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• TELETOON Masters Program: Writing for Animation

TELETOON Masters Program: Writing for Animation

Sponsored by TELETOON

Level: For professional writers only.
Please note eligibility requirements below.

This intensive four-part course introduces screenwriters to the principles, challenges and opportunities of writing for the Canadian animation industry, with particular emphasis on series television.

Over four evenings, the class will explore the steps to creating an animated teleplay. Topics to be covered include understanding the medium; classic story structure; creating distinctive characters; and writing dialogue. The emphasis will be on ‘thinking visually’, and video clips will be used to illustrate the principles discussed. Instructors will also discuss the various roles on a writing team, and the collaborative process by which an episode gets from concept to screen. Students will engage in this process through mock story meetings for existing television series, and each student will develop an idea into a finished ‘beat sheet.’

To receive the most benefit from this workshop, some work outside of class will be necessary. Instructors will contact students prior to the start of the workshops to advise them on preparation for this class.

Eligibility Requirements:

This course is intended for media professionals who are looking to begin a career in animation screenwriting. Applicants must submit a current resume, including writing credits, along with a registration request. Class size is limited to a maximum of 20 students, and will be awarded to qualified applicants on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Instructors: Kenn Scott and Karen Moonah

Toronto screenwriter Karen Moonah has written extensively for preschool animation, on series such as Franklin, Franny=s Feet, Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, Timothy Goes to School, and the stop-motion series Lunar Jim. Her work on Franny’s Feet earned her a 2005 Canadian Screenwriting Award nomination.

Karen’s credits for older kids include episodes of Braceface, Jacob Two-Two and the upcoming Iggy Arbuckle. She also does series development work for a number of Canadian production companies.

Kenn Scott has worked as a writer and/or story editor on over two dozen television series, most recently the animated kids' shows Captain Flamingo, Lunar Jim, and Iggy Arbuckle, and the live-action/animation hybrid The Blobheads. His earlier work on Ned's Newt garnered him a Writers Guild of Canada award and a Gemini nomination, and he has also picked up WGC nominations for his writing on Henry's World and Seven Little Monsters.

In addition to his extensive credits in animated television, Kenn is also currently at work on a documentary for OMNI-TV on the history of multicultural broadcasting in Canada, and is the co-author of the Ryerson University textbook On Our Wavelength: Broadcasting History From A Canadian Perspective. As well, he teaches Ryerson University courses in screenwriting and television production.

Location: National Film Board, 150 John St. (at Richmond)
Date: Monday March 12, 19, 26, and April 2, 2007
Registration: 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Fee: $195 + GST Members, $285 + GST Non-members

Register for TELETOON Masters Program: Writing for Animation by Wednesday, February 28, 2007.

To register: call (416) 322-3430 x221 or email a completed registration form, along with your resume to wift@wift.com or fax your registration to (416) 322-3703

Space is limited (maximum of 20 participants).

Participants will be notified of acceptance via email within two working days of receipt of application and resume. Course payment will be processed on confirmation of acceptance.

* Cancellation of registration with more than 3 business days notice is subject to a $25.00 administration fee; for cancellation with less than 3 business days notice, no refund will be given. WIFT-T reserves the right to cancel, reschedule or substitute guest instructors as necessary. Should the workshop be cancelled, WIFT-T will issue a full refund or credit the fee to another WIFT-T Professional Development program.

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