Witcraft Szenario OG offers and/or facilitates

Training Initiatives:

  • DIVERSE STORIES – Stories Between Cultures: a project for the development of film stories for authors with an intercultural background.
  • PROPRO – THE PRODUCERS’ PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN: an initiative by the Austrian Film Institute to empower female film producers, held in cooperation with FOCAL and IDM.

Script Consulting Services:

  • to support and accompany writers and producers in the development of screenplays.

Diverse Stories

DIVERSE STORIES

Stories Between Cultures is a project for the development of film stories for authors with an intercultural background, currently running for its 8th season.

After a year of individual consultations, lectures, workshops, and work retreats we offer the authors a chance to present their material to the film industry and media in the form of a dramatic reading by well-known actors in a fancy setting.
The results from the past years are a testimony to the great success of our programme, which was nominated for the Austrian National Award for Adult Education and mentioned in the UNESCO World Report Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue.

So far, 60 authors from 36 different countries of origin have completed our training programme. Many of them were able to gain a foothold in the film industry and directors like such as Umut Dag, Catalina Molina, and David Clay Diaz have become frequent players of on the festival circuit. It appears that our graduates will also noticeably shape the near future of Austrian film production: HOME IS HERE by Tereza Kotyk is currently travelling its the festival circuit, Arman T. Riahi‘s DIE MIGRANTIGEN (THE MIGRUMPIES) won the audience awards at the Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival and the Nashville Film Festival. In addition, two treatments by DIVERSE STORIES participants won the prestigious Dor Film Award: MOGADISHU by young Somali writer Mo Harawe and BLANCHE, ROSE & MARGUERITE by Belgium filmmaker Nathalie Borgers.

www.diverse-geschichten.at

ProPro

PROPRO

The Producers’ Programme for Women is an initiative by the Austrian Film Institute to empower female film producers.

The programme was designed by Witcraft CEO Ursula Wolschlager and Esther Krausz (Austrian Film Institute/Creative Europe-Desk, former EAVE workshop manager) in cooperation with FC Gloria | Frauen | Vernetzung | Film (Wilbirg Brainin-Donnenberg) and Austrian Film Institute – Gender Issues (Iris Zappe-Heller).

Women are generally underrepresented in cinema. In most European countries only a percentage of under 30% of financial resources go into projects written, directed, or produced by women.

The Austrian Film Institute makes a concrete contribution to this programme to help remedy this misbalance. Through the programme, international and Austrian female film producers receive the support of different high-level women mentors from all over Europe as they develop their film projects, careers, and business strategies.

The programme, which ran for the first time in November 2015 and had its second edition in March 2017, included mentors Bettina Brokemper (producer, DE), Lise Lense-Møller (producer Burma VJ, DK), Gabriela Bacher (producer US/DE), Ewa Puszczyńska (Ida, PL), Katrin Schlösser (Schlafkrankheit, DE), Sylvia Stevens (Faction Films, UK), and Kate Leys (script editor, UK), among others, to further develop the participants’ film projects and careers. Further strategic input was provided by financing expert Linda Beath (Ideal Filmworks, EAVE), distribution expert Annick Mahnert (Screen Division), and business coaches Monika Schubert, Sonja Zant, and Cornelia Jaksche.

Further experts who contributed impulse presentations, discussions, and testimonies included, among others, Kathrin Zechner (ORF TV director, AT), Bettina Reitz (former director of Bavarian TV station BR, president of HFF Munich, DE), Michael Lehmann (Chairman Mgmt Board Studio Hamburg, DE), Christiana Wertz (Head of Filmfund IDM, IT), Hanka Kastelicová (HBO Europe), Danny Krausz (Dor Film, professor at Film Academy Vienna, AT), Salma Abdalla (Autlook Filmsales, AT), Arash T. Riahi (director/producer, AT), Katharina Schenk (ORF Head of Series, AT), Klaus Lintschinger (ORF, Head of TV/Film, AT), Sharon Nuni (ORF, Head of Cultural Doc, AT), Valerie Fischer (Cobrafilm/FOCAL, CH), Rebekka Garrido (Connecting Cottbus), Andrea Willson (Anatomie, SMS für Dich, DE), Christine Bauer-Jelinek (Business Coach, AT), Bongiwe Selane (Producer, Southafrica), and Connie Walther (ProQuote Regie, DE).

The next edition of ProPro is planned for 2019. Through partnerships with institutions from other European industries, the programme is designed to facilitate an international group of participants.

www.propro.filminstitut.at

Script Consulting Services

Expert Advice

Advisory meeting including a precise analysis of characters, themes, and structure as well as suggestions for problem solutions in view of further development of the story.
500 EUR (follow up meetings: salary by agreement)

 

Script Analysis

Screenplay analysis: from 3 to 5 pages. This includes a synopsis and analysis of characters, themes, structure, and dialogue, as well as an estimate of the development’s potential and suggestions for solutions to any possible problems our analysis anticipates.
Advisor meetings.
800 EUR (short films: 300 EUR to 700 EUR)

 

Project Support

Continuous support throughout the project with up to four treatment or screenplay drafts. We make up to two screenplay analyses of 5 to 7 pages, each with problem-solving possible solutions for the next phases of development.
This also includes preparation of breakdowns for meetings.
Ongoing work and advisory meetings during the agreed-upon development time period. This includes consultations before and after meetings with producers.
3.500 EUR (short films: 1.500 to 2.000 EUR)

 

Rewrite / Script Polishing

Detailed analysis of the screenplay including all aspects of the treatment or screenplay, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses as well as an appraisal of its stage of development and identification of possible solutions.
Agreement upon further orientation of the screenplay will be made after possible solutions have been identified and decided upon.
On-going work and advisory meetings during the agreed-upon development time length (including consultations before and after meetings with producers).
Salary by agreement