Flower kiss kids - Children's content June, 2020.

Calm content for kids post covid19

Welcome to a new screen initiative for children... in the wake of COVID19.
      I introduce a screen project 'flower kiss kids' full of creativity, calmness and adventure.

‘The nearer a (man) child comes to a calm mind, 
the closer he is to strength’.
                                                - Marcus Aurelius

‘Flower kiss kids’      250-word Synopsis

 In the opening titles a group of seven children; 4 to 10 years, run up a hilly paddock together toward the large ‘kindness tree’.  They chat and pat the tree as the title is generated into the sky by one child releasing a kiss on to a flower.
    Close by in the fence is a door, a key is turned and gives access through to a place of discovery within the Auckland region. In the case of this the pilot episode, it is Kelly Tarlton’s aquarium. segment 1, they look, understand, and learn from watching the underwater sea life.  The theme for the episode is set by this segment content, which is - ‘water is home to many creatures.’ 
The kids walk through a unique door that connects them to an art room full of colour and texture. 
               An opportunity to express themselves is given in segment 2.  Two young adult tutors show them how to create their own rock pool. 
The children approach another unique door in the art room that leads into a storytelling space.
               In segment 3, the children gather around the storyteller who waits in a big old comfortable armchair.  The storyteller begins his tale of ‘jack’s rock pool’. The narration, scenes and characters are brought to life by marionette puppets. 
               The children exit the final door through into the paddock and are back by the kindness tree. 
               The 20minute program concludes with waves goodbye and the kids leaving the scene for home.  Program credits follow.

              

COVID19 LOCKDOWN - 'Keeping you company' March 2020

From Day 1 to Day 49, my journey in NZ Lockdown, was spent keeping you company in
various ways from art, hair info, baking, beads, V8 Car remake, painting and many more.

Every day in level 4, then level 3, then as I returned to my workplace I did a few in level 2 before going into Level 1.

Please look up the  flowerkissfilm channel to find all 33 episodes.

Mackeral - Short Film May 2012

MACKERAL

'When fear becomes an all consuming appetite'

2 min   Magic Realism

SYNOPSIS

Sophia searches for the tapping sound that brings her down the stairs,
through the passages of the house to where her father sits in the study.
The tapping sound building and becomes deafening, 
The father turns to her, but what Sophia sees is a giant mackeral fish
growling; she flees in horror. The father taps his metal fork on the 

ceramic plate creating a menacing irritant, so much so that Sophia,
who sits on the table with her head on her arms. She lifts her head up
as her father glares at her; 'Sophia, sit up and eat your supper'.
He shoves the plate closer to her, to her shock she looks down and 

see an oversized mackeral spilling over her dinner plate. 

The fish's glassy eye stares back at her... 

                                         Writer, Director                   LINDA DARBY CORING

                                         Director of Photography     WALTER LAWRY

                                         Sophia                                  LUCY CORING

                                         Lawrence                             GREGORY PRYOR

                                         2nd Camera and Lighting    FINN McGOWAN

                                         1st AD                                  LEAH McVEAGH

                                         Production Design               LINDA DARBY CORING

                                         Makeup/Wardrobe               SHANTELL NAIR

                                         Producer                               LINDA DARBY CORING

    Location:  Puhinui House,  Howick Historic Village,
Auckland, New Zealand.

Filmed on 14th & 15th of May, 2012.

This is a 2012 Screen Production project for the
BA Hons program at University of Auckland.

Backbone - Feature film Treatment / Script June - Oct 2019

Backbone, a mystery drama about Anna, a teenage orphaned lighthouse keeper, who uses her ‘mindgarden’ to connect to her predecessors who uncover years of lies finally enabling the truth of Anna’s real story to emerge.

SYNOPSIS  

Nineteen year old Anna is a competent young woman descended from four generations of lighthouse keepers. When Thomas, her father suddenly dies, she is faced with decisions that affect the future of the Island community. several others on the island. After a no fuss burial, Anna realises being an orphan has its advantages; as she is able to continue operating the lighthouse on her terms.

      However Anna leads a double life and has the ability to remove herself mentally from her present world and connect through her ‘mindgarden’ to her ancestral network. She relies on this connection to give direction and open doors to things on earth she can't always find the answers to.  Now more than ever she seems to be tapping into this source of strength and support to help her unclear future.

      JIAN (18), the son from the neighbouring cattle station on the island, discovers EMORY(27) washed up on the main beach from across the channel. Emory, besides having a dubious past, possesses a sharp intellect that he begins to challenge Anna with by questioning her methods of operating the lighthouse. This motivates Anna to initiate a search to prove her techniques are part of an inherited ‘keeper mantle’ accumulated the past 100 years. However during the foraging for proof she uncovers some unwanted truths about her parents. This new information reveals that her father married the sister of his first wife, her being Anna’s mother; GLORIA(53). Logbooks further reveal that Gloria was in fact the backbone behind her fathers ‘keeper’ facade, and that to her horror, Jian’s mother LUI(50), out of greed had been slowly poisoning Thomas over the years to have a 'natural death' in order for her husband HENRY(58)to finally be the keeper of Tiri. Anna knew she had inherited her mother’s inner strength, and she was going to need it in the fight to set the past straight.

       Facing the fact that most of her life, she had been caught in a lie, Anna unleashes her anger on the Meha family, and the washed up intruder, who she dobs in for the Maritime police to come and collect. 

       A cold awkwardness takes over a previous warm island culture. Then to add insult to injury, a huge offshore cold front hits the island quite unexpectedly.  The massive storm wreaks havoc in the surrounding seas and in doing so breaks the seabed power cable

from Shakespeare point to Tiritiri. Just before the natural light completely fades, Jian takes Anna and locks her in the lighthouse for her own protection because Lui has seen an opportunity to sabotage the generator, so no light will be restored in the lighthouse. Therefore, through her negligence, Anna will be reported and removed from the island. But Lui underestimates Anna’s tenacity; and alone in the dark lighthouse tower she connects with her parents in her ‘mindgarden’ and their knowledge of where the secrets lie on earth helps Anna to uncover a 10 year strategy that Lui concocted to subtly take over their family legacy for her self.

      Jian emerges as the key to realising the extent of his parents deceit and through Anna retains his sanity of the whole saga.  Thomas and Gloria are posthumously acknowledged, then Anna is reinstated as the rightful Lighthouse keeper on Tirtiri. Emory returns with a clean slate and runs the lighthouse until Anna returns from a break on the mainland; of rest and recuperation; that the 19 year old deserves.

NORTHSTREET - Feature film Treatment/Script Jan - April 2018

'Being one of three sisters has its moments of loneliness...'                                                                                         

1hr20mins:    Historical drama, magical realism.

Synopsis:  TBA soon. 

My Inspiration: my two sisters, my two sister's in law, my three Aunties and my father's stories of growing up in a family of eight in the post war era.

LONECROW - Short film May 2018

A lone crow brings an ill wind.


14.48min  magical realism/horror/drama

SYNOPSIS 
Set in 1860 - Where friends Branwen(16) and Caradoc(18) have lived with the unnamed curse upon their village for many years. Her late mother's second sight, and her relationship with Margo; a crow, enables Branwen to see things differently than most. So when Branwen's daily routine as a service maid is interrupted  with intriguing news, a series of events are set in motion that take Caradoc and Branwen to expose the curse and rid it from their world for good. 

LONECROW trailer

CROWBONES production was filmed over six days in East Auckland area.
Locations were Highwic house in Newmarket, Howick Historic Village and Cascades reserve in Lloyd Elsmore Park, Pakuranga. 
Funding from Howick local board assisted in the location fees at the Historic Village. Pakuranga College drama students held acting roles as extras and featured characters.

My inspiration for this project grew from an interest in old welsh legends and the Celtic influence of my Welsh heritage.
A lot of research went into the wardrobe of the 1860's for the village folk, miners and main characters.
Grade and style is influenced by the 2012 film 'Mackerel'.

Director/Producer                 Linda Darby Coring
Writers                           Linda & Jessica Coring
Director of Photography           Alexander Jenkins
Editor                            Walter J.Lawry

CAST
Branwen                           Lucy Coring
Caradoc                           Liam Chapman
Slim Perkins                      James Crompton
Samuel                            Sean O'Connor
Elizabeth                         Robyn Ramsey
Betty                             Abigail Stone
Mary                              Vivianne Schnaas
Miners                            Dylan Ladopoulas, Michael               
                                  Hammerich, Brendan Nisbet
                                  
Piano Player                      Christopher Hatfield
Guest House                       Erin Maclean,Natalie Sangster
                                  Lorenzo Ramirez, Franco Jooste
                                  Shelby Sparks, Jessica Coring
                                  Claire Ranby, Jaime Elliott
Villagers                         Rowan Stone, Summer Hoet
                                  Nadra Alachalabi,  Alanah Munn
                                  Charu Bhella, Emily Tong
Cursed Miners                     Joel Curry, Jacob Coring, 
                                  Mikael Ruwel Coupe, Daniel Tolmie
                                  

CREW
1ST AC                            Leigh Elford
2ND AC                            Esther Mitchell
1st ADs                           Ian Neilson, Beren Allen
2nd ADs                           Carmel Bell
                                  Jessica Coring, Cameron Broadhurst
Lighting                          Matt Thomas
Lighting Assist                   Joe Stanbridge, Daniel Tolmie
Sound Recordist                   Kevin Choy, Jonathan Newton                          
Production Designer               Linda Darby Coring
Properties                        Katelyn Varga, Justine Langit
Wardrobe & Makeup                 Lily Jalfron-Taylor,Serena Ashmore
                                  Jaime Elliott, Carmel Bell
Special FX Makeup                 Liz Stone, Jessica & Lucy Coring
Art Assists                       Jessica Coring, Vivianne Schnass
                                  Mirene Schnass
Armourer                          Martin Bath
Birdhandlers                      Mark Robinson, Caleb Hendry
Catering                          Meals on Reels
Runners                           Daniel Tolmie, Mikael Ruwel Coupe
                                  Cameron Broadhurst, Katie Blair

Colourist                         Johnathan Guest - Halcyon
Sound Design                      Linda Darby-Coring, Walter Lawry
Sound Mix                         Samuel Moore
Sound FX                          freesound.com.
Music; Mixed Artists              Audio Network.                    

Camera                            BLACK MAGIC   
Pre to Post Production Dates      18th January 2017 - 24th May 2018

The WOLF and the OWL - Short Film November 2015

Love your neighbor, even if her bike is faster.
7 min  Child, Adventure

SYNOPSIS
Wolf want to test out his newly painted trolley, so him and Owl head to the nearby woodland.
They soon discover that they're not alone as three older girls emerge on faster bikes to take over the trails.  Sally, their leader come to a sticky end; so Wolf come to the rescue.
It's time to go as Wolf and Owl head home for waffles.  Life is good for Wolf and Owl; who lick their lollipops and watch the clouds go by. 

https://vimeo.com/113064330

Our small team filmed for four, six hour days in the Lloyd Elsmore Park in East Auckland. The cast was made up of some experienced child actors, and some not so much.  The crew was minimal; made up of University film graduates keen to do a no pressure shoot.

The Wolf and the Owl was chosen as a semi-finalist in the 2015 NZ Tropfest short film competition. 

                              

Ethan Coring           Wolf
Abigail Stone           Owl


Lucy Coring             Sally


 Jessica Randell       Jemima


Emily Stone             Petra


   Liz Stone                  Mother





                 

Production Design             Linda Darby-Coring
Sound                                   Kim Mareee


 Wardrobe                            Liz Stone




Filmed on a SONY HD cam on the 22nd to 26th of September 2014.