Announcing our next In-Person Workshop
Fangs on the Inside: Creating Compelling Human Monsters
Simon Herbert
About Simon Herbert
Simon Herbert, in addition to being an Instructor on the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA, and the MFA in Graduate Screenwriting at Hollins, VA, Simon is an indie filmmaker whose feature film “Savageland” (2018) is available via Terror Films internationally on most streaming platforms. It has won nine “Best of” awards on the film festival circuit, including “Best Director” at the New Orleans Horror film Festival and “Best Overall Feature” at Genre Blast.
His most recent project, the vertical drama “Gaslit” will be in production summer 2025.
Simon specializes in thriller, noir, horror and suspense (in the shadows, basically, where the bad’uns live…).
Description of talk:
Who doesn't love Heath Ledger's "Joker" even more than Christian Bale's "Batman"? Not just audiences, but producers are actively searching for dramatic scripts to find truly compelling new psychopaths... for the next Anton Chiguhr or Travis Bickle.
Supernatural creatures may seem terrifying in their own way... but it's easier to run from them because you can seem them coming. In some ways, the human monster is far scarier: a character with a terrible internal struggle, but on the outside, they look just like you and I do.
From Peeping Tom to The Piano Teacher to Mephisto to Dead Ringers, this lecture will celebrate what makes a remarkable filmic antagonist.
Takeaways:
- Creating truly memorable and disturbing new characters/villains designed to attract A-list talent to screenplays
- Specific scene analysis and construction
- Analysis of outcasts and social identify: hysteria, toxic masculinity, fear of the Other
- Creating sympathy for even the most irredeemable souls (they don't see themselves as the bad guy!)
- Group contributions in terms of favored deliciously dark rascals!
REGISTER
To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration.
We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.
Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m.
Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.
Event Contact: Jayce Carter
hfheyns@gmail.com
