Script writing training for sitcoms

08. February 2004
We would like to invite you to participate in the following project, together with the 9 other new European member states. We would appreciate your advice and suggestions for contacts. The proposal must be turned in
by March 15th. MEDIA Project: Script writing training for sitcoms in the 10 new member states:

1. Objectives Our ultimate goal is the creation in each new member state of a sitcom that depicts the local family and community life, while remaining understandable and exciting for the whole European public. Therewillbe10 differentsitcoms. The main objective of the present project is to train local teams of script writers in each new member state in the writing of sitcoms for the European market. Professional sitcom writers will provide the training. The future producers and distributors will provide the supervision. The MEDIA programme of the European Community is willing to subsidise 50% of the real costs of a professional script writer training programme over 2 years. The funding for such a project can reach several million Euros. The proposals, in answer to the MEDIA Training Programme call 83/03 must be received by March 15, 2004.

2. Discussion Europe, through the diversity of its cultures, has a very important supply of humorists and humoristic material. But those riches are local and are accessible only in small linguistic and cultural areas. As a result, the humour market is invaded by the US production. It has a more international approach and it can rely on the familiarity of the public with the US culture. On top of the creation of a new market, with all its economic benefits, the creation of a European humour area will be a powerful integration factor. It will show how each culture faces the human condition. But it will also turn this catalogue into a common foundation for the European culture. This common foundation will not be academic, but experienced by the public that will share the same pleasure on the mass media. As a genre, sitcoms are speciallysuitable for the description of the local material conditions and attitudes, while promoting the sharing of the personal experience. The Grimm brothers had a similar approach in the XIXthcentury, when they collected the local tales and legends of the oral tradition, and transposed them for the mass media of the time, the printing press. Originally, the project targets the new member states. But similar sitcoms could easily be developed by the others. For starters, the project targets the new member states. But similar sitcoms could easily be developed in the other states. Our first target is the European market, but we intend to target the world market once the products have been tested. 3. Contact Pierre Van Nypelseer
E-mail: vanyp@eunet.be
Phone and fax: + 32 2 347 22 01 (AITECH)
Université Européenne d'Ecriture
Avenue Brugmann, 489
B-1180 Bruxelles