Masters Degrees (Script)

This programme focuses on the creative, analytical and professional aspects of script writing, in the context of the contemporary film, television and radio industries- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-script-writing/

The MA Script Writing is accredited by Skillset (further to the Department's accreditation as a Skillset Media Academy) and currently receives funding to support some student bursaries.

The programme is ideal if you already have some writing experience, but want to develop professional skills and expertise as screen or radio script writers.

Develop your writing and story ideas

It's geared towards developing each student's own writing and distinctive voice, to enable you to pitch for employment and production funding in a highly competitive industry. The programme will help you develop your own story ideas to end up with a second draft dialogue script as the major part of your portfolio. It's a very intensive course designed to take your writing as far and as fast as it's possible to go within twelve months. Only about twelve students are accepted each year.

There is no preferred medium (film, television or radio), genre or style. That is up to you. There tends to be a wide range of students in terms of age, background and writing experience. But it is not a programme for students who want to try writing, but for those who are committed to developing their writing skills.

You complete the programme with a feature film or equivalent television or radio script. You also gain knowledge of the film, television or radio industries and some of the contacts necessary to market your projects.

A supportive and stimulating environment

The teaching for the practice courses (long form script, short script and script editing) takes place in workshops in which students share their own work and comment on each others. The programme is designed to provide a supportive, stimulating and constructively critical environment for all students to do their very best work.

Once you have made your application, if you would like to find out more about what its like actually being on the MA, please email the programme convenor to arrange a visit to meet some of the current students.

Programme highlights include

-All scripts in the short script module receive a reading from professional actors. These scripts are also eligible for the Goldsmiths Short Script Competition, from which four are chosen for MA Filmmaking students’ final productions each year – and shown at BAFTA
-There is a mentorship scheme in place whereby students select and approach a mentor with the support of the programme convenor
-Specially invited industry speakers for the Olive Till memorial lecture each year. These have included Sir Alan Parker, the late Anthony Minghella, Michael Winterbottom, Gurinder Chadha, Danny Boyle, Stephen Frears, Paul Greengrass, Noel Clarke and Tim Bevan. Also there are visiting guest lecturer and masterclasses from Linda Aronson, Stewart Till, and others.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Julian Henriques.

Modules & Structure

A core course is designed to give you the skills and understanding required to develop your Treatment for a feature film or equivalent television or radio script. The course is taught mostly with workshops, in which you present and discuss your own work with other students in a supportive environment. There are also class exercises, lectures, screenings, master classes, seminars and individual tutorials.

Starting in the Spring Term, the course then develops your Treatment into a second draft feature script (or its equivalent).

You'll then be able to pick from a selection of option modules.

Assessment

You are assessed on your portfolio, which consists of your long form treatment and second draft feature script or equivalent, your 4,000-word Reflection essay on this script, linked to issues in Media and Culture and a radio script adapted from a source text. In addition, depending on your options, your portfolio could also include a 10-12 page short script or script-editing proposal and coverage. Other modules are assessed by 5-6,000-word essays.

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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The Diploma in Script Development is the only comprehensive vocational programme in script development in the UK.

-The world's first Diploma course in Script Development.
-Taught programme and practical development project with a screenwriter.
-Part-time, evening course.
-Access to new screenwriters.
-Regular Industry speakers.

COURSE OVERVIEW

A unique programme, the Diploma in Script Development is the only comprehensive vocational course in script development in the UK. This course offers a brilliant opportunity to grow the skills to develop for film and TV. It was launched in 2003 and has since trained some 150 people, most of which are successfully working in the UK or international film industry as developers for film and/or TV drama projects or as creative producers and a few are successfully writing drama.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES

The NFTS want to encourage applications from the brightest and best talent out there….from all backgrounds. We are actively seeking to redress imbalances within the Industry by encouraging applications from under-represented groups, and have bursaries of £1500 on offer to 5 of the successful candidates. Bursaries will be awarded to stand out talent who can demonstrate that without this funding they would not be able to afford the course, or who can demonstrate they bring a unique and distinct perspective to the course.

CURRICULUM

The programme covers:
-Story and Genre Theory
-Script analysis and script report writing
-Assessing and developing screenwriting craft skills
-Negotiating development meetings
-Detailed story development practice
-Assessing treatments and other short documents
-Adaptations - including legal and copyright issues
-The Industrial environment - development in its context
-Guest speakers from the public sector, agents, lawyers, independent producers
-Europe and the role of international film festivals
-Distribution and Marketing

The Final Project
At the beginning of the summer term, students are paired with a new screenwriter for a Final Development Project. Over six months, the student and writer will work together through two drafts and two development meetings. This project is closely supervised and intended to be a useful and practical experience for both the developer and the writer.

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The Advanced Television and Film – Script to Screen program at Centennial College offers a comprehensive, in-depth and hands-on understanding of what goes into developing and producing quality feature films and TV shows.

This multidisciplinary, two-semester post-graduate Advanced Television and Film program — facilitated by the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design in the hub of Toronto's film and television district — is especially beneficial for writers, directors, producers, editors, actors and other film and television craftspeople who want to expand their knowledge of the industry.

The major focus of the program's first semester is on creating, pitching, outlining, developing, drafting and polishing production-ready short film scripts. During the second semester, you have the opportunity to prepare, perform in, shoot and/or post a number of these shows.

Additionally, the Advanced Television and Film - Script to Screen program sees you deconstructing classic films, television shows and scripts of all genres. The program also provides opportunities to receive advanced instruction from industry professionals in your major and minor areas of craft interest along with extensive employment information.

Career Opportunities

Program Highlights
-The Advanced Television and Film – Script to Screen program is unique among the few other post-graduate film and television offerings currently available in the Greater Toronto Area.
-Instead of streaming you into master classes immediately, the first semester ensures that you obtain a solid working knowledge of everyone's role on a film or television production.
-The amount of foundational lessons included in the offering allows you to better collaborate, improvise, problem-solve and empathize with your fellow cast and crew members.
-The program focuses on dramatic filmmaking, comedy and several other genres. The program does not, however, include documentary filmmaking.
-The time and effort devoted to script development in the first semester and production and post-production in the second results in higher quality student films than are customarily produced — at a time when student films continue to be key to gaining a foothold in the business.

Career Outlook
-Director
-Assistant director
-Trainee assistant director
-Personal assistant to the director
-Cinematographer
-Camera operator
-Assistant camera operator
-Lighting and grip department technician
-Lighting or grip assistant
-Dolly grip
-Audio technician
-Assistant audio technician
-Producer
-Associate producer
-Production manager
-Production coordinator
-Assistant production coordinator
-Production assistant
-Location coordinator or assistant
-Office assistant
-Personal assistant to the producer
-Screenwriter
-Script coordinator/story department coordinator
-Trainee/junior story editor/story researcher
-Personal assistant to the showrunner
-Script reader
-Editor
-Assistant editor
-Sound editor
-Assistant sound editor
-Personal assistant to the series lead/star

Areas of Employment
-Production companies
-Broadcast networks
-Other industry-related organizations

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This new, tailor-made course is delivered in partnership with the BBC and is designed to thoroughly train participants in becoming a key member of a drama or entertainment production team.

Participants will learn from practical hands-on workshops and through on set and in studio experience on a range of drama and entertainment projects. This will ensure that participants leave the course with the practical experience for starting out in the professional world.

The Script Supervisor’s role is an exciting, varied and demanding job requiring many skills for being part of the production team, working closely with directors and producers, interacting with performers and programme participants, and providing accurate information on location, in the studio gallery and for the edit suite.

COURSE OVERVIEW

The Script Supervisor is a key member of the production team, preparing and providing scripts, running orders, camera cards and information, prior to a rehearsal, recording or shooting day. In the studio, they keep the production team informed through cueing, timings, shotcalling, liaising with presentation, and maintaining an accurate log. They support the director and producer and are responsible for getting live transmission programmes on and off air. On single camera shoots, they are vital for continuity, keeping track of takes, timings, shooting angles, costume and make-up notes and props information essential for the editor.

To do this role, you will need to:
-Be calm and level-headed
-Work well as part of a fast-moving team
-Have exceptional organisational and time-management skills
-Be able to work to a deadline
-Pay close attention to accuracy and detail
-Be an excellent communicator
-Be adaptable to changing circumstances
-Multi-task
-Have a positive attitude
-Cope well under pressure
-Have stamina for long days and hard work

CURRICULUM

This course has been developed due to industry demand and combines practical experience on film shoots with NFTS student directors on fiction films, and in the studio with NFTS Television Entertainment student directors on their entertainment shows, using the recently refurbished 4k multi-camera television studio gallery. There is time for learning to use script packages such as Adobe Story and BBC Scriptwriter, lectures on all aspects of the job involving different genres of programmes, guest speakers and site visits to other television companies and media providers.

The course is three months, based at the NFTS and divided into three sections:

Weeks 1 - 4 Full-time lectures & practical exercises covering studio and film work.

Weeks 5 - 8 On location continuity experience working on two films each

Weeks 9 - 12 Practical experience for studio-based programmes plus additional lectures and site visits.

Specifically students will learn about:
-Script layouts, call sheets, breakdowns, running orders
-Shot lists, storyboards, recording orders, shooting orders
-Setting up a production
-Script packages
-Gallery techniques (e.g. calling shots, running EVS, using a stopwatch)
-Live programmes
-Music programmes (e.g. script styles & methods)
-Bar counting
-Studio drama techniques
-Continuity for film and single camera
-Post production and editing

There will be visiting lecturers, professionals in the industry, talking about their experiences and giving advice on methods and the latest techniques. Also, practical exercises and opportunities to work in the role on other student courses.

NFTS BENEFITS

Course participants will have full access to the NFTS facilities including: Cinema Club, Screen Arts and NFTS Masterclasses.

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Our MA Scriptwriting is an intensive, practical course designed to produce professional writers and compelling scripts. It will take your writing to the highest level, and allow you to develop clear strategies for professional success. With a combination of expert guidance and peer-group workshopping, we encourage you to develop your unique voice while meeting the demands of a highly competitive industry.

We cover all media, including theatre, radio, film and television, and offer extensive training in professional skills. By the end of the course, you’ll have a comprehensive portfolio of original work, a finished script to professional standards, industry connections and a fully realised showcase presentation.

COURSE STRUCTURE

You’ll hone your writing for performance skills, while also acquiring the necessary professional knowledge needed to negotiate the industry.

Alongside completing a minimum of three polished scripts for theatre, radio and TV/film, you’ll meet scriptwriting agents and industry specialists and learn how best to pitch your work in a highly competitive field.

We recognise the importance of equipping you, as a scriptwriter, with the knowledge of how to produce your work. You’ll have the opportunity to record your own radio plays, stage your theatre pieces and shoot and edit your TV/Film projects within our supportive environment.

MODULES

In Craft, you'll learn the key components of a script, including structure, characterisation, visual storytelling and dialogue.

Writing for Theatre and Radio is a comprehensive guide to writing for these important media. You’ll prepare a script for each.

Develop your professional writing career in Professional Skills. Learn to prepare proposal documents, to pitch ideas, and to make connections in the industry.

Screenwriting is an in-depth course in writing for film and television. You’ll prepare a single script for either medium.

In Showcase Presentation, you'll write and produce a finished 15 minute piece in any narrative media for public presentation.

In Final Script, you'll prepare a calling card script in the medium of your choice, taken to the highest professional standard.

For more information on modules you can view the course handbook via our website: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-scriptwriting/

TEACHING METHODS

The course is modular and can be undertaken as either full or part-time study. Part-time students take the Dramatic Structure and Writing for the Screen modules in their first year and Theatre and Radio, Professional Skills and Final Script in their second year.

Modules are taught over three weekends of intensive tutor-led workshops.

ASSESSMENT

You’ll be assessed by coursework and practical presentation. In the first two trimesters work will be assessed as work in progress. Your final assessment is based on three assignments: a final script (60%); a practical realisation of your work (30%); and a pitch (10%).

For more information on assessment please visit our website: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-scriptwriting/

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Many of our graduates succeed with their career goals. Some have careers as professional Scriptwriters while others work in script editing, theatre and film criticism or education.

Our students have gone on to have their work produced and some have even managed to do this while still completing their MA. Others have found work within the script departments of TV/film and theatre companies while others work as script readers, theatre/film reviewers and as creative writing tutors.

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Create a portfolio of scripts, develop skills in writing, editing and project development and gain working knowledge of the film, television and digital fiction industries.

MA Screenwriting was launched at Edinburgh Napier in 2006 and has adapted and developed since to remain one of the strongest screenwriting Masters courses on offer in the UK. The degree is accredited by Creative Skillset and taught at Screen Academy Scotland - one of only three Creative Skillset Film Academies in the UK and the only one outside London.

While the course is primarily for aspiring screenwriters, it is also aimed at those interested in script editing, script development and creative producing.

Teaching staff are working screenwriters and producers and there are regular visits from professional writers, producers, directors and those working in script editing and development.

See the website http://www.napier.ac.uk/en/Courses/MA-Screenwriting-Postgraduate-FullTime

What you'll learn

The course has developed a strong international profile, attracting a diverse range of students and as a student at Screen Academy Scotland you will be part of a large and thriving film community.

Collaboration is encouraged and our MA Screenwriters work closely with students on the MA Film programme as well as students at Edinburgh College of Art.

The course will develop skills in screenwriting, creativity, analytical thinking, academic writing, professional writing for film (script reports, coverage), editing and developmental skills.

In summary, the MA Screenwriting:
• takes a general approach across film, television and other media
• develops the core craft skills for screenwriting
• enhances script editing and story development skills
• places teaching and student work in an industry context
• introduces students to staff and industry guests working as writers, producers, directors and in script development at a high, professional level

The course is taught two days a week (currently Thursdays and Fridays). Part-time students attend classes on Thursdays in Year 1 and Fridays in Year 2.

You may also take this course as a Postgraduate Certificate (distance learning). Details: http://www.napier.ac.uk/courses/pgcert-screenwriting-postgraduate-distance-learning-part-time

Modules

• Writing and Screen Project Development (craft skills)
• Business of Screen Project Development (industry context)
• Script Workshop 1 and 2 (practical screenwriting)
• Script to Screen (theory and critique)
• Interactive Media or Graphic Fiction
• Major Project (feature film or long form TV script)

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Careers

Our students have gone on to success in various competitions, winning the PAGE International Screenwriting Award for five years. Former graduates work as self-employed writers for television drama and have gone on to find agents. Others are working professionally in script development and production.

You can find more details on the Screen Academy Scotland website http://www.screenacademyscotland.ac.uk/

How to apply

http://www.napier.ac.uk/study-with-us/postgraduate/how-to-apply

SAAS Funding

Nothing should get in the way of furthering your education. Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) awards funding for postgraduate courses, and could provide the help you need to continue your studies. Find out more: http://www.napier.ac.uk/study-with-us/postgraduate/fees-and-funding/saas-funded-courses

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Master's degree programmes in Creative Writing have been offered here since 1997 and have attracted students from a range of backgrounds and experiences – from recent graduates to mature students with a wealth of life experience. This programme is designed for committed writers who wish to complete significant pieces of work and generally broaden their experience as writers.

Course Overview

The MA in Creative and Scriptwriting provides the opportunity to specialise in creative writing for film, TV or theatre. The overall aim of the programme is to equip students with the ability to hone their screen, dramatic or other writing skills, with a particular understanding of commercial contexts and to develop areas of creativity at an advanced level. In all cases the emphasis is on developing the individual student's creative expression. There is no attempt to impose a house style.

The programme provides the opportunity to work with internationally recognised dramatists and screen writers as well as with writers with expertise in other genres of creative writing. The dissertation element of the programme will enable you to develop a full script, reflecting both creative and commercial imperatives, building upon exercises in dramatic writing developed through the screenwriting and workshop modules.

The MA has responded to the explosion of online publishing by supporting students in publication and promotion. The course is delivered by a mixture of professional writers and academics who prepare you for the realities of a hugely competitive market. You will learn how to prepare manuscripts, to approach publishers, and, increasingly important, to market yourself.

The School and the University support a number of reading and social events in which students are encouraged to participate. We also support the student-led design, production, publication and promotion of the well-received online journal The Lampeter Review. As a result of this activity several former students now work in publishing and we are proud of our excellent track record of student publishing success.

Modules

-Approaches to Creative Writing
-Writing Workshop: Research and Writing
-Writing Workshop: Writing and Context
-Writers World
-Screenwriting
-Creative Project (Dissertation)

Key Features

-The programmes are delivered on the University’s campus in Lampeter. They are taught through seminars, small workshops and individual tutorials and supervision that enable detailed and personalised feedback.
-Access to a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) enables additional learning, especially work-shopping, to take place outside the sessions and supports the development of a mutually supportive cohort of committed writers. Graduates from the programmes have gone on to become successful and prize-winning authors.
-The MA programmes also offer students the opportunity to write and discuss their work through the medium of Welsh should they wish to do so.
-The programme is based upon an established pool of expertise in related concerns, and covers a range of projects undertaken over a number of years.
-Staff are active publishers and practitioners in their own right

Assessment

There are no examinations. All modules are assessed by original creative assignments supported by reflective and developmental material: logs, journals, treatments, reviews proposals. The Creative Project provides the opportunity for students to develop a substantial piece of work to publishable standard.

Career Opportunities

-Professional Writers
-Editors
-Publishers
-Marketing
-Expert tuition from professional writers, poets, novelists, dramatists, script-writers
-An opportunity to learn about publishing through the design and production of the digital journal, The Lampeter Review
-An opportunity to read your work at such events as the Hay Festival
-Programme delivered on our beautiful and inspiring campus in Lampeter

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PLEASE NOTE: This course will run in September 2016

This is an innovative course, taught over four, week-long residential retreats over one year (full time) and will commence in September - some of these are in Central London, others in beautiful Egham Campus near Windsor.

Between retreats the course is run via distance-learning with a website, chat room and e-tutorials. This makes it possible for those living outside the UK, and those with busy working lives, for instance freelancers and those in the film and TV industries, to take time out to attend. We have a wide variety of students on the course including established actors, comedy writers, editors, producers, novelists and many others.

During the MASTFiR course (MA in Screenwriting for Televion and Film - Retreat) you will cover writing for feature film and television as well as new developments such as web drama. You will develop a range of ideas, then go on to write film and television outlines, and several drafts of a feature film screenplay, a TV single drama, or a TV series or serial bible and sample episodes. You will be immersed in a creative atmosphere conducive to concentrated learning and group interaction; a core unit is the Development Lab, where you will present your work in progress to the group for criticism and feedback, and experiment with co-writing.

You will also meet and work with industry and independent producers, directors, agents, writers and actors to provide a production context. We have recently had guests from Working Title, Channel Four, the BBC, Script Factory, Blake Friedmann Agency and many others.

See the website https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/mediaarts/coursefinder/mascreenwritingfortelevisionandfilmretreat.aspx

Why choose this course?

- in the fast-changing world of digital drama, new media and new film markets, you will become skilled in producing strong and original fiction writing.

- the course director is Ivan Levene, a practising screenwriter and script editor with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He currently has two produced feature films, and has been involved in the development of numerous other film and TV projects, including a recent major international release. Before this he worked in acquisitions and development, advancing over £15m of film and TV production from inception to marketplace. Current commissions include a supernatural thriller with Matthew Rhys, and a biopic set in Gilded Age New York about Harriet Hubbard Ayer - socialite, proto-feminist, and the first person to create an international cosmetics business.

- teaching television is screenwriting lecturer Adam Ganz, whose TV credits include Pillow Talk and Murder Without Motive; and guest lecturing in television are Gillian Gordon and Jonathan Powell.

- despite the first students only graduating in 2008, we have already had a host of successes with many of our students finding success in the industry.

- you will meet and work with industry and independent producers, directors, agents, writers and actors to provide a production context. We have recently had guests from Working Title, Channel Four, the BBC, Script Factory, Blake Friedmann Agency and many others.

Department research and industry highlights

- the MA Screenwriting for Television and Film Retreat course (MASTFiR) only began graduating students in 2008 but already we have had a host of successes - Janice Hallett's feature screenplay Retreat is now being shot in Canada with a star cast; Olivia Wakeford has a writing credit on the feature film Baseline (2009) and several writers have gained agents and development commissions. Kay Stonham has work commissioned by the BBC and two of our younger writers are working on a C5 youth drama series. Adam Rolston has had a highly successful musical on Doris Day's life performed at a variety of London venues. Many students have won festival awards for their short films.

Course content and structure

You will study four core course units.

Core course units:
Script Craft
This unit will focus on the acquisition of basic writing skills, and is a gateway to the ‘Story and Theme’ unit. You will explore the specifics of scene and dialogue construction, formatting and issues around research and around adaptation from source materials – e.g. plays, novels and news stories.

Story and Theme
This unit teaches the essential components of story and structure, the specific language of film storytelling and genre. It will include lectures, screenings of films and extracts, and individual and group analysis of films. You will produce ideas, formal outlines and a feature-length screenplay or TV series bibles and episode.

Development Lab
This is a discussion forum to which you bring the work above, where it is critiqued and debated from a number of points of view including aesthetic, generic, marketing, audience and budget. Development Lab is interactive and is at the core of the course; it replicates many of the development processes you will face in the film and television industry.

Contexts: Current British Film and TV Practice
This unit covers current aesthetic and generic trends in British film and television. There will also be lectures and seminars on budget, schedule, commissioning, finance, contracts, casting and marketing, and you will explore the production and marketing implications of your own screenplay projects.

On completion of the course graduates will have:
- the ability to discriminate between project ideas, present ideas and drafts to others effectively, and both give and receive constructive criticism

- the understanding of the aesthetic and economic conditions of the marketplace, how their work may be viewed in terms of budget and audience, and the stages a screenplay will go through in development and production

- a broad and detailed understanding of the nature of the film and television screenplay- how it signifies, how it communicates meaning to the film producer, director, actor and to the audience

- advanced understanding of the processes of writing a screenplay, from initial concept to final draft

- advanced understanding of the various stages of script development and how each is documented- outlines, treatments, pitch documents and so on

- critical knowledge of the current genres and trends in film and television and how they have evolved in recent years, particularly in the context of economic and market developments in these industries

- an understanding of the UK film and television industries, including their structure, institutions and working practices

- a broad understanding of the group nature of writing and development, and how the roles played by the various parties- producer, script editor, director and so on- shape and influence the screenplay.

Assessment

Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including script outlines and scenes, a completed feature film screenplay and/or TV series episode and ‘bible’, and marketing and pitch documents.

Employability & career opportunities

On graduating, you will be well prepared for careers in television and feature film screenwriting and script development.

Our recent graduate successes include:

Janice Hallett's feature screenplay Retreat is now being shot in Canada with a star cast; Olivia Wakeford has a writing credit on the feature film Baseline (2009) and several writers have gained agents and development commissions. Kay Stonham has work commissioned by the BBC and two of our younger writers are working on a C5 youth drama series. Adam Rolston has had a highly successful musical on Doris Day's life performed at a variety of London venues. Many students have won festival awards for their short films.

How to apply

Applications for entry to all our full-time postgraduate degrees can be made online https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/postgraduate/applying/howtoapply.aspx .

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Join the UK’s first MA in writing professionally for three markets – film, TV and theatre.

This programme has been designed with the writer in mind: you attend five four-day intensive workshops over the period of 21 months, and spend the rest of your time writing when you like, where you like, with constant script guidance by professional working writers throughout. The four-day workshops run from Thursday to Sunday, minimising your commitment if you work full-time.

‌•Become a member of a small and supportive group of ongoing active writers
‌•Watch your work being performed by actors
‌•Enjoy free London theatre visits
‌•Analyse and discuss nightly film screenings
‌•Produce high-standard scripts honed and ready for the professional market
‌•Direct peformances of your scripts in our own Marylebone Theatre
‌•I‌ndulge yourself in two years of pure writing as you develop a second career in film, TV or theatre
‌•Please note that we are not able to sponsor students on this programme for a Tier 4 visa.

Why should I choose this programme?

Have you ever dreamt of writing the next major cinema release or a gripping new drama series for the BBC, Channel 4 or Netflix?

Can you imagine seeing your own play on stage in one of London’s 60+ theatres?

Or you create a work that starts small but grabs someone’s attention, and grows to become the next commercial screen or theatre attraction?

Perhaps your ambition is to adapt your favourite novel or short story for the screen or stage, and see it performed?

All these are possible. Many classic and famous stage and screen works were dreamt up and written by people with no prior experience of writing scripts, and even no ambition to do so, and many works started on a small stage or screen, and got spotted, picked up and became international hits.

This MA gives you all the tools and tuition you need to join those writers whose work we watch and hear daily on TV, in the cinema, on stage and on radio.

Our intensive programme of ongoing distance tuition combined with five four-day writing workshops on our beautiful Regent’s Park campus in central London, will do more than help you to achieve your Master’s degree: it will prepare you for professional commissions and script sales.

The script is the cornerstone of television and film production. No budget is raised, no actor commits, no director is hired, no studios or locations booked, no crews or stage staff employed without it. From idea to the point of the final script, all productions start from it.

Key skills, aims and objectives

You will develop transferable script writing skills which can be deployed in all areas of origination and creative analysis and which will enhance you employment prospects in a very wide and varied industry – not only as a writer but also as a script editor, reader, developer, producer, director, agent or distributor.

Future opportunities

This programme trains writers, script editors, developers, producers, directors, agents and distributors – because all require a first-hand understanding of the writer’s craft.

This course has been designed as the catalyst for a new career: our team of writers guide everything you do – the rest is up to you.

How to apply

Applying to study at RUL is a quick and easy process. We accept direct applications, have no formal application deadlines and there is no application fee.

Step 1 Apply

You can apply in the following ways:

•Apply online
•Apply directly to us using the application form available here http://www.regents.ac.uk/media/1188903/Regents-application-form.pdf
Once you have completed the application form, please send us the following supporting documents, by post, email or fax:

•Copies of academic transcripts and certificates of all academic study undertaken after secondary school
•One letter of academic reference
•A copy of your CV/resumé showing your work experience if applicable.
•A 300 to 500-word personal statement in support of your application, outlining your reasons for applying to your chosen programme and how you feel you will benefit from the course of study
•A copy of your passport photograph (ID) page
•One recent passport-sized, colour photograph, jpeg format (this must be emailed to us at [email protected])
•If not a native English speaker, proof of your English proficiency

Please note: most candidates will be assessed for admission on the basis of their submitted application materials. However, RUL reserves the right to invite candidates for interview and to reject those who decline to attend.

Step 2 Making an offer

We will assess whether you meet our minimum entry requirements and will make you an offer by both email and post, or notify you that you have been unsuccessful.

If you have completed your education and have met all the entry requirements, you will be sent an unconditional offer. If you still have to finish your exams, or have yet to submit supporting documentation, we will make you a conditional offer.

You can expect to receive a decision on your application within 10 working days of receipt of your completed application and supporting documents.

Step 3 Accepting the offer

If you wish to accept the offer you must:

•Confirm your acceptance via email/post/telephone/in person
•Pay the registration fee (non-refundable)
•Pay the non-EU advance tuition fee deposit, if applicable (non-refundable)
•Please note: although there is no formal deadline to pay your registration fee or non-EU advance deposit, if you need to apply for an international student visa to study in the UK, then we recommend that you pay these as soon as possible.

Please see here for information on how to pay http://www.regents.ac.uk/study/how-to-pay.aspx

Step 4 Full acceptance and visa

On receipt of your acceptance we will issue the final set of documentation and, where needed, the relevant visa support documentation. To find out if you need a student visa please consult the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) website for current information: http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration (please note it is your own responsibility to arrange the appropriate visa).

For more information on course structure, admissions and teaching and assessment, please follow this link: http://www.regents.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-study/programmes/ma-writing-for-screen-stage.aspx#tab_course-overview

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The aim of this degree is to give students the opportunity to develop an advanced understanding of Scriptwriting as a craft. The expertise of our team allows our students to choose whether to write for film, theatre, TV, trans-media or radio.

During your time with us you will be following a programme of study that is designed to connect practice with theory, with the eventual aim of providing you with an extensive portfolio of work that could serve as a calling card for the industry. Here you can write short scripts, adaptations and feature length scripts in the medium of your choice.

Our Scriptwriting degree is a valuable opportunity to achieve a high level academic qualification that combines vocational training with analytical skills. We can help you forge working relationships with professional writers and academics, and to explore potential vocational pathways in writing and/or academia.

If you choose to study on a creative postgraduate course at the University of South Wales, you will also benefit from being part of a vibrant international student community.

See the website http://courses.southwales.ac.uk/courses/136-ma-scriptwriting

What you will study

The MA Scriptwriting course will include the following elements, though you can choose to specialise in writing for film, theatre, TV or radio:

Script Analysis – The module will identify various methods of script analysis from classical structure to more post-structural models equipping you to differentiate between approaches then apply the approach more suited your personal needs.

Short Script – In this module you are required to write a short drama script – either for theatre, radio or for the screen. As part of the module you will visit a specific location as a creative stimulus; this will form the basis for developing the initial idea and writing the final piece.

Adaptation – The module focuses initially on analysis of case studies of adaptations that will include readings of both the original texts and sources as well as the final adapted forms, before offering approaches to allow students to generate their own adaptations.

Major Project Treatment – This module is designed to teach students how to conceive, structure and write a treatment or outline for their final project. It includes analysis of story structure as well as comprehensive guidance on the techniques of writing and presenting an industry-ready package including a pitch, synopsis and treatment.

Major Project – Students will work with their supervisor through the process of evolving their treatment into a final draft, full-length script. Because the story has already been developed, with structure and character arcs already in place, the emphasis at this stage will be more on writing scenes and crafting dialogue

You will be tutored through these modules, which culminate in a full-length script that showcases the skills you have gained during the course and can potentially act as an industry calling card.

Common Modules:
The Faculty understands the importance of a strong grounding in research knowledge and skills, enterprise and innovation as part of a balanced postgraduate education.

We also recognise that each student has different requirements of their postgraduate experience.

You can choose to study one of the following three, 20 credit common modules. Each of these has a different focus, enabling you to select the module that will be most beneficial to you.

- Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship
This module aims to develop your knowledge of the methods to identify, develop and manage enterprise and innovation in the creative sector. It will then help you apply this to your own entrepreneurial project.

- Research and Practice in the Creative and Cultural Industries
The focus of this module is on the development of research knowledge and skills, while also encouraging critical engagement with approaches to creative practice. You will also explore ideas, debates and issues in the creative and cultural industries.

- Research Paradigms
This module focuses on research paradigms and their theoretical underpinnings. It also looks at key conceptual tools drawn from a wide range of subject areas relevant to postgraduate research in the creative industries.

Learning and teaching methods

The Full Time course is taught through lectures and seminars held at the Atrium Building coupled and one to one tutorials. We also combine with the Part Time students during a series of intensive residential sessions and master-classes with industry professionals.

Following up from the weekend master-classes the Part Time course employs distance-learning practises, things like Skype tutorials or tutorials via phone or written feedback via e-mail.

The MA Scriptwriting may also be studied through the medium of Welsh.

Work Experience and Employment Prospects

USW’s MA Scriptwriting will introduce students to industry professionals and generate a range of networking opportunities. The skills acquired on this scriptwriting course lead either to a career as a writer in film, theatre, TV or radio, or to further academic study at PhD level.

Assessment methods

Learning Through Employment:
Learning Through Employment is a University of South Wales framework that offers students who are already in employment the opportunity to gain credits towards a postgraduate qualification.

The programme is structured so that the majority of learning takes place through active and reflective engagement with your work activities, underpinned by the appropriate academic knowledge and skills.

All postgraduate courses at the University of South Wales’ Cardiff Campus offer students the opportunity to undertake a 60 credit Learning Through Employment Research Project as an alternative to a traditional final dissertation, major project or production.

The focus of the project is an individual, organisational problem solving, knowledge-based approach.

As such, it has been is designed for practising professionals to provide them with the tools to succeed in the workplace.

This truly flexible approach means that projects can be based on an agreed area of work, benefitting students and employers, and because the majority of the project is carried out in the workplace, it can potentially be undertaken anywhere in the world.

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The MA Screenwriting course equips you with professional skills to develop your own voice and produce marketable and commercially successful scripts for film, television and web series. During your studies, you’ll do a unique industry project for an external client.

- Work with professional actors who will perform your script in front of you, pitch your script to a panel of industry experts at the end of each key module, and receive professional script development support from leading UK film and TV production companies

- Learn about writing for different platforms: film, television, web, radio and games

- Learn from award-winning tutors and guest speakers with extensive professional experience as writers, directors, producers, showrunners and script developers for film, TV, radio, gaming and online

- Write a script for an external client while working together with other MA students on an industry-integrated project

- Receive real-life screenwriting experience and improve your communication, teamworking and pitching skills

The Met Film School is London's leading provider of practical filmmaking courses, based in Ealing Studios.

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The Master in International Screenwriting and Production is a graduate program that aims at creating professional scriptwriters, story editors and producers, providing them with a thorough understanding of the audiovisual industry and a strong knowledge of the storytelling techniques, which are the heart of every project of feature film and television series.

The MISP is a full-time intensive course, with a maximum enrollment of 42 students. The diploma, issued by Università Cattolica, is recognized as a first level Master’s degree by the Italian Government.

Learning objectives

The MISP will allow students to acquire the required knowledge to work in the entertainment industry, both as writers and/or professionals working in production or distribution companies, TV networks, talent agencies or as production assistants.

Students will receive a comprehensive and high level training which effectively combines the academic expertise of university professors with the professional know-how of high-ranking professionals with international profiles.

Career opportunities & professional recognition

Graduates from the MISP are exposed to a wide range of career opportunities. Graduates have both the theoretical knowledge and the methodological tools suited to pursue professional and managerial careers as:

● Screenwriters or creative producers of television series and feature films;

● Authors of TV entertainment programs and documentaries, copywriters, creators of video games and web series, writers of comic books and novels and fiction editors in publishing companies;

● Story editors and script consultants;

● Supervisors of evaluation, acquisition and programming of TV shows;

● Professionals working in different areas of the television and film industry (physical production, distribution, acquisition, product placement, etc.)

Guest Lecturers

Here is a list of some Professors and Guest Lecturers:

● Eleonora Andreatta - Director TV series and TV dramas for Rai Fiction

● Luca Bernabei, CEO Lux vide, Rome

● Armando Fumagalli, Director of the Master, professor of Semiotics and History of Cinema, UCSC; script consultant for Lux vide

● Robin Lyons - Animation Writer and Producer – Calon (UK)

● Luca Manzi - Writer for novel, theatre and television, and co-founder of the Master Program

● Cristiana Nobili - Director, Original Live Action Production, Disney Europe, Middle East and Africa (London)

● Paolo Sigismondi, professor of Global Entertainment, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California, Los Angeles

● John Truby - Screenwriter and script doctor for Disney, Universal, Sony Pictures, Fox, HBO, BBC

Curriculum

● Screenwriting theory (8 ECTS/ CFU)

● Script analysis and project evaluation (8 ECTS/ CFU)

● Writing techniques for audiovisual products (12 ECTS/ CFU)
- Screenwriting practice: treatments, scenes and dialogues, scripts, pitches.
- The writing of genres and adaptation.
- Writing for different formats: comic books, novels, documentaries, entertainment TV shows, advertising, the web, mobile media, and transmedia projects.
- Screenwriting and production of animation projects.

● The audiovisual industry (4 ECTS/ CFU)
- Industries and audiences.
- TV acquisition and programming and film distribution
- The physical production: pre-production, shooting, post-production, contracts and budgeting.

● Communication ethics (4 ECTS/ CFU)

Final project

Three months before the end of theoretical classes, the students will have to choose between one of the following careers: screenwriting or production. The students, who choose the screenwriting career, will have to write and deliver a final project from which the writing abilities developed during the program should emerge. Typically,the final project takes the form of a script for a feature film, which can either be an original idea or an adaptation.

The final project can be written in English, Italian, French or Spanish. The students, who choose the production career, will have the opportunity to undertake an internship within an established production or distribution company, a TV network, an advertising agency or on a film set.

Industry related

The MISP aims at providing its stu- dents with the adequate knowledge, wide-ranging skills and contacts to meet the requests of an increasingly global and varied audiovisual industry.

Alumni achievements

In previous years, alumni from MISP (which, until 2015, was taught in Italian: Master in Scrittura e produzione per la fiction e il cinema) have been working as writers and producers for top rating TV series and highly successful feature films, or as writers of best selling novels, published in many countries; many of them have been working in high-ranking audiovisual companies such as Cattleya, Disney, Endemol, Focus Features, Freman- tle, Lux Vide, Mediaset, RAI, SKY, among others. They work not only in Italy, but also in London, Los Angeles, Madrid, New York, Paris, etc.

Employment opportunities

The MISP aims at providing the students with a 360 degree education in the audiovisual field, so as to create pro- fessionals able to tackle both creative and organizational/managerial tasks and work in wide-ranging professional environments.

Scholarships

All scholarships are assigned on a merit basis and will be mostly given to students who apply by the priority deadline. Some scholarships may also target specific geographic regions.

Scholarship value: €4000

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This is an intensive, hands-on writing course that is ideal if you want to specialise in dramatic scriptwriting for television and radio.

The course is aimed at you if you have scriptwriting potential or wish to develop your television and radio writing skills to professional standards. During your time with us, you will enhance your knowledge of storytelling and the demands of television and radio, with the goal of mobilising your creative potential for the 21st-century scriptwriting marketplace.

Key benefits:

• Study at our MediaCityUK campus in industry-leading facilities
• Participate in masterclasses run by industry professionals
• Work on a one-to-one basis with an experienced professional scriptwriter on your final MA project.

Visit the website: http://www.salford.ac.uk/pgt-courses/tv-and-radio-scriptwriting

Suitable for

Students come from a wide range of employment and educational backgrounds but what they all have in common is the potential to be a professional screenwriter. Ideally, you will have a passion for storytelling in all of its forms and a desire to communicate a message creatively to an audience. You will have some awareness of the different TV and radio programme formats and a willingness to share your work and learn from others.

Programme details

This course enables you to develop your professional scriptwriting goals by providing the opportunity for you to learn not just scriptwriting skills but an awareness of the demands of the broadcast industries served by these skills and how to address an audience through genres developed specifically for broadcast media. You will be enabled to work autonomously and in groups to solve problems of storytelling, plot and characterisation and to demonstrate an awareness of the commercial demands of the industries you will serve. The ability to advance your knowledge of scriptwriting and the industries of television and radio are provided on this course and you will also experience the opportunity to develop new skills such as pitching script and story ideas and communicating in more traditional academic formats like essays alongside your existing scriptwriting ability. Issues of employment are addressed in modules where you will develop an appreciation of the existing broadcasting landscape and also through the provision of optional modules in year two which enables you to acquire dedicated training in scriptwriting for genres or working in a collaborative creative environment.

Format

This course is taught on a part-time basis, with teaching delivered on a Thursday evening. The Masters award consists of four core taught modules followed by the MA Project (60 credits). The PgDip requires the completion of four core modules. The PgCert requires completion of the first two core taught modules. All modules are delivered over a 12 week semester.

Module titles

• Storytelling and the Moving Image: The Short Film
• Forms and Genres in Film
• Storytelling and the Moving Image: The Feature Film
• MA Film Project

Assessment

• Scripts (70%)
• Essays (20%)
• Reflective statements/critical analysis (10%)

Career potential

As well as establishing themselves as successful scriptwriters, our graduates have also entered occupations including producer, storyliner, script editor, and story consultant with employers as diverse as Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, EA games, Hat Trick, Sony and SEGA.

Our graduates have predominately entered the scriptwriting and satellite professions in roles such as producer, script editor, storyliner, and story consultant as well as narrative director and narrative and speech design for video games. All of these professions involve knowledge not just of the detail of scriptwriting but also of industry practices and conventions.Richard Smith's Trauma starring Colin Firth and Mena Suvari was, we believe, the first MA script project to progress to feature film production.

Our graduates have worked on Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Shameless, Hollyoaks, The Street, Heartbeat and Doctors and have written plays for BBC Radio 4.

How to apply: http://www.salford.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/applying

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The Masters in Playwriting & Dramaturgy gives you a practical and theoretical engagement with the many forms of writing and production for theatre. The programme is designed for those wishing to develop playwriting skills and knowledge of script development and support, opening the way to many theatre roles, including dramaturgy.

Why this programme

◾Theatre Studies at Glasgow is one of the longest-established theatre programmes in the UK. Our internationally renowned reputation for research, practice and teaching ensures an ideal environment for the pursuit of Masters study.
◾A significant part of the programme is delivered by professional writers and dramaturges, ensuring you engage with a wide variety of practices and that the programme content is relevant and up to date with the latest trends in theatre.
◾The programme includes the opportunity for playwrights to develop a major script, through workshops and staged readings with actors and directors.
◾In addition to masterclasses and workshops with external specialists, the work placement or internship builds on our long-term links and collaborations with an extensive number of theatre practitioners and arts organisations, including the National Theatre of Scotland, the Playwrights’ Studio, the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), The Tron and the Citizens’ Theatre.
◾The city of Glasgow provides an unbeatable location for the programme. Glasgow is home to a huge variety of theatres and nationally significant theatre organisations that produce and show a range from the experimental and risky to the traditional and repertory, from canonical and new writing to devised and physical performance.

Programme structure

Our programme is the only one in Scotland that combines playwriting with dramaturgy. You will undertake core practical playwriting courses and core dramaturgy courses before choosing to specialise in one pathway.

A significant part of the programme is delivered by professional writers and dramaturges. This programme also includes the opportunity for playwrights to develop a major script, through workshops and staged readings with actors and directors.

Core teaching is delivered in two semesters, followed by an independent desk- or practice-based project.

Our core courses introduce you to the foundations of both playwriting as a craft, and dramaturgy as a historical and contemporary practice.

In addition, core courses develop other skills useful to the role of the dramaturg and the practitioner, including critical reading, writing and reflection, independent research skills (such as archival and audience research), and presentation skills.

These courses will also prepare you to pursue doctoral study in the future.

Courses include
◾Playwriting
◾Dramaturgy: Histories and Practices
◾Reading and Interpreting Performance
◾Dramaturgical Work Placement
◾Research Methods
◾Independent Research Project.

Career prospects

The design of the Playwriting & Dramaturgy programme is intended to develop both the practical and critical skills of students. There is both subject-specific development (including knowledge of playwriting as a craft and dramaturgy as a role, working knowledge of the playwriting process, in-depth knowledge of plays and processes of textual and production analyses) alongside more generic skills development (including presentation skills – written and oral, a capacity for critical reflection, project management, team work, and independent research skills).

Theatre studentsThe role of the dramaturg is becoming increasingly recognised within the theatre industries, as is the capacity of playwrights to apply their skills and knowledge to other tasks (including, for example, providing script development support for emerging writers). This programme aims to equip playwrights and potential dramaturges with knowledge of other writing roles in theatre.

The critical components of this programme also provide a good foundation for students wishing to progress to doctoral study.

Graduates of this programme have gone on to become commissioned playwrights, production dramaturges, theatre critics, literary advisors, doctoral students, theatre makers and academics.

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This course is designed to equip students of exceptional talent with the skills necessary to pursue a career in theatre and related industries through the development of skills, professional practices and creative approaches to writing for performance.

It encourages a self-reflexive approach to learning with a view to developing independent thinking practitioners of theatre. Through a series of skills-based writing workshops and tutorials with professional playwrights, directors and a dramaturge the individual voice of the student writer will be nurtured and developed. Classes in dramaturgy and contemporary theatre practice will supplement the training. The course will culminate in the writing of a performance for the student’s chosen medium that will benefit from staged readings, rehearsals, staging or recording.

Students on the course will work in a dedicated space for writers in The Lir building. In addition to the core classes and workshops, individual tuition from The Lir’s dramaturge will be a key feature of the training. In addition, master classes by visiting practitioners will supplement the student experience. Students can opt to take this course either part-time (24 months) or full-time (12 months).

Master in Fine Art Playwriting

Full-time and part-time students will take three concurrent modules in the first two semesters. The fourth module will be taught in the third semester and subsequent summer months (for full-time students) or in the second year of the course (for part-time students). The fourth module will be supplemented by an ongoing series of masterclasses from professional writers and script editors.

Contemporary Theatre Practice

This module will introduce students to a range of contemporary theatre practices as evidenced in the theatres of Dublin. The principal aim of the course is to enable students to become conversant in the styles, forms, theories and practices that constitute contemporary theatre making in Ireland. In addition, students will be introduced to a range of dramatic production in related media (radio, television and film) whose styles and forms will be analysed in this module. The Contemporary Theatre Practice module is shared by all Master in Fine Art students (directors, designers and playwrights).

Dramaturgy

This module will be taught by a professional dramaturge. Its aim is to introduce students to a range of dramatic texts for the theatre or related media with an emphasis on the dramaturgical composition of those texts. An understanding of the contexts within which those dramaturgical strategies were produced will also be fostered. This seminar-based module requires students to examine key problems related to the creation and structure of scripts for performance. Students will consider a variety of theories regarding dramatic structure, consider the research requirements of script creation, explore different approaches to script development and learn to apply a dramaturgical vocabulary to a number of case studies.

Writing Workshop

The overall aim of the module is to prepare students for the writing of a play for performance in Module 4. Students will share their creative writing in a workshop format, and will receive both group feedback and individual tuition in the development of their craft. The module includes: creative workshops; developing an awareness of the professional writing context; developing an explicit, personal aesthetic; and offers the possibilities for writing in numerous professional contexts (theatre, education, community), and for various media (theatre and recorded media). This module also outlines career development and group or self critique; it introduces research skills, rehearsal etiquette and re-drafting.

Play

This module will be taught through individual supervision of the writing of a student’s full-length play (of between 45 and 90 minutes performing time). The play will be submitted for examination along with a reflective journal of the student’s practice. The development of the script will be aided by the involvement of professional actors and directors in the redrafting process. The module will culminate in a rehearsed reading of a selection of students’ work in a semi-staged showcase to an invited audience of theatre professionals. This showcase, which does not form part of the assessment, is designed to bridge the gap between training and the theatre and related industries.

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