MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2020

Dates

Workshop 1: January 15–⁠22, 2020
Workshop 2: April–⁠June 2020
Works in Development: 7–⁠9 July, 2020
Feature Launch Spotlight: January 2021

Venues

Workshop 1: Trieste, Italy
in collaboration with the Trieste FF –⁠ EASTWEEK

Workshop 2: Online

Works in Development –⁠ Feature Launch: Online
in collaboration with Karlovy Vary IFF

Feature Launch Spotlight: Trieste, Italy
in collaboration with When East Meets West

Who is it for?

• teams of writers and/or directors and producers (max. 3 participants per team) with projects of first and second feature films
• aspiring script consultants
  
  

Contact person

Sona Morgenthalova
Program Coordinator
sona.morgenthalova@midpoint-institute.eu

The 9 selected projects go through an intensive 4-module program, spanning over a year that consists of two residential workshops, a project showcase and a follow-up session.

During the two residential workshops the participants focus on script and project development while also being able to gain deeper knowledge about other aspects of the industry.

The 9 creative teams work in small groups under the guidance of internationally renowned and experienced script consultant tutors.
Most of the projects that are selected are in an early stage of development either with a treatment or an early draft of the script, therefore Workshop 1 focuses mainly on creative development and structural dramaturgy. Workshop 2 serves as a platform to further advance the scripts, while it also incorporates marketing strategies into the development process and addresses the important matters connected to presentation skills and promotion.

Both workshops consist of group work, plenary sessions, inspiring master-classes and case studies which offer a deeper understanding of the creative aspects involved in the work, as well as insights into financing, sales, festival and distribution strategies.
There are also one-to-one meetings with guest tutors and international experts from different areas of the audiovisual industry to help the participants develop their projects further.

Tailor-made online consultations follow every workshop according to the need of each project.

After the development process of the two residential workshops, all 9 selected projects are presented at the Works in Development - Feature Launch at the Karlovy Vary IFF to an audience of industry decision makers, including funders, sales agents, producers and festival programmers. The creative teams are prepared for the final presentation by a pitching trainer within a one-day intensive training immediately preceding the Works in Development - Feature Launch.

To close the cycle of the one-year program, the co-production market When East Meets West invites all Feature Launch 2020 selected producers one more time to offer them the chance to have a follow up with their potential artistic and financing partners during the Feature Launch Spotlight.

The development process that the Feature Launch projects go through, is used as a platform to train the attending script consultant trainees, who are studying for their future careers as professional script consultants.

The script consultant trainees are trained by both their trainee mentor, who supervises their entire learning process and Feature Launch tutors, to understand the different approaches and strategies they use while developing feature film projects.

The trainees attend the two residential workshops and the project showcase along with the Feature Launch participants.
Each trainee is assigned to a group of projects and works closely with the script consulting tutor and the participants on the development of their scripts. In addition, the trainees regularly meet their trainee mentor and review their learning progress.

Through this process, the trainees are acquainted with the script and development aspects of developing a film project, enhance their communication skills in the creative process and most importantly, learn how to give constructive feedback to the teams to help them move forward in their development. They witness the different stages of development of the projects up through the final presentation at Karlovy Vary IFF.