"I went through a five-hour session with a script doctor. It was my first time such detailed working over the script. It was painful at times, but it was effective. We worked on each hero, where their relationship sags do not give the desired outcome in the event. There were good insights into the image of one of the characters. And this image very well fell into the stylistics of my vision. For me it was deep, more than about the script. "

Who is a script doctor and why does screenwriter needs script consultancy? Until recently, I could only guess in theory, but now, working on my own film project, I've seen how important interaction with a script doctor is during the work on a script. This is the "side view" that can sometimes open the author even more than he/she himself puts into his words and make them look at certain aspects differently. This is the expert opinion of a person who does not criticize the way you write, but rather the opposite - helps to analyze the intended and written by the author from a different angle. This is especially interesting considering that the future viewer of the film will also look at it through the prism of his/her own worldview. The author has the right to his own interpretation of the cinematic language, but the viewer has the right to his own understanding. Here the task of the scriptodoctor is to "guide" the screenwriter in a friendly way, to suggest the strengths of his manuscript, and where to explore something else, analyze more broadly, reveal more deeply the characteristics and motives of the characters, improve the structure or take into account, for example, a certain cultural and political context. In my case, it is a biographical drama that reveals the psychology of the hero against the background of different eras over half a century. The topic is very interesting and complex at the same time. Having the first draft of the treatment, I went through an intensive workshop with the script doctor of Alba Film Victoria Trofimenko. Afterwards, it felt as if I had been to a psychotherapist's appo intment, where it was not me who was the patient, but all the existing and imagined characters in the upcoming film. Together, as if under a microscope, we analyzed the historical events and arches of the characters, in particular the features of their inner psyche. A cool experience that inspired me to new ideas and thoughts. Probably, the script doctor in some sense is really a "doctor" for the author's manuscript, whose task is to study the symptoms and examine the patient (read the work in detail), conduct a quality consultation and prescribe the most optimal treatment, even preventive (give the author valuable advice on how to do his work is even better). This is a kind of intellectual therapy, where mutual exchange of ideas can give unexpectedly positive results and inspire the creation of something truly exceptional.

Working with script doctor Victoria Trofimenko was extremely effective and useful. Victoria thoroughly studied the script and analyzed it, not ignoring the smallest details. Personal communication with the script doctor, as well as a written analysis of the script, gave me the opportunity to get a critical, but at the same time friendly and correct view of the results of my work, which is extremely important for continuing development of the film project, its improvement and preparation.

Victoria was very helpful in the development of our third draft. She took the time to thoroughly read through the material and understand the nuances of the story, while also keeping an objective perspective on story structure. Her deep knowledge of story structure was evident in her analysis. Our virtual session was well organized by her and we went through all of the major beats of the story and she addressed key areas that would need to be improved on. She was also very mindful to make sure not to insert her own ideas or influence the story without our permission to do so. That being said, she had some very clear ideas that she offered and that helped us think more critically about certain characters and situations in a way that we haven’t before. We’re very much looking forward to working with her again.