{{Short description|New Zealand cinematographer and scriptwriter}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=May 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} '''Jessica Charlton''' is a New Zealand cinematographer and scriptwriter who has worked since 2009 on over 30 short films, television productions, and feature-length films as well as music videos, web series, and documentaries.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Jess Charlton |url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/profile/jess-charlton |access-date=17 August 2023 |website=NZOnScreen}}</ref>
== Life and career == Charlton was born in London but raised in Invercargill and Queenstown.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Jess Charlton: Cinematographer: Overview |url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/profile/jess-charlton |access-date=19 Aug 2023 |website=NZonScreen}}</ref> She graduated from The New Zealand Film & Television School in around 2009.<ref name="Wood">{{cite news |last1=Wood |first1=Stacey |title=Film school marks 10 years of turning out young talent |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/787296448/sem-2 |access-date=9 May 2024 |work=The Dominion Post |date=13 November 2010 |page=A13}}</ref>
In 2012 she shared with Juliet Bergh the New Zealand Writers Guild awards for Best Feature Film Script and New Writer Award<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jess Charlton: Awards |url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/profile/jess-charlton/awards |access-date=17 Aug 2023 |website=NZOnScreen}}</ref> for ''Existence'', a feature-length drama starring Loren Horsley (co-star of ''Eagle vs Shark'') and Matt Sunderland. It premiered in the 2012 New Zealand International Film Festival,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=11 July 2012 |title=It's the End of the World at the Wellington Film Festival |url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1207/S00160/its-the-end-of-the-world-at-the-wellington-film-festival.htm |access-date=18 Aug 2023 |website=Scoop.co.nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Partridge |first=James |date=4 Sep 2012 |title=WELLINGTON FILM 'EXISTENCE' A BIG WINNER AT THE 2012 SCRIPT WRITERS AWARDS NEW ZEALAND |url=http://www.admitone.co.nz/2012/09/04/wellington-film-existence-a-big-winner-at-the-2012-script-writers-awards-new-zealand/ |access-date=19 Aug 2023 |website=AdmitOne.co.nz}}</ref> and was also accepted that year as part of the Industry-only Breakthru Screenings at the Melbourne International Film Festival.<ref name=":0" />
NZ on Screen calls ''Existence'' a "low budget," "salvagepunk" film, and describes it as "a rare entry in the Kiwi sci-fi feature catalogue."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Existence |url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/existence-2012 |access-date=18 Aug 2023 |website=NZonScreen}}</ref> The New Zealand International Film Festival said in a press release that it ties into an older, more established tradition of New Zealand storytelling, the "man alone" story set in scenic natural environments, often found in New Zealand 1980's films such as ''The Navigator'', ''The Quiet Earth'', and ''Vigil''.<ref name=":0" />
''Existence'' is also notable because the production team is "predominantly" female, including the producers Mhairead Connor and Melissa Dodds.<ref name=":0" /> Meridian Energy gave the filmmakers special permission to film at the Makara West Wind Farm,<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Fox">{{cite news |last1=Fox |first1=Michael |title=Makara to become stage for post-apocalyptic Western |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/761440707/sem-2 |access-date=9 May 2024 |work=The Dominion Post |date=2 November 2010 |page=A4}}</ref> on Wellington's south coast, as part of a 24-day shoot.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=15 June 2011 |title=On the Escalator: An Update |url=https://www.wiftnz.org.nz/news/news-archive/2011/jun/on-the-escalator-an-update/ |access-date=19 Aug 2023 |website=WIFTNZ}}</ref> Additionally, the ''Existence'' team were among the last filmmakers to have the benefit of working with leading New Zealand filmmaker Graeme Tetley on developing their script.<ref name=":0" />
In 2010 ''Existence'' had been one of the first recipients of the New Zealand Film Commission's $250,000 Escalator grant,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Existence |url=https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/films/existence |access-date=19 Aug 2023 |website=nzfilm.co.nz}}</ref><ref name="Fox"/> and was the first film completed as part of that scheme.<ref name=":0" /> That year the Escalator scheme offered financial and other support to provide "four teams of talented, visionary filmmakers a fast track to making a first feature film."<ref name=":5" /> Escalator limits a project's budget to NZ$250,000, and requires "creative filmmaking ideas explicitly conceived with low budget production in mind."<ref name=":5" /> Beyond the funding, the ''Existence'' team have praised the Escalator scheme's additional benefits, especially its "boot camp" (a 4-day workshop),<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=George |first=Sandy |date=6 April 2011 |title=NZFC invites 12 teams for low-budget Escalator initiative |url=https://www.screendaily.com/production/nzfc-invites-12-teams-for-low-budget-escalator-initiative/5025845.article |access-date=19 Aug 2023 |website=Screendaily.com}}</ref> calling it "a great stepping-stone into feature film production."<ref name=":5" />
Charlton also worked on the short "sci-fi, action/adventure film" ''Flip'' (2019; written and directed by Jessica Grace Smith).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flip |url=https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/films/flip |access-date=10 Aug 2023 |website=nzfilm.co.nz}}</ref> Like ''Existence'', the film deals with an isolated mother trying to save her family in a "post-apocalyptic" environment.<ref name=":1" />
In 2017 Charlton was the filmmaker for Jessica Grace Smith's award-winning short film ''Everybody Else is Taken'',<ref name=":4" /> and was the director and cinematographer for the short film ''Discord''.<ref name=":3" /> She was the cinematographer for the 2020 documentary feature ''Loimata, The Sweetest Tears''.<ref>{{cite web |title=LOIMATA, The Sweetest Tears |url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/loimata-the-sweetest-tears-2020/overview |website=NZ On Screen |access-date=9 May 2024 |language=en}}</ref> In 2022 she was the executive producer of short film ''Buzzkill''.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://jesscharlton.com/about/ Official website] * {{IMDb name|id=5058056}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlton, Jess}} Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:New Zealand cinematographers Category:New Zealand screenwriters Category:New Zealand women screenwriters Category:21st-century New Zealand women writers Category:21st-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights Category:New Zealand film directors Category:New Zealand women film directors Category:English emigrants to New Zealand