Many writers and readers are interested in screenwriting, but tend to think of it as an inaccessible career. Kat Montagu, Vancouver Film School’s Head of Writing for Film, Television & Games department, will talk about how writers get their scripts on screen. Many wonderful novelists, poets, and comic book writers also write films, television, and video games. Kat Montagu will take participants through the process of preparing to pitch yourself as a working screenwriter.
Hybrid events are held in person, you will also be able to watch it live streamed from our Youtube channel.
Location: Room C460, UBC Robson Square
Type: In Conversation
Sponsored by Canadian Authors Association
Moderator: Elizabeth McLean
Reader: Kat Montagu, The Dreaded Curse: Screenplay Formatting for Film & Television (Three Ocean Press)
About The Moderator
My doctorate is in Political Science and my writing explores women's use of power. I lived in several Asian countries, six years in Hanoi, Vietnam. My first book "Imagining Vietnam" was a collection of short stories portraying the lives of Vietnamese women from the 11th century to the present. The book won the 2011 Impress Prize for New Writers in the UK, and was published there in 2012. The Canadian edition, re-titled "The Swallows Uncaged, A Narrative in Eight Panels," was published by Freehand Books of Calgary in 2015. I have now completed a 95,000-words novel entitled "Woman King and the Naked Warriors." It dramatizes the life of an ambitious and rebellious Vietnamese woman, who 2,000 years ago threw a hatched at an immovable object, which was the Empire of China, laying the foundation of an independent Vietnam. www.elizabethmclean.ca
About The Reader
Writer and story editor Kat Montagu is the Head of Department for the Vancouver Film School Writing for Film, Television & Games program. Kat has taught screenwriting for over twenty years. Her Career Launch class has prepared countless VFS graduates to work on feature films, in the writers' rooms of TV series, and in video game studios. Her students rave about her enthusiasm, wealth of knowledge, and the high standards she inspires. It’s no surprise that she’s been named a VFS Instructor of the Year three times. Kat is also the author of the bestselling book The Dreaded Curse: Screenplay Formatting for Film & Television. This twist on the how-to guide demonstrates best practices though a riotous story of two witches (loosely) inspired by her own family history. It is used to teach screenwriting at film schools and universities globally. She’s also the senior story editor for Crazy8s, and co-produced indie feature film The Prodigal Dad as well as many short films. Kat loves The Apartment, Ted Lasso, and Legend of Zelda, but she currently writes noir one-hour drama series pilots.
