2.Main Content
Training
Screenwriting UK
Red Road - quality writing to learn lessons from
TWO-DAY TRAINING COURSE FOR NEW SCREENWRITERS
Wednesday 27 & Thursday 28 January 2010
Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London W1
This screenplay writing course is designed specifically for writers who are working on a first draft film script but have yet to break into the film industry. It’s a long way from the computer screen to the big screen, and it takes talent, determination and more than a decent break to get there.
The Script Factory has devoted over a decade to working in the gap between new writers and the film industry, supporting writers through the early stages of their career and helping the industry identify and nurture new talent. Screenwriting is, of course, an artistic endeavour but a screenplay is also a product for an industry. Essential to success is an understanding of how the UK film industry works, how a script reader or producer determines the potential of a film idea and an awareness of the script development process.
This two-day screenwriting course combines in-depth teaching on the principles of good screenwriting and invaluable insider knowledge from working writers and producers. The Script Factory Screenwriting UK training course aims to provide participants with the understanding they need to turn a strong idea into a well-crafted screenplay that has the potential to attract interest from producers, developers and funders.
Day One
10.00 - 11.30 Stories & Genre
This first session considers the universal function of storytelling and examines how cinema audiences recognise and respond to different story types. Confusion over story type or genre is often cited as one of the key reasons why screenplays are rejected. A pile-up in a thriller may add to the excitement, yet a car-crash in a drama might be devastating. An understanding of the subtle (and not so subtle!) distinctions between genres is critical to managing the audience’s emotional response to the events on the screen. By considering the expectations inherent to each genre, we will begin to consider how to develop a screenplay that offers the reader a meaningful and satisfying story experience.
11.30 - 11.45 Break
11.45 - 1.00 Premise & Conflict
Whether it’s about saving the world or growing up, the success of every screenplay depends on the clarity and strength of the dramatic conflict. This session explores the kinds of problems that a screen character might face and considers how to ensure that the story is invested with enough potential conflict to sustain the tension for the duration of a feature film.
1.00 - 2.00 Lunch Break
2.00 - 3.30 Screenplay Structure
A brilliant screenplay is one that keeps a reader turning the pages from beginning to end and tells that reader that the audience will be glued to the screen for every moment of the film that follows. This session explores the basic principles of structuring a screen story from getting the audience hooked to delivering a satisfying ending.
3.30 - 3.45 Break
3.45 - 5.00 Guest Writer: Neil Hunter
The first day ends with the chance to hear from award-winning screenwriter/director Neil Hunter (Lawless Heart, Sparkle) who will share his personal experiences of working within the UK industry.
Day Two
10.00 - 11.00 Guest Producer: Robyn Slovo
The second day kicks off with an essential overview of film production in the UK from Robyn Slovo, one of the UK's brightest producers whose work has ranged from Lynne Ramsay's Morvern Caller to Philip Noyce's Catch a Fire and who is currently developing Skins The Movie. For Screenwriting UK, Robyn will explore the kind of films currently getting greenlit in the UK; ask how a new screenwriter can get their work in front of the right decision-makers; and consider the development opportunities available.
11.00 - 11.15 Break
11.15 - 12.15 Character Journeys
Whether you start off with a dramatic concept and then find characters to dramatise it through or you start with characters and build a story around them, it is ultimately the journey your characters take which defines what your story is. However, different story types require different character arcs – some characters will be forever transformed, some will learn a lesson, others will get their chance to show what they are really made off and a few will simply grow up. This session interrogates what we mean by character change and how you can build convincing character change into your story.
12.15 - 1.15 The Controlling Idea
Take a lesson from Shaun of the Dead
Films, like all stories, have a cultural function: to communicate something to an audience that helps them to understand themselves better, or to make sense of the world. The meaning we take away from watching the film is called the Controlling Idea. This session explores how to identify or determine the controlling idea of a story and how to use this a tool when developing the screenplay.
1.15 - 2.15 Lunch Break
2.15 - 3.30 Low Budget Screenwriting
The predominant finance model of UK independent feature films is 'Microbudget'. If you're a screenwriter early in your career your next film is likely to be one. What does this mean for the writer? Can you ever really 'write to budget'? This session looks at the current film finance landscape from a screenwriter's perspective and considers some ways this can help your career.
3.30 - 3.45 Break
3.45 - 5.00 The Development Process
This final session explores the development process from sending out the first draft to receiving feedback and planning a rewrite. We will also offer helpful approaches to preparing treatments and a simple guide to preparing a pitch.
Course Tutors
The course is taught by two of The Script Factory's directors Lucy Scher and Justine Hart.
Friendly Producers
Writers who complete this course will also be invited to apply to our Friendly Producers scheme. Applicants will have approximately one month to submit a 2 page treatment and the first ten pages of a screenplay. We will then select writers from this and the other participating programmes who will benefit from the chance to discuss their film idea at a one-to-one meeting with a prominent UK producer.
Booking Information
The fee for Screenwriting UK is £185 + VAT (total £217.38) which includes light refreshments and a comprehensive training pack. Script Factory Members can get a 10% discount reducing the total to £166.50 + VAT (total £195.64) - for details of Membership click here.
Spaces are limited to 40 participants. To book by credit / debit card, please call 0207 851 4890.
Notes on a ScandalPreparatory Viewing
We will be referring to a wide range of films over the two-day course, some of which you will inevitably be more familiar with than others. To ensure that we have shared references to consider in more detail we would ask all course attendees to watch the following British Films:
Shaun of the Dead (dir. Edgar Wright scr. Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg, 2004)
Notes on a Scandal (dir. Richard Eyre scr. Patrick Marber, 2007)
Red Road (dir/sc. Andrea Arnold, 2007)
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