"And how did I know what to say? The words were written down for me in a script."

It's a good line from Sir Ian McKellen in an episode of TV Series "Extras." The script underpins every piece of TV, film, radio, or stage, it's the basis for everything. 

Scriptwriting will equip you with a toolbox of basics. How to lay out a script, how to structure the screenplay; the do’s and don’t of writing speech and dialogue, and breathing life into your characters.

What is a screenplay? The course will help you distinguish between visual and prose-based storytelling and the techniques used. You’ll learn to use a script as a set of instructions, and how to develop the structure.

You’ll learn to develop suspense, the dramatic arc, and storyboarding and how filming techniques can enhance these effects. From this you’ll develop the dialogue, considering the purpose of dialogue and what you are trying to say.

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Following on from dialogue you’ll consider characters, creating backstories to flesh them out. You’ll look at stereotypes and consider how, and if, these might be useful for the plot or to avoid.

You’ll pick up important screenwriting terms and techniques – and learn to watch lots of films in a critical and interrogative way. By the end of the course you’ll have acquired the nuts and bolts of scriptwriting and will have penned your own 15-minute screenplay.

So if you have a dream to work in TV, radio, or the stage, this course is the ideal starting point.

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You’ll learn with guidance from one of our fabulous tutors, click below to see the team.

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