When: Friday 3 May 2024, 13:00–16:45 CEST (Central European Summer Time)
Where: Online via Zoom (link sent out nearer the time)
Pens at the ready! Join us online and get an introduction to the world of screenwriting at this free Taster Day for our Screenwriting BA / HE Cert programme.
At this Taster Day, you will:
- Take part in an immersive workshop with Katerina Gerothanasi, Juli Széphelyi and Rafael Leal, from which you’ll emerge with a story, an opening scene and feedback on your creative ideas.
- Experience being part of a Writers’ Room.
- Get an in-depth overview of the Screenwriting BA / HE Cert programme.
- Hear from our team of expert tutors who will be happy to answer your questions.
Suitable for beginners, as well as those with some screenwriting experience.
Scroll down for a detailed schedule of the event.
Important: In advance of the event, we’d like you to choose one of your favourite characters from a film or TV series. This can be any character you like, and it will constitute the starting point of the workshop’s practical component.
Schedule
13:00–14:00 Overview
Get an overview of the Screenwriting BA and HE Cert programme, how it will develop your creative voice and prepare you for a career across various industries including film, TV, video games and audio storytelling. Hear from tutors in our School for Film & Visual Media, including Katerina Gerothanasi, Leandro Goddinho, Juli Saragosa and Filipe Matzembacher.
14:00–14:05 Break
14:05–16:05 Workshop
During this immersive workshop with screenwriting tutors Katerina Gerothanasi, Juli Széphelyi and Rafael Leal, you’ll experience Catalyst’s collaborative approach first-hand and emerge with a story, an opening scene and individual feedback on your creative ideas.
The workshop begins with a screening of a short film by one of our Film Production BA students, followed by an analysis and group discussion aimed at giving you a broad understanding of how to develop and structure a good story.
After this, you’ll experience being part of a Writers’ Room and work in small groups to collaboratively build a story and create an opening scene. Finally, our three tutors will provide constructive and encouraging feedback on the work you’ve produced.
16:05–16:15 Break
16:15–16:45 Q&A
An informal session with screenwriting tutor Katerina Gerothanasi, in which you can ask any remaining questions you might still have about the Screenwriting programme at Catalyst.
Book your place
About the tutors
Katerina Gerothanasi
Katerina has a degree in Film Studies from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an MA in Screenwriting from University of Salford. At the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB), she gained a diploma in writing and development of TV series from their Serial Eyes programme. Since 2006, Katerina has written and directed several award-winning short films and three feature films (We Are Not Alone, Mother Me, Sinema), as well as developing TV shows and working with large production companies. Katerina is also currently a PhD in Practice candidate, writing a TV show which utilises augmented reality to interactively tell the story.
Juli Széphelyi
Juli Széphelyi graduated from the Hungarian Filmacademy Budapest as a screenwriter-dramaturg. She participated in the first year of Serial Eyes, the postgraduate programme of the German Film and Television Academy Berlin on series writing. She has developed series for HBO, wrote episodes for RTL (Grundy UFA), and worked as a writer, dramaturg, and director of short films and social campaigns. She has gained experience as a creative producer, edited trailers and teasers for HBO and Cinemax and recently started to work as a linguist (translator) for Netflix, Amazon, and Disney Plus. She has managed the casting for several Hungarian and international productions.
Rafael Leal
Rafael Leal is a screenwriter and producer for film, TV and new media, based in Berlin, who has created films and series for Disney, NBC/Universal and Fox, among others. Holding a PhD in Film and Media from Universidade Federal Fluminense (Brazil), Rafael developed part of his doctoral research at LMU München with a DAAD grant, about immersive and interactive narratives. Currently, Rafael is co-creator and head-writer of “Passinho – the Rhythm of the Dream”, his first original series for Disney+, and produces his new VR project, the documentary game “Privilege Game Show”.