MI5002 - Screenwriting 2 - Writer's Room

Through practice, writing is rewriting, therefore the best way to learn is to write whilst under the guidance of an experienced professional. Through the early writer’s room sessions you will learn to ‘break story’ which is a term for creating the narrative structure of a series. It is the same process used on all US series such as Grey’s Anatomy and Breaking Bad. It requires the individual writer to become part of a creative team, to be able to speak out when appropriate, to be able to contribute opinions that are backed up by appropriate research and experience. You will be expected to hit strict deadlines for your treatment’s and scripts. You will be expected to read other people’s scripts in order to understand the SOP (State of Play) of the characters. At the writing stage you will respond to the Showrunner’s notes and rewrite your script accordingly. You will be offered support through meetings and project supervision sessions. Final Draft screenwriting software will be provided for the students in designated IT areas, though it is also encouraged that the students purchase their own copy if they are serious about a career as a screenwriter.

The Writer's Room is the most modern and advanced process in present day scripted television production. You will be led by a ‘Showrunner’ (or in this case ‘lead writer’) encouraging you in the early workshops to brainstorm ideas, create characters and possible storylines. As part of the module you are encouraged to research, read, and immerse yourself in related materials, for example, previous broadcast materials, journals, books and any other related materials. Working together with fellow students you will create a series of episodic television narratives. These episodes will be handed over to yourself and other students to write successive drafts in an approximation of the real scripting process on a broadcast television show. Through this you will learn to respond to creative notes, production notes and also the budgetary restrictions imposed upon writers. You will also learn how to use professional screenwriting software Final Draft, for formatting scripts and writing scripts. This software is available to students in designated IT spaces.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:

1. Understand the key components to create an original television series and the principles of television narrative.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

2. Show how the creative and critical contexts underpin practice in the creation of television series drama.

3. Evidence creativity and imagination in the writing of your episode.

4. Demonstrate the ability to action notes and hit deadlines.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

5. Show awareness of series broadcast narrative and its development.

Assessment will be 100% project work (3000 words equivalent). You will produce an episode based on the work developed through the writer’s room. The portfolio will include at least two drafts of your script and associated materials e.g. set exercises. The portfolio will encourage you to critically engage with the process of screenwriting in an ongoing reflective and critical manner. The portfolio should clearly demonstrate that a range of strategies and approaches have been undertaken, covering such areas as characterisation, scenario and plot development and the importance of hitting deadlines within a production environment. The portfolio will demonstrate your capacity to understand these approaches and deploy them in the making of work of a professional standard and will address all of the MLOs.

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TV Writer’s Room: Together we will work to create a television series from scratch. Here you will learn how to work in serial formats. Picking up from the work of other writers, hooks, storylines, legs, state of play… all terms that you will come to learn the meaning of. This will be an interactive learning experience with the tutor as ‘Showrunner’ and with you as writer. Deadlines will be given to individual students in accordance with standard industry practice and consist of, synopsis, treatment and at least two drafts of an episode and a final polished draft. You will be expected to attend all scheduled sessions, to hit script deadlines and to fully participate in the writer’s room.