Alice on Lowe on Why Weirdness is The Superpower Protecting Creatives from AI

Alice Lowe's Timestalker was one of my favourite films of last year. Wonderfully weird.

On Friday, I had the pleasure of joining a screenwriting masterclass with Alice Lowe, hosted by Arvon. In just two hours, Lowe offered a shot of inspiration straight to the creative bloodstream. Best known for Prevenge and Sightseers, she’s a filmmaker with a singular voice—unapologetically weird, deeply personal, and fiercely intelligent. Her session didn’t just teach craft; it reignited something in me.

“Lean Into Your Weirdness”: A New Era of Storytelling

Lowe specialises in low-budget, genre-defying films that come from a place of idiosyncrasy and emotional truth. I've loved her acting since first seeing her in Garth Marenghi's Dark PLace over 20 years ago. Still one of my favourite TV shows.

Alice spoke about how the film industry is in a strange flux—pressured by algorithms and AI—but the antidote isn’t to chase blockbusters. Instead, it’s to lean into your weirdness, your obsessions, your personal truth. It’s the specificity that breaks through now. Think Kneecap, The Substance, Anora. Not polished, formulaic stories—but raw, rooted, human ones, often from subcultures or marginalised perspectives. She talked about how even the strangest stories have to come back to something human and emotionally resonant.

Characters First. Structure Always.

Rather than starting with plot, she starts with character. Who are they? What do they love? What would be the worst thing that could happen to them? She encouraged us to be brutal to our characters, to push them into crisis—because that’s where story lives.

When it comes to structure, Lowe talked about the importance of doing the "boring building work" before diving into the fun stuff like dialogue or quirky scenes. She frames story arcs in terms of thesis–antithesis–synthesis: a protagonist starts in one state, is forced into a situation that disrupts that state, and must then evolve or collapse in response. She stressed that while structure may feel constraining, it actually gives you the freedom to go wild with content—because audiences will follow you anywhere if they feel safe in the hands of a well-built story.

One of the most valuable takeaways for me was the reminder that passion doesn’t just mean writing about what you love. It can also mean writing about what you hate. The friction creates fire. Lowe fills her creative well with art galleries, theatre, books, and music—anything that stirs something. She resists going to script too early, letting the idea stew and stay fluid before it gets nailed down in black and white. That struck a chord with me. So often I rush to "do" instead of letting myself dream.

Films, Fire, and the First Spark of Something New

Over the weekend, I watched Sightseers and Prevenge, and both were electric. Hilarious, unnerving, and full of depth. They’ve lit a spark in me—not just to write, but to make. I’m starting to feel the itch to bring something to life, maybe a short film. Something small, strange, mine.

Lowe reminded us that even the most original voice can build a career, but only if you do the structural work. “Don’t sabotage your beautiful idea by not doing the work,” she said. That’s stayed with me. You need both the muse and the critic. The inspiration and the discipline. The wild idea and the grounded framework.

So here I am. Notebook open. Playlist on. And the quiet beginnings of something forming.

Time to build the house.