AFTRS Short Courses
Approximately twice a year the Australian Film, Television and Radio School with the support of Screen Territory runs short courses for professionals in Alice Springs and Darwin.  The courses run, vary depending on the needs of the industry and have included courses such as:

• After Effects Compositing
• Art of Creative Editing
• Audio for Mini DV
• Cinematography
• Doing Business With Asia
• From Idea to the Page
• Final Cut Pro Basics and Advanced
• Tax Fundamentals

REALISATOR is a Territory program designed for the Territory screen industry to develop the skills of local filmmakers through the development of documentary projects.

REALISATOR aims to give Territory screen practitioners the skills to develop projects to a point where they are ready to engage with the marketplace.

REALISATOR is a partnership between Screen Territory and Screen Australia.

The REALISATOR 2011 workshop was held in Darwin in March 2011 and eight Territorians
participated.  Following the workshop, two projects were chosen for further development.  The chosen projects were:

• Sea Shells – Jenny Fraser
• Bessie Bathern: Bush Woman – Skye Raabe

Each project received a development grant of $5 000 and mentoring from an experienced documentary filmmaker.

he REALISATOR 2010 workshop was held in Darwin in September 2010 and 13 Territorians participated.  Following the workshop three projects were chosen for further development. The successful projects were:

• Croc School – Adam and Erin Britton
• Lucky Country – Vincent Lamberti
• Outback Investigators – Simon Manzie 

Each project received a development grant of $5 000, mentoring from an experienced documentary filmmaker and travel funding of $2 000 per person to attend the 2011 Australian International Documentary Conference.

IGNITE 2010 was an accelerated feature film development initiative that took place over 10 months in 2010-11.

IGNITE 2010 was a partnership between Screen Territory, Screen Australia and acclaimed script development company Eurista Development.

IGNITE 2010 mixed high intensity residential workshops with distance learning and online consultation.

IGNITE 2010 aimed to generate well developed stories and energised creative teams who are ready to push their projects on with an increased chance of success.

Five Territory projects were chosen to participate in IGNITE 2010.  The projects chosen were:

• Little Marvels – Mark Bowling
• Half Way There – Mary Anne Butler
• Terry Towelling – Rachel Clements
• Out There – Warren Williams
• The Dreaming – Andrzej Zukowski

Each project received a development grant of $10 000 and non Alice Springs based participants also received travel support to attend the IGNITE 2010 workshops.

Also participating in IGNITE were a writer from Tasmania and a writer/producer team from South Australia.  Each interstate team received support from their state screen agency to participate in IGNITE 2010.

The successful Territorians chosen were:

• Danielle Green
• Simon Manzie

EURISTA Development Skills Workshop

In association with Eurista Development, Screen Tasmania and Screen Australia, Screen Territory supported one project and one developer to participate in the EURISTA Development Skills Workshop.

The EURISTA Development Skills Workshop was a week long script development skills residential workshop that was held in Freycinet, Tasmania in July 2009.

The successful Territorians chosen were:

• Rachel Clements – Developer
• Eleanor Hogan – Project – Stupid Old Love

IGNITE 2009

In 2009 Screen Territory in partnership with acclaimed script development company Eurista Development ran IGNITE, an accelerated feature film development initiative which took place over six months.

IGNITE mixed high intensity residential workshops with distance learning and online consultation.

IGNITE aimed to generate well developed stories and energised creative teams who are ready to push their projects on with an increased chance of success.

Five Territory projects were chosen to participate in IGNITE.  The projects chosen were:

• I am Daisy – Jane Hampson
• Captive Lives – Tom. E Lewis and Fleur Parry
• Carnage – Steven McGregor
• The Sandbar Man – Trevor Shiell
• Reffo Now – Andrzej Zukowski

Each project recieved a full scholarship to participate in IGNITE.  The scholarships were valued at in excess of $15 000 with $10 000 being set aside for script development.

Also participating in IGNITE were two writers from Tasmania and a writer/producer team from South Australia.  Each interstate team received support from their state screen agency to participate in IGNITE.

Yarning Up Series One and Series Two

Produced by the Top End Aboriginal Bush Broadcasting Association (TEABBA) and Penny Smallacombe, in association with Screen Territory, Screen Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Department of Education and Training, and National Indigenous Television (NITV), Yarning Up is an initiative that allows Indigenous filmmakers from remote Top End communities to attend workshops in Darwin and pitch their projects for production.

The first Yarning Up series was broadcast in 2008 and the projects involved were:

• Yolngu Guya Djamamirr - Frank Djirrimbilpilwuy
• One River, All Rivers  - Tom E. Lewis
• One Tree One Man -Jedda Puruntatameri
• Yothu Marnda - Elish Markuniny

The films involved were screened on ABC TV’s Message Stick and NITV as well as at a number of national and international festivals where they picked up a number of awards.

Yarning Up 2 was broadcast in 2010.  The projects involved were:

• The Barngurnn Story - Marie Brennan
• Nundhirribala’s Dream - Ella Geia
• The Boss for his Country - Rennova Urban
• One Leader, Ten Wives - Malcolm Wilson

The films involved were screened on ABC TV’s Message Stick and at a number of national and international festivals where they picked up a number of awards.

Arista Residential Workshop

In association with Arista Development and Screen Tasmania, Screen Territory supported two feature film projects to participate in a seven day residential script development workshop held at Freycinet Lodge, Tasmania.

The successful projects chosen were:

• Stupid Old Love – Eleanor Hogan
• The Sandbar Man – Trevor Shiell

Arista Development Workshops – June 2008

From Saturday 21 to Monday 30 June 2008 Screen Territory in association with the NT Writers’ Centre hosted two, two day workshops and four half day one on one meetings by acclaimed script development company Arista Development.

The workshops held were:

• Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June 2008 – Arista Development Treatments and Short Documents Workshop – Alice Springs
• Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June 2008 – Arista Development Writing and Developing Family and Children’s Films – Darwin

18 people attended the workshops.

Headlands

Headlands was an intensive 10 week documentary research and writing development initiative from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) through its Documentary Department in partnership with Screen Territory and other state and federal agencies.  The program focused on supporting selected applicants through the intensive process of research and development of a high concept documentary feature, series, multi-media or one-off program that required extensive research. 

Dixi Joy Bankier from Darwin was the Territory’s successful participant.

Arista Development Lo Budget High Quality Feature Film Workshop – November 2007

On Sunday 18 and Monday 19 November 2007 Screen Territory in association with the NT Writers’ Centre hosted Arista Development’s two day Lo Budget High Quality Workshop in Darwin.

Twenty-one writers, including three from Alice Springs whose travel costs were covered by Screen Territory, attended the workshop.  The workshop covered:

• Issues facing low budget filmmakers today
• A brief history of no to low budget filmmaking
• The meaning of distinctiveness
• Low budget genres
• Low budget development
• Directing low budget

Creating Vision

In May 2006 Screen Territory in partnership with Desert Knowledge and the Department of Business, Industry and Regional Development and facilitated by Burdon Torzillo, hosted a three day workshop attended by remote Indigenous screen practitioners from across the Territory.  Attendees included representatives of Indigenous Media Associations.