The course is aimed at developing screenwriting skills in the context of a filmmaking community where writing is an everyday practice and a collaborative process involving actors, directors, musicians, editors and producers. At LFS we explore the boundaries between writing and directing and stimulate debate through classes in film history, crosscultural approaches to dramaturgy and script readings with professional actors. Regular screenings of classic and contemporary films in our own film theatre and visits by contemporary filmmakers complement the core practical work of developing a feature screenplay. The MA Screenwriting programme provides a year of critical and creative development, a network of future contacts and a space where a writer can define their interests and particular talent. This is a course that is more interested in content over structure, individual development over the imposition of a universal model or set of rules. At LFS we believe that the study and practice of screenwriting requires an understanding of the technical aspects of filmmaking and of different approaches to narrative as well as the working methods and practice of professional screenwriters as members of a creative team. We are looking for writers who are excited about writing for the screen, who have a background in writing for other mediums, directors who are seeking to write their own feature script and writers who wish to establish long-term mentoring relationships with development professionals. Course Philosophy * To encourage writing as a state of mind and everyday practice * To stimulate a reflective and critical approach to practice * To provide an historical background to film narrative * To place the screenplay in the context of a collaborative filmmaking process * To explore the boundaries between writing, directing and producing * To stimulate alternative approaches to screenwriting through awareness of different dramaturgical traditions * To take on writers who wish to develop a long-term mentoring relationship with working professionals * To focus on the writers individual development above issues of structure and dramaturgy * To create a context where the writer works with others involved in the filmmaking community - directors, actors, musicians, producers PORTFOLIO OF WORK On completion of the course writers will have developed a significant portfolio of work that will include most of the following: * The second draft polish of a feature length screenplay * Two short screenplays of between 10-20 minutes in length * An outline for a Television Series * A Slate of five ideas for further development * Two sets of sample Script Reports * Three Research Journals * Credits on MAF short films as script editors or co-writers

The programme is non-modular. It is composed of three units to be taken sequentially. The course is full-time only and lasts one year. Some of the component classes are term specific and others run continuously across the whole programme. Unit 1: The Screenwriters Craft This unit provides an introductory and theoretical framework for the practical work with an emphasis on the writer's personal development. It includes an overview of dramatic principles as applied to a distinctively cinematic approach to storytelling. It also encourages a critical evaluation of those principles in relation to the creative process and the development of original work for the screen. Workshops on storytelling and film language, characterisation, scenewriting and step outlines, the development of original ideas for the screen and adapting material from another medium are based around practical writing exercises. Visiting professional screenwriters discuss their methods of working with practical examples of past and present work. Classes on film style and history, including a programme of evening screenings in the film theatre, provide a context for the written work. In addition students have the option to work on film exercises produced by students on the Filmmaking MA - while their short and feature screenplays are a valuable resource for the filmmakers. Collaboration between writers and filmmakers is continually encouraged through joint sessions, social events and the posting of projects on the screenwriters' blog site. Students' reflections on the relationship between theory and practice, screenwriting and filmmaking as well as establishing a partnership with a professional writing mentor, profoundly influence the outcome of their work and the preparation for their major project. This includes the writing of a Work and Research Journal which tracks their personal and project development through the inclusion of visual references and selfreflective notes on course and project work. The main practical focus of this unit is the writing of a Short Film Screenplay and the production of a Feature Film Portfolio through small group and one-to-one feedback sessions with actors, directors and development professionals. Unit 2: The Screenwriter's Practice Students will normally have passed Unit One before starting Unit Two The main focus of this unit is the development of a First Draft Feature Screenplay through small group feedback and one-to-one Mentoring. This unit continues to place screenwriting within the context of craft skills, film style and the filmmaking process. It also introduces the economic and industrial context for film production, distribution and exhibition and the role of the writer and the screenplay within that context. Class work and exercises including the Writers Gym and a National Gallery day - focus on visualisation and cinema specific aspects of screenwriting - while workshops with actors, directors and editors demonstrate how a knowledge of the filmmaking process is essential to the developing screenwriter. Alternative models of screenwriting are explored through case studies of screenplays, screenwriters and filmmakers. The Work and Research Journal continues to provide a transparent account of the writers' creative development and engagement with the course while the Feature Film screenplay remains the practical, assessable outcome of that process. Unit 3: Writing the Feature Film Students will normally have passed Unit One before starting Unit Three. This unit continues the series of lectures on the history of cinema with evening screenings built around debate and contact with contemporary filmmakers. Visiting writers, producers and agents with specialist workshops on television writing and adaptation provides the industrial context. The principle focus of this unit is on the key practical work of the Masters programme - the writing and development of a Feature Film project through two further drafts - supported by a professional writing Mentor. The final screenplay along with an outline of project development and the Work and Research Journal complete the assessable work for the MA programme. Selected scenes from the graduate screenplays are presented at a Showcase event for industry professionals later in the year.