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Creative ID: 337

Art form(s): Film
Language(s): English
Based in: Northland
Where I'm available:
Northland
Kerikeri, Northland - and anywhere in the Far North that is no more than a 1.5 hour drive from Kerikeri (e.g. Kaitaia, Paihia, Whangarei etc.)
When I'm available: I am free throughout the year on weekdays, except for Thursdays.

My arts or creative practice (including details about my specific focus within that art form/practice and my strengths)

I am an award-winning filmmaker, who has created campaigns and visual stories for major broadcasters and video production agencies in London, Auckland, Sydney and Hong Kong since 1989. The first short film I wrote and directed won the Best International Drama Award at a  Film Festival in London, U.K, and placed 1st equal in the Open Fiction category in a local Short Film Competition in New Zealand. My second short film, won Best Film (Open Fiction) and Best Narrative at another local Film Festival, and was nominated as a Finalist in a prestigious FilmFest in oversease. I have directed shoots on location in over 25 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Asia, and done pretty much every job in video production at some stage, so I have a broad and deep understanding of the medium, and of visual storytelling in general. I'm now based in Kerikeri, Northland.

My track record of experience and success - or the track record of experience and success of the creative or artist that I will partner with

I am an award-winning filmmaker and video producer with a 30+ year international career in the industry (please refer to my resume on LinkedIn). In 2019, I was approached by an Education Trust to teach basic filmmaking techniques to immediate and secondary school students in a variety of schools in the Far North. By all accounts, the programme was a success, and the principals were very happy with the level of engagement and output by the students. All of these schools are endorsing my application, and will benefit from the funding. I will divide my contact time with students among these schools.

Describe the experience you have had working with children or young people, teaching or facilitating creative processes

I have taught basic filmmaking techniques in numerous schools around the Far North. The age range: 7 years-old up to 15 years-old. Outside of the education system, I have also organised workshops with TV newsroom staff in various countries to help them improve the quality of their television news stories. As a writer/director who has produced two award-winning short films, my focus in on narrative storytelling, and the craft of engaging an audience in a compelling way. I have also shot and edited several documentaries that use the same story structure techniques to keep the audience engaged. As part of this application I would like to offer students the option of creating their own stories -- or using music tracks by established NZ musicians to create a narrative video/pop clip. The latter would be an arrangement through Auckland-based music publisher. I aim to put aside $1k of the funding towards licensing up to 5 songs for the students to use to create pop videos. The licence fee will be paid directly to NZ songwriters/musicians.

Why I want to be part of the Creatives in Schools programme and how my involvement will link to my creative practice

There is a real need for young New Zealanders to have a variety of means to express themselves, and to tell their own stories. Filmmaking is a powerful and increasingly accessible way of helping young people find meaning and make sense of the world around them. Video is how people will increasingly interact in the future - from editing together a video profile about one's family, to having a job interview via Zoom on the Internet. Understanding basic techniques and principles about how to record good video and audio can mean the difference between looking amateur versus impressing your audience or future employer. As a professional video producer, I have already been teaching hundreds of students in schools across the Far North how to create video events that look and sound good, and engage audiences on an emotional level.

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