This was easily my favourite subject I did this sem, if not my favourite from my course so far!! The class consists of a 2 hour workshop weekly, and my tutor Christine was so fun. The first 6 weeks also have a two hour lecture on screenwriting basics, which you discuss aspects of in tutorials as well as looking at script excerpts. Once you get onto workshopping script pitches / drafts about midway through semester, the tutorials become heavily discussion based. Since I hadn't done a creative writing class before, I was a bit intimidated by this but ended up enjoying it so much, as everyone gives great advice and feedback and the conversations were genuinely enjoyable. You can pretty much write your screenplay (due in exam season) on anything you want to as long as it's not more than 12 pages. Keep in mind that this assessment is worth 70% and comprises a pitch too (the other is a mini script response involving writing another scene for an existing screenplay), but I think it's really easy to do well in, even if you don't have experience in creative writing, as long as you can enjoy writing.

This subject was very fun. We spent most of the semester producing a screenplay for a short film, with the opportunity to pitch our ideas and receive feedback from others. We also read quite a few screenplays and had to do an assignment in which we were to analyze a screenplay for a film we had never seen before. We also watched several short films and scenes from feature films throughout the semester. In general, if you enjoy creative writing, screenwriting, and/or film, you will probably enjoy this subject.

Writing for Screen primarily takes the form of writing a 10-12 pages short-film screenplay. Lectures cover the basics of formatting, pitching, and plot structure, supplemented by readings. Assessment if based of the end screenplay produced, a script report analysing a script for recommendation, and a verbal pitch for your screenplay. Weekly workshops took the form of viewing an excellently made presentation, courtesy of tutor Clem Bastow, and then reading either a script segment or workshopping a student’s piece. Whilst this course was entertaining, it would’ve benefited from a little more density and rigour, a little more to sink one’s teeth into. I recommend this class to anyone who would like to write a short film screenplay, and workshop and polish it.