Shea Fontana

New Kabillion brand spots. Yay!

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:14:56 -0400

New Kabillion brand spots. Yay!

"My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— ..."

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:31:36 -0400

“My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—
It gives a lovely light!”

- EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY

Kabillion meets its Maker - TBI Vision

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:14:38 -0400

Kabillion meets its Maker - TBI Vision:

In the today’s edition of Shea Yaps About Stuff, I yap about stuff…

Lights, Camera, Action!

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:28:00 -0400

Big news! Crowning Jules, my original, live-action, TV movie screenplay has been optioned by a Canadian production company.

Fingers crossed that it will be coming to a TV near you soon!

I said stuff!

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:51:31 -0400

I said stuff!:

I said stuff that was quoted in a respectable online receptacle of animation stuff.

Nutcracked!

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:48:00 -0500

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been writing The Nutcracker Sweet, a new animated version of the classic Nutcracker tale. The movie is being produced by Televix and Aronnax Animation Studios and is set for DVD release this winter. With super-sized adventure, a little mystery, and a dash of sweetness, the script is a new twist to Alexander Dumas’ traditional story. Putting my spin on a known narrative has been tremendous fun and the supportive team at Televix and Arronax has made this a delightful writing experience.

If thousands of years from now, archaeologists discovered all my writing journals and yellow legal...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:19:28 -0500

If thousands of years from now, archaeologists discovered all my writing journals and yellow legal pads, they’d probably think I was really obsessed with pie.

Whatcha Reading?

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:07:00 -0500

I have been reading the Song of Ice and Fire series (aka GAME OF THRONES). I’m on book two, A Clash of Kings. From a writing perspective, it BLOWS MY MIND. How does a writer keep track of all these characters, locations, plots, etc.? Really, if you’ve heard how George R.R. Martin does it, I’d love to know. Spreadsheets? Maps? Maniacal Carrie from Homeland style corkboards? And all those characters! It’s got to be in the hundreds (maybe thousands throughout all the books) of named characters. And it’s all working for me. Such craft! Such smarts! Such vocabulary!

I’m smitten.

Top Ten

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:13:00 -0500

I recently saw a writing tip that suggested screenwriters come up with a list of their top ten favorite movies for reference whenever they get stuck. These are not necessarily the best scripts or movies, just the ones that personally make me happy. So, here are my top ten favorite movies (subject to change):

-The Princess Bride
-Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
-My Neighbor Totoro
-Mean Girls
-Lady & The Tramp
-Zoolander
-The Muppet Christmas Carol
-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
-Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
-Amelie

Honorable mentions for always making me laugh and filling me with general delight: Old School, The Big Lebowski, Mrs. Doubtfire

Today's Script Read...

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:24:00 -0500

…is Silver Linings Playbook. There are a lot of things from a Screenwriting 101 perspective that would count against this script. It’s 152 pages long. There are big chunks of dialogue and very little action. There’s some inconsistency in the formatting. In essence, there are a lot of things that David O. Russell can get away with because he’s also directing. But in the end, it works. The dialogue is so sharp and character-based that the script doesn’t need to be built up with so much action. It’s the rare case of the subtext of the dialogue being strong enough that words speak louder than action. It’s a beautiful, sentimental, character drama done from an interesting, personal perspective.

TIFFANY: What? You’re not gonna read that shit on my time. I can tell you all about the “Lord of the Flies.” It’s a bunch of boys on an island and they have a conch — they have a shell — and whoever has the conch has the power and they can talk. And if you don’t have the conch, then you don’t have the power. And then there’s a little chubby boy, and they call him Piggy and they’re really mean, and then there’s a murder. I mean, humanity is just nasty and there’s no silver lining.

PAT: Wow. That was a great synopsis. I still need to read it, though.

Woo-hoo! Way to go, animation...

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:05:20 -0500

Woo-hoo! Way to go, animation peeps!

fred-frederator-studios:

David Karp and Rebecca Sugar: Forbes 30 Under 30: Meet The Innovators, Disruptors And Brightest Stars Of 2012

“Honored” would be the word I would use for our association with the two folks who used to be in the Frederator force field and were honored by Forbes this week in their annual 30 Under 30. David and Rebecca don’t know each other, but in a weird way —other than Frederator— they travel in parallel universes, one in technology and the other in filmmaking.

Stunningly creative, of course, David invented tumblr (in the Frederator/NY offices!), and Rebecca was a key creative member of the Adventure Time team (before she got her own show!). I know David better than Rebecca, but I feel proud to have been in their orbits, if only for a little while. -Fred

Beary Christmas!

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:33:54 -0500

Beary Christmas!

A fascinating look into how Sesame Street has approached one of...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:22:51 -0500

A fascinating look into how Sesame Street has approached one of the big taboos topics of the kid’s entertainment world…

storyboard:

‘D’ Is for Divorce: Big Feelings on Sesame Street

In early 1992, a census report predicted that 40 percent of children would soon live in divorced homes. As one of the most famous children’s television programs in the world, Sesame Street was determined to take on a topic most kid’s shows wouldn’t touch. They cast Snuffy, a.k.a. Mr. Snuffleupagus, for the part of child divorcee.

With a team of its best writers, researchers, and producers, a segment was scripted and shot. It went through a half-dozen revisions, with input from the foremost researchers in the field. And on a typical sunny afternoon on Sesame Street, the furry, red, elephantine muppet known as Snuffy prepared to drop the bomb on his loyal preschool viewers.

“My dad is moving out of our cave,” he confides to Big Bird one afternoon, distraught after knocking over a house built of blocks. “I’m not sure where,” he continues, crying. “Some cave across town.”

Big Bird, naturally, is horrified. “But why?” he asks his friend.

Snuffy blinks his long, dark eyelashes, and pauses. We know what’s coming. Well, he explains, “because of something called a divorce.”

Read More

Moonrise Kingdom

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:54:00 -0500

“These are my books. I like stories with magic powers in them. Either in kingdoms on earth or on foreign planets. Also, time-travel, if they make it realistic. Usually, I prefer a girl hero, but not always.”

It’s award season and the studios are making some of the best scripts of the year available. Read one of my favorites, Moonrise Kingdom, here. Moonrise Kingdom is the rare breed of movie that uses pitch-perfect absurdity to honestly capture the intricacies and difficulties of being a kid.

More Masha & the Bear fun. Check out more episodes at...

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 17:20:06 -0500

More Masha & the Bear fun. Check out more episodes at www.kabillion.com

This episode wonderfully illustrated part of the magic of...

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:21:28 -0400

This episode wonderfully illustrated part of the magic of Adventure Time. They dropped a big, dramatic, paradigm-shifting plot point in the middle of a silly song. Who does that? Adventure Time, that’s who.

adventuretime:

Wonderful fan art from a pretty popular episode.

carlymaedraws:

Marceline,
It’s just you and me in the wreckage of the world.
That must be so confusing for a little girl.
And I know you you’re going to need me here with you,
But, I’m losing myself and I’m afraid you’re gonna lose me, too

This magic keeps me alive,
But, it’s making me crazy.
And, I need to save you
But, who’s going to save me?
Please forgive me for whatever I do,
When I don’t remember you…

Last night’s Adventure Time gave me all of the sads, I had to draw something.

Today's Script Read...

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 12:20:26 -0400

Today’s script read is The Black Swan.

What I Love About This Script: Every single moment is connected to the theme. There’s no extra fluff or unneeded dialogue. From the first scene, the tension builds and builds and never lets up. It’s the horror movie for the Type A personality. It’s a myth about the madness of the fight for perfection. It’s a metaphor of the competitive artistic pursuit; the battle for a flawless fleeting moment, whether that be in dance or film.

When watching the movie in the theater, I was on the edge of my seat and my face looked like this:

You can read the full script here.

Tools of a Screenwriter...

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 20:47:00 -0400

No, I didn’t just color code the scenes of the script I’m working on because I have OCD. I did it more because coloring is a lot easier than writing.

Check Out This Epic New Trailer For The Bob's Burgers Premiere!

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:27:33 -0400

Check Out This Epic New Trailer For The Bob's Burgers Premiere!

Lookie! Masha and the Bear is a gorgeous animated series out of...

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 18:32:59 -0400

Lookie! Masha and the Bear is a gorgeous animated series out of Russia that we are distributing in the US on Kabillion. Thoroughly charming storytelling and beautiful animation.