Once upon a time there were movies about men who saved the world and women who stood on the sideline and shouted, “Way to go!” And there were romantic dramas and romantic comedies about women who cared about love and almost nothing else. And there were animated movies about princesses who waited around until a man came along to kiss them.
Then one day everyone woke up and decided it wasn’t a good idea for our female characters to be so passive, so the women turned into action stars and the animated princesses turned into warrior princesses or sometimes just warriors. Whatever the men were doing in a movie, the women had to do it too, only better. Love stories and romantic comedies were deemed a thing of the past that sent the wrong message (i.e., that love matters more than anything else).
But – What if women really like love stories? And what if girls really like princesses? Is that so wrong? And what if love really does matter more than anything else? Is it OK for our female characters to cry once in a while? Is it OK for them to wear sexy outfits? Should a female character’s dialogue be indistinguishable from a male character’s dialogue? And is it a better message if the female characters are just as good at fighting and killing as the guys?
Let’s try to figure it out. This isn’t a speech, it’s a conversation, because we all need to share our convictions and confusions with each other.
Presented by the Black List and the WGAw Committee of Women Writers
FAQ
PARKING: Parking is $6 flat on evening and weekends in the adjacent lot or in the lot across the street. Limited street parking is available in the neighborhood.
WAITLIST: Tickets often sell out, so in order to get as many people into the theater as possible, we have a wait list policy. Starting at 6:45PM, you can line up outside the Writers Guild theater. At 7:20PM, we will start selling tickets for the remaining seats to people in the waitlist line.
ABOUT LINDSAY DORAN
Lindsay Doran has worked in the movie business for more than 30 years as a studio executive and as a producer. She has served as the President and COO of United Artists Pictures and as the President of Sydney Pollack’s Mirage Productions. She currently divides her time between her producing duties and her work as “The Script Whisperer®” – story consultation for studios on high priority script development. Although much of her consulting work is anonymous, she is allowed to say that she’s worked on all of the Phil Lord/Chris Miller movies including the Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”
Lindsay’s first film credit was as Executive in Charge of Production on the mock-documentary “This is Spinal Tap.” As a producer, her credits include “Dead Again,” “Sense and Sensibility,” “Nanny McPhee” and “Stranger Than Fiction.” She is currently in the early stages of producing a stage musical adaptation of Nanny McPhee, written and directed by Emma Thompson.
As an executive, Lindsay worked on dozens of films including “The Sure Thing,” “Stand By Me,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Planes Trains and Automobiles,” “The Naked Gun,” “Pet Sematary,” “Ghost,” “The Thomas Crown Affair,” “The World is Not Enough” and “Tomorrow Never Dies.”
She is an Oscar nominee and the winner of numerous awards including the Golden Globe Best Picture Award and the British Academy Award for Best Film, both for “Sense and Sensibility.” More recently she received the Pioneer Award from the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center for “igniting a movement toward Positive Film.”
Lindsay tries to be guided by the Three Rules of Drama, found in an ancient text, as the basis for what motion picture entertainment ought to be:
#1 It must be arresting and amusing to the drunk.
#2 It must address the question, “How should we live?”
#3 It must address the question, “How does the universe work?”
Simultaneously, she tries to be guided by the three rules of scene writing, found in the less ancient writings of David Mamet, regarding the three questions that must be answered in every scene:
#1 Who wants what?
#2 What happens if he or she doesn’t get it?
#3 Why now?
ABOUT THE COMMITTEE OF WOMEN WRITERS
This committee represents the interests of female WGAW writers who are seeking WGA-covered work. We sponsor events designed to increase our knowledge of the craft and the marketplace, discuss the role of women as storytellers and foster networking and collaboration between women in all Guilds, as well as increase opportunities for education, employment opportunities and creative expression. Our goal is to empower all writers and improve the profile and perception of Women writers in the industry.
Note: Ticket fee exists only to cover the cost of the venue graciously offered by the WGA at a discount. Neither Lindsay Doran nor the Black List will benefit from this event. Any proceeds earned from the event will be donated to Young Storytellers.
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