Gardner's Guide to Feature Animation Writing: The Writer's Road Map (Gardner's Guide series) [Paperback]

Marilyn Webber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2002 | Series: Gardner's Guide series

Gardner's Guide to Feature Animation Writing: The Writer's Road Map teaches how to develop marketable animation stories and scripts. Through a simple analogy, you will come to understand the basics of writing for animated features while discovering the distinctions between animation and live-action scripts and examining feature animation genres. In addition, you will be given the tools to create cohesive plot structures for the animated screenplay, fascinating characters, original scenes, and dynamic dialogue. And if you are a bit intimidated about integrating comedy into your animation screenplay, never fear, for once you've mastered Chapter 14 on comedy cones, your script will have the reader laughing out loud. Includes the "secret" and scene-by-scene specific structure included in Gardner's Guide to Screenwriting, with some minor variations. By applying this structure creatively and effectively, your feature animation script will stand out among the thousands of scripts that circulate around studio lots.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Webber's invaluable tips were instrumental in the sucess of my produced feature "Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost" -- Rick Copp, Hollywood Screenwriter/Producer

About the Author

Marilyn Webber has worked as a professional writer in Los Angeles for the past eight years. Earning her M.F.A. at The American Film Institute, her work has garnered nominations for both an Academy Award and a Humanitas. In addition, her work has won an NAACP Award, an NEA Award: For The Advancement of Learning in Broadcasting, an American Association Library Award: For Most Notable Children's Video, and winner of The Indiana Film Festival.

Miss Webber began her career in children's programming, writing Saturday morning cartoons and animation teleplays progressing to writing one hour action/adventure and dramas for both day time and prime time television. During this period, her romantic comedy screenplay, How To Kill Howie, won Best Screenplay at the Texas Film Festival, while her science fiction script, The Lawless Legion, her action script, Mouth of the Cat, her drama, A Place Called Harmony, and television spec for NYPD Blue, Suffer the Little Children, all placed as Semi-finalists in The Writer's Foundation America's Best Contest.

She has freelanced for networks such as ABC and CBS, and for studios such as Universal and Disney. Her screenplays have been optioned by numerous producers including those at Hearst Entertainment, Saban Entertainment, and Paramount Pictures.

Miss Webber has taught creative writing extension courses through Johns Hopkins University IAAY program, as well as giving independent seminars on screenwriting and writing for animation. Occasionally, she consults as script analyst. A member of the Writer's Guild of America, she has also been a judge for the Cable Ace Awards in the category of dramatic writing.

Miss Webber's other titles in The Writer's Road Map series are Gardner's Guide to Animation Scriptwriting, and Gardner's Guide to Feature Animation Writing. She has completed a historical novel, and is developing it as a mini-series. Her latest feature film, Murder Seen, a suspense/thriller for Saban Entertainment, will be released in 2002. She continues to freelance for television, and is pursuing producing and directing her feature films.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Garth Gardner Company (March 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589650026
• ISBN-13: 978-1589650022
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,545,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit formulaic... but appropriate for the status quo, October 17, 2003

By 

Brett McCoy "Programmer by Day, Musician by N... (Germantown, MD United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gardner's Guide to Feature Animation Writing: The Writer's Road Map (Gardner's Guide series) (Paperback)

While there was some good information to be gleaned from this book, I found the methods presented rather formulaic... but given the current crop of formulaic, predictable and commercially tied-in animated movies in the past few years, I guess it's appropriate. I also found the driver/city block metaphor rather irritating after a while. But still, some useful ideas in here, hopefully one can learn "The Rules" to be able to break them and try to go outside the status quo and create something that isn't geared towards selling more toys to kids. Not surprising that the entire genre of adult animation was ignored (i.e., Anime, Bakshi, "Heavy Metal") since it's not commercially viable.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Please!!! Save Your Money!!! Marilyn Webber is TV Writing's Biggest Cookie-Cutter!!!, September 1, 2006

By 

R. Bradfield (Pasadena) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gardner's Guide to Feature Animation Writing: The Writer's Road Map (Gardner's Guide series) (Paperback)

How many books can she write that are the same information, only with a genre-specific twist? First she writes a general TV book and then she writes a book on sitcom writing - BOTH using this utterly stupid "roadmap" model. I've even been dumb enough to plunk money down on her live seminar in which she essentially reads from her own book. She latched on to this "roadmap" notion like a pitbull a LONG time ago and she STILL can't let go.

THEN she has the utter gall to write yet another book, this time applying the same hackneyed techniques to the field of animation writing.

When I was in college, using the same paper for three different classes would have been considered plagarizing oneself. It's amazing that her publisher hasn't caught on...

Save your money. Or buy Jefferey Scott's book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a very good book, July 30, 2002

By 

Gen (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gardner's Guide to Feature Animation Writing: The Writer's Road Map (Gardner's Guide series) (Paperback)

this book is really helpful for those who want to write animation movies. it helps you create a marketable script with a good story, fascinating characters, etc. it even tells you how to use humour in your script, and that is really useful! i recommand this book to anybody that has a great idea for a full-length animation feature and wants to write a great script for it. this book contains valuable information as well as exercices and a lot of examples. FIVE STARS!!!