Screenwriting Diploma

Course Overview

Key benefits of the course

• You receive in-depth hands-on training in the art and craft of Screenwriting

• All your writing work is supervised by film & television industry professionals including specialised masterclasses in specific genre writing and writing technique

• You pitch your screenwriting ideas and completed work to a panel of film & television industry professionals

• You go on set to observe your own writing or that of others in a real filmmaking environment

• Through the intense nature of this course you can cover more ground in one year than would normally be possible

• An overview of the filmmaking industry, including Copyright, Legal and Finance aspects

• You learn how to write support and selling documents such as feature film treatments and synopsis

• You receive and learn to write film and television industry standard reader reports for both your own work and that of your peers

• Rehearsed Readings. A selection of the students’ work is performed by actors as part of your writing skills development

• Excellent tutor-to-student ratios (average of 6 students to a tutor); average intake is 12 students per diploma.

• You develop a substantial writing portfolio to take with you into the industry

• All students attend group feedback sessions and one-on-one mentoring sessions to enhance their learning and tutorial needs

• You benefit from studying in a top professional film Academy to increase your contacts and knowledge of the filmmaking process

• All participating students will receive a free copy of Final Draft

• While on the course you receive complimentary membership the LFA’s exclusive club for emerging filmmakers with access to all their events on independent filmmaking, finding work and productions.

Course length and commitment

12 months, 52 weeks (including holidays)
Hours: 10:00 - 17:00

Students are expected to work additional hours, including evenings and weekends particularly during writing periods and when on set. Periods of writing off-site are included in the tuition.

COURSE OUTLINE - Term 1

The Advanced Screenwriting Diploma is delivered in 3 terms. Each term requires a minimum level of writing drafts in order to pass. As this is a practical course there is a quantity of writing requirements in each term.

Term One – Short Film Writing & Feature Film Preparation

In term one you concentrate on the short film format delivering drafts of a 4-minute and 8-minute film to be submitted for selection with the Filmmaking Diploma students. If chosen, your script will be shot, with a budget, on location in London with professional actors . Writers whose work is chosen are expected to continue to develop their short films outside of core hours.

SHORT FILM WRITING
You begin the short film writing process early in the course to allow you time to develop your technique and creative ideas. You explore the short film format in depth, from concept and character through to dialogue. You learn early on in the course that in the film business ‘writing is rewriting’ and all to deadlines, thus modelling industry practice.

FEATURE FILM PREPARATION
You learn to write research and preparation documents for your first feature project. These will include treatments and synopsis writing as well as story arcs and character breakdowns. These documents can be used as creative aids during the writing process.

FEATURE WRITING
These classes run continuously throughout the 3 terms and are designed to teach the key skills required for screenwriting. They will deal with story, character development and genre writing as well narrative and dialogue. Tuition continues strategically throughout the terms to help you manage your screenwriting projects. Specialist screenwriting classes will also introduce you to working producers and directors who will discuss their perspectives on screenwriting and what they look for in a screenplay.

WRITTEN FEEDBACK
As a writer in the industry you will receive frequent written notes on your work. We believe that filmmaking and screenwriting is a collaborative process and that students should give and receive written comments often. This process helps you understand how to write constructive notes and how to interpret these notes and improve your screenwriting.

GROUP SESSIONS
These small group sessions mainly take place in term one and are designed to get you used to discussing your work in a public arena. The sessions are informal but extremely useful in teaching you to express yourself regarding your work and with the work of others. It is very important as a screenwriter that you can work to deadlines and communicate your thoughts and ideas effectively to others. This has proved an effective and productive teaching method over the years and helps to bring the screenplays to life through class discussion and class readings.

PITCHING
You learn how to pitch and discuss your ideas for screenplays in class with other students. These sessions are supervised and serve as a rehearsal for the real industry pitching panels you will encounter later in the term. The pitching panel consists of film & television professionals made up from production companies, agents and directors. You have an opportunity to pitch several ideas to the panel and fellow students. This is followed by a one-on-one tutorial to discuss the merits and challenges of your ideas.

Term Two – First Feature Screenplay

In term two the main focus becomes your feature length projects. You are expected to write several developed drafts over the course of the term.

SPECIALISED SCREENWRITING
In this term the focus is on specialised screenwriting classes in topics such as Re-writing, Adaptation, and TV Drama. You continue to learn the key skills required to progress your writing projects. Specialist screenwriting classes will also deal with perspectives within the industry and working producers and directors will be brought in to discuss their attitude to screenwriting and what they look for in a screenplay.

ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING
Feedback and mentoring sessions are designed to give you the opportunities to discuss your ideas and writing progress on the course with a screenwriting tutor or mentor. These sessions help build your confidence in presenting your ideas to a pitching panel and help you decide which screenplay you are going to write. It is also an opportunity to discuss your individual reader report and seek advice on how best to improve your experiences on the course. Later in the course these sessions act as career guidance and industry advice.

GROUP FEEDBACK
These sessions continue in order to facilitate feedback on preparation and research documents for longer writing projects.

READERS REPORTS
Reader reports are standard in the film and television industry and most large production companies rely on these reports in order to help green light projects. You receive industry reader reports in order to help you progress your work and to familiarise yourself with standard industry practice. You are taught the skills of writing reader reports and will be expected to write reader reports on your peers’ work. These are essential skills for aspiring screenwriters and can often serve to supplement income when students graduate.

PITCHING PANEL
The pitching panel will continue in this term. It is an opportunity for you to pitch fresh ideas to the industry for your next feature project.

FEATURE FILM PREPARATION
You continue to write preparatory and research documents for your next chosen projects. Documents such as treatments and synopsis will later becoming selling documents to prospective film & television industry clients.

ON SET EXPERIENCE
This is an opportunity to be on set for one of the Filmmaking Diploma Graduation Films to see your own or other writing in action. Observing directing, acting and the technical requirements of filmmaking will inform your future writing. It will help to bring words off the page and to enhance visual storytelling.

PERFORMANCE
A selection of work will be chosen and performed by actors in class. You witness first hand what an actor can bring to a script and the ways in which a script can change when taken off the page. These sessions are designed to deal with dialogue and script clarity. These sessions will develop and enhance the writer’s subtlety when writing dialogue and drawing out characters on screen.

Term Three – Final Feature Screenplay
In term three you continue to develop your feature length projects. This term is tailored to your needs and you may choose to continue with your previous project or write a new original or adapted screenplay. You may also choose a TV project if they wish in this term.

SPECIALISED SCREENWRITING
The majority of screenwriting tuition in this term is tailored to helping you complete your chosen feature project and to answer any questions you may have regarding specific technique or structure.

ONE ON ONE MENTORING
These sessions continue in this term. They are specific screenplay problem solving sessions as well as personal development and career advice sessions.

READERS REPORTS
In this term you continue to receive industry reader reports as well as writing and receiving reader reports from your peers.

PITCHING & INDUSTRY MEETINGS
Pitching continues in this term and in addition you are given film and television industry meetings. It is an opportunity for you to pitch your fresh ideas and completed work, as well as potential TV projects to the industry.

SUPPORT DOCUMENT WRITING
You revise your synopsis and treatments and create tag and log lines for all your work so you can present your completed work to the industry

ON SET EXPERIENCE
On set experience on location in London. There is another opportunity to be on set for one of the Diploma Graduation Films to see your own or other writing in action.

COPYRIGHT, LEGAL & FINANCE
The copyright, legal & finance sessions explains the nuts and bolts of film finance and how a film budget is spent to help bring home the relative costs of filmmaking to the writer both for low budget and Hollywood screenplay writing. It will also deal with the contracts and options a writer may come across and will teach what to look out for and what to expect. The course will also look at the legal and financial aspects or optioning and buying the rights to previously published works.

PERFORMANCE
In this term you continue to observe and work with actors on current class materials

REHEARSED READINGS
In this term you observe a selection of your work performed in greater detail in front of family, friends and industry professionals.