Disrupting the self: script development within the academy

ABSTRACT Screenwriting within the Academy creates opportunities for female writers to question and challenge traditional and industrial approaches to script development. The two writer-researchers use critical conversation as a form of collaborative reflection to examine how personal experiences inform their script development processes. Situating the creative practice within the context of research reveals how the reflexive approach to script development can unearth broader concerns regarding agency and representations of female characters on screen. Sue Cake identifies how writing narrative comedy became an act of disruption against the neoliberal corporatisation of education. A kind of self-disruption occurred as the insights gained from parodying powerful emotional experiences led to a transformative shift in her perspective of those experiences. For Louise Sawtell, reflecting on key memories and experiences prompted her to develop female-driven narratives that expand the scope of representation for under-represented female protagonists. She weaves memory and imagination together to innovate the form and structure of an anthology film. This article argues that the Academy is a critical site for female screenwriting researchers to explore and disrupt dominant script development practices.