MAKING AND BREAKING PATTERNS IN STORIES
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ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Below the surface of film and other stories, the best and most storytellers are creating and disrupting patterns.
When you’re writing a story you are creating an alternative world which both mirrors and diverges from reality. Recognising and extrapolating patterns of events – behaviour, speech, action - is a basic way of comprehending the world. It’s fundamental to our survival as organisms. It enables us to make sense of what is happening, predict the future, etc. This is how stories are kept new and unpredictable. To generate fear or surprise, or a sense of novelty, we need to disrupt the ordered way in which we viewers understand the world. COURSE CONTENT:
We'll look for new variations on the characters, scenarios and ideas which constitute the genre. Your projects. You’ll end the day with a sheaf of self-generated ideas to use in your original horror scripts. Some of the areas we'll cover: Emotions. A crucial element of all stories, but we'll look deeply into the specific ways that emotions work in horror. Political Horror. How we can use the genre to comment on social and political issues. Blending Genres. Unlikely genres can provide inspiration for horror. We'll look at ways of making something new from the "blending" process. Human Monsters. We'll look at ways in which non-supernatural figures can carry a horrific charge. Tone and Style. Two overlooked methods of creating new story variations. The Undead. A horror staple; but how can we find novel twists on these archetypal figures? Humans Need Horror. At root, it seems we need the things that horror offers us. We'll ponder some of the reasons why. Stimulating clips. We’ll watch clips illustrating key ideas, inspiring you to come up with your own variations. AFTER THE WORKSHOP - A FACEBOOK GROUP We'll be organising a closed Facebook group after the workshop so that we can continue sharing information, clips and ideas, and letting us know about each others' projects. FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS:
"Profound and detailed investigation into horror and storytelling. Very interesting and unusual take on the subject." "The information provided and Ian's thoughts really opened my eyes ... brilliant, I am leaving with 6 or 7 workable ideas." "A great workshop, wonderful tutor, an enjoyable and insightful foray into the deep disturbances of the horror genre." "A very useful way to learn about key areas and current horror tropes." |
PRACTICAL DETAILS
VENUE
Prospect House 100 Rochester Row London SW1P 1JP (Close to London Victoria) CLICK HERE FOR A MAP DATE AND TIME Friday 1 April Registration - 10.00am Workshop - 10.15am - 5.30pm PLACES ARE LIMITED! PLEASE BOOK EARLY ON THE BUTTONS BELOW We offer the lower rate to all concession-holders and to members of these affiliated organisations.
If you're a member of one of these, please book at the concessionary rate and bring your membership card for registration. PRICES
FOR FURTHER DETAILS
Email Ian Long ABOUT IAN
Ian is a writer, script editor and story consultant whose recent writing projects include the dark psychological thriller STARGAZER, a feature film . His supernatural drama feature MALEDICTION, set in rural Southern Italy, is in pre-production. He has worked as a consultant for the UK Film Council's Premiere and New Cinema Funds, the First Film Foundation, the Script Factory and many other bodies and producers. He is currently developing a to be shot on location . Ian heads Euroscript's Consultancy services and teaches the workshops Creating Fear in Films, Writing Science Fiction, Writing Horror Now, Neo-Noir and the Dark Thriller, and a course in Script Reading and Assessment. Find out more... |
