2.Main Content
Genre Season: Love Story
Mon 24 November 2008
Transgressive love in Brokeback Mountain
This one day workshop devoted to writing Love Stories is part of 2008's Genre Season, a series of six one-day workshops each focussed on a particular 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.
Love Story
The love story on screen is by tradition a dramatic look at how love may conquer all but the price that has to be paid is often more tragic than redemptive. It is the ultimate in the cathartic, emotional experience, a way to both live out the fantasy of a perfect love while recognising (and it is somewhat of a relief) that such a love cannot survive in the flawed and troubled world in which we humans really live. Such is the emotional impact of the love story.
What is difficult to do in writing the ultimate love story is to find a love which seems theoretically to be able to conquer the evils of life, or to overcome the transgressions of its perpetrators. For example in Love Story the couple must fight death, surely a losing battle if ever there was one, but the other, more real battle in a way is the one they fight to straddle their social differences. In Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet the protagonists must confront the enmity between their families and therefore the transgressive nature of their love. West Side Story repeats the same motif. Brokeback Mountain deals with sexual transgression and self-loathing. It is not easy to find ways to be taboo, particularly in our society where we actively legislate to encourage inclusiveness and tolerance. Still, there are areas where true love can be confronted with true conflict and this is the motif of the love story in cinema.
The day-long session will concentrate on examining the way love stories work: what story elements are inevitably found in a love story; how are the protagonists perceived by the audience and what are our expectations of their journey? Also, what do Love Stories say about the human condition, both in terms of social tolerance and emotional liberty?
The Love Story is a wonderfully rich genre, which allows us the kinds of feelings real life often bars us from experiencing as we cope with day to day living and the exigencies of our commitments. Love Stories can lift us onto a higher plain, but while they do this, they also remind us of our mortality and the fallibility of human relationships. It is the love itself which is the survivor and this in itself gives us hope.
COURSE PREPARATION
Prior to attending this course it would be helpful if all participants have viewed the following films:
Romeo and Juliet (1996) dir. Baz Luhrmann scr. Craig Pearce & Baz Luhrmann
Brokeback Mountain (2005) dir. Ang Lee scr. Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana
Brief Encounter (1945) dir. David Lean scr. Noel Coward
This session is taught by Angeli MacFarlane , a freelance script developer who has just completed work on Death of a President and is currently working with writer/director Gabriel Range on a feature thriller.
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 0207 851 4890.
For further details about the other sessions making up our Genre Season click here