BA (Hons) Scriptwriting for Film and Television

Course details On this course you will usually be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry. Year 1 Core units Introduction to Scriptwriting: The aim of this unit is to introduce the key skills and concepts for understanding and producing scripts, whilst gaining a greater understanding of narrative forms and how to communicate ideas and meaning effectively across a variety of forms. Developing Arguments: Introducing you to the critical thinking and learning processes involved in studying media at academic level and beyond, the unit focuses on developing your information gathering, processing and presentation skills. The Script into Production: The aim of this unit is to introduce you to the process of producing scripts. You'll develop the tools and skills to translate written work to the screen, gaining core skills that will inform your written work and build a greater awareness of the impact that scripts have on all aspects of production. Discipline and Research: You'll be encouraged to deepen your knowledge and critical understanding of academic concepts and approaches related to your subject specialism and practice. The Resolved Drama Script: You'll consider more advanced scriptwriting craft skills, and support and encourage a more sophisticated approach to communicating ideas and narratives. You are expected to develop your authorial voice and begin to define and contextualise your work within the wider sphere. Collaborative Project: The aim of this unit is to consolidate and communicate production skills and critical learning in a collaborative media project between Digital Media, TV and Radio students. Year 2 Core units Creating Narrative Formats: Designed to develop your awareness of professional writing; this unit provides you with creative and critical scriptwriting development and a strong foundation for all script-related vocational aspirations beyond graduation. Media Theory Perspectives: You'll choose two theory study options from a menu of choices to help you further your skills of applying media theory to current industry debates. Each option will focus on specific themes in media theory and wider cultural arenas. Script Development and Project: Providing you with an understanding of creative and critical scriptwriting development, this unit will also develop your awareness of professional writing and give you a strong foundation for all script-related vocational aspirations beyond graduation. Debates and Scholarship: This unit introduces you to the contested nature of debates and theories specific to your subject area. It also aims to help you to understand and evaluate various research methadologies and to be able to devise and articulate an appropriate research proposal. Year 3 You'll have the option to complete a 4 week or 30 week (minimum) placement, providing you with the experience of how an organisation operates, as well as an opportunity to enhance your personal development and future employability. Year 3/4 (final year) Core units Pitching and Development Documents: The aim of this unit is to provide a route-map for the development of final year students, from the experience gained on the work placement, to the initial pitching of ideas for a significant project. Dissertation: The dissertation provides you with the opportunity to develop and demonstrate your critical, analytical and research skills by conducting a significant piece of academic work. The Major Script Project: This is the most important unit of the degree, and it aims to further refine to a professional standard your creative scriptwriting development. You'll develop the ability to conceive, develop and write an original feature film, screenplay or an episode and bible of a television drama series of your own creation. You'll achieve this using appropriate script editing and rewriting skills, engage in the creative application of the script development process, properly referencing sources and ideas, and deliver work to a given length, format, brief and deadline. Industry Perspectives: The aim of this unit is to provide a context and trajectory for the Graduate Project work, developing the ability to frame, support and position work to and for relevant industry stake-holders. Scheduled learning and teaching activities The emphasis of this course is in guided independent learning, which helps you develop into a self-motivated learner. When not attending lectures and seminars, you will be expected to read around the subject. Your typical week’s activities will include reading books and journal articles, working on group projects, preparing presentations, conducting library research and writing your assignments. The hours below give an indication of how you can expect to spend your time during each year of this course. Year 1 – 18% of your time will be spent in timetabled learning & teaching activities Learning and teaching: 212.5 hours Independent learning: 987.5 hours Year 2 – 12% of your time will be spent in timetabled learning & teaching activities Learning and teaching: 142 hours Independent learning: 1058 hours Year 3/4 – 10% of your time will be spent in timetabled learning & teaching activities Learning and teaching: 114 hours Independent learning: 1086 hours 100% of the course is assessed by coursework Year 1: 100% Year 2: 100% Year 3/4: 100% Throughout the course you will be assessed by coursework culminating in your final year research project, but you will also undertake group work and written exams. Programme Specification Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used. Download the programme specification for BA (Hons) Scriptwriting for Film and Television. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance. All statistics shown are taken from Unistats, Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE), BU institutional data and Ipsos MORI (National Student Survey) unless otherwise stated.