Talented film-makers show off their skills
On Tuesday 14 June, film students and their supporters came together for the premiere of eight new films in the Memorial Theatre at the University’s Kelburn campus.
“We had a challenging trimester working around COVID isolations and unavoidable absences, but the students showed incredible resilience and creative problem-solving skills. The films they produced are a testament to their hard work and determination, they should all be proud of what they’ve achieved,” says coordinator of the Master’s, Associate Professor Paul Wolffram.
Coordinator of the Short Film Production course, Jess Charlton adds, “It’s been wonderful to accompany these students on this stage of their filmmaking journey. I’m consistently impressed with their work and I look forward to seeing what they do next.”
The short films that premiered were Locked, blood! sweat! tears!, Baby Teeth, Mycelium, Lord Have Mercy, Web Traffic, Reasons, and Alone Time. Four films were created by students in the 300-level course, and four from Master of Fine Arts students.
We spoke to some of the people behind the films.
- Baby Teeth, FILM310 students Liam Martin and Cass Maughan
- blood! sweat! tears!, directed by FILM310 student Elora Battah
- Alone Time, directed by MFA student Jess Hockey
Baby Teeth, FILM310 students Liam Martin and Cass Maughan
Baby Teeth is a fun, light-hearted portrayal of the challenges young people face while flatting together, says director Cass Maughan. “Keeping up with chores, finishing confusing assignments, and disturbing initiation rituals are explored with whimsical comedy. We follow Ollie as he learns to let go of his baby teeth (both figuratively and literally) and face the responsibilities of semi-adulthood.”
Baby Teeth producer Liam Martin, and director Cass both began their Bachelor of Arts in 2020, and were drawn to Te Herenga Waka by the fact we offer production courses from 200-level onwards. And as Liam says, “I knew that Wellington was the place to be if I wanted to do any studies in the entertainment industry—and it definitely helped that Taika Waititi studied here.”
The concept for the film came from someone within their class but outside their group—the script for Baby Teeth was written by Grace Ashworth-Lawson. “Lecturer Jess Charlton had us all write a short film script for a 10-minute film, picked the best ten, and put it to a vote.” Each individual made films based on the idea from someone outside their film crew.
“While there was SO much stress producing a film in the middle of a COVID resurgance, it was worth it because of how incredible my cast and crew was.
“The most fun thing was seeing the film on the big screen. We got so many compliments about the excellent quality of it, and it was so emotional seeing the crowd laugh at our film and just enjoy it after all the effort we poured into it,” says Liam.
Cass also enjoyed working with actors his own age, and applying his own experiences with flatting in the direction experience. He says, “the teamwork, leadership, and creative skills I’ve learned in FILM310 will be useful in whatever path I choose to go down.”
Liam says his ultimate dream job would be doing animal documentaries all over the world, but adds, “the ideal goal would be becoming a screenwriter for shows I really enjoy the concepts of”.
blood! sweat! tears!, directed by FILM310 student Elora Battah
blood! sweat! tears! is a short film about an artist who, in the days before her final assignment is due, becomes convinced that her painting is trying to communicate with her, says its director Elora Battah.
Like Cass and Liam, Elora started her Bachelor of Arts in 2020. She is majoring in Film and Theatre, and says, “I was grateful to be part of this limited-entry course. With every film I am part of, I learn and grow more. To have a safe space to go on that journey and discover what works and what doesn’t is priceless.”
She had some experience creating short films, both within her degree, and while at high school. blood! sweat! tears! was written by classmate Kiera McCarthy-Joseph. She says, “When I received it, I read it several times and sat with the ideas for a few days. Then I talked with the crew, and the writer to discuss what messages were key to the story.
“The film was made over 9 weeks, with 4 weeks in pre-production, 4 days of shooting, and 3 weeks in post-production. We all had other courses and work commitments, so time was extremely tight.”
Elora explains that balancing her creative vision with what they could achieve on screen was challenging. “To have the opportunity to create a film with many different locations, a lot of extras, a large crew, and a large amount of production design was very rewarding. Working with the actresses and shaping their characters as part of the world we had created was the cherry on top.”
Elora wants to become a director. “My plan is to work in the film industry in whatever capacity I can until I reach my goal. I know it is a difficult road to get to the position of directing films, but I believe I have the tenacity and passion to get there.”
Alone Time, directed by MFA student Jess Hockey
Alone Time is about Ava who books herself a stay at an Airbnb for some ‘alone time,’ explains Jess Hockey, who directed the film. As she relaxes into the night, she becomes aware that someone is watching her, and takes her revenge.
Jess began her Master of Fine Arts this year, after completing her Bachelor of Arts majoring in film and media studies. Her final trimester saw her complete film production course FILM311, Documentary Film Production, which opened her eyes to the world of filmmaking.
“I didn’t have enough experience to jump into the film industry straight after my BA, and the MFA sounded like the best way to get this. Being here in Wellington, the University’s MFA creates the most opportunities for young filmmakers—opportunities to network, work with industry professionals, and make films in the heart of the city,” says Jess.
Alone Time was the first film Jess had directed, but she’d previously been involved in devising collaborative theatre. The script was written by Georgie Wright, a 2021 student in the International Institute of Modern Letters’ MA workshop in scriptwriting.
“We were given the script and assigned roles in April, but didn’t get into preproduction for Alone Time until May. We started filming on 13 May, but the lead actor had to isolate when her flatmate got COVID-19. From start to end, the film was six weeks of very intense work. I am so proud of my cast and crew for their adaptability and drive to complete the film.”
Jess’ favourite thing about directing was seeing her main actor, Tori Kelland, fully committing to her role. “There were moments when the whole crew were speechless—that was an amazing feeling.”
Jess would like to eventually write and direct her own films. “I hope to become an independent director, working to tell captivating stories, and shed light on controversial subjects in an attempt to make the world a more compassionate place using popular media.”