2.Main Content
Genre Season: Romantic Comedy
Tue 25 November 2008
No more happy endings? The Breakup
Fall in and out of love and back in again at this one day Romantic Comedy workshop, part of November's Genre Season, a series of six workshops, each dedicated to a different story type.
Designed for writers, producers and script editors, the programme aims to get under the skin of the key film genres and dissect their inner workings. This isn't film studies but a practical development workshop that aims to equip participants with the insight and tools required to write original and satisfying genre films.
Romantic Comedy
To those who have never tried writing one, Romantic Comedies can seem very straightforward – boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl (or some variation of the same!) But how do you get an audience to care that these two people find one another? And how do you credibly keep them apart for the majority of screen time? This session examines the main beats of the Romantic Comedy and considers how to hit those bits in a way that feels genuine, funny, contemporary and most of all romantic. The one unbreakable rule of Romantic Comedies has always been that the couple must end up together, but 2006 saw this rule flouted by both Prime and The Break-Up. We will also consider whether the genre is shifting to offer something more ‘realistic’ than happily ever after?
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PRE-COURSE VIEWING
In order to give all participants a shared point of reference we ask all participants to view the following films, if they haven't done so already, prior to the session:
The Breakup (2006) dir. Peyton Reed scr. Jeremy Garlick & Jay Lavender
The Wedding Date (2005) dir. Clare Kilner scr. Dana Fox
The Truth About Cats and Dogs (1996) dir. Michael Lehmann scr. Audrey Wells
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COURSE OUTLINE
Session 1: The Problem with Romance
This first session considers the typical set-ups of romantic comedies and considers how to design the concept for a film with the potential to make us both laugh and cry. What makes a story romantic? Where does the comedy come from? How do you create a story with credible reasons to keep a couple apart AND to eventually bring them together?
Session 2: Falling in and out of love
This session takes a detailed look at the main structural beats of the Romantic Comedy focussing in particular on managing the audience’s emotional response to the story on the screen. Using a practical development exercise we’ll consider the importance of creating and sustaining empathy and making the romance believable.
Session 3: It’s all about love
The focus of a romantic comedy must always be about love, this session considers how to handle the other elements of a characters’ life – work, friendships, family, ambitions – to ensure that they add to the main theme and not detract. Particular attention will be given to the tone of the story and how to create the right kind of ‘reality’ to support a light-hearted romance. For example, can anyone die? This session will also consider how to structure story elements in order to deliver a specific controlling idea and how to strengthen this meaning through dialogue and characterisation.
Session 4: Happily Ever After?
Recently a number of films, which are billed as Romantic Comedies, such as Prime and The Break Up, have ended with the couple separated at the end. Is this an indication that audiences are tired of happy ever after and want the genre to be more ‘truthful’? Do such stories offer a truly satisfying emotional experience? This final session considers whether it’s possible to mess with the genre and, if so, how to prime the audience for a different outcome.
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This session is taught by Justine Hart, one of The Script Factory's co-directors.
The workshop takes place at BFI Southbank and runs from 10am - 5pm. The cost of attending this one-day workshop is £120 + VAT (total £141). Script Factory Members are eligible for a 10% discount, making the Members’ fee £108 + VAT (total £126.90)
Places are strictly limited to 20 participants, so please book early to avoid disappointment. To book by credit/debit card please call us on 0207 851 4890.
To find out more about the other workshops making up our Genre Season click here