26th of March. Friday.
We had our very last workshop session.
Just to explain a bit more on the Script & Pitch workshop that I have attended without giving away supremely confidential information...
Basically 15-20 (cannot remember exact number) writers from around the world were selected for this session to develop either their first or second feature-length screenplay. (I, of course, was to work on my first feature-length screenplay)
We were divided into six groups. My group has me, and Anita from Slovakia (working on her first feature), and Alexis from Greece (developing his second feature, his first film was Tale 52).
In each group, we have a tutor and a script editor trainee.
That's Hanneke, our script editor.
And that's our tutor, Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten (with Virgil the French filmmaker).
Aside from developing our own screenplay, we were also helping to develop our teammates'. Perhaps that is the beauty of this workshop: the fact that everyone got to work together. By providing feedback for our teammates' screenplays, I was also helping myself think. The merits of their screenplays gave me much to consider, and if there were any weaknesses, I would have to evaluate them as well.
Previous experiences in screenplay classes (I am talking about years ago) had been rather annoying. People often worked in isolated seclusion, and ended up filled with delusions. (yeah, it's a strong accusation)
I remember how while I was taking a break from my typing, I would just turn to look at computer next to me, and the person using it would immediately throw his entire body upon the computer screen, trying to stop me from reading what he was trying to read.
My reaction was "What. The. F-?"
His reply was "I won't let you copy my story!!!!"
I sneered at how he overestimated his greatness. The ocean of creativity that resided within me oversized head (literally and figuratively) had always been flowing with ideas, would I stoop so low to copy something POSSIBLY mediocre?
My sneer was lost to him, he remained in paranoia. Since then I constantly worked with annoyance. And used him as an example on why I was annoyed with my screenwriting class in Perth.
I also felt annoyed when people started talking excitedly to their cliches-ridden screenplays as if they had just created a literary work of unsurpassed greatness.
"This is a story of how a dude realizing he is sexually confused and felt repressed because of his strict parents. He would then strive to discover acceptance from contemporary society!" (... again)
"This is a story of a foreign girl living in a foreign land, and feeling culturally confused." (... again)
"This is a story of a girl who was going to marry a guy only to then find out that the guy was gay." (believe me, I see this a lot)
"This is a story of a misunderstood artist struggling to attain acceptance." (how very original)
Now, mind you, I'm not being critical of them. I mean, back then, I myself was writing a silly little tale of a girl who flew to the moon (fairy tale/ fantastical moon, not realistic moon) because she fell in love with someone she met over the Internet and the someone turned out to be a sentient supercomputer. Just that my own narcissism and cynicism made me interpret my classmates' zealousness as smugness, and thus turning me into such a bitter, hateful human being.
(But then, I always feel that the feedback of your own peers are just as important as your tutors/ teachers. It's kinda silly to tell me how much YOUR teachers love your screenplays just to argue against my own opinions of your screenplay's shortcomings. I'm not illiterate, does that make me less qualified to give my comments on your stories? Jeez.)
No camaraderie? No fun.
But anyway, yeah, few years later, the workshop sessions I had in Bratislava had been fun. And I think I will be making some strides with my feature-length script.
IT WILL BE AWESOME!!!!!!!
(yes, I deliberately contradicted what I said in the past few paragraphs for comedic effect)
After the session was over we prepared to head off for dinner.
This is a group photo I took of the entire Script and Pitch team.
I took another one just to be safe.
Then I let someone else take a photo of me with (most of) the team.
After that we crossed the Novy Most bridge.
(click here if can't see embedded video)
After crossing the bridge, I took a photo with the UFO restaurant.
Unfortunately, the flash of my camera was too strong and I ended up looking like an alien (albeit, a gorgeous one).
Dined in AUCafe.
Click here if you can't see embedded video
That's me with Antoine Le Bos, he's a tutor too.
Antoine's from France.
So is Julien.
He looks very French.
Matthieu (also French) then gives a speech.
Click here if you cannot see embedded video
Then everyone continued wining and dining.
The main course was some creamy chicken, with mushrooms, it was very yummy.
Speaking of food, Alessandro (left, seen here with Olga and Mercedes, Olga and Mercedes were the ones who ensure the workshops were ran smoothly) the Italian filmmaker is a connoisseur.
He had been making shorts and documentaries about wining and dining. I won't be surprised if he makes a SPAGHETTI western next, hehehe... yeah, bad joke.
Lorena from Mexico (right) and Orsi from Hungary (left). Orsi is a script editor.
That's Eva from Singapore, whom I have known since last year's Berlinale Talent Campus (she is my favourite Singaporean chick filmmaker), Aldrina from Venezuela (she's also a script editor), with Lorena and Orsi.
That's Alexis, brooding. SPAAAARTAAAAA!
I tried to take a photo of him and the Bratislava Castle. But I failed.
Trying to take a photo of myself with the Bratislava Castle would be something I tried to do for my next few days in Bratislava, since the castle is so pretty.
Anita took one of me with the castle, but I was out of focus.
Then she took another one. The castle was out of focus.
You can't have both, I guess.
From across the river, I saw the night streets of Bratislava bathed in orange light.
We had our very last workshop session.
Just to explain a bit more on the Script & Pitch workshop that I have attended without giving away supremely confidential information...
Basically 15-20 (cannot remember exact number) writers from around the world were selected for this session to develop either their first or second feature-length screenplay. (I, of course, was to work on my first feature-length screenplay)
We were divided into six groups. My group has me, and Anita from Slovakia (working on her first feature), and Alexis from Greece (developing his second feature, his first film was Tale 52).
In each group, we have a tutor and a script editor trainee.
That's Hanneke, our script editor.
And that's our tutor, Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten (with Virgil the French filmmaker).
Aside from developing our own screenplay, we were also helping to develop our teammates'. Perhaps that is the beauty of this workshop: the fact that everyone got to work together. By providing feedback for our teammates' screenplays, I was also helping myself think. The merits of their screenplays gave me much to consider, and if there were any weaknesses, I would have to evaluate them as well.
Previous experiences in screenplay classes (I am talking about years ago) had been rather annoying. People often worked in isolated seclusion, and ended up filled with delusions. (yeah, it's a strong accusation)
I remember how while I was taking a break from my typing, I would just turn to look at computer next to me, and the person using it would immediately throw his entire body upon the computer screen, trying to stop me from reading what he was trying to read.
My reaction was "What. The. F-?"
His reply was "I won't let you copy my story!!!!"
I sneered at how he overestimated his greatness. The ocean of creativity that resided within me oversized head (literally and figuratively) had always been flowing with ideas, would I stoop so low to copy something POSSIBLY mediocre?
My sneer was lost to him, he remained in paranoia. Since then I constantly worked with annoyance. And used him as an example on why I was annoyed with my screenwriting class in Perth.
I also felt annoyed when people started talking excitedly to their cliches-ridden screenplays as if they had just created a literary work of unsurpassed greatness.
"This is a story of how a dude realizing he is sexually confused and felt repressed because of his strict parents. He would then strive to discover acceptance from contemporary society!" (... again)
"This is a story of a foreign girl living in a foreign land, and feeling culturally confused." (... again)
"This is a story of a girl who was going to marry a guy only to then find out that the guy was gay." (believe me, I see this a lot)
"This is a story of a misunderstood artist struggling to attain acceptance." (how very original)
Now, mind you, I'm not being critical of them. I mean, back then, I myself was writing a silly little tale of a girl who flew to the moon (fairy tale/ fantastical moon, not realistic moon) because she fell in love with someone she met over the Internet and the someone turned out to be a sentient supercomputer. Just that my own narcissism and cynicism made me interpret my classmates' zealousness as smugness, and thus turning me into such a bitter, hateful human being.
(But then, I always feel that the feedback of your own peers are just as important as your tutors/ teachers. It's kinda silly to tell me how much YOUR teachers love your screenplays just to argue against my own opinions of your screenplay's shortcomings. I'm not illiterate, does that make me less qualified to give my comments on your stories? Jeez.)
No camaraderie? No fun.
But anyway, yeah, few years later, the workshop sessions I had in Bratislava had been fun. And I think I will be making some strides with my feature-length script.
IT WILL BE AWESOME!!!!!!!
(yes, I deliberately contradicted what I said in the past few paragraphs for comedic effect)
After the session was over we prepared to head off for dinner.
This is a group photo I took of the entire Script and Pitch team.
I took another one just to be safe.
Then I let someone else take a photo of me with (most of) the team.
After that we crossed the Novy Most bridge.
(click here if can't see embedded video)
After crossing the bridge, I took a photo with the UFO restaurant.
Unfortunately, the flash of my camera was too strong and I ended up looking like an alien (albeit, a gorgeous one).
Dined in AUCafe.
Click here if you can't see embedded video
That's me with Antoine Le Bos, he's a tutor too.
Antoine's from France.
So is Julien.
He looks very French.
Matthieu (also French) then gives a speech.
Click here if you cannot see embedded video
Then everyone continued wining and dining.
The main course was some creamy chicken, with mushrooms, it was very yummy.
Speaking of food, Alessandro (left, seen here with Olga and Mercedes, Olga and Mercedes were the ones who ensure the workshops were ran smoothly) the Italian filmmaker is a connoisseur.
He had been making shorts and documentaries about wining and dining. I won't be surprised if he makes a SPAGHETTI western next, hehehe... yeah, bad joke.
Lorena from Mexico (right) and Orsi from Hungary (left). Orsi is a script editor.
That's Eva from Singapore, whom I have known since last year's Berlinale Talent Campus (she is my favourite Singaporean chick filmmaker), Aldrina from Venezuela (she's also a script editor), with Lorena and Orsi.
That's Alexis, brooding. SPAAAARTAAAAA!
I tried to take a photo of him and the Bratislava Castle. But I failed.
Trying to take a photo of myself with the Bratislava Castle would be something I tried to do for my next few days in Bratislava, since the castle is so pretty.
Anita took one of me with the castle, but I was out of focus.
Then she took another one. The castle was out of focus.
You can't have both, I guess.
From across the river, I saw the night streets of Bratislava bathed in orange light.
