Writing a Successful Animation
Do you wonder how Pixar consistently delivers their emotional magic? Would you like to find out how a growing number of indy studios around the world craft amazing stories, so that you can produce your own? Then this live workshop was designed for you!
What’s in it for You?
The aim of this workshop is to equip writers, directors, producers, story editors and development executives with a set of flexible storytelling tools that help develop each animation project as effectively as possible.
The workshop puts a strong emphasis on each project reaching the widest possible audience at home and abroad. It also explores the specifics of writing for a family audience.
For example, we’ll explain how Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs applies to animation, specifically how we can use it to reach a four-quadrant audience. We’ll look at the most important aspects of animation writing, including how to blend a strong emotional journey and an eventful quest or how to combine visual storytelling with humour and gags that work at different levels.
From creating riveting set pieces to crafting a satisfying ending, your animation writing skills will greatly improve with a clearer understanding of these tools.
Using clips, examples and detailed case studies from successful animations such as Despicable Me, Song of the Sea, Spirited Away, Zootropolis/Zootopia, Wallace and Grommit, Bolt, My Life as a Courgette/Zucchini, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Tehran Taboo, Toy Story, Cars, Persepolis, Inside Out, A Waltz with Bashir, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, Kubo and the Two Strings, Tower and many other productions from major studios and independent companies around the world, we’ll look at the storytelling tools and techniques needed to master this very popular genre.
This workshop is usually commissioned by independent producers, studios, regional/national film funds or training organisations.
Please see the FAQs below for more details. You can also click here to read about this workshop (with feedback from the participants).
Writing a Successful Animation Workshop
Fees on July 1st, 2024
Excl. 20% UK VAT where applicable
INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION COMPANY
£3,995
5-9 participants
- Includes preparation and online delivery (using our webinar platform & Zoom)
- Partial in-person delivery, travel & accommodation costs on top (please see the FAQs below)
- A/V equipment / Meeting room not included
- Max. 9 participants
Would you like to bring your script development skills to the next level and give your animation project a total makeover?
This package will train creative producers, development execs, story editors and writer/directors working for the same independent production company, making sure that everyone in the team is on the same page and equipped with the best tools when discussing animations. A separate slate assessment service can be arranged (fee to be defined depending on the number of projects in development).
One or more extra day(s) for project work can also be booked alongside the workshop to allow meetings on individual projects immediately after the last day. See the next column for more details.
This add-on module is an extension of our Advanced Development Workshop. Participants are expected to have attended the main workshop / course or read Screenwriting Unchained.
OPTIONAL ONE-TO-ONE DAY
£2,995 (4 projects)
For project work meetings
- Includes preparation and online delivery (using Zoom)
- In-person delivery, travel and accommodation costs on top (please see the FAQs below)
- Each meeting is an extended script chat (up to 90 min.)
- £695 for each additional project
- Actual fee varies, written notes optional
While the Animation workshop is very practical and allows the participants to focus on a specific project if they want to, there is no time during the workshop to discuss individual projects.
A number of extra days can therefore be booked along with the workshop to make time for specific projects, read in advance (max. 130 pages), to be discussed with the creative team (producer, writer, director, story editor) immediately after the last day. All the participants to the meeting have to have followed the workshop.
We’ll focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each project, as well as the way forward.
For more extensive project work following this workshop, you might want to consider this new hands-on extension of our Advanced Development Workshop: The Rewrite Stuff – 12 Ways to a Stronger Screenplay, which can be adapted specifically for animation projects.
REGIONAL/NATIONAL FUND OR STUDIO
From £4,995
for 10-20 participants
- Includes preparation and online delivery (using our webinar platform & Zoom)
- Partial in-person delivery, travel and accommodation costs on top (please see the FAQs below)
- A/V equipment / Meeting room not included
- £249 for each additional participant
This version of the workshop is aimed at regional / national funds or organisations who would like to train a larger number of participants (usually up to 48, though more is technically possible). It’s also the option a studio would go for to train their development team and writers developing projects with them.
The content of the workshop can be fine-tuned to a specific audience (for example producers, story editors and development execs, or writers and directors).
While the tools are the same, the approach can be different depending on the participants’ role in development. This being said, the workshop works equally well with a mixed audience as long as participants have roughly the same level of experience.
This add-on module is an extension of our Advanced Development Workshop. Participants are expected to have attended the main workshop / course or read Screenwriting Unchained.
Who might want to attend a Story-Type Method workshop?
This is an Advanced Development Workshops add-on, so it's not for beginners.
Most of our alumni are working professionals.
How is the workshop delivered?
This workshop is delivered live, online, over two consecutive days. We use advanced presentation tools to offer an interactive, engaging experience including polls, chats, Q&As and hand-on group work.
Travel permitting, it is possible to deliver the final Q&A session of this workshop in person if optional one-to-one meetings have also been commissioned, for an additional fee. Please contact us for more details.
Are there prerequisites or language requirements?
All our courses are delivered in English, so a good verbal understanding of the language is necessary.
This add-on module is an extension of our Advanced Development Workshop. Participants are expected to have attended the main workshop, done the main course or read Screenwriting Unchained.
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