Isti Madarasz
Forum Replies Created
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Such monologues are best used to provide a deeper understanding of the forces at work behind the story or to get to know the person telling the story even better. They are standalone little stories within a big story, with a beginning, middle and end. It’s not just what is said that is important, but what thoughts and feelings are triggered in the listener. The men here who listened must have been more afraid of sharks at the end than before. When they set out on their shark hunt, it might have seemed like a good adventure. Now they know it will be a life-or-death encounter.
I’ve learned that a monologue like this can add depth and weight to a story.
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The irony here is that although Frank is being harsh on the phone and trying to act like a heroic bodyguard, the shooter points out that he is only faking it to fool himself, because he has not behaved as heroically as he shows or even believes himself to be. After all, if he had been willing to sacrifice his own life, the shooter would be dead by now – but Frank saved his own life. How ironic that he keeps playing macho on the phone. The situation is indeed complicated, as they have actually received the same training and now they have to fight each other.
What I have learned is that pointing out the intricacies of things can always be very interesting – and if it is not the protagonist doing it, but one of the side characters or even the antagonist himself, it is more interesting and our protagonist can learn something.
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What’s good about this conversation is that it raises suspicions very well. First the officer explains how they usually secure someone and yet here we are talking about the President of the USA. He explains what the minimum he would have done if he was supposed to be overseeing security – but he was sidelined. He explains what the basic steps are in such a case – and here none of them were taken. It’s as if they were deliberately not trying to protect the president… What makes the scene so powerful is that the Officer never once makes a specific accusation, just keeps listing suspicious elements and letting the listener’s mind build up a mental picture. At the end, he asks questions -again, not answering them for the other person, but cleverly putting the answers together in his mind. He doesn’t even have to say who he suspects at the end – he lets the other person do it.
What I have learned from this is that it is much more powerful to raise questions in the other person, to provoke suspicion rather than answer it. The end result will be the same, but it will be more enjoyable.
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Molly’s game is wonderful as everything that Aaron Sorkin writes. Just to begin with, by claiming that “you get 3 years of therapy in 3 minutes” the writer is taking on an almost impossibly difficult task, as it requires at least all the knowledge of a therapist – but Sorkin rises to the challenge.
Of the three questions, only one is asked by the father, the second is said by the daughter, and the third – the most important, it seems – is explicitly important to be said by the daughter. The father says he will answer it, but the daughter has to ask it – and in doing so he sets a huge stake, a tension, the viewer senses that this is going to be the point, it has been all about this so far. In the question “Why didn’t you love me like my brothers and sisters?” is all the pain of a whole childhood. And the father’s answer, which is the point, is brilliantly said for the first time in a way that can’t be understood, and she asks him back. And then the father repeats, “I knew you knew”. And the cheating is revealed, the fact that the girl saw it when she was 5 but dug it deep within herself… in these few minutes, the whole life story of both characters is revealed to us, not by their conversation alone, but by our understanding.
What I’ve learned from this is that if I have enough of my characters’ profiles in my head (if I’ve taken the time to write them), it’s easier to “leak” them through dialogue.
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The dialogue is interesting because although they are in a therapy session, where the doctor is supposed to ask questions and show interest in the patient, this is not the case here, as the doctor does not want to treat the patient. He, on the other hand, tells you what’s going on with him, without any questions. However, he is so eager to talk that he jumps at every sentence the doctor says, reacts, almost tries to provoke questions, which he can then answer. The doctor would prefer to avoid having to ask questions, not wanting to give the impression that this is now a normal therapy session, but the ‘patient’ is not going to let himself be. The interesting dynamic is that one does not want to talk and the other wants to talk at all costs. In addition, the patient is very familiar with the doctor’s work, has read his books, and could in fact ask the questions himself, but because he wants to be treated ‘normally’ he prefers to put the questions into the doctor’s mouth. It is the reluctance of the doctor and the pushiness of the patient that creates this interesting tension.
I learned how important it is to react in a good dialogue. Everyone has to talk about what’s on their own character’s mind, but at the same time reacting to what the other person has said.
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This is a masterful scene, a fantastic example of visual storytelling. Take after take, the tension creeps under your skin without a word being spoken. Everything is created and set up to constantly generate tension. Where are the riders going? What is this long underground tunnel? Why is this wall so huge and what is it protecting against? What could be out there in the winter wilderness where these riders are heading? When the rider sees the smoke, which could mean other people, friendly company, yet he immediately throws himself to the ground and crawls closer… danger is out there and it’s getting closer every minute.
I’ve learned that creating atmosphere, slowly feeding in information and mood setting elements is the most exciting thing that can happen to a story.
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This scene is a masterful introduction to a previously unknown world, as it was the opening few minutes of a brand new TV series. We don’t know the characters, we don’t know what they’re up to – and we’re given information about them without them saying a word. This is the elevated school of “show don’t tell”. Every detail reveals something about the story, while also leaving us with questions. It makes us not even think about turning off the channel and immediately draws us into the events. As we are caught in the middle of the action, it is up to us to make sense of it while everything is chaotic: the chase, the dead bodies, the gas mask, the chemicals… the underpants??? If you’re not curious to see how the story continues after that – it’s really not worth watching, so in that respect this was a perfect opening episode.
What I learned that it is worth giving visual cues instead of exhausting and lengthy verbal exposure.
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I feel this works best in comedies – like here, or maybe in the horror genre where you can always push the boundaries further…
Going completely to the wall is not advisable in many genres, because it becomes forced and discredits the story. But at the same time, it’s true that it’s worth constantly surprising the viewer and going down paths that they wouldn’t have dreamed of or dared to think about… so in the meantime, it’s worth pushing the boundaries.
Here, the creators not only took things to the next level by putting women in this situation (this kind of humour used to be the preserve of men), but also dressed them in expensive and beautiful clothes in the middle of a chic salon… which made it all the more ridiculous that the toilet was inaccessible and small and they were so many…
What I learned from this scene is that it’s always worth it to add a little extra. To raise the stakes, to make the situation more dangerous, more hopeless.
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The twist is probably the best way to move the story forward. You’re heading somewhere, and then suddenly – after a surprising or new kind of story beat – you’re off in a different direction. Before the twist, the writers ” numb ” the viewer a little, the interrogation scene is as traditional as possible, everything is “analogue”, the folder, the documents, the surveillance camera – there is no trace of the magic that is the Matrix itself and that Neo is about to experience. It is a shocking moment for him and for the viewer. Although at the end of the scene Neo appears to ‘wake up from a dream’, this is a red herring – it soon becomes clear that the nightmare is very real.
What I’ve learned – and rewritten a scene of mine based on this – is that before the twist, it’s worth letting your suspicions go a little bit, to make the twist more surprising.
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The suspense is caused by an unexpected situation: the shark turns up, much bigger than expected. They have to reassess the situation and change their plans – right now, which leads to rushing and nervousness. The little details add to this: everyone running around, shoes slipping on the side of the boat because of the rush, failing to tie a knot, shouting at each other, a radio call… in the midst of this huge challenge, little distractions get in the way of the heroes to increase the tension.
When a plan is finally hatched and executed with great difficulty, the shark escapes with the barrel strapped to its body… nothing happens the way they want it to and it all adds to the tension.
I’ve learned that when my protagonist finally has a plan and sets out to carry it out, I have to put every obstacle in front of him so that the audience gets more and more excited about whether he’s going to succeed. To do this, of course, I have to make it clear what the goal is.
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What’s most interesting in this scene is Batman trying to scare the Joker, but he can’t, this is a man you can’t scare, he’s not afraid – it’s very hard to corner someone when you don’t know what they want, what their goals are.
Although it starts out as an aggressive interrogation, they soon sit down to talk, it seems that’s what the Joker wants – and he seems to be in control. Soon he draws parallels between himself and Batman, which the latter tries to deny, but actually makes perfect sense. At one point Batman loses his temper, gets more and more aggressive, the other cops want to come in, but Batman shuts them out – he becomes a bad guy too, the Joker was right, they’re not so different.
When Batman realises that his love is in danger, too, he has no choice but to keep beating the Joker as long as he can – but the Joker keeps laughing. The initial balance of power changes very quickly and that’s what makes the Joker really scary.
What I learned is that I also have to find some similarities between the protagonist and the antagonist, because that makes their relationship more interesting.
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Peter Parker just finds out he has superpower, he has spider-like abilities. He just discovers the spider web that shoots out of his wrist is good for many things. This not only builds the scene and is a tireless source of humour, but also introduces us to one of his most important spider skills, which he will use a lot later on.
When he gets into a conflict with the school bully, Peter chooses to leave, rather clumsily – we understand this character more and more. He may have superpowers, but (for now) he’s still just an introverted teenager. When the fight is inevitable, he mostly just defends himself and tries to avoid the punches that come his way, but as he starts to understand his abilities, we see him enjoying it more and more. Eventually, there comes a point of no return and he hits back once, but with such force that his opponent flies far away, and then the contents of a tray fall on his head, just as it did earlier in the dining room. When you’re messing with Peter Parker, you’ll get food in your face…
What I learned, that I have to come up with interesting scenes to introduce my hero’s abilities, so the audience can learn it from the situations and not from dialogues.
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What I learned… is that there is so much to learn for me in this area. Subtext is always more exciting then plain talk, and when characters lie – even without bad intentions but to hide their inner thoughts and feelings – as we all do – is just great and cool.
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I love Get out a lot. This scene is great because it raises soo many questions. Somehow everything is awkward at this party, the guests, the way they talk the things they said… they seem nice and kind towards Chris but they say the most nasty things to him with a smile on their face. What the hell is happening here, Chris thinks – and we, the audience share his inner question.
The stakes are raising when Chris finally realizes he is not the only black person here, there is another “brother” so he steps to Logan – whose behavior anything but comforting. Everything he says is flawless, but the way he behaves is very odd. As his wife steps in things only get worse – is she controls him? Why is the dynamic between them so weird?
Chris’s reactions are our reactions, we feel what he thinks: WTF?
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When Harry meet Sally… what a great scene! We get to know a little our two character just by watching them argue while eating. It’s not even the dialogue yet, the way Harry eats his sandwich, big bites, talking while chewing, we can see into his mouth but he’s not embarrassed at all – he’s always right, a real macho. Whereas sally, on the other hand, eats like a fine, feminine woman. She scoops all the ham out of her sandwich and ends up with a cheese sandwich. She takes small bites, eats elegantly and maintains her delicacy throughout.
When she starts faking the orgasm the good thing is that she doesn’t stop halfway. She’s not afraid to be loud, she doesn’t care if everyone is watching – she goes through with it. Harry watches her quietly, but his look, his quiet shame, has it all – this woman is gaining on him now.
What I learned, that I have to take every opportunity to colour the character further. General action is the stupidest thing ever, every movement, even a simple walk out the door is a great opportunity to further detail my characters.
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I think what makes this character intro great that it immediately draws us into the action. We learn where we are, what is the situation with this man Jack, we only see what he sees, we discover the “world” (the setup) with him – and so we immediately develop a sense of identification with him. We not only get to know the character, but he becomes our hero. And will remain so until the very end of the series – so it was a successful character intro.
It also helps that after he explores the environment and gives us, the audience time to understand where we are, what is it we’ve got ourselves into – he takes immediate action, he helps the wounded and you can tell by his movements that he knows what he’s doing – maybe he’s a doctor. He is not busy helping himself, he is helping others – so he is a good person. Everything he does describes the kind of person he is.
So what I learned is that I better put my main character in immediate action and make him busy in a way that all his action become a little character description.
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I’ve learned that the ending has to be the best. It cannot be an idea that comes out of thin air, it has to incorporate all the conflicts and questions of the film so far, answering them all at once but in a way that is really surprising or even shocking, depending on the genre. There can’t be a resolution that is obvious, that can be deduced, that anyone can think of… I have a lot of work to do on that.
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The ending of Se7en is perhaps one of the greatest examples in film history of a very surprising, yet obvious and inevitable solution. The whole film is about the 7 cardinal sins and it was a minor puzzlement when the villain, John Doe, turns himself in at the end of Act 2… because what will happen to the rest of the film? Where are the remaining 2 crimes? Something is missing… and from here on there is a huge tension, we sense something very bad is coming but we don’t know from where… it makes the long drive to the final scene almost unbearably tense.
And then there’s the box, perhaps the most famous box in cinema with the most shocking content, which is never actually shown once yet everyone is sick just thinking about it. A brilliant ending. Detective Mills’ life is shattered and he has to deliver justice, despite Somerset telling him that John Doe will win – he can’t calm down and shoots the man who did it. John Doe becomes the envy and Mills the anger. What an unexpected and yet satisfying twist… Moreover, the viewer is drawn in emotionally to the utmost, and even finds himself torn with Mills – to shoot him or not? It would be so nice to get revenge, but everyone knows that Mills will get himself in big trouble if he pulls the trigger… so we are both reassured when he finally fires and saddened at the same time.
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I learned that in the final showdown, emotional turbulence is important. It’s not good if my hero is obviously going to win from the first moment, he has to weaken, it’s good if there comes a moment when everything seems lost. But it’s important that there should be a spark, an emotional impulse that lifts him up, that gives him new strength, with which we, the audience, can rise up and start a new battle.
It is also very important to consider that the antagonist should not be a mindless idiot, should be right from his point of view, should be well prepared and competent. It is even more cathartic to defeat him.
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The scene begins with Kaffee, the lawyer, losing. He knew Jessep was going to be a big one, and he didn’t manage to corner him. But when the general arrogantly and brashly goes off without permission, it stirs up the fighting spirit in Kaffee. I really like the way that before the final confrontation, the protagonist is weakened, looking like a loser, even encouraged by his own colleagues to back down, but then comes an emotional impulse that gives him new strength and he is able to go into the final confrontation.
What’s even more great is that when Jessep says in his last great monologue that he is the last line of defence between American citizens and the forces that threaten them, that he is the only one standing on that wall – he is actually right. For Jack Nicholson to deliver this dramatic monologue so credibly, he has to believe in his own truth all the way through – and that’s what makes this conflict so good: they are both right from their own point of view, but one thing remains the same: Jessep has broken the law and must be punished for it.
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Get Out is a great film, I love it. All 3 turning points are very exciting. Probably the first one is the biggest surprise, because here the film not only turns the story, but actually changes genre, because with the hypnotism and the black space that Chris falls into, the so-called Sunken Place, the mystical, the paranormal comes in and from there on we are watching a supernatural thriller. It’s quite a twist.
The middle turning point is not really a turning point in my opinion, but rather just another odd occurrence in a story that has been just about unusual enough so far, so I don’t think this is the real Midpoint of the story, or if it is, it’s not very strong.
However, the third turning point is a real atomic bomb, Chris’s sweetheart who has been by his side all along is suddenly revealed here to be on the side of the family, she’s been conning Chris all along and so the poor guy is left with no allies. That’s really harsh.
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What I learned that my inciting incident needed to be stronger. It’s not where the story is going, it’s more that we’re too clearly going in that direction before it. So it’s not a turning point, it’s a simple follow up convention. So I’ve rearranged the previous scenes so that the scene where the film starts to flow towards the end, at first seems to want to flow in a different direction. My characters are walking into the room with a certain idea and the flow of the story will change during the scene, which will start my protagonist on the path he has to take until the end of the story.
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The scene is interesting because it is based on a familiar situation – the jury decides on the convict – but it takes us, the viewer, into the room we never see. We always only see the jurors in the jury box, but now we get a glimpse behind the scenes. That in itself is exciting. At first glance, the case seems clear-cut, and when asked who thinks the defendant is guilty, some hands immediately go up in the air, then others, some slower, some hesitant, some visibly looking at the others and voting that way – but that’s still only 11. Someone hasn’t raised their hand. I really like that they don’t simply state that someone disagrees, but they take that vote, too: who votes that he is innocent. And that’s where it gets complicated, this is the inciting incident: Henry Fonda’s character doesn’t say he thinks he’s innocent, he says he can’t say he’s guilty. So they should talk about it. And that starts the whole film, because the whole story is about the jurors talking.
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I’ve learned that I can’t afford not to have a tense, exciting, instantly engaging opening scene. I just need it. So I didn’t rewrite my current opening scene, because it’s a well-worked sequence, but simply wrote a new scene in front of it that starts in medias res, is interesting, somewhat mysterious and (I hope) intrigues the viewer enough to know what the world is that my story is set in.
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What I really like is that the whole opening action is a bit chaotic, but still followable. We don’t know who the characters are, we can’t really tell them apart, and their masks reinforce this – but it doesn’t really matter. It’s a fast-paced bank robbery, with this “Joker” in the background – and even if we don’t know what’s going on, he does. I really liked that. And as the plot progresses, we understand more and more, we understand that they’re running out of gangsters, that they’re killing each other and that this whole “knockout” thing is part of a well thought out plan… and I, as the viewer, can sit back and take in the flow of events – even if I don’t understand all the details. But apparently I don’t have to.
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Hello,
My name is Isti Madarasz, I live in Budapest, Hungary in Europe.
I’ve written 3 scripts and did rewrites on some more since I’m a director and I like to shape scripts to my own taste.
I’m working on a new project (actually two) which I would love to make in English and start an international career. I know how Hungarian film industry works but it’s time to learn new things.
Unfortunately, English is not my mother tongue, so writing a script in English is already a challenge, but I love to learn and I expect this course to give me a little bit of a taste of the international environment. Plus, I live in a completely different time zone than you, so I might log in at odd times
And finally: my name is actually Madarász Isti, but in Hungarian languange we use the first and last names in reverse order.
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As a member of this group, I, Isti Madarasz, agree to the following terms of this release form:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
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As a member of this group, I, Isti Madarasz, agree to the following terms of this release form:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
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John,
I liked your story and my great news is: I do think you’re funny!
I have two little concerns reading your query letter:
- it’s easy to feel a little lost among princesses, wizards and their sperm… what if you just throw out the basic idea (which is extreme enough in itself) and don’t write the story all the way to the end?
- And also – Who is your protagonist? You keep talking about me, but who’s the protagonist in the script? This narrative style is exciting, but it leaves out an important piece of information…
All the best!
Isti
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Isti Madarasz’s Query Letter Draft ONE
Title: KONTRAKT
Written by: Isti Madarász based on the award winning Hungarian novel
Genre: sci-fi drama
Imagine a world where everything is controlled by treaties, literally EVERYTHING – even the very laws of nature can be rewritten.
Simon, one of the most powerful contractors ever lived, with his 8 year old daughter arrives in a country under military occupation, where he is about to make the most influential contract ever made, one that will literally cripple the people who live there.
And while he has all the power in the world, when riots break out across the country and and his daughter is seriously injured in the chaos, he must break every contract he has ever made and face the fact that only his most dangerous enemy can help him.
BIO: For both of his feature films (Loop, 2016 and Halfway Home, 2022) Isti has won the Silver Mélies-award for Best European Sci-Fi Film and directed one of Hungary’s biggest-budget TV series.
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Isti Madarasz’s Target Market
What I’ve learned that there are MANY producers working on films and with actors I’m dreaming to reach out to. And it’s not that difficult to collect their names.
Title: KONTRAKT
Genre: sci-fi
Logline: The story is about a lawyer who has special powers so he can overwrite the laws of nature.
Movies similar in genre and budget:
Ex Machina 15M
The Lobster 4M
About time 12M
Under the skin 13M
Upgrade 5M
Producers connected to them:
Upgrade producers
Rosemary Blight
Jason Blum
Bailey Conway
Phillip Dawe
Stewart Dean
Kylie Du Fresne
Ben Grant
Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
Charles Layton
Michelle Russell
Couper Samuelson
Beatriz Sequeira
Jeanette Volturno
Leigh Whannell
Megan Wynn
Ex Machina producers
Andrew Macdonald
Allon Reich
Annihilation producers
Eli Bush
Allon Reich
Scott Rudin
Endless producers
Justin Benson
Aaron Moorhead
Thomas R. Burke
David Lawson Jr.
Leal Naim
Synchronic producers
David Lawson Jr.
Michael Mendelsohn
About time producers
Nicky Kentish Barnes
Tim Bevan
Eric Fellner
Under the skin producers
Nick Wechsler
James Wilson
Reno Antoniades
Gillian Berrie
Claudia Bluemhuber
Walter Campbell
Florian Dargel
Ian Hutchinson
Alexander O’Neal
Tessa Ross
Birth producers
Lizie Gower
Xavier Marchand
Nick Morris
Kate Myers
Mark Ordesky
Kerry Orent
Jean-Louis Piel
The Lobster producers
Simon Arnal
Caroline Benjo
Julie Billy
Cait Collins
Joost de Vries
Ceci Dempsey
Rory Gilmartin
Ed Guiney
Christos V. Konstantakopoulos
Yorgos Lanthimos
Sam Lavender
Andrew Loweó
Lee Magiday
Leontine Petit
Tessa Ross
Carole Scotta
Milan Ueffing
Derk-Jan Warrink
Actors I can imagine in my movie:
Miles Teller
Robert Pattinson
Paul Mescal
Miles Teller – Spiderhead
Sarah Bowen
Emily Cheung
Agnes Chu
Tommy Harper
Chris Hemsworth
Georgina Marquis
Eric Newman
Rhett Reese
Jeremy Steckler
Geneva Wasserman
Paul Wernick
Bryan Yaconelli
Miles Teller – The Offer
Dexter Fletcher
Leslie Greif
Kevin J. Hynes
Dalia Ibelhauptaite
Alex Kerr
Albert S. Ruddy
Alexandra Ruddy
Michael Tolkin
Nikki Toscano
Russell Rothberg
Barry M. Berg
Amanda Lencioni Barnett
Ernest Lupinacci
Miles Teller
Jan R. Martin
Michael Scheel
Robert Pattinson – The Lighthouse
Chris Columbus
Eleanor Columbus
Robert Eggers
Isaac Ericson
Rodrigo Gutierrez
Sam Hanson
Youree Henley
Caroline Levy
Sophie Mas
Arnon Milchan
Yariv Milchan
Caito Ortiz
Jeffrey Penman
Josh Peters
Lourenço Sant’Anna
Michael Schaefer
Rodrigo Teixeira
Alan Terpins
Jay Van Hoy
Michael Volpe
Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Lia Buman
Mark Ceryak
Kelly Duffell
Ipek Erden
Lizzie Francke
Kieran Hannigan
Tim Headington
Amy Jackson
Barry Jenkins
Ana Leocha
Adele Romanski
Neil Shah
Alex Sutherland
Eva Yates
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Isti Madarasz’s Phone Pitch
What I learned from this lesson is that I REALLY need to be prepared and to the point.
Hello, I am Isti Madarasz, writer-director, just newly signed with A3 Agency. I made several feature films and episodes of TV series in my home country, Hungary where I am recently based, but now I’m starting my international carrier and that’s why I called you.
I have a low budget science fiction script, called KONTRAKT about a lawyer who has special powers so he can overwrite the laws of nature.
The budget is somewhere between $5-7 million if we shoot this in Eastern-Europe, where the story is set.
The lead character is a man in his 30s, maybe a British actor like Robert Pattinson, Paul Mescal or even Dev Patel would work.
The script is my 3rd draft and it’s 103 pages long.
My agents saw the script and we’re sending it to everywhere now but the reason I call you is because my primary desire would be to do it with you.
I saw your film XXX from 2021 and I was impressed by what you achieved with that budget and the genre was similar to my script so I thought it would be a perfect match.
The end: Our hero, who can get literally anything done through contracts, has a weakness: he tries to polish himself better and better through private contracts because he doesn’t believe he can be loved as he is… since it rains a lot in this country, he even has a contract that prevents it from raining on him. It’s a pretty spectacular thing by the way… at the end of the story he not only overcomes all the obstacles and saves his daughter, but he finally comes to terms with himself so he starts to undo these private contracts… he realizes that he’s enough just the way he is. In the final scene, he steps out into the street, it’s raining – and as the rain drips down his face for the first time in years, he smiles.
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Isti Madarasz’s Pitch Fest Pitch
What I learned is that my pitch should be as short as possible, give just a few basic hooks, and let them ask questions – which I’d better have answers to….
PITCH: I’m Isti Madarász from Hungary, I’ve written and directed two feature films, both of which won the Silver Mélies-award for the best European sci-fi film in 2016 and 2022.
My new script is also a science fiction, and it’s called KONTRAKT.
It’s based on an award winning Hungarian novel which I own the rights for.
The story sets in a world where everything is controlled by treaties, literally everything – even the very laws of nature can be rewritten, you just need the right contractor. Simon, one of the most powerful contractors ever lived, with his 8 year old daughter arrives in a country under military occupation, where he is about to make the most influential contract ever made, one that will literally cripple the people who live there.
Things are not going well and when his daughter is seriously injured he must break every contract he has ever made and accept that only his most dangerous enemy can help him.
Question A: Budget is $5-7 million if we shoot in Europe + there’s this HUGE tax rebate here, 30% in Hungary. That’s why so many American productions shoot here now.
Question B: I need a sensitive, vulnerable hero who I believe has a daughter – Jake Gylenhall or Ryan Gosling, Miles Teller or even Paul Dano – or British actors like Robert Pattinson, Paul Mescal, Dev Patel, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden.
Question C: First of all, Simon is not only one of the strongest contractors, but he has a secret. He was born in the country where he has just arrived, but after his special abilities were revealed as a child, his parents sold him to become a contract negotiator. He hasn’t seen them since and now he wants to find them.
However, the planned treaty leaks out and the tension between the oppressive powers and the exploited people erupts into a nationwide riot. In the midst of the growing chaos, Simon tries to protect his daughter while trying to track down his family. However, there are growing signs that a mysterious, extremely powerful contractor is behind the conflict.
After his daughter is critically injured in a spectacular but brutal anti-gravity attack created by the reality-distorting power of this unknown enemy, Simon discovers that this person, the mastermind of the terrorist attack is the only one who can actually help his daughter.
In return, however, Simon must help defeat the current system, which is based solely on the contracts.
Question D: Simon hates everything about his home country, especially the rain. It always rains here, the richer countries send all their bad weather, air pollution and contaminated rain here. So Simon has a contract that makes rain not fall on him . It’s going to be quite spectacular when we first see it. Towards the end, he realizes that we shouldn’t run the world through contracts, that people and their freedom are worth more, so he starts to cancel some private contracts that give him special powers – and at the end of the film he steps out into the street and as the rain drips down his face – he smiles.
Question E: I’ve written and directed two feature films, four TV movies, shot commercials, countless episodes of TV series and last year I finished shooting one of Hungary’s biggest budget TV series. It was 92 days of shooting… It was recently shown on Hungarian Television and will be on Netflix from next spring.
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Isti Madarasz’s Query Letter
What I learned doing this assignment is less is more.
He has divine power, but all his daughter needs is a father
Title: KONTRAKT
Written by: Isti Madarász
Genre: dystopian sci-fi drama
Imagine a world where everything is controlled by treaties, literally everything – even the very laws of nature can be rewritten, you just need the right contractor.
In this story, based on an award-winning Hungarian novel, Simon, one of the most powerful contractors, arrives in a country under military occupation, where he is about to make the most influential contract ever made, one that will literally cripple the people who live there.
When the deal is leaked, tensions between the oppressive powers and the exploited people erupt into a nationwide uproar. Simon, in the midst of the growing chaos tries to keep his daughter safe, who has also travelled with him, while trying to track down his family, who sold him to the army when he was a child and have not been heard from since.
After his daughter is seriously injured in a spectacular but brutal anti-gravity attack, Simon is confronted with the fact that the mastermind of the terrorist attack, a mysterious and powerful contractor, is the only one who can help his daughter. But to do so, he must put aside his desire for revenge, break every contract he has ever signed and for the first time in his life follow his heart, which leads him into more dangerous territory than ever before.
BIO: For both of his feature films (Loop, 2016 and Halfway Home, 2022) Isti has won the Silver Mélies-award for Best European Sci-Fi Film and directed one of Hungary’s biggest-budget TV series.
Contact info: xxx
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Isti Madarasz Synopsis Hooks
What I learned doing this assignment is that the hooks I originally chose were not good enough. So I needed to find better ones.
Original hooks:
– In a world where everything is ruled by contracts, even the laws of nature can be rewritten.
– Adaptation of an award-winning novel
– Simon, one of the most powerful contractors in the world
– He’s about to make the most serious contract ever, one that will destroy the people who live here
– His daughter is injured in a spectacular but brutal anti-gravity attack
– An unknown but powerful contractor emerges
– The planner of the terrorist attack is the only one who can help his daughter
Title: KONTRAKT
Written by: Isti Madarász
Genre: dystopian sci-fi drama
Imagine a world where everything is controlled by treaties, but really everything – even the very laws of nature can be rewritten, you just need the right contractor.
In this story, based on an award-winning, Hungarian novel, Simon, one of the most powerful contractors ever, arrives in a country under military occupation, where he is about to make the most influential contract ever made, one that will literally cripple the people who live there.
When the deal is leaked, tensions between the oppressive powers and the exploited people erupt into a nationwide uproar. Simon, in the midst of the growing chaos tries to keep his daughter safe, who has also travelled with him, while trying to track down his family, who sold him to the army when he was a child and have not been heard from since.
After his daughter is seriously injured in a spectacular but brutal anti-gravity attack, Simon is confronted with the fact that the mastermind of the terrorist attack, a mysterious and powerful contractor, is the only one who can help his daughter. But to do so, he must put aside his desire for revenge, break every contract he has ever signed and for the first time in his life follow his heart, which leads him into more dangerous territory than ever before.
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Isti Madarasz High Concept/Elevator Pitch
What I learned doing this assignment is that the most important thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. I tend to get lost in the more minor details of the story, when it’s the hero’s changes and how and why they happen that matter most.
1. Lead character’s journey: My protagonist lives in a world where everything is controlled by contracts. He himself is a contract maker, one of the most powerful in the country. When a new contract takes him to an opposing country, his daughter is seriously injured. With only his enemies to turn to for help, he must go against his original mandate and listen to his heart instead of contracts.
2. Dilemma – What if you can do almost anything with your special skills, but the only way to save your daughter is to give up your powers.
Main Conflict – In a world where everything is governed by contracts, even the very laws of nature, one of the state’s leading lawyers must learn to follow the laws of the heart in order to save his daughter.
3. Elevator Pitch – My story takes place in a world you’ve probably never heard of: a world where everything is governed by treaties, where even the laws of nature can be rewritten, but only by contractors with special skills. This story is an adaptation of an award-winning novel, in which a powerful treaty-maker arrives in a hostile country to negotiate the most brutal pact ever, which effectively leaves the locals crippled. But when his daughter is seriously injured in a spectacular but devastating anti-gravity terrorist attack, he has only his enemies to rely on. But to do so, he must break every treaty ever written and venture into new territory, following his heart.
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Isti Madarasz 10 Most Interesting Things
What I learned doing this assignment is that in my pitch the task is not to tell a story as interesting as possible, but to put the most interesting things in a row to make it seem like a story… if you get their interest, they will read the story anyway.
- The story of KONTRAKT takes place in a world where the laws of nature can be overwritten by lawyers with special skills. Anything can change hands and be regulated by contracts: the minerals deep in the mountains, the good quality air or even the calcium in your bones.
- Our hero, Simon, is one of the most powerful contractor ever born. With his special abilities, he works on the most complex and influential contracts that hold sway over the fate of millions of countries and people.
- It quickly becomes clear that the country Simon has come to conquer with his new treaty is actually his home country. Having been sold out to the oppressive military power by his parents as a child, he now returns thirsting for revenge and filled with anger to prove his immense power to them.
- But Simon himself is also trapped by treaties, bound from childhood to the state that raised him by a so-called shackle contract, from which he can only escape by seeking out his family, who have cast him away, and somehow agreeing to break his own shackle contract.
- Of course, Simon also writes contracts for himself that give him exceptional benefits, such as being able to see in the dark, not feeling pain and his personal favorite: not getting rained on – imagine the scene when he walks down the street in the pouring rain for the first time without a drop falling on him – like a superhero.
- It’s pretty spectacular when he has to interfere with the natural order of things: when the military asks him to help stop a hostile demonstration, he changes the weather parameters to bring a blizzard to the city in the middle of summer
- Although he is one of the best-trained contractors, here he is up against an unknown, powerful contract writer.
- He has an 8-year-old daughter, Filippa, whom he has raised alone since her mother’s death, and who, in the course of the story, will reveal that she himself may have been born with a gift for reality-shaping, and that it may have been this gift that caused his mother’s tragic death
- One of the biggest turning points in the story is an anti-gravity terrorist attack, where this unknown contractor with immense reality-shaping powers turns off gravity, then turns it back on when everything and everyone is floating in the air, causing massive destruction and death in the city. Simon’s daughter Filippa is also seriously injured in the attack and falls into a coma
- For Simon, it turns out that only one person can help his little girl recover, and that is the unknown enemy who launched the terrorist attack that put his daughter in hospital.
- His adversary turns out to be a woman hiding a terrible secret. As much as they are on opposite sides, Simon and she need each other and must work together
- Simon’s well-constructed, orderly world, surrounded by contracts, begins to fall apart as events here unfold, and the rock-solid certainty of the law is replaced by the uncertainty of newfound emotions and doubts.
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Isti Madarasz Producer / Manager
TO THE PRODUCER
To a potential producer, I would start by telling about my film work to date. Starting with the fact that I didn’t go to film school, but learned everything on my own. While I was writing and shooting my own short films, I worked on sets, started from the bottom and now I’ve directed some big productions. Not only have I made my own films, but as a commissioned director I have written and directed for various movie and TV productions – which means I can work in a market environment, on commission. I would talk about my writing work or collaborations with other writers that I have done as a director. As for my new film project, I would say that for a science fiction film, it is very cost-effective, because it is set in a contemporary environment, so you don’t have to spend on expensive sets. This project should be filmed in a very poor city, maybe in the Balkans, which means travel and accommodation costs, but it makes the filming itself very cheap. The script is based on an award-winning and successful (Hungarian) novel, which guarantees that there is a strong basis from which the script can only get better 🙂 As I am writing this for myself, I want to direct it, I know that it makes it a bit more difficult to sell the project, which is a constraint for them, but it can be an advantage that I have written and directed two award-winning films in this genre and that if we were to shoot in Europe, where it is much cheaper to shoot, I have a very good local knowledge.
TO THE MANAGER
I think to the manager I would try to sell myself first and only secondarily my current project. After all, he needs to believe in me more than in this project. I would immediately pitch him two other ideas of mine, in two completely different genres, to show him how versatile I am. I’d ask him what types of projects he thought I’d have a chance to be involved in and then express my enthusiasm for them – regardless of whether I had any experience in the field. I would be really interested in what he thinks I have a chance of doing and then I would think hard about what I could create in that area that would be interesting to me and sellable to him. I would confirm that I would be very open to being involved in other people’s projects, either as a writer and/or director. Since I am Hungarian and have no experience in the American film industry, I am willing to start almost from scratch and work my way back to the top if he can get me a job.
What I learned today is that while the producer will sell a current project, the manager will mostly want to sell me, through different projects. Producers can vary from project to project, the manager should be more of a long term collaboration. And that the manager probably knows what I should be working on better than I do.
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Isti Madarasz Marketable Components
What I learned doing this assignment is how important to highlight the details that are important from a sellability point of view and organize the story around that (or at least the pitch). These may not be big changes, sometimes just shifts in focus, but from a production point of view they can make a huge difference.
My current logline: The story of KONTRAKT is set in a world where the laws of nature can be reshaped through contracts, written by supernaturally skilled contractors. Social inequalities are of course even more pronounced in this environment, and the gaps between the privileged and the oppressed are even deeper. SIMON, one of the most powerful contractors, is about to close the biggest contract of his life in an oppressed country when he unexpectedly finds himself up against a mysterious and powerful opponent. In the course of their battle, this tightly regulated world is slowly turning upside down, and when the life of Simon’s little daughter is threatened, the rules of the legal system are slowly replaced by a chaos of emotions.
My 10 Components of Marketability
A. Unique – I think the main concept of the film is a high concept – a world where the laws of nature can be overwritten is quite exciting
B. Great Tile – maybe not great but at least it’s unusual: the spelling KONTRAKT instead of CONTRACT suggests something different
C. True – no, it’s not
D. Timely – Exploitation of poorer countries and unequal distribution of wealth is a very topical issue today
E. It’s a first – I have never seen such a story
F. Ultimate – The WHOLE WORLD can be changed, even the very laws of nature!
G. Wide audience appeal — Doesn’t everyone think that about their own story? 🙂
H. Adaptation – Well, it IS an adaptation of a book but although this is a novel by a multiple award-winning author, since it’s only known in Hungary, I don’t think it carries much weight. Perhaps a little testament to the quality of the source material.
I. Similarity to a box-office success – I think it’s a lot like Children of Men or Arrival and I will explain that
J. Great role? Oh boy, it is! For at least 3 actors
It’s ULTIMATE – Although it’s a science fiction story, its world is exactly like ours, except for one thing – you can mess with the most basic laws of nature (like in Inception!). So the dramatic turning points will be MASSIVE – a snowstorm in the middle of summer, a terrorist attack that turns gravity off and then back on again to unleash a massive destruction on the city – but you can even save a dying man with contracts – only in this world, every change comes at a HUGE PRICE.
SIMILARITIES – In ARRIVAL, humanity faced a huge, unprecedented threat, but the protagonist was not a soldier or an action hero, but a linguist. And people loved the fact that the fight was not with guns or fists, but with completely different methods, but the stakes and the excitement were just as high. Well, here we have a lawyer as the protagonist… In CHILDREN OF MEN, the world was very similar to our own, except that women couldn’t have children – and that changed everything. Especially when this strange status quo was suddenly upset and a woman became pregnant after all. Here, our protagonist, a powerful contractor used to everything happening the way he organises it, suddenly finds himself up against a previously unknown adversary.
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Isti Madarasz Project and Market
My project is KONTRAKT, a science fiction drama set in a world where lawyers with special skills can rewrite the laws of nature. My screenplay is based on a Hungarian novel for which I secured the rights.
The most attractive thing about my story is that it takes place in a world similar to ours, with only one thing changed, and yet we are already in a science fiction story. And the protagonist is not a soldier or an action hero, but a lawyer, which makes the story take completely different turns than in a traditional action movie.
I would try to get to producers first who might be interested in the script and the fact that I’m already an established director here in Hungary. But actually, I probably need an agent through whom I can do all this. I’m not really sure what managers do and why is it better to go to them first…
What I learned today is… the need to get producers interested in my project was confirmed. They don’t want what’s good for me, they want what’s good for them, and I have to be able to serve that.
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Hello,
My name is Isti Madarasz, I live in Budapest, Hungary in Europe.
I’ve written 3 scripts and did rewrites on some more since I’m a director and I like to shape scripts to my own taste.
I’m working on a new project (actually two) which I would love to make in English and start an international career. I know how Hungarian film industry works but it’s time to learn new things.
Unfortunately, English is not my mother tongue, so writing a script in English is already a challenge, but I love to learn and I expect this course to give me a little bit of a taste of the international environment. Plus, I live in a completely different time zone than you, so I might log in at odd times 🙂
And finally: my name is actually Madarász Isti, but in Hungarian languange we use the first and last names in reverse order.
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Isti Madarasz
I agree to the terms of this release form:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
This completes the Group Release Form for the class.
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You’re very kind, Christi.
You can call me Isti, this is my “first” name – only in Hungarian it’s in reverse order.
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Hello Christi, I do own the rights for the novel. That was the very first step. Thanks!