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Praxis Centre for Screenwriters supports the creative development of Canadian film, television and new media projects through workshops, courses, promotion and public events.
Featured News and Events:
Film Student Survival Day!
Praxis presents a day full of inspiration, advice and knowledge for BC's graduating film students to help make the leap from school to career!
Featuring a range of speakers from BC's film industry, from DIY directors to veteran industry professionals, attendees will learn how to navigate the post-film-school world of employment, financing, production and distribution. Featured speakers include Melanie Friesen (interactive pitching workshop), Gabriela Schonbach (Omnifilm Entertainment), Karen X. Tulchinsky (Screenwriter), Mike Tyler War Room Inc., Kellie Ann Benz (The Shorts Report), Murray Battle (Knowledge Network), John Dippong (Telefilm), Christine Larsen (BC Film), Paul Altilia (DGCBC), Liz Shorten (CMPA), Thomas Billingsley (Cinematographer), Sammy Chien (Multi-Media Artist), Kial Natale (Filmmaker), Kat Jayme (Documentary Filmmaker), and more! Lunch included. Recent alumni also welcome!
When: Thursday, May 9, 2013 | 9AM - 4:30PM
Where: SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
World Art Centre, Room 2555 (2nd Floor)
149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Cost: $10 (lunch included)
To Register: Click here to register.
Many thanks to our generous sponsors, including Women in Film & TV Vancouver, Cineworks, The Pacific Cinematheque, DOXA Festival, the First Weekend Club and SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts.
Screening and Discussion with Writer-Director Gauri Shinde
Praxis present TOIFA nominated writer-director Gauri Shinde for a screening of her 2012 blockbuster film English Vinglish, followed by a discussion with Gauri herself!
When: Friday, April 5, 2013
4:00PM: Screening of English Vinglish
6:15PM: Discussion with Gauri Shinde
Where: World Art Centre, Room 2205, SFU's Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 West Hastings St, Vancouver BC
Admission is free. First come, first-served.
About the film:
Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival 2012, 63rd Berlin International Film Festival 2013.
"Easily one of the best films of 2012" - Meena Iyer, Times of India
English Vinglish is about a shy housewife who travels alone to New York to help with her niece’s wedding and secretly enrolls in an English class, where she’s tempted by a handsome fellow student.
Writers Talking TV with Continuum creator and showrunner Simon Barry
The Writers Guild of Canada in partnership with Praxis is proud to present a screening and discussion with Simon Barry, the creator and showrunner of the hit series Continuum. In conversation with TV Eh?'s Diane Wild, Simon will explore the series' origins, the rules of the world he's created, and how those rules play out in the Continuum writers room and on the page.
Continuum premiered on Showcase in Spring of 2012, capturing 1.7 million Canadian viewers. A Showcase original series, filmed in Vancouver, Continuum features Kiera Cameron, a regular cop from 65 years in the future who finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver, tracking eight of the most ruthless criminals from the future, known as Liber8, escaping their planned execution in the year 2077. The series was picked up for U.S. and U.K. broadcast by the popular specialty channel Syfy, which began airing the first season in January. Simon is in production now on season two.
When: Tuesday, February 12 | 7PM
Where: Room 1800 at SFU Harbor Centre, 515 West Hastings St
To save a seat, please email praxis@sfu.ca.
Screenwriters Workshop with Arne Olsen
Praxis is excited to announce a new course, Screenwriters Workshop with Arne Olsen, commencing February 7, 2013. Workshop your screenplay or teleplay with screenwriter Arne Olsen, an industry professional with 25 years experience and 12 produced credits including MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS:THE MOVIE, RED SCORPION, COP AND A HALF, ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN II and REPEATERS.
Course Description:
You've read the books. You've taken the classes. You've written a draft of your screenplay or teleplay. Now what? One of the most crucial stages in creating a top notch script is getting quality feedback. Professional screenwriters rely on managers, agents, producers and fellow professionals to help develop their work to its fullest potential. So where does the up-and-coming writer turn? That's what this fifteen week, fifteen participant workshop is all about. During each three hour class, you'll partake in a "table read" of one script, then share your insights on its strengths and weaknesses, as well as offer suggestions on how to enhance plot, character, dialogue, theme, tone, etc. While all participants will be required to assess each others work, Arne will supervise the feedback, as well as give his own in-class analysis of each script.
Enrolment is limited to 15 writers. First come, first serve.
Requirements:
You must have a first draft of a screenplay or teleplay.
Cost: $475.00
When: Thursday nights, 7pm-10pm, February 7 - May 16, 2013 (15 weeks)
Where: SFU Woodward's, 149 West Hastings Street, Room TBA
About Arne Olsen:
Praxis Workshop mentor and American Film Institute graduate, Arne Olsen, has had 12 movies produced including MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS:THE MOVIE for 20TH Century Fox, COP AND A HALF for Universal, ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN II for MGM and RED SCORPION for Shapiro/Glickenhaus. He sold the pitch RAPID FIRE to Universal and the spec horror-comedy DRAKE DIAMOND:EXORCIST FOR HIRE to Warners. He wrote and directed HERE'S TO LIFE, which was nominated for 9 Genies, winning one. He wrote the pilot ESCAPE FROM ATLANTIS for Starz/Encore as well as an episode of RELIC HUNTER. In 2011, he was nominated for a best screenplay LEO for the TIFF special presentation, REPEATERS, directed by Carl Bessai. Additionally Arne has been hired to write, rewrite or polish screenplays for MGM/UA, INTERSCOPE, INFINITY, RHI ENTERTAINMENT, MUSE ENTERTAINMENT, RAINMAKER, REUNION PICTURES and RAMPAGE. Having written over fifty screenplays, Arne is well versed in the drama, action, comedy, thriller, horror, western and family genres. Currently he has projects in development with NEW REGENCY, COPPERHEART ENTERTAINMENT, RAVEN WEST FILMS, 9 STORY ENTERTAINMENT and MINDS EYE ENTERTAINMENT. As a story editor, Arne has worked on dozens of films including SNOW WALKER, ILL FATED, TRIGAN EMPIRE, SPLINTER, OR BEST OFFER and ABIGAIL. Arne has also taught screenwriting at Capilano University and currently teaches at VFS. For a full list of his credits please check out his profile on IMDB.
Praxis is a program of Simon Fraser University's School for Conemporary Arts.
Praxis sponsors:
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