ScreenTalk

Keith Aberdein – scripting NZ classics

Posted on 20 July 2010

From reporting to scriptwriting and acting, Keith Aberdein has been a part of some of New Zealand’s biggest television and film moments. His screen career began as a journalist on Town and Around and Compass. Aberdein has scripted major TV shows such as Pukemanu, Section 7, Moynihan, Close to Home, and the colonial epic The Governor.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Aberdein talks about:

• Why prolonging an interview with a survivor of the Wahine disaster still makes him shudder
• The challenges of making Pukemanu and how the programme changed the face of drama on TV
• The deliberate revisionism of history and Governor Grey in scripting The Governor
• The negative and positive impact the programme had on TV in New Zealand
• How Close to Home won the ratings battle for TV One against SPTV
• Working on the script for Utu with Geoff Murphy
• Writing a scathing script review of Smash Palace and how director Roger Donaldson got his own back when he cast him in the film
• How making a career in TV can be fun, but will lead to tears

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

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