BAFTA Screenwriters Lecture: John Logan
On Tuesday 20th September, BAFTA held another Screenwriter Lecture. The speaker was John Logan.
- #BAFTAwriters curator Jeremy Brock opened proceedings & welcomed John Logan to the stage @BFI http://yfrog.com/mnlrpxj
Logan worked 10yrs in a book shop before his 1st break writing but insists; "during that time I learned how to do my job" #BAFTAwriters- Logan stressed that writers must study the continuum of what went before & learn how drama has been shaped over the centuries #BAFTAwriters
- Logan rises at 4am to begin writing; "the hush of silence is very conducive to my work. A 1st draft requires total immersion" #BAFTAwriters
- For Logan, confidence is key; "everyday I convince myself I'm writing King Lear. I'm wring the greatest thing ever written" #BAFTAwriters
- Knowing the ending is essential to Logan but he also warned writers to give themselves the "freedom to take unforeseen turns" #BAFTAwriters
- Logan admitted; "some of my 1st draft scripts are monstrously long but you need to get everything out & explore" #BAFTAwriters
- Logan advised writers "to reach for the big line. Audiences are drawn to the aspiration, to that big moment"' #BAFTAwriters
- "I couldn't write a rom-com to save my life. I couldn't watch a rom-com to save my life. It's just not my gig" Logan on genre #BAFTAwriters
- During the research process Logan spends "every moment looking for that telling detail that could become a scene" #BAFTAwriters
- Logan has some interesting projects coming up...
- At tonight's #BAFTAwriters lecture John Logan revealled that he's in negotiation to begin work on a BBC mini-series but that's all he let on
- Logan was also tight lipped about Bond 23; "I can't say anything. If I did Dame Judy Dench would come running in & kill me" #BAFTAwriters
- It was another packed lecture. Thanks to all who came...
@mark_salisbury @BAFTA @BFI @AdamsLaura Thanks for an insightful and inspiring event last night. John Logan is a wonder! #writersonwriting
good feedback from the John Logan talk, hear he gave some great advice on dialogue, gutted I missed it #BAFTAwriters- Don't worry too much if you missed it! We'll be putting footage from all the Screenwriters' Lectures up on our website in the near future.
- Coming up...
Monday 26 SeptemberThe Screenwriters' Lecture Series: Guillermo Arriaga19:00 BST at BFI.Tuesday 27 SeptemberThe Screenwriters' Lecture Series: Frank Cottrell Boyce19:00 at BAFTAFurther info here:http://www.bafta.org/whats-on/
