In this week's TBI QnA we hear from NZ producer Philippa Campbell, one of the guests at The Big Screen Symposium.

"It’s a rare opportunity for us to get together and discuss what’s important to us – and to hang out with very interesting colleagues from abroad."

During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?

During a shoot it’s the hours on the call sheet. All of them.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?

Diplomatically.

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?

Being in service of a story.

How does your environment affect your work?

Film making gives you great opportunities to explore environments and meet people you would otherwise have no experience of. It opens up your experience of the world.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?

Producers do both, but the big picture must be firmly in one’s mind at all times.

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?

Understand what values are important to you in business and put them into practice.

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?

Always the most recent one, in this case Top of the Lake a six hour television series written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee and directed by Jane and Garth Davis.

Who or what has inspired you recently?

Jane has taken all of us who worked on Top of the Lake on an extraordinary  journey.

Tell us a bit about your background.

I graduated from university with a BA in English, Philosophy and Drama and then trained as an actor at what is now Toi Whakaari under the late, great George Webby who taught us about the profit of risk and the right to fail. I’ve been an actor and director in the theatre, a script editor and writer in television, and a development exec and producer in film.

Tell us a bit about your recent and upcoming projects?

Top of the Lake is a crime mystery story set in and around Queenstown. It’s now in post production and will premiere on the BBC early in 2013. We’ll see it in NZ on UKTV and you will all be able to buy the boxed set and immerse yourself in its rich, complex, utterly original story.

In what ways is the film industry in a state of flux?

I don’t know about flux.  It is certainly under enormous pressure from the instability of the world economic situation, the vast range of platforms available for entertainment, and shifting and evolving markets.  

What are some of the new ways forward for film in NZ?

I look forward to lively debate about this at The Big Screen Symposium!

Tell us a bit about your workshop topic

I’m chairing Dana Rotberg’s boldly-titled workshop ‘Getting to The Heart of the Story’. Dana’s first film school teacher told the class that filmmakers are pirates. You’ll have to come along to hear how that works – it’s well worth it.

The second session I’m involved in is about adaptation, with three great panelists, Rob Sarkies, Keith Thompson and Dana.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?

Back up singer. All care no responsibility and I get to sing great harmony.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?

The central plateau of the North Island; it’s my bolthole.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?

Live. The air changes. 

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?

A kite or something nifty but entirely ineffective to keep the birds away from my strawberries.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?

Take a ‘proper’ holiday at regular intervals ie no phone, no internet,  no work, no deadlines.

What’s great about The Big Screen Symposium?

It’s a rare opportunity for us to get together and discuss what’s important to us – and to hang out with very interesting colleagues from abroad. Thank you Script to Screen.

What’s your big idea for 2013?

Do something about child poverty in New Zealand. It’s a disgrace.

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Philippa has produced five New Zealand feature films, including the acclaimed  Rain, which premiered in competition in Cannes, Sundance award winner No.2, Black Sheep, winner of three international awards, and the  genre-busting Rubbings From a Live Man. She is currently producing Jane Campion’s international television mini-series Top of the Lake starring Elisabeth Moss.