Why Writers Need Screen Credit Too

Don't forget to credit the writer 

The screen credit most commonly neglected by our student filmmakers is that of writer. Why should this be? Probably because, as animators, our students tend to think visually, not in terms of language or story.  

But, however your film is imagined, it always starts with a story.  And whoever conceived that story should be credited as the writer.  

The writer credit is one of the key roles on a film, just as important as the director and producer. Why? Because in the end, it's all about telling a story.  

Webinar: Animation Writer Evgenia Golubeva

Last week I interviewed one of my former students, Evgenia Gurova, who has become a successful writer at Disney Animation.  Evgenia is an award-winning animator, writer and director; she has also forged a career as a writer and independent film-maker, entering her animated films in festivals around the world and winning international prizes for her work. For anyone who missed the live event, watch the video above to find out more about Evgenia and her remarkable career.

Webinar with Disney Writer Evgenia Golubeva

Evgenia Golubeva

Join me on 13th August at Noon for an animation webinar with Evgenia Golubeva, one of my former students, who is now a writer at Disney Animation.

In this free webinar I'll be asking Evgenia some questions about her remarkable career in animation.

Evgenia is an award-winning animator, writer and director who is currently working as a writer at Walt Disney Animation in London.

Evgenia took my animation course, and has since forged a career as a writer and independent film-maker, entering her animated films in festivals around the world and winning international prizes for her work. You can sign up for the webinar here.

Ross Anderson Pulls a Rabbit from his Hat

Ross Anderson

Canadian author and animation historian Ross Anderson has finally finished his book - Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat - The Story Behind the Making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. 

Ross was first interviewed by animation blog FLiP back in 2013, about writing of the book, which has taken six years to bring to fruition.

Ross's book has finally hit the bookshelves; he was signing copies this week at this year's Annecy film festival.

Ross's book aims to be the definitive history of the making of the film. I've been looking forward to buying my copy for years. Among the highlights are Tom Sito's hilarious sketches and scribbles that documented the roller coaster ride that was the making of the film.

Five Steps to Write a Great Story

Titles to Love Me Love Me Love Me by Richard Williams

How do you write a great story? You can't make a great film without one, and yet one of the most common mistakes made by rookie film-makers is to start making the film before the story is figured out.

In fact, it's not just novices who fall into this trap - Hollywood does it all the time. But with a little forethought and planning, you can start off your project with a great story. After all, story is the most important part of any film. As Pixar's John Lasseter put, "the three most important ingredients in a Pixar film are: 1. Story, 2. Story, and 3. Story". So, how do you make sure you get it right?

Pixar and the Twenty Two Rules of Storytelling

John Lasseter famously described the three most important things about film-making as "One: story. Two: story. Three: story". Obviously, Pixar do a bunch of other stuff really well too, like, say character animation. But there is no doubt that great stories are at the heart of their work and their success. So what can we learn from Pixar about great story telling? Fortunately, Pixar are not guarded about their secrets. Recently, these "22 rules of storytelling" were tweeted by Pixar Story Artist Emma Coats.