An outside reading
I work with documentary projects in development and in the edit. We look at what the film is doing, where it loses direction and what could open it up. Material and discussions are treated in confidence.
I bring experience as a documentary director, dramaturg and teacher. My films include The Angelmakers, Giovanni and the Water Ballet and Listen. Collaborations include House of Hope, Liever kroes, Obada and Schijnstudent. I have been a staff teacher in documentary directing at the Netherlands Film Academy since May 2020.
Development consultation
We discuss the people, situations and questions that could carry the film. What access do you have? Where can the idea become a scene? What does the plan ask the audience to follow, and can the material sustain it?
This is also a chance to reconsider the next step in the research or the next shoot, while the project can still change what it films.
You can send a treatment, project plan, funding application, research notes or early footage. The conversation starts with the work you have and the decision you need to make.
A development session can help before a funding deadline, before filming, or when a project has become difficult to see clearly.
Rough cut consultation
An outside viewing can help when repeated versions of a cut have made the options hard to judge. Before I watch, I ask what you have tried and where the discussion has stalled.
I watch the cut at least twice. We discuss the scenes that hold our attention and the moments where the film becomes unclear, loses energy or repeats itself.
We look at structure, point of view, time and the relationship between scenes. The discussion can lead to a different opening, less narration, a scene moved or removed, or a return to material that has been set aside.
The aim is to leave you with specific alternatives you can test in the edit.
How a consultation works
Send the material and the questions you want to address. We agree the scope and timing before the work begins.
After I have read or watched, we meet online for two hours. You can join as the director or bring the editor and producer.
You receive a written report of two to three pages within five working days. It records the dramaturgical analysis and practical proposals for the next version.
Fees
A single consultation, in development or on a cut, is €800 excluding VAT. This includes reading or viewing your material, a two hour session, and a written report of two to three pages within five working days. A cut is viewed at least twice, and cuts of up to 120 minutes are covered by this fee. Longer cuts, series in several parts and additional viewings are quoted separately.
Three consultations across a project cost €2,100 excluding VAT, valid for eighteen months. Sessions can be spread across development, filming and the edit.
I normally read or view within ten working days of receiving your material, and I can work faster around a deadline if we arrange it in advance. Sessions can be rescheduled without charge up to 48 hours beforehand. Invoicing is per consultation, or on request per project for financing purposes.
Writing and rewriting
I also write and rewrite treatments, project plans, story outlines and funding applications. We agree the scope, the available material and the deadline in advance.
On a given project, I take on either independent consultation or writing. Those are different roles, and the arrangement needs to be clear from the start.
Writing is quoted per project, based on scope and deadline. As an indication, a rewrite of an existing treatment or application starts at around €1,500 excluding VAT, and writing a full project plan from the ground up generally falls between €3,000 and €5,000 excluding VAT.
Emerging filmmakers
For a first or second film, a graduation film, a short, or a project without a production budget, a one-hour conversation is €250. It includes a short written note afterwards.
Who I work with
I work with directors, editors and producers in English and Dutch. Sessions are online; in-person meetings in the Netherlands can also be arranged.
Getting in touch
Email a short description of your project, its stage, your deadline and the question you would like to discuss. I will let you know whether the work fits and when I am available.