Rutger Hauer with Filmfactory screenwriter, Lili Forestier
(Photo: Rob Mertens)
Rutger Hauer Filmfactory
Anton Damen speaks to the writers who provided the scripts at this year’s Rutger Hauer Filmfactory for young filmmakers.
It can easily be argued that with its magnificent skyline Rotterdam is the only Dutch metropolis (sorry, Amsterdam!). Rotterdam, however, is more than a world port or a city bursting with ambitious architecture: it is a playground. At least, it is for ten days each year for 25 young, ambitious and knowledge-hungry filmmakers from every corner of the world. They meet up at the Rutger Hauer Filmfactory, now in its third year, for an intensive course that differs wildly from most film schools. Although the internationally renowned Dutch actor and filmmaker Rutger Hauer headlines, he also brings in international talent from every area of expertise for lectures and master classes; it is their coaching abilities that are at the centre.
The Rutger Hauer Filmfactory is not a film school, it's a crash course. The participants are thrown in at the deep end, because it is Hauer’s firm belief that everybody has a film in them; ‘trust your guts, make a movie,’ is his mantra. The international experts are there to ensure that none of the participants accidentally drown in the sometimes immense experience of making a film with limited resources and, even more so, limited time. The five groups this year each consisted of a director, producer, director of photography, editor and an actor. Together, they managed to overcome dramatic deadlines, logistical nightmares and internal conflicts and at the end resurface with two films shot in just one week.
More importantly than the end results, in Hauer's eyes, is that they enjoyed the creative process. In order to get the teams off to a flying start, the Filmfactory commissioned two scripts by young screenwriters: Lili Forestier from France and Dirk Achten from Belgium. They each wrote a special screenplay for a five-minute short based on the pitch ‘my one and only’. Each screenplay formed the basis for the films of two of teams (the remaining fifth team got a poem to sink their teeth into), whilst Rotterdam High School students also got the same screenplays to toy with.
Lili Forestier
Something Got To Burn is the title of Lili Forestier’s screenplay. On a sunny Rotterdam terrace, a couple of days after her arrival at the Rutger Hauer Filmfactory, something definitely has to burn; if only Forestier’s Pall Mall’s. Forestier, firing up a cigarette says: “Something Got To Burn is first and foremost a story about guilt. Sometimes the best way to love somebody is to leave them. I know, it’s an ironic take on the requested theme.
“The Filmfactory wanted an universal story, with two characters in a neutral space. On top of that, I purposely kept the story open. For instance, there is no real description of the characters, other than their names. There are many possible interpretations, which is especially good since different teams will adapt it, and come up with different versions. “That doesn’t mean that I didn’t think for a long time about the characters. The actual screenplay I wrote in four hours.”
Forestier sent it to the Rutger Hauer Filmfactory, whose site she actually stumbled upon doing research for artist residences, and it didn’t take long before she got a reaction. The script coach of the organisation, Dutch screenwriter and director Mark de Cloe, got in touch with her.
“He gave me some notes for a rewrite. The atmosphere was there, I guess the biggest stumbling block was my poor English,” laughs Forestier. “Mark wrote me an email with suggestions, and phoned me. Based on his comments I made some minor adjustments, and then I asked a friend to do a proper translation into English.
“That draft was accepted, and on top of that I got invited to visit the Filmfactory. The nice thing is that, unlike the participants, I don’t have to pay. While I’m here I’m free to visit the lectures and other activities… if I’m not busy doing rewrites that is (laughs).” Things aren’t always straightforward for the writers, however. One of the directors in their first creative meeting told Firestier ”When I first read your screenplay, I screamed.” But Lili didn’t blink an eye. “Because I understand – we don’t share the same aesthetics. I like the Dardenne Brothers and Godard, he likes Ridley Scott. But I guess that’s the point of it all. You have to work with people that you don’t know, and that didn’t choose your material. You have to let go of your ego. And I’m open to rewriting. I made it clear which elements are not negotiable to me, but in the end, he is the director, so he decides.
“I got a lot of support from Mark as well. He told me not to be afraid, and that the story was great and really worked. And in fact I had a lot of fun with both teams, listening to their reactions and rewriting the script with them. The way it’s done here is a big departure from the real world. Everybody, up to the editor, has something to say. Everybody is equal, and I really like this sharing of ideas. I've learned a lot, also from attending lectures. After watching the acting coach with the actors, maybe I’ll write my characters a little bit differently in the future.”
Dirk Achten
While Lili wrote her first screenplay at age 14, for Dirk Achten the calling came relatively late. Four years ago he decided that he wanted to become a screenwriter, and recently he’s put his regular job as an assistant director on hold as much as possible in order to work on scripts.
The shorts shot of his Incapability at the Rutger Hauer Filmfactory this week are going to be his first realised screenplays.
Dirk says: “Initially I thought to register for either directing or screenwriting. I soon found out that things were slightly different than last year, as screenwriters were not going to be an integral part of the group. The organisation told me that they were holding a sort of screenwriting contest instead. I found the theme ‘my one and only’ especially difficult, because of its unlimited possibilities. I deliberately wrote something that every director can put his or her own distinctive mark upon. I had two weeks to write it, after which I got feedback from the script coach, who advised me, for instance, to change the location from a room to a more dramatic one, which made me choose a rooftop.
“It’s in the creative group sessions that you just have to take a beating. I decided to be silent, and just swallow the criticism.”
Browsing through his notes, Dirk finds a couple of comments. ‘Weak story where nothing happens… the main character is a loser, impossible for the audience to identify with’, he reads.
“On the other hand,” he continues, “some people brought scenes to the session which they associated with my script. Comparisons with In the Mood For Love and Leaving Las Vegas were very flattering. The funny thing is, after working with the teams on the scripts, I can honestly say that both new versions are improvements on the original screenplay. One now has a better rhythm and the other one had a total overhaul. They differ greatly from each other, but they are still recognizable as my scripts. “On the one hand I felt really appreciated by the groups and it was wonderful to help them out; on the other hand there were moments when I felt insecure and lonely. It comes with the territory: ultimately it’s you alone with the keyboard and the computer screen.
“The biggest lesson for me is just to keep going. Over here at the Filmfactory, even when you’re not the most inspired, you have to come up with something. You have to write under stress, and write with and for a director. Writing together but still maintain your own voice has been quite an interesting challenge. Also it is very interesting to see a scene that you’ve written played out in rehearsal. Even more interesting is to see the scene fail completely. That makes you wonder: am I to blame? Or are they? Or maybe both?
“Last but not least it was great to have an opportunity to talk with another screenwriter. I’ve know already that my biggest weakness are in my characters. Talking to Lili, I got inspired by her technique. It’s something that wouldn’t be too difficult to integrate into my writing process. As a screenwriter you’re part of the group, but at the same time an outsider as well. That’s fine by me. In my opinion the condensed experiences at the Filmfactory are a one on one translation of the reality on a film production, so it makes for good practice.”
The four films can be seen at www.rutgerhauerfilmfactory.com, along with some of the other 25 realised shorts during the 10 factory days. The next Filmfactory is scheduled for January/February 2011, although the details of screenwriters’ involvement has not yet been finalized.
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