First-time director Britta makes a documentary about the Geneva Ballet. She knows that she first needs to invest a lot of time into intensively researching the dance scene on the ground. She plans this research herself, and we provide her with the financial means she needs to carry it out. At the same time, she can turn to one of our experienced subject experts for some coaching, which is designed to make her aware of the key risks and obstacles facing her research.

Producer Max, his author Lisa and director Elodie want to conduct audience research to find out whether the target audience of their story “Finding Happiness” indeed consists of members of the arthouse cinema audience aged between 30 and 60. They plan this research themselves, We provide them with the financial means they need to carry it out and, on request, put them in touch with an outreach expert to support them in their plans.

Author Luis has already had three feature films successfully shown in cinemas and at festivals in the past. He knows that he works best when he can retreat to a mountain hut for three weeks to work on his text, away from friends and family. He invests the contribution we give him into this retreat.

The “New World Outlook” collective, consisting of three scriptwriters, an actress and two producers, forms a writers’ room to flesh out their new idea for a series. They need a physical place and equipment (flipcharts, whiteboards, magnetic walls) to be able to work and write together. Our support is used to pay for fees, equipment and aspects related to organizational matters.

Actress Gloria has already spent a lot of time in front of the camera and is well versed in character-building. Now she would like to be the one to bring a story to the screen. She has the idea, but lacks the professional skills needed to create the artistic, dramaturgical framework. Our script coaches, with whom we have worked successfully for many years, give her an introduction into scriptwriting.

Producer Lisa is looking to break new ground. She knows that film is in flux and would like to work with her author to evaluate the documentary project “Suburban Paradise” from a new perspective. She wants to combine the start of the festival with a VOD assessment. Our outreach experts from Denmark help her during the content development phase to line up the thought experiments she needs.

Freelance artist Adrian believes that the future of film is in cross-media projects. He wants to underpin his documentary project with VR elements as well as create a social media project for the entire content development phase, which will allow him to integrate socially relevant inputs into the film, as well as start to build awareness of his project among potential target audiences.

CBI (character-based improvisation): Experimental director Louise would like to work using the Mike Leigh method, starting the project without a script, then casting actors and actresses and working with them to develop content in the form of improvisation. The script will only be written after several months of improvisation and rehearsals. At the “outreach” networking workshop, Louise will present her content in a small venue and start to think about where the audience she wants her film to reach will be seated and how to get them excited about the film.

Authors Hugo and Sarah developed the script for their series at level I of the Story Lab last year. In the meantime, the SRF media company and Zürcher Filmstiftung have granted them development funding. The team and their production company are now about to apply for production funding. To be on the safe side, they want to carry out a study on the feasibility of their script. They are realizing this research project independently. We are giving them the means to do so.

Film director Magda spent her time at level II intensively studying content and look development for her animated film Rising Sun. She has made good progress and is about to contact animation studios for VFX tests and 3D modelling.

Film director Britta has completed the script for her film with public funding. Her production company will be applying for production funding from BAK soon. To put the finishing touch on the fifth edition of her script, Britta wants to hire professional actors and invite them to a script reading on set.

The production firm Shinealight wants to incorporate elaborate VFX sections into its film, Suburban Heroines. Before the shoot on location, they need to plan set extensions.

The production company PlanXYZ has received production funding for their documentary film about the interaction between refugees and their host families. The team is planning an impact-producing strategy with a top-down approach. They intend to bring several influencers on board.

The studio Bethechange has built a prototype for their VR project The Trees in Ourselves. It lets the user walk through a forest. Now, they wish to work with members of their target audience in order to test the controls and interactive elements within the experience.