Michael Arndt: What makes great endings, beginnings and middles
We know Michael Arndt from some of our favourite films; Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3 spring to mind. In this session and script chat, he opened up about his process when it comes to conceptualising and structuring stories. If you didn’t listen to Michael Arndt’s talk, go listen to it. If you did, do it again.
Clarity Clarity Clarity – Writing the Killer Treatment by Sam Kurd
Fenella Greenfield knows a thing or two about script treatments. Running the annual Euroscript Screen Story Competition for over 15 years gives you some insight. During this session, Fenella was kind enough to give us some top pointers when it comes to condensing our script’s story into a short prose piece that’ll hook an exec into wanting to read the whole thing.
Navigating fact, fiction and the inbetween in ‘BASED ON A TRUE STORY’ by Kathy Fedori
Blinded by the light of the big screen, I’ve cozied up to countless films to escape reality without realising that they were actually true stories of someone’s life… movies like My Name is Dolomite, The Mule, The Irishman, 1917 and a TV series Unorthodox. Ellin Stein, former script analyst for Zoetrope and Miramax and teacher at Goldsmiths at the University of London, encourages building entertainment and an emotional narrative into factual films. Her view was, “They don’t need to know it’s true, all they need to know is why it is so, and that makes a great story.”
‘Surprise yourself’ Sound advice on how to write a TV pilot form Michal Aviram by Jan Ruppe-Rahman
In my first London Screenwriters Festival, I have spent time in a virtual café with a Lithuanian sit-com writer, an Australian who lives in British time by writing horror movies at night and a woman who was beaten to a Children’s TV Award by Sooty. I have also been challenged to write a feel-good movie in thirty days and learnt that there are no rules in screenwriting – only tools for my scripts which avoid upsetting those that say there are. The reason this is my first LSWF is that, as a theatre writer looking to move into writing for television, I have always assumed that screenwriting festivals would be heavy on film and offer little for the writer who aspires to penning work for the smaller screen. The inclusion of the likes of Kate Goode (A Discovery of Witches) and Michal Aviram (Fauda) and the online element avoiding the cost of travel to the Big Smoke from Yorkshire, persuaded me to sign up.
How Felicia Day Kept Me Inspired on My Quest to be a Screenwriter
“Have you seen The Guild?” asked the rogue next to me. Two seconds later I was dead, so I never got to ask him to elaborate. Such was life as a PVP player in World of Warcraft. Hold up – I can see your confusion.You came to read about screenwriting, and this mysterious “Felicia Day” person, not gaming. Not to worry. All will be revealed, if you simply accept this quest: Continue Reading…
Pen Densham: A phenomenal session that left me speechless by David China Woolf
While talks preceding the ‘Robin Hood: Price of Thieves’ Script to Screen with Pen Densham were interesting and informative, this was the moment I realized attending the festival was the right move for me.
How to Cope in the Echo Chamber by Rebecca Robinson
Fragile, resilient. Perceptive, narrow-minded. Reclusive, convivial. As writers we are all these things and more. We are the canaries in the coal mine, the watchers against the dark, the mirrors of society. But if we are empaths and mirrors, what do we do when society has a really bad day? Or a really bad week? Or months? Or a year? If you were fortunate enough to listen to Rebecca Day’s session on “Where’s your head at? Mastering creative uncertainty in 2021,” you would have heard some strategies about new ways of thinking about yourself and your work and about the crucial importance of mental health and wellness during this time of unprecedented stress. It was a revelation to me.
A Study in Loglines: LSF reacts to Samatha Horley’s unmissable session
If you’ve followed the LSF for the last few years, you’re probably familiar with Samantha Horley. Samantha’s sessions are always frank, forensic trials by fire that might help your pitch stand a chance in that crucial exec meeting. This time, her focus was on loglines – or ‘two-line pitches’ as she calls them. For two […]
Romance? Bromance? It’s All the Same! With Jenna Moreci, by Rebecca Robinson
Burning question – can you write believable romance if you don’t have romance in your own life? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” according to Jenna Moreci, author of “The Savior’s Champion” and “The Savior’s Sister”, and speaker at the London Screenwriters’ Festival on February 10th. A very popular YouTube creator and presenter, Jenna broke down her three rules of creating romance in films, even when the movie is not overtly a romance. Using examples from The Mummy and bromance movies, Jenna presented a schema for authentic, engaging romantic interactions that further the action of a story, no matter the genre.
Valuing the Feminine: The Virgin’s Promise with Kim Hudson, by KT Parker
One of the things that makes life worthwhile is the opportunity to keep learning something new. The first week of London Screenwriters’ Festival online has been what I’d call a ‘chocolate mousse’ learning experience – intense, exquisite, and deliciously inspirational. Every session has been brilliant, and some have been a revelation, like “Tales of Personal […]
