Christmas Newsletter

Dear partners, colleagues and friends,

Again an exciting year comes to a close.
Below you’ll see a short overview of our year’s activities.
In addition to our collaboration with numerous film professionals including producers, authors, screenwriters, commissioners or TV and cinema distributors, exciting new projects took form.
We expanded our activities to serial story telling, and adopted talented screenwriters on board with their exceptional projects
BuchScout would would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and countless happy moments for the New Year to come!
We’d like to thank you for the wonderful partnerships held this year and we’re looking forward to launching new, fascinating projects with you in 2019.
Your BuchScout & SerienScout Team

Creation of SerienScout

In January Suzanne Pradel founded the SerienScout Agency for Serial Content. The SerienScout team searches for serial content on the German bookmarked and among European talent scriptwriters. We develop, dramaturgically consult and broker innovative series for the national and international market. SerienScout is you rcfreative serial content developer.

photo: Suzanne Pradel & Katrin Merkel

 

2nd Female Scriptwriter Residency 2018

For the second time Suzanne Pradel coached the winner of the „Female Scriptwriter Residency in Berlin“ of the European Women’s Audiovisual Network. This cooperation between EWA and BuchScout will be continued in 2019.

Workshop: This is a Man’s and a Woman’s World

At the EAVE producers workshop the script consultants Simona Nobile and Suzanne Pradel questioned current patriarchal thinking patterns in story telling and showed in the workshop possible ways out.

photo: (f.l.t.r) Suzanne Pradel, Tina Trapp, Alessia Sonaglioni, Simona Nobile


23. Filmfest Turkey Germany

The Jury gave the Best Film Award to the director Christian Petzold for his cinema movie „TRANSIT”.
Ender Özkahraman won the Special Price of the jury for his cinema movie „A DIFFICULT DECISION”.
Sener Sen got the price for the Best Actor Award and Stephanie Amarell the Best Actress Award.
photo: (f.l.t.r.)(f.l.t.r.) Tuba Ünsal (actress, producer, Mahmut Fazil Coskun (director), Suzanne Pradel, Klaus Eder (film critic, Fipresci), Kyra Scheurer (script consultant)

6. Bosphorus Film Festival 2018

On the panel “Principles of Screenwriting“ which was moderated by the screenwriter Selin Tunc Suzanne Pradel discussed together with her colleagues the newest developments concerning filmic story telling.
The Jury of the “Pitching Platform“ gave the TRT Co-production Award to the director Ümit Köreken and the Digiflame VFX Post Production Support Award was given to the team Korhan Günay and Canan Çelik.
Jury: Faruk Güven (TRT), Suzanne Pradel, Dervis Zaim (Regisseur).

photo:(f.l.t.r.) Massimiliano Nardulli (Less Is More), , Suzanne Pradel, Selin Tunc (screenwriter) Giovanni Rabbiano (screenwriter & director)


The shortlisted for EWA´s 3rd female scriptwriter residency in Berlin

The 3rd scriptwriter residency programme of the EUROPEAN WOMEN´S AUDIOVISUAL NETWORK is a great initiative dedicated to supporting the next generation of screenwriting talents among EWA members. It helps them to enter the industry with the best script possible by working on the strategic positioning of their project . Its purpose is to give a selected woman scriptwriter or director the opportunity to be mentored by a script consultant, to work with her before the Berlinale and to attend the EFM at the Berlinale to make connections.

The shortlisted female scriptwriters for the residency 2019 are:

Spanish scriptwriter/ director Fany De La Chica with her script her dramedy „Al ALBA“

Kroatian scriptwriter/ director Ivona Juka with her script antiwar-drama „LAMBS IN WOLFSKIN“

Romanian scriptwriter/ director Cecilia Stefanescu with her script for her mystery drama “THE GREAT ADVENTURE”

 

Suzanne Pradel is the script consultant attached to the programme. Suzanne is an international script consultant, lecturer and bookscout. For many years, she has been working as a script expert for Eurimages and MEDIA Programme. In 2009 she founded the BUCHSCOUT AGENCY which specializes in novel-to-film adaptations as well as international script consultancy, developing sophisticated TV features and cinematic features.


Winner of the Bosphorus Film Lab Pitching 2018

Focusing on supporting local up-and-coming filmmakers, the Bosphorus Film Lab (BFL), the industry section of the 6. Bosphorus Film Festival, took place from 27-31 October. The Bosphorus Film Lab is organised in partnership with Turkey’s national pubcaster TRT, and in its Pitching platform, 10 projects were presented.

The Jury of Faruk Güven (TRT), Suzanne Pradel (BuchScout Agency), Dervis Zaim (director) gave the  main TRT Co-production Award, provided by Turkey’s pubcaster and a partner of the Bosphorus Film Lab, to A Hope (Bir Umut), directed by Ümit Köreken, (director of Blue Bicycle). It is being produced by the director and his wife, Nursen Çetin Köreken, and shooting is tentatively scheduled for next year.

The 50,000 TL (€8,000) Digiflame VFX Post Production Support Award went to Stick Horse (Değnekten At) by Korhan Günay and Canan Çelik, their debut feature. Produced by Bulut Reyhanoğlu, the film will start shooting next year.


6 essential tips for receiving €60.000 for your film

Independent producers have the opportunity to apply for a potentially lucrative grant from the MEDIA Development Fund to develop movie projects that have international marketing potential. In 2014 MEDIA launched the fifth round of its Program Creative Europe with a budget  of 5 Million Euro. The aim of the program: To strengthen Europe’s audiovisual industry. Individual projects in the area ‚Movies‘ can apply for up to 60.000 Euro. Bonus points are awarded, for example, to projects aimed at the Under-16’s. However, competition for these program funds is intense. If you wish to be successful nonetheless, you should consider the following:

Do not submit too soon
Only enter your project into the race when the material has taken concrete shape and you’ve attached a number of partners (internationally renowned creatives, co-producers or distributors) to your project. Formal letters-of-intent from your partners will strengthen your application.

Clearly identify any weaknesses of the material submitted
Rather than gloss over any weakness, do identify problems and articulate concrete suggestions for solutions. Be clear about the direction you wish to take your project.

Identify and name the partners you wish to attract to the project to add value to your script
For example, if your author has been unable to deliver a convincing exposé, treatment or first draft script, then look for a strong partner who will significantly improve the quality of the project. Identify and name the script consultant or dialogue writer you’ve attracted to the project and add their letter-of-intent and filmography. Explain clearly why you’ve chosen this particular person to join the creative team.

Make sure your MEDIA submission is coherent
We notice time and again that the proposed project phases do not match proposed costs in the requested funds calculations. A likely reason for this is several people, such as production manager and producer, will have contributed to the submission. It is therefore important that the whole application is carefully proofread for consistency and coherence. Check whether all proposed tasks have been sufficiently considered in the costs.

Do a detailed time plan
Include a time plan in your submission. You should allow sufficient time for each phase of development. Take care to make this time plan realistic, such that everyone involved in the development of your project is able to stick to it and deliver.

Identify your target group as closely as possible
You should reveal and elaborate on who the specific target group for your movie is. Explain which measures will be taken to reach this group. Consider who could be an attractive partner when it comes to marketing your film. Examples would be interest groups or forums.

„BuchScout & SerienScout“ is a Script Consulting and Sales Agency headquartered in Berlin. We search for content on the German bookmarket and among European talent scriptwriters. We develop, dramaturgically consult and broker innovative feature films and series for the national and international market. 


Apply now for the 3rd Female Scriptwriter´s Residency

Apply for the EWA Network 2019 Edition of the Scriptwriter’s Residency in BerlinEWA scriptwriter’s residency programme is an initiative dedicated to supporting the career of the next generation of screenwriting talents among members of the European Women´s Audiovisual Network (EWA). It helps them to enter the industry with the best script (feature films only) possible by working on the strategic positioning of their project. Its purpose is to give a selected woman scriptwriter or director the opportunity to be mentored by a script consultant, to work with her before the Berlinale and to attend the EFM at the Berlinale 2019 to make connections.

“Despite the fact that I am back in a rollercoaster of everyday duties with all the other projects and my kids, I keep a memory of the residency as an important and precious kick off which pushed me so much ahead. It also helped me build up my self-confidence as a female author with a unique view on things.”

filmmaker Andrea Culkova 

Who is eligible?
1
female scriptwriter, screenwriter/director or screenwriter/producer with a European nationality and resident in Europe (47 Council of Europe countries) having written or directed at least one feature film (fiction or  documentary) distributed (Theatrically/TV/wide festival trajectory) in one European country. No screenwriter teams are accepted.
2 who is an EWA member. If you are not an EWA member you can join us now 
3 who has a first draft of a script in English for a full length feature film. Fiction only.
4  the principal photography of the film should be done in Europe

Elements to be provided:
1 CV in English
2 copy of valid ID
3 Draft script in English
4 Synopsis in English
5 Project status information
6 Motivation letter for the residency in English.
7 Evidence of release of previous films

***Please send the requested material before September 30***

A commitee of three industry experts will select the best project among those received.

The Offer: travel costs from and to Berlin. accommodation in a private room + access to a kitchen in Berlin starting from 17 January 2019 – and ending 17 February 2019, including four working sessions with a well-known script consultant (3 in Berlin + 1 Skype session after the Berlinale) and accreditation for the Berlinale.

The EWA scriptwriting residency and the script consultancy must be mentioned in the credits of the later film.

Suzanne Pradel is the script consultant attached to the programme.

Suzanne is an international script consultant, lecturer and bookscout. For many years, she has been working as a script expert for Eurimages and MEDIA Programme. In 2009 she founded the BUCHSCOUT AGENCY which specializes in novel-to-film adaptations as well as international script consultancy, developing sophisticated TV features and cinematic features.

 

For more information check out:

http://www.ewawomen.com/en/news/apply-for-the-ewa-network-2019-edition-of-the-scriptwriteras-residency-in-berlin.html


# Jury at work # 23. Turkish German Filmfestival 2018

09.03.-18.03. 2018 in Nürnberg

The Jury for feature films at the 23. Turkish German Filmfestival in March 2018 

from left to right

Tuba Ünsal (Actress, Producer)

Mahmut Fazil Coskun (director)

Suzanne Pradel (creative content developer and owner/ BuchScout Agency)

Klaus Eder (journalist, film critic, FIRESCI)

Kyra Scheurer (script consultant)

 


March 11-13: How do we get out of the box of patriarchal thinking in storytelling?

“This is a man´s and woman´s world”

At the EAVE producers workshop  the script consultant Suzanne Pradel will talk about how to challenge the way we shape women and men in our films and become an innovative creator of female and male characters.

Suzanne will question what impact do patriarchal thought patterns have on character development? As filmmakers, how do we influence the fictional presentation and perception of women and men? What are the new tools for shaping characters in a more balanced way? What does it mean to activate a more feminine gaze on the world no matter whether you are a man or a woman? How we can help give birth to new perspectives and create more sensitive and visionary characters?

Trough a keynote, a sensing journey and one-to-one sessions she will analyze the characters in the scripts and help to enrich them using new development approach and tools.

Simona Nobile´s keynote will be about female archetypes and Alessia Sonaglioni will present the European Women´s network.

This special workshop is a cooperation between EAVE producers workshop and the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (ewa).^

Suzanne Pradel is an international script consultant, lecturer, sales agent and bookscout. For many years, she has been working as a script expert for Eurimages MEDIA Programme, Sat1ProSieben and Degeto.
In 2009 she founded the BUCHSCOUT AGENCY which specializes in novel-tofilm adaptations as well as international script consultancy, developing sophisticated European TV features and cinematic features.
In 2018 she additionally founded the SERIENSCOUT AGENCY which specializes in the development of  serial content Suzanne  is a member of the German Association of Script Consultancy (VeDRA) and is a member of the European Women´s Audiovisual Network (ewa).


Jury Feature Film of the German Turkish Filmfestival in March 2018

09.03.-18.03. 2018 in Nürnberg
The Jury for feature films at the 23. Turkish German Filmfestival in march 2018 are Klaus Eder, Suzanne Pradel, Mahmut Fazil Coskun, Kyra Scheurer

 

 

 

Klaus Eder (journalist, film critic, FIRESCI)

 

 

 

 

 

Suzanne Pradel (creative content developer and owner/ BuchScout Agency)

 

 

 

 

 

Mahmut Fazil Coskun (director)

 

 

 

 

 

Kyra Scheurer (script consultant)