Terrarium. Intensive 2021-2022

Description of the course

Based on mentorship and collaboration in a closed group. A mentor is a person who independently sets the intensity and direction of training. The course will have a theoretical part, which includes the basics of dramaturgy, and a practical part. The main task is to write a script and develop a project in a group of like-minded people headed by the program mentor. Systemic work within the group consists of constant practical tasks and discussions, followed by the implementation of new tasks to improve the project.

Goal of the course

The main goal is to create a script for a feature film and prepare participants for national and international pitches. Regular practical tasks will help develop your project. Sufficient time to write, refine, and rewrite a draft of a full-length screenplay. Prepare for pitching and make a competitive project.

The main lecturer and mentor of the course is Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk

Director and screenwriter. . More than 7 years of teaching and mentoring experience. 

In 2021, Dmytro finished shooting the full-length debut feature film Pamfir.

Production: Bosonfilm (Ukraine), together with Madants (Poland) and Les Films D’Ici (France)
Producers: Oleksandra Kostina, Klaudia Smieja, Laura Briand

The Pamfir project was developed within a number of script workshops:

• TorinoFilmLab (Script&Pitch), Ghent (Belgium), Brignogan (France), Torino (Italy)
• MIDPOINT Intensive, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
• Locarno Film Academy, Locarno, Switzerland

The Pamfir project was financed by the national and international funds:

• State Film Agency of Ukraine (the project won the 11th pitching), Ukraine
• Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, Ukraine
• Aide aux cinémas du monde | CNC, France
• Hubert Bals Fund (HBF+Europe program), the Netherlands
• Visions Sud Est, Switzerland
• Polish Film Institute, Poland

The Pamfir project at the international pitches:

• Cinefondation pitching (Cannes Film Festival, France)
• Sofia Meetings (Sofia International Film Festival, Bulgaria)
• Industry Section Pitching (Odessa International Film Festival, Ukraine)
• Boat meeting (Molodist International Film Festival, Ukraine)

Philosophy of the course

The ratio of theory and practice at Terrarium. Intensive 2021–2022 is 30/70. Lecture classes take place at the stage when all participants go through a certain module with the lecturer. The classes will be aimed at acquiring new “tools” through structural analysis and performance of practical tasks. “Tools” (a universal means of acquiring any skills, not as a rule, but as a means to achieve goals.) The work will be carried out according to the principle of “script-doctoring”, each of the participants will be given analysis, individual examples for improvement of their “tools”. Thus, each participant will be able to develop independently and according to their level of training.

The course consists of a monthly module (10 classes). The module has a theoretical part and practical tasks based on it.

Participants are selected based on the proposed projects.
Script projects at various stages of development are allowed. Up to 15 fiction scripts are selected on a competitive basis (feature-length projects are a priority).

Duration

Start: November 2, 2021

End: April 2, 2022

Announcement of the participants: October 31, 2021

The duration of the Intensive 2021–2022 is 5 months

Classes schedule

Tuesday: starting at 7:00 p.m. (2 hours online theoretical class)
Saturday: start at 12:00 p.m. (4 hours offline practical class)

Place

Online/offline

Location

11-B Kostiantynivska St, Kyiv (BURSA, conference hall)

Cost

UAH 6,000/ 1 month* (special offer for those who purchase the entire course in one payment – UAH 33,000 for 5 months)

UAH 17,000/ 5 months – free listener* (you can join the course online or offline without any analysis and discussion of your project)

Coordinator contacts

Yelyzaveta
Phone: +38 098 434 73 47
E-mail: terrariumintensive@gmail.com

Subjects of the course

(For screenwriters)

– Script structure.
– Where to get the basis for scenarios. Empathy and experience.
– Documentary research of the chosen topic for writing the script.
– Working with selected topics.
– Logline. Synopsis. Treatment. (writing rules and forms of submission to various funds)
– The scene. A scene/frame. One-shot films.
– Episode. A set of techniques from scene to scene (increasing dynamics and increasing interest in the story)
– Narrative and canonical three-act structure. (Exposition, starting point and development of the action. Climax)
– The event.
– Turning points.
– Obstacles.
– Genre. Cinematic language at the stage of writing the script.
– Adaptation of a literary work. Work with prose text.
– Examples of free script writing. Violation of generally accepted rules. Screenwriter. Screenwriter-director.
– Plot. Metaplot. Plot in painting.
– The finale of the film. The last scene (frame).
– Types of conflicts.
– Character. Character development. Motivation. Behavior. Evolution. Character arc.
– Types of characters. Analysis. Habits. Secondary characters.
– Dissonant character behavior, norm and deviance in cinema.
– Formal method.
– Dialogue in film.
– Suspense and emotion. Methods of influencing the viewer.
– Detail in the script and on the screen. “pars pro toto”
– “Analysis” of the text with the actor. (Analysis of ready-made scripts.)
– Script readings.

(For screenwriters-directors)

– From short to feature.
– Screenwriter during the filming process and editing. Cooperation between the screenwriter and the director.
– The atmosphere of the film. Directing as a way of creating your own spaces with special laws and “physics”.
– Method. Techniques and “tricks”. Work behind the scenes. Rehearsal.
– Copyright.
– Programs for project development. Script workshops.
– Preparation for pitching.
– Project financing at the development stage and financing funds for international projects.
– PROGRAM FINALE – PUBLIC PITCHING

Practical classes

– At each lesson there will be a general task and several smaller individual tasks for each of the participants.
– List of must-see movies. Sometimes these movies will be different for everyone depending on what the screenwriter is working on. Analysis will be done on the example of the film.
– The course is based on practical classes, therefore a constant analysis of the works and practical script tasks of the program participants, as well as examples from film history, as reference models for analysis are provided.
– Tasks will have practical analysis and detailed dissection.