This thesis consists of practice-led research in the form of a full-length script for a feature film (No Man’s Land); plus a 6000-word essay (exegesis).
No Man’s Land looks at masculinity in New Zealand through the lives of three men. Each experiences personal despair in their pursuit of masculine conformity. A gay super rugby player attempts to navigate life in the media’s limelight following his public coming out. A broke ex-millworker finds himself walking an ethical tight rope as he strives to compete financially with his teenage son’s step-father. An overweight tradesman struggles to manage his anger, and consequently his personal relationships, when he’s diagnosed with testicular cancer.
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
