Course overview

|This course has been designed in collaboration with screenwriters working in film and television today. It covers numerous screen formats, including drama documentary, soap opera, comedy, single drama, the drama series, animation and short films.

A blend of academic study will complement the practical emphasis, allowing you to examine wider cultural and social issues.

Teaching is informed by practice, enabling you to apply theoretical knowledge to contemporary examples of work. Writers, producers, agents, script developers and editors will inspire you with guest lectures and masterclasses.

Professional accreditation

Southampton Solent University is now a Skillset Media Academy.|

Course content

Year 1  

• Introduction to Story
• Introduction to Screenwriting Craft
• Researching and Writing Genre
• Style and Language
• Reading Screen texts
• Scripts into Performance.

• Writing Drama Documentary
• Writing Single Drama
• Authors
• Media Industries and Audiences
• Authors, Authority, Audiences
• Scripts into Production.

• Major Script
• Writing and Difference
• Media Markets and Promotion

Plus a specialist double-option from either Drama Series, Feature Film or Comedy. 

Assessment

As well as scripts, essays and presentations, the course offers innovative, creative modes of assesment. These include: pitching sessions, storylining, treatments and step-outlines, script reader/editor reports, performed readings and group television production.

The emphasis is on preparing students for the 'real world,' and the assessment strategy employed reflects this strongly by exposing students to 'real life' scenarios.

Entry level

• 240 points 200 points from 6-unit or 12-unit awards.
• International/European Baccalaureate.
• A recognised equivalent of the above qualifications gained outside of the UK.
• A pass in a recognised access to Higher Education course.
• Students whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of competence in the use of English, eg GCSE or GCE O Level (Grade C), IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL score of 550 or more (213 computerised).
• All applicants will be interviewed.

Special features

The UK’s only undergraduate degree specialising in writing for all major screen genres.

Heavily weighted in terms of practical writing, meaning that students are continually producing work and inproving their writing abilities.

Strong encouragement and guidance in seeking work experience, making industry contacts, and preparing work for submission to producers/agents and competitions.
Teaching is informed by practice, allowing students the opportunity of applying theoretical knowledge to contemporary, everyday examples. Lecturers, seminars and workshops are taught in such a way that self progression, 'learning by doing' and self/peer reflection become a focus.

Career opportunities

Students will leave the course with not only the talent and mastery-of-craft to pursue a career as a writer, but with the knowledge and skills to work in other script-related roles such as script researcher, script editor, storyliner and producer.  Students following screenwriting pathways in similar degrees have gone on to write for film, television and radio, and pursue closely-related roles in the wider sphere of the media and communications industry.

Screenwriting is a competitive industry, but ample opportunities made for work placements and networking throughout the course will help students to greatly enhance their career opportunities.  Others may wish to pursue further study or research, or join one of the closely-related industries such as teaching, PR, marketing, advertising, publishing, theatre or radio.    

Options available

• Language
• Curriculum Plus
• Socrates/Erasmus exchange

Field trips

It is hoped that students will be able to participate in related trips such as:

• Film Festivals
• Film/TV Masterclasses run by the BBC
• Film/Television studio trips
• Writing Festivals  

Industrial placements

Students will be able to participate in Industrial Placements via the Curriculum Plus unit.
Students will also be encouraged and guided to take placements in holidays etc.

Other information

Students will have the opportunity to work closely with peers from other courses such as Performance, Film and Television, Film, Animation, and TV and Video Production to enable their scripts to be both performed and made into short projects.

*Note

This course is also available with a Language Foundation (English) (Level 3). |Please make sure the correct UCAS code, as listed below, is entered on your UCAS application form.

BA (Hons) Screenwriting with Language Foundation
UCAS code: W8Q3 BA/SL

Programme Specification

The current academic year (2009-2010) programme specification for this course can be found via the Faculty of Media, Arts and Society course list |held in our Programme Specification centre.

Page was last updated on 27 May 2010 11:31:17.447