This thesis consists of practice-led research in the form of a full-length script for a feature film. A summary of the script is as follows:

Annette, Adam and Josh take up residence in a small country community. It’s their first time all living together as a whanau, in a whare they’re all just getting use to. But little do they know the house and the land has a dark and tragic history. A history that triggers each whanau member either to relive a past filled with guilt and sorrow or drive them to near self-destruction. As they begin to explore their home and its surroundings, they uncover a secret that’s been a long time hidden. An angry Wairua! As it emerges slowly, secretly at first giving nothing away. Its very presence begins to threaten to up end this whanau and destroy their happiness. It’s Annette who must discover this tragedy and unravel the trauma of, Wairua trapped in the land for the past 500 years. She has to unlock the key to release them. Her only hope is Adam and Josh, with them, together they must face their fears to discover their true strength as a whanau, if they wish to survive.

The script is framed by an Exegesis which is a 6000-word essay on the subject of: (a) the genre of the script (b) the development process from synopsis to second draft