Turning your TV Time into Quality Time
February 5, 2008 Issue #2
Christine L. Pollock, Editor Ranny Levy, Publisher
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Christine L. Pollock, Editor |
Ranny Levy, Publisher Granny Ranny's Addenda |
INDUSTRY NEWS
Chris Canole, Award-winning Screenwriter
Chris Canole knows firsthand the impact of visual media on children. His award-winning screenplay, “Felix the Flyer” is based on a TV biography that interested him when he was nine years old. It was the story of the Cuban mailman Felix Carvajal who ran and walked the length of the Mississippi river to compete in the 1904 St. Louis Olympic marathon. Carvajal inspired Canole then to start a long journey to pursue his own dreams.
An artist, actor and movie set photographer, Canole was working on the mini-series "The Ring in Prague" when director Armand Mastroianni invited him to give input on re-writing scenes. Back in 2004 before the Olympic Games, Mastroianni asked if Canole could write a sports biography to pitch to ESPN for a movie of the week. Canole wrote Felix in a month, but they ended up not having enough time to film before the Olympics. Rather than give up, he rewrote Felix into a screenplay. Once complete, he was wondering where to submit the screenplay. Canole asked other actors, directors and writers for suggestions and they all said KIDS FIRST! was a major endorsement to anyone creating working in the genre of family films.
Canole was taken aback by the wonderful atmosphere and camaraderie at the KIDS FIRST! Best Awards in 2007. Everyone in attendance made him feel like he was no longer competing as an individual, but rather, now he was a part of a much larger team seeking to bring better entertainment to the general public. The momentum of attending and becoming a winner at KIDS FIRST! yielded a biographic article about both himself and “Felix the Flyer” in “Creative Screenwriting” magazine and in a six-page-story on in the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of “Script” magazine.
Canole says, “I now submit all my family screenplays to KIDS FIRST for their honest and helpful feedback.” He recommends that other writers enter their titles to KIDS FIRST! to get feedback on family scripts. According to Canole, most other contests do not either have a category for the family or do not give such extensive feedback. He goes on to suggest that if you do a rewrite, submit the script again. “When dealing with family stories, persistence from your heart and mind will blossom into greater storytelling.”
Information on submitting your own title can be found at http://www.kidsfirst.org/submit-a-title/.
PUBLIC NEWS
Mallory Lewis and Phonics 4 Babies
On January 20, children giggled and parents laughed as Mallory Lewis and her puppet pals, Lamb Chop and Giggles, gave a dazzling performance to the crowd in a sold-out performance at the USA Film Festival’s 24th annual KidFilm® Festival in Dallas, TX. The lucky kids in the audience each left with a copy of Lewis' Phonics 4 Babies DVD.
Lewis is a strong supporter of non-violent visual media. It is her belief that kids need media filled with laughter, happiness and song. You can see her philosophy played out in her DVD series. Each title contains a unique interactive program designed to introduce children to their first 300 key words and phrases, which are a springboard for speech. Lewis, Giggles and other playful puppets invite your toddler to sing-along to original songs as he or she learns new words. Throughout the DVD, Lewis smiles and talks to her “child,” Giggles, in a fun, but developmentally helpful way.
Lewis’ new title, “Phonics 4 Babies: Colors and Counting” comes out February 26, 2008. You can find more information about the series at http://www.phonics4babies.com/.
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ABOUT CQCM AND KIDS FIRST!
The Coalition for Quality Children's Media is a national, nonprofit organization founded in 1991 whose mission is to teach children critical viewing skills and to increase the visibility and availability of quality children's media. More.
