VENUE TBC - LEEDS

NB: RESCHEDULED TO SATURDAY 11 DEC

WHAT IF WE DIDN'T START WITH WORDS? - EMMA ADAMS

I’ve been thinking about staging and the power of set design. Why is it that writers don’t often get to work with set designers early in a development process? What does thinking about image rather than words unlock for storytellers / writers? Then I saw a video about Taika Waititi’s (awesome writer/director, check him out) creative process. There he talked about how he starts his film scripts. He thinks about cool images / events for the beginning and start of a story, and then he writes to link them up. Do you do this? I don’t do this. I never do this. I think it could be interesting to try doing this. It could be so fun to try this! To play with the graphic and the look of things and see what that inspires. To think about a set/costumes and then imagine a story that comes from there? So, I thought, why not experiment with all of that?

Here are the deets I know:

You don’t have to be able to draw. You just need to be up for making marks, cutting out and sticking, thinking about how colours and shape make you feel, be up for playing out and not worrying too much about ‘the finished thing’.In the morning we’ll start off by playing with a ton of paper, glue, cardboard, pictures, newspapers, paint etc. We’ll create mood boards, sets, locations, costumes, ideas for action, events... whatever comes to us.I’ll bring some prompts to get us going. We may work alone or in groups. That’s up to you.We’ll show and share what we’ve got and this will become our inspiration zone.Then in the afternoon we’ll write some scenes / plays / films / poems – whatever - using the stuff we’ve made in the morning as our inspirations.

We may work alone or in groups. That’s up to you.We may then share back what we’ve done. That will also be up to you. I know nothing else. This is a total experiment. So if you come along, expect lots of making it up as we go along.I’ll bring as many materials as I can carry, but do bring stuff to add to the making stuff pile if you can.

Who is this for?

Playwrights, screenwriters, poets, prose-heads. If you like the sound of this, it’s for you.

What to bring:

You.The stuff you like to write with/on.Anything that you think could be useful to draw / make with.Your collaboration pants

What not to bring:

Your perfectionism hat.Your sharp leather jacket full of fear.Your best clothes full stop (probably for the best).

What if we didn't Start with Words?