From Script to Screen
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SCA11104
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In this module you will look at storytelling and screenwriting for film and television in various contexts - historical, social, cultural, scholarly and theoretical. You will develop the skills to examine the practices and products of screenwriting from a critical perspective and to use this to inform your own work and practice. The module is delivered as a mixture of lectures, seminars and screenings from Screen Academy staff and guest lecturers. The module is broadly divided into two parts, each of which leads a written assessment: The first focuses on considerations of genre. Student presentations will be used as the basis for seminar discussion. Students will consider genre from various perspectives – academic, commercial and (as screenwriters) practical. Students will produce a written essay on an aspect of genre that interests them. The second part of the module focuses on screenwriting craft, technique and theory. The influence of screenwriting theorists (e.g. Robert McKee) will be considered and debated as will the work of individual screenwriters (e.g. William Goldman, Josh Weedon). Technical aspects of screenwriting craft will also be studied with illustrative examples from screenings, handouts etcetera. Students will produce a case study at the end of the module focussing on either the work of a particular screenwriter OR screenwriting theorist OR the application of a particular screenwriting technique OR a critical study of a particular adaptation.
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Major Project
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SCA11106
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This module forms a significant element of the course and is your opportunity to undertake a substantial piece of creative work in your chosen medium – feature film, television or digital media - across the final trimester. The completed work will provide the key element in the creative portfolio of projects you have built up over the course. In effect, this module allows you to utilise the tools, the techniques - and the confidence – that you have built up over the previous modules. It is your chance to write your ‘calling card' script – the essential element for the un-produced writer in approaching future producers, developers or agents. There is no formal teaching in this module: you will have access to your industry tutor (face-to-face, via email or online) at key points in the trimester and to your Module and Programme Leaders. Your thinking around your Major Project work will already have received formative feedback based on your Script Development Proposal Assessment submission in Trimester 1's Business of Screen Project Development module.Before the beginning of the Module you will provide evidence of your thinking around your Major Project in the form of a formative Tutor Introduction Document which will serve as an introduction to you and your project to your industry tutor across Trimester 3.You will write and develop a substantial written project in one of the following areas: Feature Film Screenplay & Pitch Page or Pitch DeckSingle Television/Digital drama or Series Pilot Episode + Series Outline & Pitch DeckThe Major Project is the culmination of the work done in the other modules in Trimesters 1 and 2 resulting, ideally, in a significant and substantial piece of work which can serve either as a live project in search of development finance and partners/collaborators in the professional world - or as a 'calling card' spec script to attract further interest in you and your work as a writer - for example, to secure the services of a literary agent. This piece of writing is complimented by the final piece of assessment - a Creative & Critical Journal of 2000 words - in which you look back on your learning, identify areas for further work, study or development and look forward, with a real sense of self-knowledge and authority, to possible career paths.
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SCRIPT WORKSHOP 2A
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SCA11107
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Over a series of weekly workshops, students develop their own projects from idea to polished first draft.
The workshops are project-driven and student-centred with students presenting work on a weekly basis for peer review, comments and critique. Students read and, on occasion, write script reports on each other's work.
Students are encouraged to engage in project-driven research but also research of a more contextual nature.
The workshops may be interspersed with seminars, screenings, masterclasses, guest lectures and tutorials.
The module aims to develop students' understanding of the challenges of longer form screenplays in relation to subject, depth, complexity and audience appeal and there is an emphasis on sharing knowledge and practical and craft skills.
In relation to its partner module, SW2B, this module may have a greater emphasis on film over television.
Further information
SCRIPT WORKSHOP 2B
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SCA11108
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Over a series of weekly workshops, students develop their own projects from idea to polished first draft.
The workshops are project-driven and student-centred with students presenting work on a weekly basis for peer review, comments and critique. Students read and, on occasion, write script reports on each other's work.
This module gives students on the part-time route the opportunity to write a new piece of work or to start development work towards the major project.
The workshops may be interspersed with seminars, screenings, masterclasses, guest lectures and tutorials.
The module aims to develop students' understanding of the challenges of longer form screenplays in relation to subject, depth, complexity and audience appeal and there is an emphasis on sharing knowledge and practical and craft skills.
In relation to its partner module, SW2A, this module may have a greater emphasis on television over film.
Further information
Script workshop 1
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SCA11102
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In this module, students develop a range of short form work - short films, sketches, web dramas, monologues, animation, vertical format etc. In weekly workshops, students follow a process which mirrors that of a professional screenwriter as they generate ideas and develop their projects producing a series of documents – premise, synopsis, outline, step outline or treatment and various drafts of a number of short form screenplays. These form a portfolio of work which forms the main part of the assessment in this module. A Creative and Critical Journal encourages reflection, contextualises the portfolio and provides evidence of the student's research, learning and professional development. Creative work-in-progress is regularly circulated and workshopped in small groups. This process develops and enhances the projects, stimulates team-working and collaboration and helps develop the student's own writing but also their story-development, script-editing and inter-personal skills. This module encourages students to work collaboratively with each other and with other students on the MA Film programme. The weekly workshop sessions are enhanced by masterclasses and visits from guest speakers - professional writers, producers and script developers - who offer advice and insights into the professional world.
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The Business of Screen Project Development
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SCA11101
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The module is delivered as a series of weekly sessions combining lectures and seminars with visiting industry guests. Introductory lectures will provide you with a broad contextual overview of the various institutions, structures and key personnel in the film and television industries. You will examine the composition of the film industry in the UK and internationally and critically explore how screen projects are developed and financed. Seminars with industry guests will then provide you with case studies of current industry practice across a range of key areas – screenwriting in various contexts, script editing and development, the various producer roles, the legal framework in which development takes place. These will give you insight into how the industry works and will also inform your own professional development.The assessments for the module require a high level of independent learning and are designed to help you develop a strong sense of the various contexts for your own creative and professional development. A Market Analysis encourages strategic research into potential markets for your own work. You will also undertake a Script Development Proposal which informs your own personal, creative and professional development and acts as a first opportunity for you to present (and received individualised feedback on) early-stage thinking on what may be your Major Project on the Masters.
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Writing and Screen Project Development
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SCA11100
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A series of lectures and seminars introduce students to the language, concepts and skills commonly used in the development of projects for the screen, whether in film or television.You will examine the key elements, skills and terminology of dramatic screenwriting (premise, pitch, character, structure, theme, visual style, genre, dialogue, etc) and review the key story documents generated in the development and commissioning process (idea, concept, premise/logline, synopsis, outline, proposal, treatment, first draft, revised draft, pitch page, pitch deck etc.). The module aims to develop the critical and practical abilities needed in screen project development: an understanding of the language and terminology; personal and interpersonal skills; a critical understanding of the various roles in the creative and industrial process; a sense of the market place across the various forms and formats. Crucially, the critical, analytical and inter-personal skills required by key personnel in the development process (writers, producers, script-editors, developers) are examined and then developed and tested in a series of exercises, including the module's major pieces of assessment – the Script Report and Coverage/Story Report.You will also develop an understanding of the various jobs, roles and career opportunities across story development in the film and television industries. Lecture content is interwoven with seminars, screenings and exercises which will encourage you to reflect on how you might practice and apply these tools, concepts and skills to your own creative and analytical work across the Masters.This module is a core element of the MA Screenwriting programme and is also offered as an option to MA Film students, encouraging the development of collaborative skills across the creative disciplines and providing an opportunity to form creative teams.
Further information
* These are indicative only and reflect the course structure in the current academic year. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.