Since 2004, thanks to support from the MEDIA programme of the European Union, la Poudrière has been offering training in literary adaptation to European animation students and young professionals.
The training programme is a module of 11 weeks which concentrates on scriptwriting and adapting children's books. It also includes a week at the International Animated Film Festival and Market in Annecy, which is the perfect occasion to measure the diversity of the latest international productions and meet up with great names working in the animation industry (film and audiovisual) and related sectors. 
The aim of the course is to confront students with the practicalities of professional life by leaning on the ties established with publishers enabling them to choose from a collection of a great variety of books.
Participants work in small groups and the adaptation is divided into two tasks: development of a concept for a TV series and screenplay writing for a TV special, both of which are similar from the point of view of writing, directing and methodology.
To begin with, each group works on developing a concept for a TV series taken from the works for children available.
This workshop is managed with the association of the Danish school The Animation Workshop in Viborg, where short animated films are made, illustrating the projects developed at La Poudriere.
Secondly, each group works on writing a screenplay for a TV special of 13 minutes, adapted from a children's book.
Projects Presentation
At the end of these two exercises, students present their projects to a jury of European professionals (authors and publishers of children's books, scriptwriters, filmmakers, producers and broadcasters) who assess the interest and feasibility of each project (15-minute pitch for the TV series presentation and a public reading of the screenplay for the TV special).
Professional Development
Several former participants gave to some of the TV series' projects a professional development, such as the TV series Ariol, which has been adapted from a children's book written by Emmanuel Guibert and Marc Boutavant (Bayard Jeunesse), and produced by Folimage with Bayard Jeunesse, TF1, TPS, RTBF and Subséquence ; or Michel, adapted from Graine de Monstre, written by Marie-Aude Murail and Gilles-Marie Baur (Bayard Jeunesse) and produced by Folimage/Foliascope With Bayard Jeunesse, Les Tanukis, Canal+ Family and ZDF.
