Key Takeaways from Big Screen Symposium: Our Directors Perspective

In early July, Day One Hāpai te Haeata attended the Big Screen Symposium, and we wanted to share some of the insights and developments that stood out from this important industry gathering.

Funding Landscape Updates

NZ on Air has set their success benchmark at 20,000+ views per online episode, which gives us a clear target to aim for in our digital content strategies. Meanwhile, the New Zealand Film Commission is particularly interested in "innovation" – essentially finding new ways to create great content more efficiently and cost-effectively.

There's been a noticeable trend of first-time feature filmmakers applying for the rebate with budgets around $4 million, but the New Zealand Film Commission is encouraging filmmakers to consider starting with $1 million films first – while still ensuring fair payment for cast and crew. The key is getting creative with resources.

A significant development is the introduction of a $500,000 non-recoupable grant for projects with total budgets under $1-1.5 million. At this budget level, they've also removed the requirement for 10% of the budget to come from sources other than the New Zealand Film Commission.

The New Zealand Film Commission wants feature teams to have crystal-clear priorities about their primary goal: local box office, international sales, film festival circuit, or innovation. They don't want to hear "a bit of everything" – they want one clear frontrunner.

Industry Mood and Community

The general vibe felt more optimistic than last year. Where 2024 had a sense of crisis, this year there was more of an attitude of "these problems aren't going away, so let's figure out how to get on with it." There was a real emphasis on community support, collaboration, and breaking out of traditional pathways to find new approaches across all stages of production.

Storytelling and Cultural Responsibility

The most impactful session for me was on storytelling by Māori, featuring Tihini Grant, Kath Akuhata Brown, Mike Jonathan, Te O Kahurangi Waaka, and Bird Runningwater. The discussion centred on telling Māori stories in ways that give back to communities rather than extracting from them. It's about maintaining relationships so that you can return to communities and iwi to tell their stories again, ensuring no one feels exploited.

The panel emphasised embracing tikanga Māori throughout entire productions, not just on-screen, and encouraged creatives to examine whether their thinking comes from a Māori worldview or has been influenced by colonised perspectives.

Practical Directing Insights

From the TV Directing Masterclass with Toa Fraser, some standout advice included:

• "I will get ready and maybe my chance will come" – Logan's approach to preparation
• When you don't have a job, focus on your "inputs": journaling, reading scripts, watching films
• For every job secured, expect 20 rejections
• Core team for rehearsals should be Director, 1st AD, DOP, and Script Supervisor
• "Always look like you know what you are doing and never run"
• Remember that as a director, you're often the least experienced person on set – utilise your experts

Mental Health Considerations

One session that continues to resonate is the Temperature Check on Mental Health Within the Aotearoa Screen Sector. As an organisation bringing new and emerging filmmakers into professional spaces, we need to seriously consider what tools and values we impart. Mental health first aid training should be standard, and we're exploring becoming instructors ourselves to train our filmmakers.

Words to Live By

Miki Magasiva shared some powerful insights during his session on staying true to your voice:

• "Work with people you know will fight for you, who will have your back"
• "Trust your idea and the kind of filmmaker you want to be"
• "Be the navigator for what's right or wrong for your story"

Thank you

A massive thank you to Dale, Olivia and the rest of the fantastic Big Screen Symposium team who put together such a great programme - make sure you follow @bigscreensnz & @script_to_screen to keep up to date with their events and initiatives. The symposium reinforced that while our industry faces ongoing challenges, there's real momentum toward innovative solutions and stronger community collaboration. For emerging filmmakers, the message is clear: stay prepared, stay creative, and stay connected.