not selected.

Applications should be submitted electronically to lucy@deganz.co.nz, or posted to:

International Director Mentorship
Directors & Editors Guild of NZ
PO Box 47-294
Ponsonby
Auckland

Only DEGNZ members may apply. If you are not a member and wish to join, you can do so here.

Applications must be received by DEGNZ no later than 5PM Monday 10 November 2014.

 

This mentorship is available thanks to the generous support of the New Zealand Film Commission.
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Editing Mentorship with Justine Wright – Apply Now!

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DEGNZ is pleased to call for applications for an editing mentorship with acclaimed editor, Justine Wright (Touching The Void, The Last King of Scotland, The Iron Lady).

This is an opportunity for a New Zealand editor, with proven talent, to benefit from collegial advice and international support as they move to the next stage of their career. You do need to be a member of DEGNZ to apply.

The mentorship offers 20 – 30 hours of Justine’s time, some by Skype and some in person, between now and the end of the year.

APPLICATIONS CLOSE WEDNESDAY 13 AUGUST

TO APPLY:
Please send a one page CV and a covering note (less than one page) explaining why you should be selected and how you feel the mentorship will benefit you professionally.

Once we have a shortlist we will ask to view your work.

Email your application to lucy@deganz.co.nz by 5.00pm Wednesday 13th August.

About Justine:
Justine Wright grew up in New Zealand and moved to London in 1990 where she was trained in a commercials editing house and first cut ads, music videos, and short films before branching out into editing documentary features and then narrative features.

She has worked with director Kevin Macdonald on a number of features, including Academy Award-winning documentary feature One Day in September, for which she received the British Independent Film Award for Best Technical Achievement(Behind the Camera), BAFTA winning Touching the Void and The Last King of Scotland, State of Play, The Eagle and just completed, Kevin’s latest feature Black Sea. Other features cut by Justine include Locke written and directed by Steve Knight starring Tom Hardy, The Iron Lady directed by Phyllida Lloyd and starring Meryl Streep; Daniel Gordon’s The Game of Their Lives, which was named Best Sports Documentary at the British Television Awards and earned the Greerson and British Independent Film Awards nominations; Patrick Harkins’ The Final Curtain, starring Peter O’Toole; and Saul Metzstein’s Late Night Shopping, which won three BAFTA (Scotland) Awards including Best Feature Film. Recently, Justine contributed to Playhouse Presents for Sky Arts where she cut two short films; Jeremy’s Brock’s Walking the Dogs starring Emma Thompson, and Idris Elba’s directorial debut, The Pavement Psychologist, with Anna Friel. Justine has also been a consultant editor on two feature documentaries, In the Shadow of the Moon and Deep Water.

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A chance to meet with Rolf de Heer to discuss your feature project

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Apply now!

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Iconic Australian director Rolf de Heer will meet with four emerging New Zealand directors, who are members of the Guild, to talk through their projects and offer advice. The meetings will be one on one, for an hour, on the afternoon of Saturday 26th July, in Auckland. Rolf will read your script prior to meeting.

This is a fantastic opportunity to talk about your film with a vastly experienced and critically revered film maker, renowned for his generosity towards newcomers who are serious about their craft.
More info about Rolf here.

To apply:

Please submit to Lucy Stonex assistant@sdgnz.co.nz
Deadline: 6.00pm Thursday 26th June

  • A paragraph describing your film. (200 words max)
  • A paragraph saying why you want to meet Rolf. (200 words max)
  • 20 consecutive pages of your screenplay
  • Your full contact details

We’ll read these as quickly as possible and in the following few days will ask eight of you for full scripts, from which four projects will be selected.

This initiative is not intended for projects in early development, and sadly we are not in a position to offer script notes or to enter into correspondence with applicants whose projects are not selected. We wish you all the best though!

 

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