Animation writers group
August 14th, 2009Yesterday evening I attended my first animation writer’s group meeting.
Kate Vyvyan, a well-known animation writer and producer, chaired the meeting and kept the conversation flowing.
Also present were Adam, a doctor turned animator with some unusual ideas for a new animated TV series, and Geoff, a cartoonist with a dark sense of humour who was thinking of making his ‘toons into a short film. Adam treated us to a special viewing of the opening credits for his show, and Geoff passed around sheets and sheets of hilarious Gary Larson-esque cartoons.
I seized the moment and showed Kate, Adam and Geoff an idea that I had pitched for our Diploma of Animation final project, and received some excellent feedback, filling up a page with notes on how to increase my character’s appeal and engage the audience.
Kate also talked about what was going on in the animation industry, events that she had attended and would be attending (SPAA! MIPCOM!), and we also had a look at this month’s topic, adapting children’s books for animated film and television.
As usual, many heads are better than one and I found the writer’s group meeting encouraging and invigorating. It looks like I have another event to mark permanently on the calendar!
When: Meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of every month, but it is best to check with Kate beforehand. You can contact Kate through WAnimate’s Wiki page at http://wanimate.pbworks.com/Animation+Writers+Group.
If you receive an invitation to the next meeting, do RSVP as soon as possible to confirm your attendance. Meetings are cancelled if there aren’t enough attendees.
Where: The Australian Writer’s Guild HQ, 196 Oxford St, Leederville.
