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Training
Writing the Heroine's Story with Helen Jacey
Helen Jacey's excellent 'The Woman in the Story'
Just announced: Friday 28 & Saturday 29 January 2011
Today's film and TV heroines have never been so numerous or more diverse. From Juno to Mamma Mia!, female audiences have a multitude of exciting, empowering and even cynical reflections of women's lives today. It's been something of a hot topic over the last year with extensive press interest resulting in fascinating articles in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Times. For screenwriters working now to create features in the future, one of the most important challenges is the creation of a unique, compelling and emotionally complex protagonist - 
Drew Barrymore - in front of and behind the camera in Whip Itbut what if your protagonist is a heroine? At a time when heroines are taking the screen by storm, and as stereotypical and limited female roles are on the wane, there's still little out there to help screenwriters and development professionals grapple with the very different issues that female characters face.
Now for the first time ever, comes a unique opportunity for writers and development professionals to learn how to write a great heroine's story, as tutor Helen Jacey, shares her expertise in the creation of memorable screen heroines. With her long anticipated book 'The Woman in the Story' published this month to excellent reviews, Helen's seminar - first piloted by us in 2009 - is now bigger and better as she introduces new principles to help writers create effective heroines' stories. Helen is a professional screenwriter who teaches on various MAs in Screenwriting in the UK, and is completing her doctorate in Screenwriting at the University of the Arts London.
Sandra Bullock's Oscar-bait soccer mom - The Blind Side
This programme is attached to our unique and, all-new for 2011, schemes, which invite course attendees to submit a 2-page story outline plus the first ten pages of your screenplay after the course has ended. One participant will then be selected for a one-to-one meeting with either a top 'Friendly Producer' or a top 'Friendly Agent' who will give their time to explore the development potential of your idea or the value of a relationship between writers and their agents.
PROGRAMME OUTLINE
Predatory heroines - Jordan Scott's CracksDAY ONE
What makes a great heroine?
Heroines are more than just female heroes, they represent the writer's attitudes and beliefs about gender and being a woman. We will explore why we choose certain types of heroines, and what we want to say about women's lives when we choose a heroine.
Heroines' Stories
What are the main differences between heroes' and heroines' stories? Looking at a range of films, we will discuss the recent evolutions in film and TV to see why stories with heroines are told differently and how.
Phases of the Heroine's Story
Helen will introduce a completely new way of thinking about story, moving away from the journey model that dominates mainstream narrative models. By understanding and using Phases of Story, a writer can think in new and creative ways in the construction of her narrative with a heroine
Inspirational heroines - Lee Daniel's PreciousDAY TWO
Beyond Archetypes
What is useful about using archetypes for character development of a heroine? What other ways of building character might be more relevant? Helen will introduce new ideas for developing a heroine's character.
Conflict
From internal conflict to global conflict, Helen will explore all the diverse ways that conflict functions in a heroine's story.
Gender and the Development Process
What are the main problems that arise in development when the hero is a heroine? Helen will discuss issues that might occur, and discuss strategies to deal with them.
Screen Analysis
Using examples from film and TV, screen analysis will enable participants to see the principles in practice.
Creative Strategies
Throughout the two days, creative exercises will enable participants to put the principles into practice to benefit their own projects. Using specially designed worksheets, participants will have the opportunity to work on and share problems and goals.
Helen Jacey 2009
Booking Information
The fee for Writing the Heroine's Story is £225 plus VAT (Total £264.38).
Script Factory Members are entitled to an extra discount, making the fee £202.50 plus VAT (Total £237.94). Click here for more information about joining as a Member.
To book your place by credit or debit card either call Sheena on 0207 851 4890 on weekdays from 10am-6pm or book now via Paypal by choosing from the following options:
Writing The Heroine's Story - Full Price
Writing The Heroine's Story - Member's Price
'Writing the Heroine's Story with Helen Jacey' takes place on Friday 28 & Saturday 29 January 2011 from 10am-5pm.
The Club Room
The October Gallery
24 Old Gloucester Street
London
WC1N 3AL
The October Gallery is in Bloomsbury - nearest tubes Russell Square / Holborn.
Please Note: Unfortunately The October Gallery is not fully accessible to wheelchair users. Please let us know if this affects you as we are planning to repeat this course at a later date at a fully accessible venue.
Originally written for a man - Angelina Jolie in SaltPreparatory Viewing
We will be referring to a wide range of films over the two-day course, some of which you will inevitably be more familiar with than others. To ensure that we have shared references to consider in more detail it would be useful if course attendees had watched as many as possible of the following recent films:
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
(dir. Susanna White, 2010)
The Milk Of Sorrow
(dir. Claudia Llosa, 2009)
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
(dir. Lee Daniels, 2009)
Salt
(dir. Phillip Noyce, 2010)
Knight and Day
(dir. James Mangold, 2010)
The Blind Side
(dir. John Lee Hancock, 2009)
Valentine's Day
(dir. Garry Marshall, 2009)
The Back Up Plan
(dir. Alan Poul, 2010)
London River
(dir. Rachid Bouchareb, 2009)
Sex and the City 2
(dir. Michael Patrick King, 2010)
Cracks
(dir. Jordan Scott, 2009)
Whip It
(dir. Drew Barrymore, 2009)
Villa Amalia
(dir. Benoit Jacquot, 2009)
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