Written & Directed by Celia Jaspers
Produced by Celia Jaspers Auriga Martin Juanita Deely
As an eight year old girl counts her pennies she realises she has enough to make a trip to the shop to buy candy. After careful consideration, she chooses a giant lollipop then joins the queue behind a old man buying milk and bread.
Impatient to purchase her lollipop, she only notices the old man when his bank card is declined. After he refuses charity from the shop keeper, he rummages around to find enough coins to pay for the bread, then leaves the milk on the counter and leaves the shop. The young girl eager to buy her lollipop watches the old man as he walks away and ponders her next move
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH CELIA
Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
I’ve been lucky enough to find my vocation very early in life and while still at high school started working part time at a local tv studio. After finishing school at 18, instead of going to film school I was offered an internship at TVNZ and 30 years later I haven't stopped working since!
I’m primarily a director, and also producer and editor in TV, so do a lot of factual and documentary work. And whilst I started in narrative on film crews and TVC's, I was given the chance to direct very early on in TV so I went that route.
Now after many years and lot more maturity and life experience, I want to get back to narrative and I’m starting that transition by doing shorts with the aim of working tv drama and feature films.
Tell us about the genesis of Milk. How did the project come about?
Milk was written in the short 5 minute drive from my local village of Martinborough, where we shot it, to home, after our nations lockdown in 2020. Coming back from the shops the first time after 2 months at home, I felt a real shift of compassion and looking after your community in our village, and the idea of a child giving up something precious to them to help someone else was incredibly powerful on the page, I just hoped it would work on screen too! Its unfunded though, so with a lot of support from my amazing industry friends and local community, everyone loved the story and wanted to help. So Im incredibly lucky it attracted some top talent in all areas to get this over the line. IN particular my DP Jono Drew at StablizeNZ, camera from The Gear Room and the colourist and online from The Finishing Suite here in NZ, they did some huge work on this and would not be possible with out them.
What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?
Only the obstacle of finance! And the task of asking talented people to do a job for nothing! Thats always a challenge and something I hate doing as I value their talents and know how skilled they are to get to this stage of their careers. Not being a student project that was the hardest bit. But everyone wanted to come on and offered so much. There really weren't any obstacles that we couldn't over come with some great planning and foresight.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
I've never done the film festival circuit before so that has been the greatest learning for me. I had some advice early on from Show Me Shorts here in NZ and started working on a very nerdy spreadsheet to work out who to target, how much I could spend and whats most likely to get traction. I decided the festivals for a set time was the way, then was always going to release online. I didn't want it to be locked up behind paywalls, even though we have been offered several distribution deals, it wasn't the ethos of this film to keep it private, I wanted to share it and spread the love a bit!
It’s had 96 selections so far and picked up an astonishing 46 awards. And after 18months or so of doing virtual QA's and lots of press, I have gained so many valuable skills in that area now, so Im very grateful for that, but the biggest shame was the world was mostly locked up since covid and here in NZ our borders were shut for nearly 2 years, so I couldn't actual travel to any festivals outside of NZ as I couldn't get back in the country. That has been a huge loss really. But Im hoping this next film will allow some travel and exposure.
Words of wisdom. What advice would you give to other filmmakers?
Just find a way and get it done! But I know how hard that is. Set a date for your film shoot and then things start to come in line once theres a date on the calendar. You may not know how to get there, but if you ask, someone will. And keep it simple. Don't do long waffley films, I think people want shorter, entertaining, funny if possible, and you've got more chance of selection in that 7-12 min zone. Get to the crux of your story and build around that moment.
What are you working on now?
I've written a feature screenplay and an accompanying short film to prove the idea. It’s a fun, kids family comedy with puppets and live action! Completely different. But still in that family friendly zone. I cut my teeth in kids TV, so I think I’m leaning back in to that space that I know so well. And I’m still directing for NZ highest rating TV show, Country Calendar and international juggernaut House Hunters International for HGTV out of the US, as well as developing my film projects and a feature film that Im producing next year.