Katapult-European Script Centre
Honorary chairman: Jiří Menzel

Project based script development training including two intensive 5-day workshops in Budapest, Hungary (and possibly in Prague, Czech Republic - to be confirmed) and an on-line follow-up session in between.

Dates:
24-30 September, 2007 (Online)
3-9 December, 2007 (3rd Session and Pitching Forum)

With the support of the MEDIA Plus Programme of the European Community, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage of Hungary, the Motion Picture Public Foundation of Hungary and Katapult Film Ltd.

Application deadline:
15 April, 2007 (date of postmark)

Target

Professional European screenwriters, directors and producers.
It is not necessary to have attended film school, but it is essential to be active in the audiovisual industry. Teams of writers/directors and/or producers are most welcome.

International dimension

The workshop format provides a good opportunity for a small group of people to get to the core of each other's projects. The fact that the participants and the tutors of each group come from very different countries and backgrounds deepens the conversations. These workshops become a forum where questions are raised that people from the writer's own country probably wouldn't think of. Participants are obliged to give answers to questions that never been raised before, making it easier for the audience to understand his/her story. Also, by answering these questions, participants get to know their own material better. All of this helps to formulate a truly European language, one that is widely comprehensible but also reserves the "native dialects" within.

A truly international figure of European film as Honorary Chairman We are most honoured that Jiří Menzel, one of the most renowned and highly acclaimed filmmakers of our times, has accepted our invitation to become the Honorary Chairman of the Katapult - European Script Centre. This is a huge intellectual support for us, and also a great opportunity for future participants to be able to meet and work with Mr. Menzel who has committed himself to attend one of the workshop sessions.

An international team of highly acknowledged tutors, with international teaching experience
Hana Cielova, screenwriter, script editor, critic; born in Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic, where she has been working prolifically ever since
Giovanni Robbiano, screenwriter, director, producer; professor at University of Genova, Italy and assistant trainer at the MFI Script Workshops, Greece
Kirsten Harder Writer, Script Consultant

Expected results

1. to have better developed scripts that speak a European language but also reserve the "native dialects" within
2. to lay down the basis for new co-productions, by involving producers.
3. to convince European film directors by involving them in a communal experience that sharing the work of writing with at least one other person, a scriptwriter is for the film's benefit.

At the end of the training activity, those scripts that have proven to be well developed and are approved by all members of the group, and the tutor, receive the "trademark" of the Katapult - European Script Centre. The K-Esc trademark will, in time, according to our goal set value upon those screenplays. These will then be put on our Internet homepage accessible by registration, with passwords provided for the ex-participants, and also for authorised directors and producers.

Structure

3 Workshop Sessions for developing feature film screenplays
The Katapult - European Script Centre's training activity consists of three intensive workshop sessions over a period of 8 months. Two of them, the 1st and the 3rd ones are residential and take place in Budapest, Hungary (and possibly in Prague, Czech Republic - to be confirmed). The 2nd session is On-line. Our IT resources provide space for a continuous follow-up for the projects.

1^st Workshop Session: Finding the story within the synopsis
The main objective of this session is for the participants to find the film story within their synopses. Also, during this process, they will be learning the basic principles of feature film dramaturgy. The condition of such educational value is secured by the professional knowledge and experience of the principal tutorial staff, whose members are film professors but also practicing professionals of the European audiovisual industry. The aim is to reach a stage in the story development, which serve a good basis for starting a first draft screenplay that has to be written by the 3rd session.

2^nd Workshop Session: Working on the first draft screenplay
The main objective of this session is to provide chance for consultation with the tutors and also among the participants of each working group in between the two residential sessions. It will take place at a certain, pre-arranged time, using the Internet and the Forum on our webpage.

3^rd Workshop Session: The function of the rewrite process
The main objective of this session is to work on and improve the first draft screenplays. At this stage, scenes will be acted out by the participants and recorded with DV cameras. This serves to show how life-like a certain scene is.

Methodolgy

Intensive workshops, projections of films, acting out scenes, improvisational techniques, exercises in imagination
The format of this training activity, the organisation of two intensive 5-day workshops, provides good opportunities for intensive work within small groups. The 30 participants are comprised of teams of writers / directors and/or producers, arriving with 15 projects to develop. In the 3 groups, each led by a principal tutor, participants work on a maximum of 5 film ideas. Such a set-up ensures that everybody's screenplay will be dealt with in detail.
The working language is English.

Contact

Orsolya Parádi / Katapult Film Ltd.
Manager of the Project
Phone: +3630 5586253
E-mail: office@katapultfilm.hu
Web: www.katapultfilm.hu/workshop