How can screenwriters put themselves ahead of the game and grab an audience’s attention? Are there lessons from the world’s master screenwriters? Is it a coincidence that successful screenwriters often return to the same themes and write different versions of the same core story over again? Could it be that the key to their success is that they are writing from a place of unique emotional truth and it’s this that really connects with audiences the world over?  

Participants in this course will adopt a variety of methods to discover what makes them tick as a writer, what stories resonate emotionally with them and go on to implement these home truths into working practice. Over the course they will discover and hone their voices, develop market-ready treatments and a full-length screenplay for a feature film or pilot for a TV series and learn some of the skills needed to pitch themselves and their work to industry professionals.

The goal, on successful completion of the course, is to have a number of projects at various stages of development that are ready to be presented to the industry.

Classes will be held fortnightly in the evening in London or online over 36 weeks, where students will develop a number of stories from concept through to treatment or bible and beyond via a combination of discussions, exercises and development workshops. They will be expected to write in their own time and deliver work in advance of each class.  In addition, participants will be supported by one-to-one tutorials on alternate weeks for individual feedback and guidance.  A group forum and online support will be available via an on-line platform.