The Wedding Jackpot: A Creative and Critical Investigation of the Farce Genre in the Context of Screenwriting and Feature Film A project submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Sung-Ju Suya Lee BFA, York University, Toronto, Canada MBA, University of Bradford School of Management, Bradford, U.K. School of Media and Communication College of Design and Social Context RMIT University November 2016 Declaration I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work is that of the author alone; the work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to qualify for any other academic award; the content of the project is the result of work which has been carried out since the official commencement date of the approved research program; any editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged; and, ethics procedures and guidelines have been followed. Sung-Ju Suya Lee November 2016 Acknowledgements In what has been an amazing academic journey, I have met many who supported and encouraged me over the half dozen years. First and foremost, I would like to thank my primary supervisor, Associate Professor Craig Batty, for his expert guidance and unwavering belief in me. I was taught what it means to be rigorous, not only in academia, but also in creative practice. He has set a high standard that will be with me forever. It is his lantern that shines a light at the end of the tunnel. I would like to thank my secondary supervisor, Dr Daniel Binns, whose support was much appreciated. His advice and ideas also helped shape my academic rigour and analysis. This journey would not have been possible without Dr Lisa Dethridge, who accepted me into the PhD program at RMIT, and was my first primary supervisor. I thank her for initially guiding the PhD dissertation and for her creative ideas about my screenplay. I thank Dr Stephen Gaunson, who was my initial secondary supervisor as well as being on my subsequent milestone panels, for his concrete and helpful suggestions regarding my dissertation. Next, I would like to thank Dr Leo Berkeley, for being on all my milestone panels, and for offering his insightful and valuable advice. Many thanks are due to the academic and administrative staff at the RMIT School of Media and Communication, especially to the HDR administration team, Alice Black, Corliss Mui Suet Chan and Victoria Tzamouranis. They were always gracious and generous in helping the students. I would like to thank the previous HDR Directors, Associate Professor Angelina Russo and Dr Adrian Danks, for all their leadership, especially having the time for the Media and Communication students. The RMIT research resource centres are owed a huge thanks. Both the Learning and Support Centre, and the On Track programs were a life support over the years. Special thanks are due to both Dr Judy Maxwell and Dr Ken Manson, who helped with the formatting and style of this document. They made time to answer questions and helped in person as well. i I would be amiss if I did not acknowledge the various conferences that I attended, in which I was able to discuss my on-going PhD research such as the 20th Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) Conference 2015 (Swinburne University of Technology) and the 1st Sightlines: Filmmaking in the Academy 2014 Conference (RMIT University). Special thanks to the 22nd Australasian Humour Studies Network (AHSN) Conference (University of Sydney), where I presented my first solo presentation. The critique and suggestions were very helpful from both the professors and fellow students. Special thanks to Associate Professor Craig Batty—again—for founding and facilitating the RMIT’s H.E.L.P. creative writing group. I would like to thank all the past and present student participants for their energy, contribution and insight: Tony, Smiljana, Sian, Tresa, Sophie, Deb, Antonia, Nick, Mattie, Rosie, Megan, Louise and Romana. I learned a lot just by attending, even when I had nothing to submit. Their group critiques and debates always cracked open my creative brain. My gratitude goes out to my many fellow PhD cohorts, from Building #9 and our demolished Building #36. Special thanks to Ahlam Tariq, Yaron Meron, Tresa LeClerc and Garth Sheridan for making the old Building #36 a home away from home. Ahlam was kind enough to take me under her RMIT wing, and offered support as a dear friend. To luke gaspard,1 for being my first friend at RMIT since the orientation, where we were the only two who showed up. Your kindness and your warmth has meant a lot to me. Also thanks goes out to the Melbourne Screenwriters Meetup, especially Valentino Costa, Gene Wayne and Yosarin Blake, who were always gracious and insightful in their screenplay suggestions. It was inspiring and an absolute privilege to be part of this fellowship of other screenwriters. To my beloved friends across the big pond, Michele Alice Gould, Tamara Z. Sanowar Makhan, Miranda Joanne Kwok and Valerie Sing Turner, a big thank you for your 1 Correct spelling, with all lower case for first and last name. ii love and support. Your friendships over the decades have always been a bright spot in my life. To my extended family members and my cousins for your love and encouraging words. Although we have been separated for a long time, your kindness was always appreciated. Special thanks to my Aunt and Uncle Baik in Toronto, for asking about my well-being. I thank my professional RMIT copy editors and proofreaders, Jacinthe Flore and Klare Lanson, for their time and assistance with my dissertation and screenplay (RMIT University—Australian Standards for Editing Practices guidelines). Without your expertise, my writing standards would not be as high as they are. To my wonderful partner, Stephen Edward Ellis, whose love, caring and thoughtfulness is beyond words. These past years were made easier by you being by my side. I will never forget that you made me laugh even when I was going through a hard time on this PhD journey. Often times, you carried me on your shoulder through the trenches to lighten my emotional burden. For that, I truly thank you, my love. Finally, to my parents, Chung Hyo Lee and Bong In Lee, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It is only with your love that I am able to continue and finish this journey. This PhD is dedicated to you both. iii Abstract Despite the genre of farce being old fashioned, it can still pull an audience and make money. This can be shown in the recent box office blockbusters, Bridesmaids (2011) and The Hangover (2009–2013) franchise. Yet, there is a gap in the literature on farce screenwriting, both academically and within industry/professional discourse. For example, despite there being numerous books and texts on comedy theory and comedy writing, there are only a few dozens of available books on theatrical farce. This gap in literature is highlighted in order to help inform comedy and/or genre researchers, and also farce practitioners, which in this case alludes to the screenwriter. This research-led practice PhD in screenwriting consists of two parts: a feature film screenplay, The Wedding Jackpot, and an accompanying critical dissertation that explores, analyses and reflects on the creative process. The screenplay is written in the genre of farce comedy, and explores the efforts of a young woman to find a fake fiancé. The dissertation provides a framework in understanding, guiding and applying farce techniques to the practice of screenwriting. Since there is limited analysis and research from screenwriting and comedy theorists, research led me to the key theatrical genre theorists: Eric Bentley, Albert Bermel and Jessica Milner Davis. Audiences, critics and academics do not generally acknowledge what they are watching as a farce, most preferring to simply categorise it as comedy. Current other types of comedy, including slapstick, satire and parody, feature components of farce. Indeed, some theorists consider these to originate from farce. In this PhD then, Bentley’s ten farce elements have been analysed, compiled and narrowed down to six principles, designed to inform the screenwriter: violence; mocking; humour; plot; characters; and, pacing. I then apply these principles to the analysis of a contemporary produced screenplay case study, Bridesmaids, in order to further understand and examine the mechanisms of farce screenwriting. Finally, I apply the theories and techniques under examination to a discussion of the screenwriting process that I use in my own screenplay. In the Conclusion, I highlight two new story devices that I have created: The Farce Scatter Graph Line Chart and iv The Ping Pong Method. Through this process, my findings seek to address the current gap in the field of farce screenwriting studies, which I hope can be of use to other screenwriters, novelists and authors across different literary and screen forms. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... i Abstract ......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... vi Tables and Charts ....................................................................................................... viii Abbreviations ...............................................................................................................