(copyrigth: Laura Afolter)

Films

In the area of film I love developing a variety of formats and topics, writing scripts myself and helping others through consultation. I like to work for series, but also short and feature film. I have a special passion for the youngest audience which I know very well though my creative writing classes. With my special focus on animation, I am working a lot for the international market. But I also have a passion for historical topics and adaptations.

I am a fast writer with a constant high output of text which is well researched and thoroughly thought through beforehand. When I am away from my desk, I love being at networking events and pitching my ideas with passion. My series project „Bubbly Brains“ has been nominated for the Germany’s Next Animation Award and I managed to secure public film funding for a lot of my concepts.

Script development:

I enjoy the dialogue writing aspect of script writing a lot and also the visualization of my ideas. The challenge of writing according to the special need of this special medium is very enticing to me. I prefer writing collectively as a team of co-writers or within a writers room environment together with other creative minds. My experience with consultation as well as my various writing classes are helping me enormously with this.

Esther-Kaufmann-Webserie-Stadthelden-von-Sinan-Al-Kuri

(copyright: Sinan Al Kuri)

Esther-Kaufmann-Der-Kleine-Stern-Animationsserie-von-Christian-Liebisch-Chrizle-Media

(copyright: Christian Liebisch / Chrizle Media)

Dramaturgical consultation:

I am consulting for colleagues and bigger companies concerning all aspects of story development. When I am doing a general content feedback, I am giving advice f.e. for how to position your project within the international market and the hidden potential it may have. Additionally I like to help with writing pitch documents. I am especially happy to do the dialogue editing since my focus is dialogue writing.

Collectively working on different exciting projects and enriching them through my experience as a writer myself until they are perfect is something I enjoy very much.

Story Bibles:

I can create story bibles for single creators as well as for bigger studios and production companies. I can take care of both the creation of helpful working documents for writers rooms and series writing teams as well as the pitch or sales bible for presentations and contests.
I have learned this art at the Academy for Childrens Media f.e. with Armin Prediger while studying animation series writing. Also my close connection to small kids helps me to develop really fitting bibles for young audiences.

Esther-Kaufmann-Serie-Sprocket-Popcorn-Pictures

(copyright: Sprocket)

Esther-Kaufmann-mit-den-Ladies-aus-der-AG-Animation-auf-dem-Hamburg-Animation-Day

Animation Day with Maike Sarah Reinerth (AG Animation), Susanne Molter and Annegret Richter (AG Animationsfilm)

(copyright: Esther Kaufmann)

Film reviews:

I am regularly writing film reviews for the Kinderfilmwelt by the Deutsches Kinder- und Jugendfilmzentrums. This is a multimedia Information- and learning platform for kids with a focus on children and family films. The online portal informs about all new films in a way that children themselves can understand. I am the animation specialist and visiting the Hamburg based press previews. I have also been writing reviews for the professional blog of the animation business INDAC.

“Esther supported us with valuable impulses and networking as a local partner for the conception of a joint cinema premiere in Hamburg with a thematic film discussion afterwards. We appreciate Esther’s reliability, enthusiasm and sensitivity in the collaboration. Her uncomplicated, loving and well-prepared moderation was particularly nice of the evening and conversation with Margarethe von Trotta. Hopefully there will be a next joint project soon!”

Gesine Mannheimer (Managing Director Jetzt und morgen GbR)
“Our film was the first for which I didn’t write the script myself. This new collaboration with Esther worked immediately; communication was relaxed and straightforward.”

Franz Indra (director and file maker)
“Together we have designed a great Story Bible. I love the naturalness of creative thinking and Esther’s passion!”

Martyn Niman (Producer KingBee/London)
“The task was to develop script versions for a TV series from stories that had been evaluated over many years for a children’s theater audience and to meet the current requirements of a commercial television product with educational requirements, without appearing too pedagogical and remaining exciting. The task was carried out by Esther carried out with empathy and passion, she took up new aspects independently and with commitment and represented them convincingly in different points on some facets of the narrative technique, but was also happy to come up with solutions that were overall very good for the result. Esther thinks deeply about the materiality of the task and is very committed to finding solutions, even when it comes to tricky issues, to keep the thread and tension in the context of teamwork. Working with her is very pleasant.”

Matthias Tode (Project Manager for Der kleine Stern at Chrizle Media / Ohrfilm)
“The result of our collaboration can best be described like this: just watch the films! Two great, funny parts for kids with a touch of coming-of-age. At the end there was even a short film award. What more could we want!? I particularly appreciate it I really like Esther’s motivation and the ideas she put into the project.”

Steffen Schmidt (director and producer of “Mit Bobby an meiner Seite”)
“I am pleased to have Esther, a great, very professionally communicating and extremely friendly and good-humoured second chairwoman at my side. I particularly appreciate her open, friendly, cheerful and pragmatic manner. She keeps an overview and shows boundaries in a timely manner on.”

Susanne Steube (1st Chairwoman of the LAG Youth and Film Hamburg)
“Esther Kaufmann is really enthusiastic about children’s films and knows the field. This is what she radiates in her children’s film reviews and what she conveys to the young readers of the children’s film world in her beautiful language. She also has the author’s soft skills in terms of pace, structure and commitment. I couldn’t ask for better as an editor.”

Christian Exner (responsible editor Children’s Film World and deputy director of the German Children’s and Youth Film Center (KJF))