Script & Pitch professional training course

8 month European script-writing advanced course with on-line and off-line sessions (workshops in Torino, Sodankylä, Lyon)

A project by Euphoria Borealis- Fandango- Fourstars- Nisi Masa- Scuola Holden With the support of the MEDIA Plus Programme of the European Community

Target: European Cinema professionals: script-writers, story editors, directors, graduates from film schools.

Objectives: Script&Pitch was born with the aim to develop a "European style" in script-writing both for Cinema and TV movies creating a difference from the American style and a difference from the individual styles of the single European countries.

This means selecting participants coming from all Europe in order to work in groups with tutors coming from different countries (Lauris Gundars from Latvia, Franz Rodenkirchen from Germany and Gino Ventriglia from Italy) and with trainers from other nations (Jeff Rush from USA, Sanford Lieberson from England, others from France and Italy) through an on and off-line learning process.

At the end of the course, 16 ready to shoot scripts are expected. The course will supply to participants a series of contacts with european producers in order to encourage international productions.

With Script&Pitch each participants has the opportunity to be both script- writer and story editor; at the end of the course, everyone introduces (through the pitching tecnique) his own script in front of a group of producers and directors coming from all over Europe (Italy, Spain, Belgium, France, England, Holland, Romania).
Programme description

Script&Pitch consists in 5 different phases that will take place during 8 months: 3 off- line workshops and 2 on- line sessions. The 3 workshops, 6, 4 and 5 days long, will be held in Italy, Finland and France. The on-line tutoring will give each participant 30 hours and 7 written lessons.

During the 8 months, participants are accompanied through the complete process that leads from script-writing (focusing on structure, drama, character and genre) to pitching. This path will give them the chance to understand which are the strength points that must be underlined during the presentation of their script.
Content description
1. Script- writing and pitching workshop . Torino, I, 18-24 march 2005

This project oriented workshop will provide training from the pitching of ideas up to the development of a treatment and an outline for a feature film. In the morning participants will work in groups of 5 (4 writers and 1 story editor) with a group leader (tutor). They will actively work on participant's projects, focusing on story, theme, character and setting the bases for the actual writing of the first draft during the first on-line phase. In the afternoons they will follow lessons on the dramatic components of the screenplay with professor Jeff Rush and they will be introduced to pitching concepts by Sanford Lieberson. Participants will learn why pitching skills can be really useful for scriptwriters and how they can focus better their dramatic idea for a script through a pitching process. In the late afternoons or evening they will listen to some inspirational lessons by well-known screen writers and authors as Stefano Rulli, and Alessandro Baricco.
2. On line session for the first draft: April-June 2005

3 months for first draft script. Students must develop the subjects presented in the first phase. Students will receive 7 lessons on various aspects of the story development and the outlining, written by professionals. By the end of this phase students will have a complete first draft script. Each student will have personal tutoring through the e-mail (long-distance consultation) and will be followed step by step in their writing, revision and rewriting process.
3. Script- writing and pitching workshop. Sodankyla, Fin, 11-15 june 2005

Students will work together with their tutors on the first draft of their screenplay. After the on-line writing process, students will outline their second draft. In the afternoons participants will work with Alexandra Stone, experienced in script analysis and pre-production processes. They will focus on how to develop the first draft considering the production process of a finished script. One evening Laura Paolucci will be our guest.
4. On line session for second draft and story editing. June-September 2005

Second draft script and story-editing forum. In this phase students will continue their writing (better, their rewriting) and meet through a forum coordinated by tutors. Each participant will read all the other participants' scripts, evaluating them and giving advice. During this on-line session everyone will try to incarnate the role of a story editor working on the scripts written from the other participants
5. Pitching workshop. Lyon, F, 5-10 october 2005

The idea is that of creating an event with 10 producers from all Europe that brings all the students in contact with production. All students will pitch their stories in front of all producers and directors invited. Two days before the arrival of producers, all the groups will work with Alexandra Stone and Ana Ayesta to prepare their meeting with the professional world. Alexandra will focus on how to pitch every dramatic idea in a couple of minutes and Ana will introduce some tools on how to install a script project as a market film project. Students will be given a complete idea of what it means to write and have your script produced. The idea is that this event can also become an occasion for producers to meet each other and work on common projects.
Selection and inscription standards

The 20 participants (16 script-writers and 4 story-editors) are selected in all the European Union nations through a curriculum, a synopsis (1 page), a treatment (15- 25 page) written in english and an introduction letter by a producer or a director with whom the future participant is working with. The first selection standard is estabilished by the professional level and by the interest of the introduced project. The jury is composed by a representative of each partner and by the tutors.

The application should be sent to script&pitch@holdenlab.it and one copy by mail to Scuola Holden, Corso Dante 118- 10126 Torino Italia.

Application deadline 15/2/2005.

Participation fees and scholarships Course participation fee is 2000,00€ and 1500,00€ for New EU Countries. This amount covers training in place, on-line sessions, accommodation and subsistence. Participants must pay all travel costs. 2 scholarships (2000,00 €) are reserved to participants coming from New EU countries (Malta, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia), and include lessons, subsistence and accommodation. They do not include travels. Scholarships will be assigned by merit.

More info on: www.holdenlab.it