What does work in the film industry look like for an emerging artist? Award-winning film-maker and scriptwriter Ness Simons talks frankly about straddling the divide between dreams and reality, creating her first web series—Pot Luck—which will screen on TVNZ’s web series channel later this year, working with finely tuned chaos, the pros and cons of crowd-funding, the importance of telling stories that matter to you, and how training in film-making and writing helps.

What’s your web series Pot Luck about? It’s a fun and sexy comedy about three lesbian friends who make a pact which turns their weekly Pot Luck dinners into a search for love. (Or not). Part of what motivates me as a filmmaker is to explore characters and stories that are seldom seen on screen, and we're pretty sure it's New Zealand's first lesbian web series which is exciting—and there’s hopes of overseas sales.

How’s it going? We recently shot the remainder of the season so we have five more episodes in various stages of post-production. The shoot was intense, we really pushed the time and money we had available, and I couldn't ask for a better cast and crew. Their commitment and talent made my job easy.

What’s it like to be self-employed doing both scriptwriting and film-making? Being self-employed in any industry can involve real swings and roundabouts—you have to be ready for the busy times and able to make it viable through the quiet times. My working life is really varied which is one of the things I like about it. It's a mix of creating content for client websites and social media, crewing on other people's projects, and working on my own projects. It's finely tuned chaos sometimes.

The fact that I have training in both scriptwriting and production helps a lot with the commercial work. I can sit down with a client at the first meeting and work out what story they want to tell, then write the scripts, shoot the footage, and deliver the project. On smaller jobs I do the whole project myself—on the bigger projects I have a few filmmakers I bring in.  

What does ‘finely tuned chaos’ look like?! At the end of last year it involved nine corporate videos, a web series in pre-production, an online tutor role, and a massive retaining wall that needed more plants!  And lists. Always lists. I haven't had much time off to enjoy the glorious summer, but I'm working on a project I'm really passionate about so that helps.

Tell us more about the writing side of things. Writing is hard, and it's also really rewarding. It can be tough sometimes to keep going back to a script and looking for ways to develop it further, to find the time and space to write amongst paying the bills, and to be sat in front of a computer when the sun's shining. 

For me I have to really want to tell the story and believe that it should be told. That can help keep me going when I'm stuck in the writing vacuum. Some days the words flow easier than others, but there's a real sense of satisfaction when a script becomes a project and you have actors and a crew to bring it to life. 

How do you make the decision as to whether a story idea is suited towards a full-length feature, short film, or web series? It can really depend on how the idea came about—it might be through a character, or an event, or even a line of dialogue or conversation. I'll often do a little bit of writing to see where it might go before I start thinking about what kind of project it is. Generally it's about complexity: a short film doesn't allow much time to develop a character or story compared to a feature. And while a web series can give you plenty to work with over a whole series there also has to be a sense that each episode can stand on its own. With Pot Luck I decided I wanted to make a web series next. I've grounded it in a world I'm very familiar with and the clear premise at the heart of it gives me scope to have fun with the characters over each episode.

You also tutor in writing. What are the most common misconceptions people have when they start out writing scripts? I've met people who were convinced they couldn't write, but once they realised writing a film script was about more than just putting words on a page and that there were so many different ways to develop an idea they got excited about creating stories.  The other misconception is that once something is written out, it's done. Re-writing, always re-writing—that’s where the magic happens.

What assistance is available for emerging film-makers and writers like yourself? I've been along to industry events from the likes of WIFT, NZFC and Script to Screen with speakers and workshops and usually come away with a gem or two. I've also had funding from the Emerging Artists Trust for the web series and the NZ Film Commission for a short film. I've been really lucky to have the support of great people within the industry who have been generous with their time and advice and this has helped on both individual projects and generally in terms of my career.

We hear of people filming full-length features on their cellphones—what benefits does formal training in film-making give you? Film is such a collaborative beast and it takes a team of people to make a project happen so one of the biggest benefits for me has been the connection to people working in the industry. At NZ Film School this started with the tutors we had in for class sessions. I also really appreciate that I have a working knowledge of every department and a big-picture view of what needs to happen to go from the page to the screen. 

And what are the benefits of formal training in writing? This kind of follows on from the last question. At Whitireia I learnt that without good characters and a strong story you can have all the pretty pictures in the world but you won't engage your audience. Writing takes a lot of practice and being able to develop ideas with support is hugely beneficial. I’m still learning a lot with each project yet it feels like I can go more directly to my story than I used to. I understand the importance of re-writing, and feedback, and know what kinds of questions to ask of my work.

What do you think of the crowd-funding model for creative work? I think it can have real merit, there are some amazing projects that get made with crowd-funding and for projects like a web series it can help build your audience before your first episode is online. While I think there are a lot of fish-hooks—it takes a huge amount of time to run a campaign and people can really underestimate the rewards they might offer—crowd-funding can take away the barriers to a story being told. We ran a crowd funding campaign in December to fund the remainder of the Pot Luck series and it was like a full time job – pushing the link out there, trying to get press and promotion of the project, and really keeping the foot down until we reached our funding goal. On one hand it's really rewarding because you get so much instant feedback and support, and on the other it's pretty stressful trying to massage the donations and hit the target so you can receive the funding. I also think there's a bit of crowdfunding fatigue, there are so many wonderful causes and projects and it can be hard to get people to make a commitment to yours. But, we got there!

What are the big challenges ahead for people trying to make a go of working in this area? I think they're similar to any creative industry in that you need to have such a range of skills in order to be successful. You can be the most talented and creative person, but can you quote a job, or be on time? Can you work independently while also being part of a team? You never really see film work advertised so you have to make sure you're always on form because your reputation will get you your next job. I think what's really helped me is to regularly check in with myself, to know what I want to do in the coming months and years, and be working towards those goals at the same time as tackling the daily challenges. You can't be afraid of hard work, and having a sense of humour always helps.

Lastly, what makes you passionate about this medium? I love the way a good screen story can transport me, make me think and feel a different way, and often make me understand something more about myself. I think making films has the same appeal, the opportunity to explore a character and story in detail, to immerse myself and get lost in a different world.