This second screenwriting course allows you to build on your understanding of writing techniques and apply this, drawing on your imagination as well as observation of film and TV productions. Students will actively develop their writing skills, followed by shared reading and discussion of their work. Working with participants' screenplays in active development, the workshop applies - and sometimes challenges - screenwriting principles in the creative writing process. Simultaneously you will learn to write, evaluate the quality of writing, and give constructive feedback to peers to further enhance your critical skills needed for innovative screenwriting.
Screenwriting: From Pitch to Screen
This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Course begins: 20 Jan 2025
Week 1: Lecture - Introduction, Adaptations & Beat Sheet
Week 2: Workshop - Beat Sheet (TV: Characters)
Week 3: Workshop - Set up: The first 10 pages (TV: Setting and rules)
Week 4: Workshop – Adventure: the second 10 pages (TV: Series Structure)
Week 5: Workshop – Tests, Allies & Enemies: 10 - 20 more pages (TV: first 10 pages)
Week 6: Summative Assessment: Student Creative Director Presentation
Week 7: Workshop – Crisis: another 10 - 20 pages (TV: second 10 pages)
Week 8: Workshop – Climax: 10 more pages (TV: third 10 pages)
Week 9: Workshop – Resolution: 10 concluding pages (TV: fourth 10 - 20 pages)
Week 10: Summative Assessment: Revised Project Pitch
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading:
- The Screenplay Business / Bloore, P.
- The Art of Dramatic Writing / Egri, L.
- Search online for the titles of films that impressed you, adding the terms 'script' and 'pdf' / Various Screenwriters
Digital Certification
To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £295.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £30.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Mr Carl Schoenfeld
Carl has three decades’ film industry experience as writer and producer. He pioneered new approaches with award-winning talent, including BAFTA-nominated film and TV productions for the BBC, BFI and Channel4. He runs Screenwriting Workshops for the British Film Institute and through his Online Screenwriting Academy.
Course aims
We aim to develop a personalised understanding of the film industry, its roles and opportunities in the context of student screenwriting project aims. Emerging screenwriters are encouraged to complete either a series of short films, the first draft of their feature film screenplay or TV bible, building on guidance from their tutor and peers.
Course Objectives:
- Express your film idea within the limitations of the screenwriting form and practise the application of dramatic, cinematic writing techniques.
- Evaluate screenwriting in terms of formal and dramatic achievements, and communicate your evaluation, including areas of achievement and those requiring further development, in a constructive manner.
- Exploration of filmmaking opportunities arising from observation of film and TV output, as well as wider cultural developments in the context of rapidly changing media industries.
Teaching methods
This module does not include any lectures on screenwriting concepts as they are provided in the earlier Screenwriting: From Idea to Pitch module. Instead, we focus on their application through shared reading of student creative work that applies such principles of good screenwriting. Accordingly, the sessions require active student participation through both a personal screenwriting project and general industry observation. Each class will begin with a short progress discussion, followed by reading and disucssion of student work.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- develop an awareness of screenwriting as part of a larger filmmaking process, including its opportunities and limitations in relation to their personal aims;
- critically analyse both their own creative work and the media products they embrace;
- be aware of how a more detailed understanding of media products can support their own project development process;
- write creatively within the limitations of the screenplay form and talk concisely and effectively about their work.
Assessment methods
Based on their identified project needs and the research, materials and conclusions, students are required to submit for summative assessment
either
Option A: a 1000 word (+/- 10%) portfolio including a project summary, sample scenes or screenplay fragment, development plan, and reflection on learning, as well as a final pitch presentation in week 10.
or
Option B: a 1500 word (+/- 10%) portfolio including a project summary, sample scenes or screenplay fragment, development plan, and reflection on learning.
Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
Application
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).
Level and demands
This course will build on knowledge and understanding provided by the course 'Screenwriting from Pitch to Screen 1'. Joining 'Screenwriting from Pitch to Screen 2' without having completed 'Screenwriting from Pitch to Screen 1' or a similar course is not advisable, as some knowledge of concepts and techniques will be assumed.
- 'Screenwriting 1: From Film Idea to Pitch'
or
– other industry practice informed workshops delivered by practitioners
or
– independent learning resulting in a pitch including genre, approach, 'hook' and story for a feature length screenplay, a TV series 'bible' or series of short film scripts.
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.