MA Script Writing

The Reflective Essay is a three-part essay written near the end of the MA Script Writing programme. It consists of:

• An analysis of the work of a significant theorist and how it relates to your creative project
• An analysis of the industry context of the creative work and comparable works and
• A self reflection on your process and progress.

The reflection essay is part of the script development module which draws on ideas and perspectives that students learn throughout the programme.

It fulfils three functions:

1. It is a reflection by the student upon their creative processes and inspirations.
2. It features an argument which draws upon theoretical ideas taken from one of the MA theory courses as specified by the module handbook.
3. It moves beyond reflection to allow the student to develop a 'road map' for the further development of the long-form script once the degree has been completed.

Ellin Stein

This course develops the creative skills students bring to script writing through the completion of their first writing assignment over the first term. Students start the course with several premises for short films and then select one to develop to final draft during the module.

The module also emphasises analysing what makes a short script effective by looking at screenplays as much as finished films. We will consider the different requirements of shorts and features, how shorts can offer more latitude in terms of formal experimentation, genre and tone, and the useful discipline imposed by the short format’s limitations.

The course will develop students’ script editing skills, along with their ability to listen to notes, through ongoing workshops in which they will provide feedback on each other’s work. In addition, we will consider avenues for distribution and exhibition, and what role shorts play in a screenwriter’s career development.

All student scripts on this module receive a rehearsed reading from professional actors prior to completion of the script.

Reading:

Aronson, Linda The 21st Century Screenplay (Allen & Unwin, 2010) (Good exploration of alternatives to the three-act structure and unlocking character through action)

Cooper, Patricia and Dancyger, Ken Writing the Short Film, (Focal Press 2004) (based on NYU course, has interesting short screenplays)

Cowgill, Linda J Writing Short Films - Structure & Content for Screenwriters (Lone Eagle Publishing Co., 2005) (good practical guide with exercises and sample screenplay)

Egri, Laglos The Art of Creative Writing (Kensington Publishing Corp., 2001) (especially good on motivations and how they shape character. Former teacher of Woody Allen)

Goldman, William Adventures in the Screen Trade (Abacus, 1996) (Still the most perceptive book about the screenwriter’s life in Hollywood, and the funniest)

Mackendrick, A, On Film-making, (Faber and Faber, 2006) McGilligan, P, Backstory 2, Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1940s and 1950s (Univ. of California Press, 1997)

McGilligan, P, Backstory 3, Interviews with Screenwriters of the '60s (Univ. of California Press, 1997)

Parker, P, The Art and Science of Screenwriting (Oxford Intellect, 1997)

Phillips, W Writing Short Scripts (Syracuse University Press, 1991) (comprehensive overview of short films)

Yorke, John, Into the Woods: How Stories and Why We Tell Them (Penguin, 2013) (good overview of structure from one of UK’s best television producers and story editors)

This module looks at the art and craft of adaptation. The US and UK film industries rely increasingly on adaptations to ensure box office success;  although this is by no means a recent phenomenon. If you look back to the ancient Greek playwrights or the works of William Shakespeare, writers have always used other source material for inspiration. The traditional source material has been the novel or prose short story for two reasons. Creatively they offer a rich story world with fantastic characters. And if a book is a best seller then it will already have an audience for commercial success. However, as the opportunities and platforms for storytelling expand in a global and interactive market place, so too do the sources of inspiration.

This module will also look at the stage play, the graphic novel, the true story and other films as sources for adaptation. And it will look at a variety of platforms for which ideas can be adapted; the feature film, the television series, the online game and web series.

You'll submit a portfolio comprised of an analysis of the source material, a treatment of how the story will be re-told for this new format, and a sample of the opening pages of the script.

You'll explore adaptation in two ways. Using a series of case studies set by the course tutor, you'll examine both the source material and the adaptation to understand why creative choices were made. This will increase your understanding of how film, television and interactive storytelling work. You'll put this learning into practice by selecting your own source material and writing a treatment on how they would adapt it for a specific medium of their choice.