What's Your Story?

Wednesday, 16 December | 5:30 AM - 9:15 AM | Level 5 - Auditorium

What's your story?  Can you explain it in a sentence?  If the central idea of your film is not clear to you, how can it be to your audience?  Does your story pass the "who cares" test?  And do you know that story is NOT king, but character IS?

This course examines the nuts and bolts of feature film storytelling in a straightforward, accessible manner for everyone seeking to improve the resonance of their movies on the international animation market.   The way to the audience's wallet is through the heart.  Is your story stuck in the head?

The course explores story loglines, genres, hooks, and twists with an eye towards a compelling stage for an appealing hero.  The story-outline section addresses the foundation of a strong and flexible story "spine" and then assembles the full skeleton.  In the story-boarding section, the course reviews the process for laying out an entire feature film from beginning to end by applying tried-and-true structural beats.  The course concludes with an interactive audience brainstorming session and a pitch of the resulting story by presenter Kevin Geiger.

Level

Intermediate

Presentation Language

Presented in English

Prerequisites

Proficiency with spoken English. Proficiency with written English is strongly recommended. Familiarity with common storytelling conventions and general film history will help attendees understand the presentation.

Instructor(s)

Kevin Geiger
Animation Options LLC

Instructor Bio(s)

Kevin Geiger
Kevin Geiger has nearly 15 years of technical, artistic, and organizational experience in the animation and special effects industry and related academic programs, including 12 years with Walt Disney Feature Animation and California Institute of the Arts.  As the President & CEO of Animation Options, an award-winning independent animation producer, the former director of the non-profit Animation Co-op, and a frequent international speaker, he is a well-connected source of information and support within the global animation community. His work is currently focused on independent producing and grassroots animated-feature-film development.