THEORY & CRAFT SEMINAR: CRAFTING THE ROM-COM SERIES

This seven-session class will take place WEDNESDAYS AT 5PM PT/8PM ET OVER ZOOM, FROM JUNE 17 THROUGH AUGUST TK. Sessions will be approximately two hours and will be recorded in case you have to miss one. Sessions will not always be weekly; when there is more to watch you will get more time. 

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Do you love rom-coms? Do you love them on TV? This class is designed to take you deeper than ever into what makes your favorite rom-com series tick — and to help you discover new ones to add to your watchlist. THEORY & CRAFT SEMINAR: CRAFTING THE ROM-COM SERIES is geared for those who want to write TV, but also for anyone who wants to write about it, or who even just want to develop a deeper relationship with the media they consume. 

This class is brought to you by Alanna Bennett, a screenwriter, author, journalist, and TV fangirl who has approached this topic from all the aforementioned perspectives. Alanna wrote about TV for years as a culture writer, and now she makes TV herself, including for XO KITTY, ROSWELL NEW MEXICO, and THE SECOND BEST HOSPITAL IN THE GALAXY. 

What hooks us into a good romance show? What keeps us in our seats episode after episode, break-up after break-up? We will explore how shows like HEATED RIVALRY, YOUNGER, INSECURE, and LOVESICK keep us fed with (extremely messy) love stories for the ages. We'll hash out exactly what worked for us and what didn't, what made us swoon and what gave us the ick. 

You will leave this class with a deeper understanding of what makes a love story epic and memorable — and the importance of balancing romance with constant creampies to the face (no pun intended re: that one episode of INSECURE). We will also discuss how we (as audience & creator) can move the genre forward, incorporating viewpoints, identities, and experience we have even gotten to see on TV yet. 

Alanna will do her best to include BONUS TALKS FROM VOICES BEHIND SOME OF OUR FAVORITES, as well as craft & industry Q&As with Alanna. 

SHOWS IN THE SYLLABUS:

• Heated Rivalry

• Lovesick 

• Insecure 

• Younger

• Crash Landing On You

SCHEDULE:

WEEK ONE: THE HOOK (June 17)

Every show needs a concept to draw people in. We will study various approaches to hooking your audience with love, sex, and mischief.

• Younger (pilot & 1x03) 

• Heated Rivalry (pilot)

• Crash Landing On You (pilot)

• Lovesick (pilot) 

WEEK TWO: CRAFTING YOUR CAST OF CHARACTERS: (July 1)

Often what resonates the most in these series is their ensembles. Friend love stories can sit side by side with romance. During this week we'll talk about what makes us fall in love with a character or a set of characters — and how to turn that into an iconic series. 

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no session on June 24, so as to give people time to watch the below. Students are welcome/encouraged to communicate their thoughts on the episodes with each other as they watch; there will be a forum on Discord designed for this. 

• Lovesick (season 1) 

• Insecure (1x01) 

• Younger (1x05 & 1x08)

• Crash Landing On You (1x02, 1x03, 1x04)

• Heated Rivalry (1x02 & 1x03)

WEEK THREE: IT'S TIME TO AMP THINGS UP: (July 8)

Every good romance needs a build-up — whether that's a slow burn or a build-up to a break-up. We'll look at a few different examples of how you can get the audience at the edge of their seat — and then either reward them or destroy their hopes and dreams. 

• Crash Landing On You (1x04 & 1x05)

• Younger (1x11 & 1x12)

• Insecure (1x05)

WEEK FOUR: IT'S TIME TO AMP THINGS UP PART 2: (July 15)

Every good romance needs a build-up — whether that's a slow burn or a build-up to a break-up. We'll look at a few different examples of how you can get the audience at the edge of their seat — and then either reward them or destroy their hopes and dreams. 

• Heated Rivalry (1x04)

• Lovesick (season 2) (2.5 hours)

• Younger (2x01 & 2x05)

WEEK FIVE: TURN THE KNIFE: (July 22)

The break-ups have gotta happen, and they've gotta hurt. We'll dissect how to make these explosions hit hard — and how the results can take your characters to great new places. 

• Heated Rivalry (1x05)

• Insecure (1x07) (30 mins)

• Younger (2x08)

• Crash Landing On You (1x06 & 1x07)

WEEK SIX: GETTIN' HEATED & GETTIN' MESSY: (July 29)

This is a bit of a miscellaneous week! We will be discussing one-off love interests in shows, and how to make them memorable. But we'll also just be having fun with some episodes! 

• Younger (2x09, 2x11, 2x12)

• Crash Landing On You (1x08, 1x09, 1x10)

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no session on August 5, so as to give people time to watch the below.

WEEK SEVEN: STICKING THE LANDING: (August 12)

It's kind of the entire point of TV as an artform: Unlike in movies you get to sit with these characters over a period of time. You get to watch them grow, and hurt, and CHANGE. For our final session we'll be discussing how to do that without losing the essence that drew us into their stories in the first place. 

• Lovesick (season 3) (2.5 hours)

• Insecure (4x08) (30 mins)

• Heated Rivalry (1x06)

• Crash Landing On You (1x11)