Scriptwriting

Through seminars with leading industry practitioners, intensive peer workshops, and practical exercises, you’ll develop a full understanding of the relationship between script and production. The emphasis is on the architecture of story: learning how to build a narrative out of words and exploring different ways to bring those words to life through performance and production.

Collaborative exercises with actors, directors, and film-makers will make your writing a reality, strengthening your craft while providing finished pieces for your portfolio to showcase your development.

We make full use of the resources available at our Newton Park campus, including audio recording suites, film and television studios, rehearsal spaces, a well-stocked asset store, and a state of the art screening room. By the end of the course, you’ll understand how to tailor your writing to any chosen media.

The programme is offered full-time over one year, and part-time over two years.

For full-time students the programme runs over three trimesters. For part-time students, the programme consists of two trimesters in the first year, and three in the second. The third trimester focuses on the dissertation project.

Trimester one

The craft of story -  Explore the key literary elements of a script through text-focussed study.

Writing for Performance - Through active collaboration, you'll be introduced to the challenges and possibilities of writing for the performing arts. For part-time students, this forms the first Trimester of year two.

Trimester two

Professional Practice - Equip yourself with the knowledge to pursue careers in the industry.

Production Lab - Collaborate with others on the production of creative pieces in a variety of media, ready for a presentation event. For part-time students, this forms the second Trimester of year two.

Trimester three

Final Script - Develop a polished creative work to the highest professional standard.

This course includes or offers the following modules. Please check the programme document for more information on which modules are core, required or optional.

• Story Workshop
• Writing for Performance
• Production Lab
• Professional Practice
• Final Script (Double Module)

You’ll be assessed by coursework and practical presentation.

You’ll learn through a mix of intensive residential days, weekly seminars, individual tutorials and online provision. The course structure allows for a progressive development of essential skills.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

MA Scriptwriting provides a foundation in writing for all the major media. Our graduates can find (and have found) work as script editors and story editors within mainstream broadcasting. Graduates can find employment in numerous capacities within the industry, working as: researchers, location managers, publicity managers, literary agents and, of course, as scriptwriters.

Many graduates find teams with whom to produce independent work in film and theatre, taking their productions to regional theatres and film festivals.

• Ilsa Ure has recently signed with one of the top literary agencies in the UK.
• Keith Kopp and Laurence Guy have won awards at film festivals.
• Douglas Murdoch has won an Arts Council grant for his theatre production company, Greedy Pig.
• Brittany McComas has had two feature films produced by US companies.
• Tom Parfitt is a Story Editor for Emmerdale (ITV).
• Sarah Curwen has toured China with a play about the poisoning of a British businessman.

We encourage group trips to the cinema and theatres. We may organise visits to production facilities.

The course is based at our  Newton Park campus, as well as our purpose-built Oldfield Park theatre workshops in Bath. Newton Park is a beautiful, inspiring place in which to work creatively, with access to state of the art resources and facilities.

You'll have access to:

• Technical facilities at Newton Park including cameras, lighting and sound equipment, studio and post production
• Purpose-built theatre workshops designed and built to industry standard, replicating the real-world production processes of staging theatre performances
• Theatre Lab – a monthly opportunity to share your work with actors.