Southern Screen Productions

2007

Parkinson's, The Good News

A Production for TV3's primetime doco strand 'Inside New Zealand', 'Parkinson's, The Good News' is an in depth look at Parkinson's disease, and the newly developed wonder drug that is hoped will delay the progression of the disease for 10-15 years once diagnosed. Its only when our incredibly complex and finely tuned systems go down that we understand how remarkable a human being is, and how much we take for granted when all is going well.

2006

Zoe Bell: Stunt Star

We went behind the scenes on Quinton Tarantino's latest Hollywood movie to make 'Zoe Bell: Stunt Star'. This half-hour primetime doco features a young kiwi stunt woman who has gone from being a trampoline mad youngster growing up on a small island out of Auckland, to being Uma Thurman's stunt double in 'Kill Bill', and now playing a lead role opposite Kurt Russell in 'Deathproof'.

The Biological Mind 3 x45minutes

Currently selling into countries around the world having screened in New Zealand in 2007, the three part series 'The Biological Mind' was international distributer TVF's second most asked after documentary series at the latest MIP TV, international television market in Cannes.
'Seriously Stressed', 'Deeply Depressed' and 'Acutely Anxious' are a 3 part series exploring the way your body and mind exchange information and how this is the key to maintaining your mental health. State of the art 3D graphics take you inside the brain and body to look at what goes on when things are malfunctioning and how they can be corrected.

Acutely Anxious

This documentary is about Anxiety: acute, destructive, highly limiting anxiety. Anxiety should be working to keep us out of harms way, but when it gets out of balance it can make everyday experiences a source of pure terror.

Watch it and find out how this happens and why as we look at the physiology and psychology of anxiety, its symptoms and its cures, and why it is that people with anxiety disorders can find themsleves trapped in their own homes for years.

 click to see sample clips

Deeply Depressed

Depression is described by experts as "the common cold of mental illness" but it's a lot more devastating than a mere cold. The World Health Organisation puts clinical depression alongside paraplegia in terms of its impact on you and your family. The good news is that unlike paraplegia there is an 80% cure rate for clinical depression. Looking at the way depression is treated gives a fascinating insight into how the human brain works.

 click to see sample clips

Seriously Stressed

Stress is nothing new. It's a built in physical response that dates back to our days as cavemen fighting sabre tooth tigers. The trouble is your bodies cant tell the difference between a real threat and one that's "all in the mind". These days the stress response can be triggered by something as harmless as the toot of the horn. But it's not stress itself you need to be scared of, it's what can happen to you if you are suffering the effects of chronic stress and try to ignore it. So what exactly does the stress response do to you physically? What causes it? Can you control it? Can you do anything to manage the impact of living in stressful conditions? How can you stay at the right end of the stress continuum?

 click to see sample clips

2005

Millionaire Mums

In 2005 'Millionaire Mums' was the second highest rating documentary in 'Inside New Zealand' - New Zealand's primetime documentary strand.

The goal: to lose weight, get fit. stop smoking and...make a million dollars - each. Unlike any success story you've ever seen before, we follow two solo mums with five children between them as they start from scratch with their dreams, their business plan, and their determination to get off welfare. To keep themselves on track they invited us along for the ride: we share their disappoinments and their triumphs over a year as they struggle with procrastination, changing the way they think and learning what makes them happy. Love them or hate them, you'll want to find out what happens.

 click to see sample clips

The Seven Billion Dollar Kids

A documentary exploring how the Student Loan Scheme works and whether it's really doing what it was intended to, or not. Its carrying a $7 billion dollar debt: the politicians don't seem too worried and research seems to support them; but many individuals feel the price is far too high:"On paper the scheme works, but in practice its *#!*".

 click to see sample clips

2004

The Naked Breast

Directed by Virginia for Raconteur International this was the top-rating documentary of the year in TV3's Primetime strand 'Inside New Zealand'. You'll never look at a breast in the same way again once you've seen the 69 breasts of all ages, shapes and sizes, untouched by airbrush or photoshop, in this documentary. An upfront look at the breast in the 21st century discussing everything from issues to do with size, nipple-piercing and cosmetic surgery, to the number of deaths annually from breast cancer; humour tempered with realism is its trademark.