S2S - Screenwriter Research x 2
Screenwriter - Jack Thorne
Jack Thorne is a Screenwriter who has written for television, theatre and film. I have admired Thornes work for sometime as some of my favourite television shows were written by him. A similar theme runs throughout the shows he has written for, for example, 'Skins' and 'This is England' are typically British and show the genuine lives and friendships of relatable characters.
He is known for his work being dark and relatable as some of the dramas have storylines that can be deemed as realistic with hard hitting situations that some viewers could find distressing. Programmes such as 'Skins' and 'This is England' have scenes that contain drug use and scenes of a sexual nature that are not censored in anyway, they're honest and that's why the programmes are so popular and successful.
In an interview with After Ellen, Thorne was asked a question relating to writing about characters of a teenage age so authentically in which he replied [1] 'I haven’t grown up yet. My old boss Pawel Pawlikowski was asked, when working on an amazing film called My Summer of Love, what he learned from his teenage actresses about being a teenage girl. He said, “I am far more of a teenage girl than they’ll ever be.” I think this shows Thorne still sees himself as a young teen, he knows his characters inside and out and does enough research to ensure the characters are solid.
I think its incredible that I still see pictures and quotes shared on social media taken from the programme 'skins' which people still adore. Although the programme finished in 2013, Skins still has a massive following now as it is available to watch on 4 on demand.
His way of writing about characters and making them so relatable shows how invested and involved he is, with his characters, which I think is a massive factor of his love for writing.
How Jack Thorne inspires my own work.
Jack Thorne has written some of the best dramas my generation has invested plenty of time in. The way he is so invested in his characters and pursues them in such a relatable and honest way is exactly how I want my characters to be pursued in my drama. My character 'Grace' has been through a lot and has a big chip on her shoulder, she is brutal and struggling with life, I want to ensure I use the same realistic powers Jack Thorne uses for both his Skins and This is England characters. For Example, in Skins, the character Effy seems to have parents who don't care for her, a potential drug addiction and is an outsider in school. The use of swearing throughout her character and her characters background really gives you an indication into Effy's character without telling you whats happened within her life. It's a clever way of completely showing and not telling. Because swearing indicated anger. The way Thorne is also so invested in his characters and has clearly done research inspires me to ensure I know absolutely everything about my characters, that I can ensure the character is relatable and Grace's circumstances are realistic.
Bibliography
[1] Hogan, H (2010) 'Interview with 'Skins' writer Jack Thorne' In: After Ellen At: https://www.afterellen.com/general-news/75744-interview-with-skins-writer-jack-thorne (Accessed 03/12/2019.)
Screenwriter - Lisa Mcgee
Derry Girls was renewed for another series after the first pilot episode and has been Channel 4's most successful comedy since programmes like 'Father Ted'.
Mcgee was born and grew up in Derry, in an interview with Channel 4, Mcgee was asked about how her writing related to her life as a teenager in Derry in which she replied 'It was not as bad as what I’ve written, but it was pretty bad. It was all about the boys, because you fancied them, nothing about peace. You can imagine!'. I feel this highlights brilliantly why the programme has been so successful in England and Northern Ireland, as Mcgee has written and adapted her own stories as a teenager it means she has written about what she knows, which is why it is so relatable and factual. Although she has heightened her stories, it means she knows the stories inside and out.
Derry Girls is also known for pushing the boat with its dark comedy, much like 'Jack Thorne', the writing is relatable however can be seen as unspoken. Within Derry Girls there is discussion of the IRA and issues that have occurred previously in Ireland and effected many peoples lives. In the same interview with Channel 4, Mcgee was asked if before transmission, she was worried her jokes about the IRA and Orange Order would be deemed controversial in which she replied [1] 'Yeah! Worried is probably an understatement. Petrified is more accurate. When you’re writing it, you can’t think like that, you have to write whatever’s best or whatever’s funny and truthful and think “Future Lisa will worry about the backlash if it doesn’t work...”. I think this shows the realness of her writing, Mcgee has made it clear she wanted for the people of Northern Ireland to feel spoken for and have something to relate too. Although she has made some controversial comments about the IRA and so on, as she states above she wanted it to be truthful and be told in humour.
How Lisa Mcgee inspires my own work.
I have really enjoyed researching about Lisa Mcgee and viewing her work, she is an incredible writer and was even named BBC's top 100 women in 2018, which is an aspiration in itself. Her way of writing so honestly, similar to Jack Thorne and have such an investment in the characters, is why Derry Girls was so successful.
I think the fact she has written about her own circumstances and has written about something she knows so well, which is Northern Ireland and teenage relationships proves how writing about things you know so well, can make your work so relatable to others. Within my script, I write about Grace who has a bad relationship with her mother, I think that when writing my future draft, I will explore the arguments and struggles I have faced in my own relationship with my Mum, although Grace is not written about me personally, the one thing I have learnt from both Mcgee and Thorne that knowing you characters inside out and writing about personal traumas, is what massively makes your writing personal and relatable to viewers. Which I think is hugely important.
Bibliography
[1] Unamed (2019) 'Lisa Mcgee interview (creator of Derry Girls) In: Channel 4 At: https://www.channel4.com/press/news/lisa-mcgee-interview-creator-derry-girls (Accessed 03/12/2019.)
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