Scriptwriting MA

Course overview

What does this course offer?

• Develop your individual authorial voice
• Enhance your creativity in preparation for a rapidly changing media industry
• Develop scriptwriting skills across a range of media platforms
• Work in a collaborative environment which emulates industry practice
• Develop critical thinking and intellectual skills to reflect, learn and grow as a successful media practitioner
• Graduate from the UK’s only Centre for Excellence in Media Practice and a recognised Skillset Screen and Media Academy with an excellent track record in graduate employment and industry reputation.

Where could this lead to?

Some recent graduates now work as:

• Freelance scriptwriter
• Script editor
• Script reader
• Script supervisor
• Development supervisor researcher
• Agent
• Packager writer-producer
• Writer-director
• Media journalist
• Media teacher

Who should do this course?

• Recent graduates with an undergraduate degree (typically 2:1 or above) in any discipline who want to take their expertise and apply it within the media context
• Individuals with an undergraduate degree in the area of media practice (e.g. television production, video production, interactive media production, scriptwriting, music design, journalism, advertising)
• Or from experienced professionals working within the media industry.

Tell me more....

This innovative Skillset Media Academy course is the first in the UK to explore scriptwriting for film, television, radio, the web and other forms of new media. Central to the course is that you won’t simply write, but through collaborations with producers, directors, editors, cinematographers, sound designers and radio practitioners, you'll have the chance to actually see some of your work get made. There's a wealth of production talent in BU’s Media School, and so as a scriptwriter you'll find opportunities of turning your creative ideas into finished products.

You'll work on a range of scriptwriting assignments over the course of the year, from the short film to the feature film, television drama to television comedy, radio documentary to online drama. In the Cross-Platform unit, you'll shape your scriptwriting skills to suit a variety of media formats. Specific projects include a location-driven short film and a collection of scripts driven by character voice. The final Masters Production Project offers you the chance to develop a long-form piece of original writing or a portfolio of shorter scripts.

All practical work is underpinned by a rigorous academic grounding in areas such as narrative, authorship, audience and industrial contexts. You'll be encouraged to challenge current thinking and explore possibilities of scriptwriting practice, and be guided to develop a deep understanding of the evolving industry that you wish to go on and work in.

Taught by professionals and academics with a wide range of writing experiences, this course will allow you to develop your own authorial voice across a range of media platforms. You'll learn how to create, develop, write, edit and present your work effectively, and will graduate with a unique set of scriptwriting skills that will enable you to write successfully for a variety of media.

If you're interested in this course why not join our Facebook Group - MA Writing for the Media, new members always welcome.

Remember - We also run a part time distance learning course called MA Screenwriting