A film that is a filmmaker's film, a screenwriter's screenplay, and a masterclass in how to keep an audience guessing and on the edge of their seat.
Date: Saturday, April 11th
Time: 14:00 to 15:10
Room: Herringham Hall
Filmed: YES
How do you write a thriller that bends time, fractures reality, and keeps audiences thinking long after the credits roll? In this deep-dive seminar, screenwriter and filmmaker Chris Smith unpacks the craft behind Triangle, widely regarded as a masterclass in intelligent, multi-layered genre storytelling. If you’re drawn to complex narratives, shifting perspectives, and characters navigating extraordinary journeys of discovery, this is an unmissable exploration of how it’s done.
Sophisticated genre films demand more than clever twists. They require precision structure, emotional clarity, and total control of theme, character, and audience expectation. Chris will break down how to design intricate narrative architecture without losing coherence, how to guide viewers through labyrinthine plots and evolving realities while maintaining tension, momentum, and emotional investment.
This session goes beyond theory. It’s a practical examination of how to tackle ambitious concepts, manage complicated story mechanics, and emerge with a screenplay that is both a filmmaker’s film and a screenwriter’s screenplay, elegant, gripping, and relentlessly compelling. If you want to keep audiences guessing while delivering a story that fully earns its revelations, this seminar will sharpen your tools.
Key Outcomes, You Will:
- Understand how to structure complex, multi-layered thrillers without confusing your audience
- Learn techniques for managing time loops, parallel realities, and intricate plot mechanics
- Discover how to balance high-concept storytelling with emotional clarity
- Explore strategies for planting, paying off, and escalating narrative twists
- Gain insight into maintaining tension across sophisticated narrative frameworks
- Learn how to track character arcs within structurally ambitious stories
- Identify common pitfalls when writing intricate genre films, and how to avoid them
- Leave with practical tools to craft intelligent thrillers that reward both first-time viewers and repeat audiences
This is for writers ready to embrace ambitious storytelling, and execute it with precision.
Speakers In This Session
Christopher Smith // Director and Screenwriter
Christopher Smith is a genre-blending British filmmaker acclaimed for crafting intelligent, boundary-pushing horror and thrillers.
Stephen Follows // Film Analyst and Data Researcher
Stephen Follows is a globally recognized film data analyst who helps studios, investors, and filmmakers turn industry insights into strategic advantage.
