Documentary Campus Masterschool
For 2010, we are looking for European filmmakers who have fresh and new ideas for:
- documentary series
- documentary formats
- documentary cross-media projects
- classical one-offs in the non-fiction area
Whilst we are open to every topic, the projects have to suit the international TV market.
In 2010 we will work with the best experts and commissioning editors in the fields mentioned above. Take the opportunity to apply for a unique programme which offers experienced European documentary filmmakers a chance to move outside their home markets. Within a ten-month period, you will develop your own cherished project and cover everything from storytelling to legal and budgetary issues. We will meet four times for one-week long workshops (February/May/ July/October).
NEW: during one of the workshops producers and authors/directors get individual trainings. Depending on their background they get either a management training in how to run a successful company in our days or a special training in storytelling and scriptwriting.
Up to 70% of all Masterschool films have been completed! Many of them won awards and have proved to be of vital importance to the careers of the filmmakers concerned. Take this opportunity and apply!
„Campus is a fantastic project and gives film makers invaluable exposure to the international documentary market. To have a film selected for their Masterschool programme provided us with opportunities that otherwise simply wouldn‘t have been possible.“ Mike Todd, Riverhorse Productions (Masterschool participant 2007)
The Documentary Campus Masterschool, a European masterclass in project development of documentary films for an international audience, forms the central core of our training initiative. It offers professionals and talented up-and-coming filmmakers a unique opportunity to find their way into the international non-fiction market. Under the aegis of the Documentary Campus Masterschool, which makes a call for submissions once a year, up to 15 European authors and directors develop their documentaries during a 10-month period.
Projects
The projects developed in the Masterschool appeal to viewers with different backgrounds from various cultures and are thus suitable for broadcasters in several countries. The range of genres encompasses all kinds of creative documentaries including wildlife and nature, foreign worlds, history, portraits and science. All non-fiction formats that are internationally distributed are supported.
What projects can be submitted?
- The topics should require research and be suitable for intensive script development
- Projects should have a strong storyline that does not only appeal to a small, special-interest audience but might attract viewers with varied backgrounds from different cultures and countries
- A project does not get “international” by simply setting it in several countries. Often a local story reflecting unique experiences or basic human emotions (love, hate, joy or fear) can be very powerful for viewers all over the world
- The range of genres to be developed in the Masterschool encompasses all kinds of creative documentaries including wildlife and nature, foreign worlds, history, portraits and science
- The following non-fiction projects that are internationally distributed are eligible: one-offs and feature-length documentaries, series or even formats. The projects should be suitable for broadcasters in more than one country
- The applicant has to hold the author’s rights of the entered project(s)
- The applicant should not submit an idea that needs to go into production before the end of the course
Workshops
The four one-week workshops, taking place in different European cities, provide good insights into the whole process of setting up international coproductions. Through first-class tuition and one-to-one access to renowned professionals, they offer creative and practical support for every phase in the development of a project for the international market:
- Story Development and Scriptwriting
- International Coproduction and Financing
- Distribution and Marketing
- Project Presentation and Pitching
Internship
In addition, Masterschool participants have the opportunity to complete an internship with an international production or distribution company in their field of interest. Through contact with current projects and productions, participants obtain an insight into the multinational strategies of enterprises, visit programme fairs and gain practical experience vital for their future work.
Between the workshop and internship phases, participants in the Masterschool pursue their regular work and research and write and plan their Masterschool project.
Tutors
Each participant is supported by two tutors during the project development phase. They are specially selected for each project to perfectly suit the needs of the respective participants: one is a production or distribution expert, the other is an experienced commissioning editor.
The tutors of the Documentary Campus Masterschool are some of the most distinguished producers and distributors in the international non-fiction sector as well as high-profile TV executives from broadcasters such as the ARD, ARTE, AVRO, BBC, Channel 4, Discovery Channel, France 5, HBO, Humanistische Omroep, ORF, Spiegel TV, SVT, TVOntario, VRT Canvas, WGBH International, YLE, TV2 and ZDF.
The Final Pitching Session
On completion of the Documentary Campus Masterschool, the documentary projects are fully developed and ready for production. The participants pitch their projects to an extraordinary range of international decisionmakers. More than 50 high-ranking commissioning editors and distributors are present during the Final Pitching Session. An impressive number of the Masterschool projects receive additional funding or full financing.
