BAFTA

The writer-directors of The Lego Movie, Cloudy with a Change of Meatballs and upcoming Batman Lego Movie and Star Wars spin-off unpick their collaborative writing process and offer in-depth screenwriting advice.

“Everything is awesome” may be a song title from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s film The Lego Movie (2014), but it could just as easily be used to describe the careers of the writer-director-producer duo right now. The pair, collectively known as Lord Miller, are on the up-and- up, bringing the Midas effect to seemingly every new film they touch. Perhaps a key to this success is their versatility, the ability to switch seamlessly between the guises of writers, directors and producers. They also seem to have an inherent understanding of pop culture and how to imaginatively use it to generate the greatest laughs.

That’s certainly evident in The Lego Movie. It was also a key element in the success of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), the animated film that first set them on their current golden path. Outside of screenwriting, it’s hard to ignore Lord Miller’s other successes. Over the past decade or so, they have co-executive produced 17 episodes (and wrote two) of the How I Met Your Mother; they directed live-action comedy 21 Jump Street (2012) and its sequel 22 Jump Street (2014) and directed and executive produced the pilot episode of the golden globe-winning Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It must all seem a far cry from their days at Dartmouth College in the US, where the pair first met while taking an introductory animation course. This led to jobs developing Saturday morning cartoons for Disney, before they had their first primetime television experience creating Clone High (2000).

Sponsored by The JJ Charitable Trust.

Watch this session on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1Mk7rZhq5Wk

Read the transcript on our website: https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/transcripts/bafta-screenwriters-lecture-series-phil-lord-and-christopher-miller

The Screenwriters' Lectures are presented as originally recorded. Some of the lectures may contain outdated comments or views which some listeners may find insensitive or offensive.

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The writer-directors of The Lego Movie, Cloudy with a Change of Meatballs and upcoming Batman Lego Movie and Star Wars spin-off unpick their collaborative writing process and offer in-depth screenwriting advice.

“Everything is awesome” may be a song title from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s film The Lego Movie (2014), but it could just as easily be used to describe the careers of the writer-director-producer duo right now. The pair, collectively known as Lord Miller, are on the up-and- up, bringing the Midas effect to seemingly every new film they touch. Perhaps a key to this success is their versatility, the ability to switch seamlessly between the guises of writers, directors and producers. They also seem to have an inherent understanding of pop culture and how to imaginatively use it to generate the greatest laughs.

That’s certainly evident in The Lego Movie. It was also a key element in the success of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), the animated film that first set them on their current golden path. Outside of screenwriting, it’s hard to ignore Lord Miller’s other successes. Over the past decade or so, they have co-executive produced 17 episodes (and wrote two) of the How I Met Your Mother; they directed live-action comedy 21 Jump Street (2012) and its sequel 22 Jump Street (2014) and directed and executive produced the pilot episode of the golden globe-winning Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It must all seem a far cry from their days at Dartmouth College in the US, where the pair first met while taking an introductory animation course. This led to jobs developing Saturday morning cartoons for Disney, before they had their first primetime television experience creating Clone High (2000).

Writer-director Park Chan-wook's gives an in-depth look at this career and the craft of screenwriting.

There is nothing quite like entering the dark and twisted worlds of Chan-wook’s films. Breathtakingly beautiful and, at the same time, deeply horrifying, his films are awash with expertly drawn characters, rich environments and nightmarish storylines.

Oldboy (2003) brought Park to international attention. The second part of a loosely connected trilogy, all themed around the concept of vengeance (the other two being Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance [2002] and Lady Vengeance [2005]), Oldboy expertly plays with the emotions and allegiances of its audience.

Park seems to take a gleeful joy in subverting his audiences’ expectations, slowly revealing hidden sides and agendas for his main characters and plot twists that continually surprise. For instance, The Humanist (2001) puts a surprising spin on the blackmail crime genre. I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (2006) challenges preconceptions about mental health, set to a science fiction backdrop. And Thirst (2009) is not your typical vampire horror flick. He’s also not afraid to shock through the use of strong violence and sensually erotic sex.

Writer-director Park Chan-wook's gives an in-depth look at this career and the craft of screenwriting.

There is nothing quite like entering the dark and twisted worlds of Chan-wook’s films. Breathtakingly beautiful and, at the same time, deeply horrifying, his films are awash with expertly drawn characters, rich environments and nightmarish storylines.

Oldboy (2003) brought Park to international attention. The second part of a loosely connected trilogy, all themed around the concept of vengeance (the other two being Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance [2002] and Lady Vengeance [2005]), Oldboy expertly plays with the emotions and allegiances of its audience.

Park seems to take a gleeful joy in subverting his audiences’ expectations, slowly revealing hidden sides and agendas for his main characters and plot twists that continually surprise. For instance, The Humanist (2001) puts a surprising spin on the blackmail crime genre. I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (2006) challenges preconceptions about mental health, set to a science fiction backdrop. And Thirst (2009) is not your typical vampire horror flick. He’s also not afraid to shock through the use of strong violence and sensually erotic sex.

Writer-director Park Chan-wook's gives an in-depth look at this career and the craft of screenwriting.

There is nothing quite like entering the dark and twisted worlds of Chan-wook’s films. Breathtakingly beautiful and, at the same time, deeply horrifying, his films are awash with expertly drawn characters, rich environments and nightmarish storylines.

Oldboy (2003) brought Park to international attention. The second part of a loosely connected trilogy, all themed around the concept of vengeance (the other two being Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance [2002] and Lady Vengeance [2005]), Oldboy expertly plays with the emotions and allegiances of its audience.

Park seems to take a gleeful joy in subverting his audiences’ expectations, slowly revealing hidden sides and agendas for his main characters and plot twists that continually surprise. For instance, The Humanist (2001) puts a surprising spin on the blackmail crime genre. I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (2006) challenges preconceptions about mental health, set to a science fiction backdrop. And Thirst (2009) is not your typical vampire horror flick. He’s also not afraid to shock through the use of strong violence and sensually erotic sex.

Writer-director Park Chan-wook's gives an in-depth look at this career and the craft of screenwriting.

There is nothing quite like entering the dark and twisted worlds of Chan-wook’s films. Breathtakingly beautiful and, at the same time, deeply horrifying, his films are awash with expertly drawn characters, rich environments and nightmarish storylines.

Oldboy (2003) brought Park to international attention. The second part of a loosely connected trilogy, all themed around the concept of vengeance (the other two being Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance [2002] and Lady Vengeance [2005]), Oldboy expertly plays with the emotions and allegiances of its audience.

Park seems to take a gleeful joy in subverting his audiences’ expectations, slowly revealing hidden sides and agendas for his main characters and plot twists that continually surprise. For instance, The Humanist (2001) puts a surprising spin on the blackmail crime genre. I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (2006) challenges preconceptions about mental health, set to a science fiction backdrop. And Thirst (2009) is not your typical vampire horror flick. He’s also not afraid to shock through the use of strong violence and sensually erotic sex.

Sponsored by The JJ Charitable Trust.

Watch this session on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xrDALXwdABs

Read the transcript on our website: https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/transcripts/bafta-screenwriters-lecture-series-park-chan-wook

The Screenwriters' Lectures are presented as originally recorded. Some of the lectures may contain outdated comments or views which some listeners may find insensitive or offensive.

Stay up to date

Twitter:

@BAFTA: https://twitter.com/BAFTA

@BAFTAGames: https://twitter.com/BAFTAGames

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bafta

Instagram: http://instagram.com/bafta

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bafta

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/bafta

sign up for our newsletter: https://www.bafta.org/newsletter

visit our websites to find out more: http://www.bafta.org

#BAFTA

Award-winning screenwriter Louise Ironside (Call the Midwife, The Tunnel, Law & Order UK, Lip Service, Waterloo Road) shares advice on creating and developing on-screen characters, writing for different genres and what makes a script sell.

Part of BAFTA Scotland's Career Close-Up programme supported by Skills Development Scotland.

Award-winning screenwriter Louise Ironside (Call the Midwife, The Tunnel, Law & Order UK, Lip Service, Waterloo Road) shares advice on creating and developing on-screen characters, writing for different genres and what makes a script sell.

Part of BAFTA Scotland's Career Close-Up programme supported by Skills Development Scotland.

Award-winning screenwriter Louise Ironside (Call the Midwife, The Tunnel, Law & Order UK, Lip Service, Waterloo Road) shares advice on creating and developing on-screen characters, writing for different genres and what makes a script sell.

Part of BAFTA Scotland's Career Close-Up programme supported by Skills Development Scotland.

Award-winning screenwriter Louise Ironside (Call the Midwife, The Tunnel, Law & Order UK, Lip Service, Waterloo Road) shares advice on creating and developing on-screen characters, writing for different genres and what makes a script sell.

Part of BAFTA Scotland's Career Close-Up programme supported by Skills Development Scotland.