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FeedbackClient's comments (Excerpts) "...another almost magical component of the script constellation is that I can speak with my characters. I ask them questions that I've been burning to ask them. I can look my hero in the eye and ask her a real, indiscreet and sincere question. And she answers me. Honestly. It comes from the constellation's dynamics. (...) Just the way someone stands in the room reveals a limitless amount of information. In a script constellation we tap this resource, activate our sensors and sometimes make more progress in an hour than in one year." Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Writer/Director, Berlin, "The Lives of Others" (OSCAR-winner), 2005 “The Script Constellation gave an initial spark to my first feature-length film project. It allowed me to empathise with each family member and to understand what it meant for them if I were to make this film. In comparison to a written script the constellation intimately exposes the protagonists and their relationships – a unique experience for every author. It gave me an idea of what the film would mean for my protagonists and the responsibility I would take on.” Maurizius Staerkle Drux, documentary author/director, Switzerland, "Concrete Love - The Böhm Family", 2015 "...an experience I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on. In the middle of a room we literally came across aspects of our project that we 'physically' encountered - aspects of which we didn't have the slightest idea about. And as participants in other writers' material, we literally were able to experience how strong a script constellation manifests itself; regardless of any preconceived notions we may have had. We were extremely impressed and truly learned a lot. WÜSTE Films' future films have made a substantial step forward." Ralph Schwingel, Producer, Wüste Filmproduction, Hamburg, "Head-On" (Golden Bear, Berlinale 2004) "...the script constellation instantly untied the knots and helped the further development of our project. I would recommend it to anyone in a similar situation. I have seldom made such a worthwhile and reasonably priced investment in developing one of my projects." Michael Röhrig, Producer, BlueScreen Film, Munich, "Maria" "...the participants simply became the characters of my script. They felt love and disgust, hate and sympathy. One of them, a writer of another project, whom I really know very differently, actually started to sob... You really want to try this. You just don't want to miss this chance!" Rudolf Schweiger, Producer/Director, Kaleidoskop Film, Munich, "Kosovo Blues" "...the script constellation was an amazing experience. Most of all, I got in touch with the feelings of my characters and I'm certain, that this experience will help me in further developing the script. I'm in great shape for the next draft!" Simon Gross, Director, Munich, "Fata Morgana" "If you don't recognize the emotional potential in your story and develop it, crime comedies often seem very superficial. I really had the problem of recognizing it in my story. The comedy and tension, on the one hand, worked well. The script constellation made it clear for me which character was the emotional core. This made it easy to solve my problems." Tobias Siebert, Screenwriter/Journalist, Munich/Berlin "... I was surprised at how simple the questions are and how clear the answers. What impressed me most was my strong emotional reaction, when I was allowed to step into the place of one of my characters. My fear that I might not be able to remember all the details and "results" of the constellation and that I really ought to write it all down immediately, turned out to be groundless. The essential messages are engraved in your memory." Barbara Rohm, Screenwriter/director, Berlin Client's comments (Complete) Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Writer/Director, Berlin: "I had already participated in a script constellation when I was a film student at the Munich Film School. The experience hadn't convinced me. I represented the main character of my own story, which made the whole thing seem too controllable for me. I could move the person as I wanted him to move which only confirmed my own thoughts about the story. I therefore was very skeptical when I attended the SCRIPT DOCTORS - seminar. But I soon realized they worked differently. In their very interesting intro, Rainer and Claudia asked me questions about my script and my ideas. I explained that the most important theme of the film is 'humanity' and to what degree my characters maintain their humanity under severe pressure. Rainer and Claudia told me to choose a participant to represent 'humanity' in addition to my dramatis personae. From out of a group of about 25 very different people, I chose my characters and abstract concepts. It was literally 'speed-casting,' which was already super helpful. I mean, it was a year before filming and suddenly, standing in front of me, were real people out of flesh and blood who were named after my characters (from that point on they were only referred to by the names of the characters they represented) and some who even looked like my characters and behaved the way I imagined they would. Under the sensitive direction of the SCRIPT DOCTORS, I had them act the soul of the film. When you have people standing in a room facing their 'humanity', their 'fear' and other abstract concepts, then you remember very clearly that every individual is the center of the universe for himself. Suddenly there are no longer 'secondary characters' just like there are no 'secondary people' in life. There are only people. People whom you just see less often than others, but who are as complex as your best friend. Another almost magical component of the script constellation is that I can speak with my characters. I ask them questions that I've been burning to ask them. I can look my hero in the eye and ask her a real, indiscreet and sincere question. And she answers me. Honestly. It comes from the constellation's dynamics. But how does she know it, if she doesn't know the story? Every good story, and it doesn't matter if it's a fairy tale, play or script has a certain, inherent inevitability. From minute 10 in 'Romeo and Julia' you know, even if no one has ever told you, that they are going to have to die in order to make the story believable. And somehow you also just knew in Episode IV that Luke's father is Darth Vader. When James Earl Jones says it at the end of 'The Empire Strikes Back', you were shocked but not surprised. You use this unconscious knowledge in the script constellation. We're a lot smarter than we think, when we're having a down moment, sitting alone in front of our computers. Just the way, someone stands in the room, reveals a limitless amount of information. In a script constellation we tap this resource, activate our sensors and sometimes make more progress in an hour than in one year." Ralph Schwingel, Producer, Wüste Film Production, Hamburg: "It was an experiment for us at WÜSTE Film. We arrived happy but skeptical with our projects, we let our own projects be examined and were participants in the constellations of others. Both of these were one experience I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on. In the middle of a room we literally came across aspects of our project that we 'physically' encountered; aspects of which we didn't have the slightest idea about. And as participants in other writers' material, we literally were able to experience feel how strong a script constellation manifests itself; regardless of any preconceived notions we may have had. We were extremely impressed and truly learned a lot. I know in soccer how important it is to use the entire field, and I learned the same is true for development. WÜSTE Films' future films have made a substantial step forward." Michael Röhrig, Producer, BlueScreen Film, Munich: "I was ambivalent when I first heard about script constellations. On the one hand, I was intrigued by the thought that I could learn about blocks in the development process and working through them. On the other, I couldn't really imagine how it was supposed to work, when the other participants hardly know anything about my story. When my characters were positioned, I was surprised at how many of the deficiencies and misconceptions, problems we had tried to doctor, became clear to me. Certain characters we had underestimated dramatically gained a new importance and vice versa. In any case, the script constellation instantly untied the knots and helped the further development of our project. I would recommend it to anyone in a similar situation. I have seldom made such a worthwhile and reasonably priced investment in developing one of my projects." Rudolf Schweiger, Producer/Director, Kaleidoskop Film, Munich: "I attended Claudia and Rainer's script constellation seminar feeling both curiosity and a healthy dose of mistrust. I had heard a lot of strange stories about this approach to developing scripts, but hadn't understood it up until then. And to be honest, I thought it was all a little weird. The seminar began much to my discomfort in a semi-circle smacking very much of group therapy. When it came to participating in the constellations of the others present, I really had to think hard if I could do it. One is positioned in the room, moved this way and that, and then supposed to say something about how you feel and if you like the other participants. I said what I felt and was surprised that the seminar leader was able to come to conclusions even though I had no idea what he was talking about. When it was my turn to present my material, my reluctance to the method hadn't changed much. I chose participants to represent my characters. I was supposed to turn off my head and work intuitively. Also, I wasn't supposed to tell them what my story was about. The participants knew only their character's name; had no idea what the plot or even the theme was. It was a so-called 'concealed' constellation. What then happened, I still can't explain to this day. The representatives simply became the characters in my script. They felt love and disgust, hate and sympathy. One of them, a writer of another project, whom I really know very differently, actually started to sob. I was completely confused. I relinquished all my skepticism. What happened here was my film, in variations that I simply hadn't yet seen. There were character constellations that definitely came straight out of my script. And where they differed from my story, it wasn't arbitrary, rather, something I could logically follow! You really want to try this. You just don't want to miss this chance!"
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