MA Screenwriting

Content

MA Screenwriting at London College of Communication is one of the UK’s leading film and TV scripting courses, with a strong reputation in the industry.

Graduates of MA Screenwriting have gone on to win numerous awards, both UK and international, work on major film projects in active development and are writing for a wide range of programmes currently being screened on UK television.

Leading the field, this industry-focused screenwriting course is aimed at developing writers for film, television and/or radio industries. The course will provide you with the opportunity to develop the abilities, knowledge and skills you will need for a career in scriptwriting.

MA Screenwriting introduces you to the foundations of contemporary scriptwriting practice in theoretical context.

You will develop research methodologies that will become the foundation for future practice and analysis. The course offers you the opportunity to study feature film, television and radio narrative, the development of a script from a short story and research, which lays the foundation for your major project.

You will also complete a collaborative unit that reflects your specialist interests in scriptwriting and related topics, whilst engaging with the need to understand and communicate with the industry you wish to work in.

In the last term of the course, you will undertake a Major Project that allows you to focus on a specialist area of interest that you identified during your previous study. You will write several drafts of an original screenplay for film or TV or a TV pilot episode(s) with format documents. In addition, you will engage in peer-to-peer review and the writing of reader reports.

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24 September 2018

Course units

Each course is divided into units, which are credit-rated. The minimum unit size is 20 credit and the maximum 60 credits. The MA course structure involves 7 units, totalling 180 credits.

Unit summary:

• Short Film: Process and Practice (20 credits)
• Industry Knowledge, Skills and Methodologies (40 credits)

Unit summary:

• TV / Film / Radio: Adaptation - Existing Format - Process and Practice (20 credits)
• TV / Film / Radio: Adaptation - Critical Analysis and Research Methodologies (20 credits)
• Industry Knowledge, Skills and Methodologies (continued)
• Collaborative Unit (20 credits)

Unit summary:

• TV / Film / Radio: Adaptation - Existing Format - Process and Practice (continued)
• TV / Film / Radio: Adaptation - Critical Analysis and Research Methodologies (continued)
• Industry Knowledge, Skills and Methodologies (continued)
• Major Project - Applied Research (20 credits)
• Major Project - Process and Practice (40 credits)

Unit summary:

• Major Project - Applied Research (continued)
• Major Project - Process and Practice (continued)

If you are unable to continue or decide to exit the course, there are two possible exit awards. A Postgraduate Certificate will be awarded on successful completion of the first 60 credits and a Postgraduate Diploma will be awarded on successful completion of the first 120 credits.

You will typically spend 30% of the total study time on the course in lectures, workshops, tutorials and seminars.

The remainder of your time will be spent on research and independent study, background reading, practical writing and exercises. The workshop process will be used as a key source of feedback and critical analysis.

This will be supported by a programme of industrial context lectures and visiting speakers. You will be allocated a personal tutor at the start of each term and will have regular termly personal tutorials.

Attendance involves on average eight to ten hours each week, together with any specially scheduled evening and weekend and vacation study.

MA Screenwriting Programme Specification 2017/18 (PDF - 83KB)

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Staff Course Leader

Kelly Marshall

Mark Clompus, Peter Mills

Many former students, now professional screenwriters, return to teach on the course which ensures it has a strong basis in the day-to-day practices of contemporary film and television production. In addition, we have visiting lecturers from the industry who regularly share their knowledge and experience.