University degrees: Courses
Course length: 22 weeks
Course city: Edinburgh
Venue: Screen Academy Scotland, 2A Merchiston Ave, Edinburgh, EH10 4NU 0131 455 2572
Fee: £250 (£200 concession)
Course Overview
Taking place over 22 weeks. Explore your storytelling instincts, study the craft of screenwriting, workshop with your peers, and develop and write a commercial ten-minute film drama.
Tutor
It’s delivered by multi-award winning Edinburgh-based film and television producer, screenwriter and experienced Writers’ Factory lecturer, Nigel R. Smith. Trained at the Media Business School in Spain and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the US, Nigel’s many and varied credits include children’s space adventure sitcom Intergalactic Kitchen and Tartan Shorts, Cry for Bobo, for the BBC.
Who’s it for?
Those with little or no prior experience of writing drama for the screen.
Those who’ve completed the course have continued to develop their screenwriting practice in a variety of ways. Some have found collaborators to produce their short film screenplays, with several receiving development and production funding through regional and national schemes and going on to screen at film festivals internationally. Many have gone on to craft speculative television drama and feature film screenplays and have formed supportive screenwriters’ groups to provide feedback on works-in-progress. Others have placed highly in national and international screenplay competitions. Several have gained places on MA Screenwriting programmes at Screen Academy Scotland, Bournemouth and elsewhere.
Here’s what past participants have said about the course….
‘I expected this course to be a real learning curve – and it has been.’
‘I hoped it would encourage me to follow my creative instincts – it certainly did this.’
‘An excellent course. Initially I was nervous about the workshops, but found them incredibly helpful and enjoyable.’
‘Thoroughly enjoyed the course, encouraged to continue writing but with much better understanding of the field and its complexities.’
‘Very enjoyable and informative course, relaxed but well structured. Thank you!’
‘Tutor, material, workshops – basically the whole course was excellent’.
‘I enjoyed the tutor, the engaging, well-prepared sessions, the workshops, and feedback from other students.’
‘Enjoyed the course thoroughly. Sad that it’s at an end.’
Prerequisites
Solid grasp of English language.
Home access to computer and printer.
Some optional activities take place in an on-line forum, so ability to access the internet is preferred.
