Too cheeky? Not cheeky enough?
Darling ones,
in response to almost overwhelming demand, oh alright then, Sheikspear, here is my statement of intent for the Athena screenwriting development initiative...
"It occurs to me as I watch films how few of them have truly great complex roles for women. I don’t quite know why this is. I suspect that it is the result of a rather lily-livered constitution on the part of the ‘business’ that feels it must pander to its dream demographic of delirious fanboys who (apparently!) can only handle female complexity if it is willing to teeter about on stack heels and act as support to the main characters as they don improbable body armour and cut a swathe through the baddies. Don’t get me wrong, I like those films too but I think that many of them present good actresses with thankless roles. Surely there’s an audience out there for well-written films that give equal character complexity to men AND women? Why does the foregrounding of one male character mean that the female ‘love interest’ is just a cipher? And no, I don’t think it’s right to reverse the stereotype. So last century.
In conclusion then, I take up the challenge! To write a commercially viable screenplay that speaks to a modern audience that might (gasp!) comprise delirious fanboys AND fangirls, that doesn’t perpetuate the same dreary old clichés of emotionally underdeveloped hero and token woman who has pegged it by the final reel (I’m looking at you, Batman). No stress then…"
in response to almost overwhelming demand, oh alright then, Sheikspear, here is my statement of intent for the Athena screenwriting development initiative...
"It occurs to me as I watch films how few of them have truly great complex roles for women. I don’t quite know why this is. I suspect that it is the result of a rather lily-livered constitution on the part of the ‘business’ that feels it must pander to its dream demographic of delirious fanboys who (apparently!) can only handle female complexity if it is willing to teeter about on stack heels and act as support to the main characters as they don improbable body armour and cut a swathe through the baddies. Don’t get me wrong, I like those films too but I think that many of them present good actresses with thankless roles. Surely there’s an audience out there for well-written films that give equal character complexity to men AND women? Why does the foregrounding of one male character mean that the female ‘love interest’ is just a cipher? And no, I don’t think it’s right to reverse the stereotype. So last century.
In conclusion then, I take up the challenge! To write a commercially viable screenplay that speaks to a modern audience that might (gasp!) comprise delirious fanboys AND fangirls, that doesn’t perpetuate the same dreary old clichés of emotionally underdeveloped hero and token woman who has pegged it by the final reel (I’m looking at you, Batman). No stress then…"
Comments
Piers that is brilliant! I remember Robin posting about this test on his blog a while back.
Jurgen, thanks for stopping by and for your good wishes.
As the song says "Here come the girls..."