Call for Applications Boulevard des Séries: The Factory – Los Angeles 2022

The Factory defines itself as a place of learning for experienced French and Québec writers to sharpen their skills and know-how for their projects with high international-development potential.

The Factory will take place over a period of three consecutive weeks in the fall of 2022 and will welcome six French and one Québec writer. They will be personally accompanied in English by established TV writers, showrunners, script specialists, agents, and professionals in production, distribution, and regulations. The cultural exchanges will be enhanced by organized group visits to studios and writers’ rooms, as well as convivial opportunities for networking.

Objectives of the residency:

• Thanks to the individualized guidance from showrunners, producers, and experienced professionals, to offer participating writers the necessary tools to arrive at a pilot script that meets the demands of the international market and incorporates a strong artistic direction.
• Facilitate the transfer of American skills and know-how in terms of series writing and of show creation (including artistic direction), in function of diverse genres (fantastic, comedy, horror, teen drama, etc.), formats, and audiences.
• Encourage opportunities for international collaboration between French, Québec, and American writers.

Working language

The working language during the entirety of the residency is English. This means that all materials, written and spoken, at all points during the process, must be in English.

The final script could be multilingual, in French, English, or any other European language.

Terms of coverage

The Villa Albertine, the SACD, the CNC, and the SODEC will cover:

• A mobility grant including travel fees, lodging, and per diem;
• A schedule of group meetings and individual sessions led by local partners;
• The organization of convivial moments for networking;
• The communication surrounding residents and their projects.

Calendar

April 29: closure of applications
April 30 – July 1: Application selection
July 8: Laureates announced
Starting September 12: online writing workshops with script doctors (1 to 3 workshops of 1.5 hours per project)
October 17 – November 4: Writers residency in Los Angeles

APPLYING

Complete applications are to be submitted before April 29, at 11:59pm French time, by email to: series@villa-albertine.org 

Project eligibility criteria:

• Project in English with strong potential for the international market;
• Material provided, drafted in a bilingual version (French-English): Application form duly completed online with bible and note on the series’ artistic direction and the complete pilot script for dramatic series or one example of an episode for episodic series:
• Original creation (adaptations are not considered);
• Must be fictional (live action);
• Must include at least six episodes, with no maximum number of episodes;
• The length of the episodes must be at least 20 minutes;
• The presented project can already have been optioned by French or Quebec producers, without any obligation;
• The project can be written by more than one writer: collective work but in this case, only one of the writers may participate in the residency, per an agreement among the project writers;
• The project can have already received a writing or development grant, notably aid provided by the SACD, the Association Beaumarchais, the CNC, the support of a regional collective (municipality, region), the SODEC, or the Fonds des medias du Canada;
• The project may not have already been accepted for a previous submission to Boulevard des Séries: The Factory.

Writer eligibility criteria:

The application is presented by the writer. The writer must:

• Be the scriptwriter and/or director, French-speaking, and member of the SACD or of the SARTEC for at least three episodes of a same season of a series broadcast on TV channel or SVOD platform in France or Quebec between 2017 and 2022.
• Be the writer/creator of a series broadcast on TV channel or SVOD platform in France or Quebec between 2017 and 2022 OR have previously obtained an audiovisual grant from the innovation funds of the CNC (support of the concept, writing, re-writing, or co-writing of fiction, animation, or documentary international co-productions), from a region or municipality (fiction, animation) OR have previously participated in training from Boulevard des Série.
• Have an excellent level of English, notably to be capable of using English as the working language.
• Be available during the entire duration of the residency from October 17 to November 4.

Selection process

The results of the official selection will be announced by email to candidates on July 8, 2022.

In the case of selection, a detailed agreement will be signed between the series writer selected, Villa Albertine, the SACD, the CNC, and the SODEC.

Selection Committee

The applications will be examined by a selection committee composed of:

• At least two members from the Writers Guild Foundation and Villa Albertine
• At least two members proposed by the SACD
• At least two members proposed by the CNC
• At least one member proposed by the SODEC

Selection criteria

The selection committee will take into consideration the following criteria:

• The artistic value of the project;
• The writer’s experience;
• The international potential of the project;
• The originality of the concept in comparison to other series already on the market;
• The adaptability of the project to international market demands;
• The universal social value of the proposal.

The selection committee will aim to accept a diverse set of subjects among the seven projects selected and the writers who present them.

Health context

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, international travel between France and the U.S. could be disrupted in the last quarter of 2022. Regarding safety, in the event of a rapid change of situation, and in consideration of decisions made by French and American authorities, the organizers reserve the right to push back, cancel, or modify the activities proposed to participants.

The organizers commit to inform participants of any change of dates and/or format of the residency.

Equally, participants confronted with personal or professional setbacks in the context of current health and safety are held to immediately contact the organizers and to inform them of any impossibility to travel.

Intellectual Property

The candidates, or their producers, must possess all the rights of the proposed project.

Communication and confidentiality

All documents and information provided in the application are strictly confidential and will not be published under any circumstances.

Only a single one-page summary of the seven selected projects will be printed in a booklet which will be distributed during the residency to potential partners such as producers, platforms, or distributers. A list of the seven selected projects, which will include the title of the project and the writer’s name, could be used for means of communication and published in the press.

Contacts

For any questions on the topic of this call for applications, you may contact:

Villa Albertine – Lucie Carette, Film and TV Attachée and Director of Villa Albertine in Los Angeles lucie.carette@frenchculture.org

SACD – Valérie-Anne Expert, Deputy Director of Cultural Action valerie-Anne.expert@sacd.fr

CNC – Louis Bonneau, Mission Officer, Fiction/Animation Innovation Funds – louis.bonneau@cnc.fr

SODEC – Véronique Le Sayec, International Affairs Delegate veronique.lesayec@sodec.gouv.qc.ca

Procedure to apply

All applications involve two parts that must be completed before April 29 at 11:59pm French time.

1. Fill out the online form available at this link: https://forms.office.com/r/GqxbzGsN9H
2. Send the complete application to series@villa-albertine.org, with the following six separate PDF attachments:

• Bible in French (PDF format)
• Note of intention in French (PDF format)
• Pilot script in French (PDF format)
• Bible in English (PDF format)
• Note of intention in English (PDF format)
• Pilot script in English (PDF format)

Please indicate in the subject line of your email: Candidature La Fabrique 2022 – First name LAST NAME

Any application not respecting these criteria will be considered incomplete.