164 Scene

By the Numbers

2010First year of the WGA Foundation Vets Writing Project

250Number of vets who have completed the program

5/2-5/3Dates of this year’s weekend project W

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Kevin Ott, communications director at the Writers Guild Foundation, says the ser-vice is intended for a person just like Berg — “someone with a unique set of experi-ences who uses our resources to improve their skills so they can get out there and tell their stories in a concrete way.”

“Wonder Buff alo,” co-written by Simon Shterenberg, follows a teenage Thai girl as she becomes the title character, a cos-play superhero that allows her to fi nd acceptance and stand up for herself. “There are insecurities I had at a young age that” fi t well in the “Wonder Buff alo” story, Berg says. “The theme of self-em-powerment made the script stronger.”

Berg and Shterenberg plan to start shooting this year and were recently accepted to the Creative Activist Program within the Creative Visions Foundation.

Katherine Crawford, a military veter-an who lost a leg, and who’s cast as Won-der Chick in the project, says the Writ-ers Guild Foundation has provided a big boost. “It’s very pleasing to see individu-als, and an organization, so steadfast at helping to put people on a career path that will get them established,” she says. SEBASTIAN TORRELIO

Christine Berg is an Army brat. But these days, it may be better to describe her as a Wonder Buff alo.

Born to a military father in Thailand, raised in Germany and having served in the U.S. military herself out of high school, she says she’s seen so much of life that she needed an outlet to tell about it. “So I tran-sitioned to being a fi lmmaker,” she says.

“Wonder Buff alo” is Berg’s fi rst fully realized project, one that she developed at the Writers Guild Foundation’s Veterans Writing Project.

Berg joined the yearlong writing proj-ect in May 2013, sharing ideas with other military veterans as well as professional mentors, including “The Killing’s” Dawn Prestwich and “Six Feet Under’s” Lau-rence Andries.

“You didn’t feel like you were in a class for beginners; you felt like you were pro-fessionally writing,” Berg says. “They took all of our scripts very seriously.”

DO GOOD

Experience Counts in WGA Foundation’s Veterans Project

SCENE

THURSDAY 1.29High priestess of rock ’n’ roll Patti Smith will perform at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Smith’s song “Mercy Is” from “Noah” was nominated for a Golden Globe.

MUST ATTEND

FRIDAY 1.30Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Aero Theater with a screening of Walt Disney’s third feature, “Fantasia” (1940). Former Mouse House

animator David Pacheco will get things rolling with an illustrated prologue about the making of the film. Enjoy 1940s prices on popcorn and nostalgic candy.

SATURDAY 1.31The Art Directors Guild will hold its 19th annual Excellence in Production Design Awards at the Beverly Hilton. Comedian Owen Benjamin will host the black-tie aff air, doling out awards in 11 categories.

FRIDAY 1.30A wop bop a loo bop... Belt out your favorite classics at the Saban Theater’s “Grease” sing-a-long. Channel your inner T-Bird or Pink Lady as the 1978 classic unspools.

1Oscar nom for original song “Hopelessly Devoted to

You”

The theme of self- empowerment made the script stronger. ”Christine Berg with Simon Shterenberg

MONDAY 2.2The nominees for the 87th annual Academy Awards will gather for a casual luncheon at the Beverly Hilton, mingling with each other ahead of the Feb. 22 Oscar ceremony.

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