This masterclass is aimed at published authors looking to adapt their stories for film and television. Participants will learn the nuts and bolts of adaptation, and how to capture the essence of their plot, themes and characters when writing a screenplay based on their books.

ABOUT THE FACILITATORS

Peter Herbert

Peter Herbert is a seasoned writer, producer and executive producer for many national and international companies, among them Crawford Productions, PBL Productions, Taffner Ramsay, Beyond International and Granada. He produced the inaugural Comedy Festival Charity Gala in 1992 and created The World Comedy Tour in 2000. He also produced the 34th Annual TV Week Logies, and has created or co-created a number of series, among them Skirts, The Comedy Sale! and The Big Wig for Sky1 in the UK. Working with Caroline Aherne of The Royle Family, he co-created, co-wrote and produced the BBC2 comedy series, Dossa and Joe.

Peter has taught at a number of universities in screen business, creative industries and producing. He is currently Head of Screen Business and Producing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS).

Pieter Aquilia

Dr Pieter Aquilia is the Head of Screenwriting at the the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). She is a scriptwriter, script editor and director, who has combined her creative practice with a career in academia. Formerly an Associate Dean and Associate Arts Professor for NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia, she was also Associate Professor and Head of Program at UNSW Asia and University of Newcastle. Her research publications cover International Television Drama, the Globalization of Screen Education, Ethnic and Gender Representation on Screen, and the Media in Asia.

Lisa Hoppe

Lisa is the Writer and Producer of H is for Happiness – a family feature film which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2019 and screened in competition at CinefestOz in September, winning “Best Film”. She has produced a number of short films that screened around the world including Godel, Incomplete (starring Elizabeth Debicki), and the AWGIE Award winning Heck, which she also co-wrote. From 2017 to 2018 Lisa worked as a Creative Producer with A Stark Production, producers of children’s film and television content including The Deep. Lisa’s extensive experience as writer, script editor and script producer has seen her work on Australian TV shows across a range of genres and formats including Heartbreak High, All Saints, White Collar Blue, Hi-5 and Guess How Much I Love You.