It’s tough writing as a team, but when Genine first read Bob Tremblay’s heartfelt comedy about a couple who unexpectedly die and are then reborn as an unlikely pair – exotic Siberian tiger wife and mangy mutt husband, she wanted to collaborate.   Bob had pitched this animated feature to a high school pal who used to work at CAA and she’d cautioned, “You need to make it kid-centered if it’s being pitched as animation.”

Genine took a crack at the script after Bob did a first extensive revision in which the couple’s 9 year old grandson was given a lot more screen time.  Inspired by Sex Education and Moonrise Kingdom, she added a crush interest and (per usual) tried to beef up the female characters.

Along the way, Bob and Genine had some very different takes on things, including exactly how it should end and where. Not quite as bad as Chinatown but… So, we’ll have some specific questions for you HSSWers!

We hope you’ll join us with unbridled criticism, insightful notes, and great pitches to help us improve the story further.  That’s Monday, 10/18 from 7:00 – 9:00 EST. 

Bob’s logline: When a self-absorbed lawyer and his long-suffering wife get transformed after an accident into a mangy dog and a huge tiger, respectively, they go on a perilous journey with their grandson as a maniacal zookeeper pursues them.

Genine’s logline: When a boy, already in trouble for telling tall tales, discovers that his recently deceased grandparents have come back to life as a tiger and dog, he must try to save them from a sadistic zookeeper.  Badly in need of help, he faces one problem – no one believes him.

MEET THE WRITERS:

BOB TREMBLAY:

Bob Tremblay is a former editor and film critic for the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham. He had been a professional journalist for more than 40 years and a film critic for around 30 years. He is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and a longtime member of the Harvard Square Scriptwriters.

He has written more than 20 screenplays. One of the scripts he co-wrote, The 6th Amendment, was made into an award-winning short film shown on Amazon Prime. He has also been a CineStory finalist for his black comedy Jack the Messiah, a Stage 32 finalist for his romantic comedy Death Gets a Life and a Stage 32 semifinalist for his sci-fi script Redfeather. Death Gets a Life was also optioned.

He lived in Paris for about three years and almost speaks French. His hobbies include tennis, bridge, composing music and listening to rock and classical music.

GENINE TILLOTSON:

Genine Amada Tillotson is the director of Harvard Square Script Writers (HSSW) and is the principal of Magic Lantern Multimedia LLC, based in Newton MA.  She has been writing, producing and directing award-winning video and multimedia projects for over 25 years.

Early in her career, Ms. Tillotson worked for Action for Children’s Television, outlined a TV series at ABC with Emmy-award winning writer, Jeff Kindley which evolved into the After School Specials, and wrote treatments for Harvey Weinstein at his earliest venture Weinstein Skyfield Productions.

She has written and directed programs, supported by the National Science Foundation and has created an assortment of video projects for broadcast, web and large-scale events.

Her diverse clients have included Mattel; Fisher Price; the Boston Museum of Science; Silver Burdett and Ginn; The San Francisco Exploratorium; Sacred Heart University; MIT’s CSAIL; Harvard University; National Geographic, Mass General Hospital and Partners Healthcare, to name a few.  Her multimedia exhibits have been showcased in 24 museums around the world.

She was the un-credited script doctor of a variety of PBS science programs and the IMAX film, Coral Reef Adventure.

Her awards include a Silver New York Film Festival, a Gold Muse Award, three Gold Nebbys, including two “Best Overall Achievement,” and three ITVA Gold awards, among others.

Ms. Tillotson has been a guest speaker at NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) and has lectured at Lesley University, Harvard University, Northeastern, and Emerson College.

In 2016 Ms. Tillotson was also the executive director of the Different Faces, Different Voices Film Festival in Cambridge, MA featuring the Flicks4Chicks short film contest.

She is the host of the HSSW-sponsored web series Second Chance Cinema, which looks at “The Best Moves You’ve Never Seen.”

As of January 2021, Ms. Tillotson had released the first 7 webisodes of the comedy Next Great Hire which she wrote, directed, and co-produced.

Ms. Tillotson has also participated in 4 TV Writing Modules with the LA Harvardwood Chapter, acting as lead mentor for three of them. Most recently, her psychological thriller Sisters was a second-rounder in the Austin Film Festival script competition.

She is a member of Women in Film and Video – the NE Chapter, Film Fatales, and Harvardwood and has been a script reader and judge at a number of festivals, including the Woods Hole Film Festival, the Women in Comedy Festival and ITVFest.

She holds a BA in English and Psychology from Rutgers College and a Masters and CAS from Harvard University Graduate School of Education in Educational Media.

SAVE THE DATE AND SIGN UP: You can simply pay $10.00 via Zelle using the links genine@hsswriters.com or 978-505-5652 . Or use Paypal right here at our site. Indicate 10/18/21 Review. PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE WHAT EVENT YOU ARE SIGNING ON FOR. All proceeds go to the volunteer, non-profit HSSW in support of our programming.  You may also sign up for the discussion at our website www.hsswriters.com.  Deadline for sign-ups is noon on Monday, October 18th.

Looking forward to seeing you then!