The BAFTA Screenwriters’ Lecture Series in association with The J J Charitable Trust 7 -25 October 2016
PHIL LORD CHRISTOPHER MILLER
Screenwriters. On Screenwriting.
I donÕt think that writing is a choice. ItÕs not a career, itÕs something thatÕs born of necessity. If I didnÕt write, I think I would actually go insane. And thereÕs a lot about writing thatÕs not very pretty. In fact, if you can do anything else, you probably should. ItÕs a life thatÕs filled with rejection and humiliation and self-loathing and self-doubt. But itÕs in the pursuit of something thatÕs cosmic, however corny that sounds. If you need to grab at the cosmic, and without that pursuit you have no bearing, then itÕs the life for you and those are the things you will have to endure. The reward is not necessarily financial success or fame, but the pursuit itself. BEAU WILLIMON S C R E E N W R I T E R SÕ L E C T U R E 2 015
Welcome A very warm welcome to the seventh year of BAFTA’s international Screenwriters’ Lectures Series, held in conjunction with The JJ Charitable Trust. It has always been our ambition to host screenwriters working in languages other than English, if only to kill the notion that English-speaking films are unique in their one-size-fits-all internationalism. Curating these Lectures has involved corralling talents so diverse as to dispel all preconceptions regarding the provenance of a successful screenwriter’s so-called ‘talent’. It is, therefore, with enormous pleasure that this year we are hosting writer-directors working across film in three different languages and from three very different cultures. The lesson they teach is that great screenplays – the heart of all memorable films – amplify the shared experience of being human, irrespective of time, place or language. This year’s series opens with Kenneth Lonergan, the multi-award-winning, Oscar-nominated writer-director of You Can Count on Me, Margaret, and the universally acclaimed Manchester by the Sea. He is followed by Germany’s charismatic auteur Maren Ade, writer-director of the superb Everyone Else and Cannes favourite Toni Erdmann. South Korea’s legendary writer-director Park Chan-wook (the Vengeance trilogy, Thirst, The Handmaiden) will then talk about his extraordinary and singular talent. Closing this year’s series are double BAFTA winners Phil Lord and Chris Miller, two of the most innovative and successful screenwriters working in film today. Their credits include Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie and its highly anticipated sequel.
Jeremy Brock Screenwriter and Founder of the Lecture Series Follow the series on Twitter: @BAFTA and @BAFTAGuru with #screenwriting
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sadness, loss and/or internal (and external) conflict, watching Lonergan’s films is far from a harrowing experience. K stories are predominantly engaging HAN-WOOHis character-driven dramas DOexplore the minutiae MI-that e like lacchallenges of the human condition, its pmany a n i d staye in r and oucomplexities, Y s?an intuitive way that a such yesympathetically n to they connect with teefail fifcan’t H sensitive, an audience. Often provocative, always O U S AE irst his films rarely offerDeasy answers, e th theyfsimply r e t f a t provide a,profound glimpse into the bu and poetic Yeaheveryday e home. lives of t likcharacters.
toe into the film world with a spec script for Analyze This (1999), before deciding to both pen and direct his next feature, You Can Count on Me (2000). It turned out to be a wise decision, with or him both Oscar and Golden is f the earning thscript Globe nominations. His next film as writer-director, Margaret, about a young woman (Anna Paquin in a sensational it a bus accident and must deal turn) venwitnesses elewho with the consequences, was completed in 2007 but became mired in distribution hell. When it was eventually released in 2011, it garnered fel great reviews and more awards recognition. Sandwiched in between these two, he wrote A good screenplay is like a fine poem, The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000) and where ER the maximum amount of meaning worked on Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York MILLpossible is expressed with as few ld collecting both BAFTA and ielatter ET words t th(2002), M M e shthe E as possible. Where what sits on the page u b , al Oscar nods, with fellow writers Jay Cocks and gnportal sithe is the tip of thesiceberg the and at’ h Steven Zaillian. T . is often left to the depth t ll upthat s ofimeaning Lonergan’s most recent film, Manchester by the s i unsaid, in order to allow room for the Sea (2016), o play at this year’s London Film N twill A M T camera to reveal whatÕs hidden. BA havebefore t s u j Festival making its full UK cinema debut l l . punnext ess we’ s a bat early u g ANDREW B O V E L L year. It stars Casey Affleck, Michelle I n e Th That’ S C R E E N W Rg I T E RiSÕtL.E. C. T U R E 2 015 Williams, Kyle Chandler and Lucas Hedges. n i
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The Screenwriters’ Lecture Series
Maren Ade
Sunday 9 October, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly
You could be forgiven for thinking that Maren Ade came out of nowhere following the huge attention and success that her film, Toni Erdmann (2016), generated at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. As well as being nominated for the Palme d’Or and setting a new high score in Screen’s prestigious ‘critics jury’, the film also won the FIPRESCI Grand Prix in Competition, which polls film critics from around the world. It was quickly snapped up by Sony Pictures Classics for distribution in the US, with Soda Pictures teaming up with Amazon Prime to release the film in February 2017 in the UK. But the German-born writer-director is far from a newcomer to the industry, having produced 12 features and written and directed two others since 2000, not including her short films. Her first full feature-length film was Der Wald vor lauter Bäumen (The Forest for the Trees) LONERGAN in 2003, and focused on a lonely, young teacher KENNETH SAMMY ch (Eva Löbau) who moves to an urban school with what the on w o n unrealistic ambitions of changing the lives of her k t s ' don of an estranged itionandi days, new pupils. It was a Special Jury Prize winner at a fascinatingIdepiction cial posy tfather i f f heassehe o Sundance in 2005. his emotionally repressed terdaughter duladult a cal not d n timost a r tries to re-forge their relationship, inithe c o p i y h y l As well as itsyo u about fi realway. unique and comic incredible o t g f n You cannot expect your character o i h has done very e ytfilm that anthe Cannes profile, is well to laugh unless you too laugh with ... whathese days? tplayed. u every festival itbhas a joke, and you certainly cannot on t and engaging Perhaps what is isoti attractive pos expect your characters to cry about Ade’s films is that they all have O N ring of R that unless youÕre crying writing it. verisimilitude, almost as if there is no authored a sin. it's J I M MY M C G O V E R N voice behind them. An, honest examination of Well S C R E E N W R I T E R SÕ L E C T U R E 2 015 the relationships between ordinary people – MMY family, friends, lovers – seems to be S atAthe heart shou it of her work, all dealt d with I think and , compassionately o o G Ade followed this up with Alle Anderen through an unfettered window of truth. Like (Everyone Else, 2009), which became something Kenneth Lonergan, Ade does not pretend to of a darling at film festivals the world over. have any answers but invites her audience to A sun-kissed portrait of love, sex and romance, form N their own opinions and judgements. ARE ADE the story follows a young German couple who M INES e find their seemingly unbreakable relationship o ruin mu. t t n a w o severely tested while holidaying in the You ing to y Mediterranean. And then came Toni Erdmann, I’m talk in association with The JJ Charitable Trust
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SUPPORT. DEVELOP. PROMOTE. How BAFTA is helping to inspire and nurture the next generation of British screenwriters... or newcomers trying to break into or establish themselves in the industry, being a screenwriter can be a daunting prospect. This is where BAFTA can help. We run various initiatives designed to give new and emerging talent an opportunity to shine. For instance, BAFTA’s annual scholarships help support the next generation find their feet, primarily providing financial help to finish their studies but also offering expert mentorship. Our BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition encourages new writers of film, television drama, television comedy and children’s media to develop their talent, by showcasing extracts of their work in front of an audience of high-calibre industry professionals. The Breakthrough Brits initiative promotes emerging talent across film, television and games to as wide an audience as possible, not only lending the weight of BAFTA’s globally recognised name behind them but also giving them the opportunity to learn from some of the best people in their skillset. “The BAFTA Scholarship has meant my dream to be a writer doesn’t feel like a dream anymore,” said Matilda Ibini, who is studying for an MA in Creative Writing (Playwriting and
Screenwriting). “That’s incredibly exciting and motivating. It’s been life-altering.” Ibini is one of 13 new and three returning UK students who received BAFTA scholarships in 2015, which also included Tadhg Culley, who is studying for an MA in Screenwriting. Writer Dominic Mitchell was chosen as a Breakthrough Brit in 2013, an annual initiative launched in partnership with Burberry. Mitchell won his first BAFTA for BBC drama, In the Flesh, shortly after and is currently part of the Writers’ Room for new HBO series, Westworld. He said: “[Breakthrough Brits] really felt like a step up in my career… Because BAFTA has such weight behind it, people really take you seriously… There are plenty of books on writing for television, but there’s not a lot of information about what the reality of working in the industry is like. Through Breakthrough Brits, I talked to experienced professionals about that as it’s a really important part of the process to know.” BAFTA Rocliffe Comedy alumni Peter Bowden and Thom Phipps have also achieved success; their script, Asylum, was made into a BBC Four comedy in 2015, starring Fonejacker's Kayvan Novak. These are just some of our initiatives supporting, developing and promoting BAFTA scholar Tadhg Culley with his mentor, Allan Cubitt new and emerging talent, with the aim of ensuring that the UK remains one of the leaders in the creation of new films and television. Even if you are unable to access these initiatives, many of our events, including screenwriting masterclasses, Q&As and six years’ worth of this Screenwriters’ Lecture Series, are available to watch for free on our online learning channel, BAFTA Guru. Find out more: bafta.org and guru.bafta.org The Screenwriters’ Lecture Series
Tips & Tricks Here are a few things we’ve learned from past lecturers on how to write a script…
TA K E A R I S K … “Let’s not worry about failure. Failure is a badge of honour; it means you risked failure. If you don’t risk failure you’re never going to do anything that’s different than what you’ve already done, or what somebody else has done.” Charlie Kaufman
WRITING DIALOGUE… “Movie dialogue has never been how people really talk. It’s how we wish people talked… The trick to dialogue is that it’s about rhythm. You want to say it out loud, you want to say it often. And above all you want to shorten it.” Brian Helgeland
C R E AT I N G C H A R AC T E R S… “I don’t start off with backstory. I think backstory comes bit by bit as you write the W R I T I N G A DA P TAT I O N S … character, as the scenes happen. Then you start ÒThe book, the play or the biography is not the to think of a reason why they might behave that film. It is the source material. You dare not be way. By the end, you’ve sort of got a complete too reverent or too faithful. All you can do is backstory for that character.” Steven Knight try your damnedest to preserve the spirit of the original work.Ó Sir Ronald Harwood WRITING GENRE… ÓEvery genre has its rules and my instinct has always been to resist themÉ [But] IÕve learned that, sometimes, by obeying the rules you can be even more original than when youÕre trying to break themÉ Good vampire stories are always about something other than vampires; theyÕre about human beings seen through a twisted prism. The genre sets the prism up, thatÕs all.Ò Moira Buffini
R E W R I T I N G… “What you need is to look at something you’ve written that feels false, or boring or derivative, or in poor taste, or inauthentic to you, or just plain not good enough, and say: ‘I bet I can do better.’ And then you sit yourself down and try to do better… And when you’ve made it better, take another crack at it to see if you can improve it even more.” Susannah Grant
RESEARCH… “You can never do too much research because there are so often good surprises that will suddenly make the whole thing, this vague amorphous thing you’ve been working on, make sense.” Christopher Hampton in association with The JJ Charitable Trust
T H E N E X T S T E P… ÓWhen anyone ever asks, ÔWhere do I send my scripts?Õ, my first piece of advice is to send them to producers or people that you really, really like their credits. DonÕt send them to the five most successful producers in the country, because they wonÕt be to your taste and your stuff wonÕt be to their taste.Ò Richard Curtis
Park Chan-wook
Saturday 22 October, BFI Southbank
There is nothing quite like entering the dark set to a science fiction backdrop. And Thirst and twisted worlds of writer-director Park (2009) is not your typical vampire horror flick. Chan-wook’s films. Breathtakingly beautiful and, He’s also not afraid to shock through the use at the same time, deeply horrifying, his films of strong violence – almost a necessity when are awash with expertly drawn (and usually a recurring motif of his work is revenge – and very flawed) characters, rich (and often seedy) sensually erotic sex. environments and nightmarish (and yet all so Park’s films have performed well outside believable) storylines. of his home of South Korea. He’s been the Take Oldboy, the 2003 film that exploded Park recipient of numerous international awards and ETH LOonto the international stage, by way of example. has been nominated for Cannes’ Palme d’Or NER GANpart of a loosely connected trilogy, no less than three times, most recently in The second all themed around the concept of vengeance 2016 for The Handmaiden. This, his latest film, (the other two beingSSympathy AMMY for Mr. Vengeance co-written with Seo-Kyung Chung, is loosely I doand n'tLady [2002] Vengeance [2005]), Oldboy based on Sarah Waters’ Man Booker prizek now what officplays expertly emotions and allegiances nominated novel, Fingersmith, translating this ialwithpthe e churc osition th h's tale to 1930s’ Korea. a d audience. ofnits lead character,iOh Dae-su Victorian adultThe s o n e r f y o r t n r(brilliantly hese d i eallyplayed Choi Min-sik), starts ayout hypbyoc s,asand Ication ritibecoming aandisreputable before a person ythingfigure, c a felt l not sayi tosomeone you who bofutsympathy, n disgusts us, to g a ... wthen b o ut it be hasomeone t is totbe fear, someone fore, psomeone ositito hepitied, o o ff n iclastal t heonseuntildafinally, to support, and so by ys? the i shot, he becomes… what? Perhaps a mix of all things. RON Wethose ll , seems it's Park to take ai gleeful joy in subverting a s n. his audiences’ expectations, slowly revealing hidden sides andSagendas AMMYfor his main characters Goo d,plotI twists and that continually surprise. For thin k it sArea hou(2000) instance, JSA: Joint Security ld bisefar ! from your average war movie. The Humanist E (2001) puts a surprising spin on the blackmail crime genre. I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (2006) challenges preconceptions about mental health,
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The Screenwriters’ Lecture Series
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
BATMAN Then I wing it.guess we’ll .. That’ s a
Tuesday 25 October, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly
“Everything is Awesome” may be a song title from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s film The Lego Movie (2014), but it could just as easily be used to describe the careers of the writerdirector-producer duo right now. The pair, collectively known as Lord Miller, are on the up-and-up, bringing the Midas effect to seemingly every new movie they touch. Perhaps a key to this success is their versatility, the ability to switch seamlessly between the guises of writers, directors and producers (with even some acting thrown in for good measure). They also seem to have an inherent understanding of pop culture and how to imaginatively use it to generate the greatest laughs. That’s certainly evident in The Lego Movie (a sequel to which they are currently working on), which not only was a huge commercial and critical success but also picked up two BAFTAs. It was also a key element in the success of Cloudy with a Chance of I think a lot of young writers think, ÔWell, theyÕre going to give me notes anyway so IÕm not really gonna fix this partÕ. Forget that! Give yourself every possible note you can give yourselfÉ Really push yourself as hard as you can, because when you show [your screenplay] to a studio, theyÕre not going to read your next draft. You have one shot with these people. So itÕs too late to then say, ÔOh, I knew I should have fixed that sceneÕ. Fix it before you show it to anybody. NA NCY MEYERS S C R E E N W R I T E R SÕ L E C T U R E 2 015
in association with The JJ Charitable Trust
Meatballs (2009), the animated film that first set them on their current golden path. Outside of screenwriting, it’s hard to ignore Lord Miller’s other successes. Over the past decade or so, they have co-executive produced 17 episodes (and wrote two) of the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother; they directed live-action comedy 21 Jump Street (2012) and its sequel (2014); directed and executive produced the pilot episode of the Golden Globe-winning Brooklyn Nine-Nine; executive produced the acclaimed The Last Man on Earth; crafted the story for the eagerly awaited The Flash movie; and, perhaps in their highest profile job to date, they are currently directing an untitled Han Solo project for the blockbusting Star Wars franchise. It must all seem a far cry from their days at Dartmouth College in the US, where the pair first met while taking an introductory animation course. This led to jobs developing Saturday morning cartoons for Disney, before they had their first primetime television experience creating Clone High (2000). The rest is not only history, it’s also awesome!
Previous Screenwriters’ Lectures have been given by:
SCHEDULE AND BOOKINGS
2015 Nick Hornby Andrew Bovell Nancy Meyers Jimmy McGovern Beau Willimon
Kenneth Lonergan Gangs of New York, Manchester by the Sea, You Can Count on Me Friday 7 October, 19.30 at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly
2014 James Schamus Emma Thompson Steven Knight
Maren Ade Everyone Else, The Forest for the Trees, Toni Erdmann Sunday 9 October, 17.30 at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly
2013 David S Goyer Hossein Amini Susannah Grant Tony Gilroy Richard Curtis cbe 2012 Lord Fellowes Scott Frank Peter Straughan Brian Helgeland Abi Morgan 2011 Charlie Kaufman William Nicholson obe Moira Buffini John Logan Guillermo Arriaga Frank Cottrell Boyce Paul Laverty 2010 Aline Brosh McKenna Simon Beaufoy Christopher Hampton cbe Sir David Hare Sir Ronald Harwood cbe Peter Morgan cbe
Park Chan-wook The Handmaiden, Oldboy, Thirst Saturday 22 October, 13.30 at BFI Southbank Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Clone High, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie Tuesday 25 October, 19.30 at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly
H OW TO B O O K Tickets for Kenneth Lonergan, Maren Ade and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller can be booked via the BAFTA website at www.bafta.org/whats-on Tickets for Park Chan-wook can be booked at the BFI Southbank via www.bfi.org.uk
Share your thoughts on #screenwriting with @BAFTA and @BAFTAGuru Each of these events is being filmed and will soon be available to view on guru.bafta.org
The Screenwriters’ Lecture Series
L TIT T IP SCR
THANKS Kenneth Lonergan Maren Ade Park Chan-wook Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
ten t i Wr
Lucy Guard Pippa Harris Mara Buxbaum Hyejung Jeon Rachael Reiss Saffeya Shebli
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F O R BA F TA Series Founder Jeremy Brock Film Programme Manager Mariayah Kaderbhai Director of Learning & New Talent Tim Hunter Learning & New Talent Officer Julia Carruthers PR & Learning Campaigns Manager Niyi Akeju
Learning & New Talent Intern Abigail Carter Assistant Producers Pelumi Akindude Evan Horan Press & PR Officer Eleanor Pickering Communications Officer, Marketing Emma Raczkowski Shoot Producer Ryan Doherty
Stage Design Tom Denning Series Publicist Chris Lawrance Editor Ray Buthcher Hair and Makeup Karla Zajec Photo Shoot Producer Claire Rees Brochure Design Joe Lawrence Brochure Editor Toby Weidmann
Portrait photography by BAFTA/Jessie Craig (Kenneth Lonergan and Park Chan-wook); Komplizen Film/Iris Janke (Maren Ade cover); Michelle Quance/Variety/REX/Shutterstock (Maren Ade, page 3); courtesy of PMK/BNC (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller cover); BAFTA/Jonathan Birch (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, page 7). Other photography by BAFTA. Print and paper supplied by TaylorBloxham.
in association with The JJ Charitable Trust
r ess umbe r d N Ad ne ho
SCREENWRITER, COMPOSER, actor, director,
animator, costume designer, visual effects artist, FILM PRODUCER, storyboard artist,
props maker, production designer, EXTRA, stunt performer, comedian, PUPPETEER,
CINEMATOGRAPHER, boom operator, editor, choreographer, location manager,
foley artist, GAFFER or animal handler?
Be inspired. Be moved. Be amazed. Be what you want to be.
BAFTA Guru is packed with career advice and insights from the brightest minds in film, television and games. Explore guru.bafta.org The Screenwriters’ Lecture Series