Screenwriting: Principles of Storytelling (P4161)

15 credits, Level 4

Autumn teaching

This industry facing module trains you in the art and craft of professional screenwriting.

You’ll:

• work to the expectations of producers, development executives and short-film commissioners
• dissect contemporary plot architecture then apply it to your own material.

Weekly case studies of award-winning shorts unpack how character drives action and how theme emerges through:

• conflict
• subtext
• visual juxtaposition.

Guided by experienced tutors, you’ll shepherd one concept through logline, outline and beat sheet to a polished six to eight minute screenplay ready for casting and pre-production. By the end, you’ll have completed a revised script and gained experience in the vocabulary, workflows and critical knowledge required to collaborate confidently in today’s screen industries.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 33 hours of contact time and about 117 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses:

• Filmmaking BA