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SCRIPT WRITING BWR204

Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification Statement of Attainment

Study the art of script writing and advance your niche skills.

  • Have you always wondered how to write a script?

  • Do you want to work as scriptwriter for plays, short films, promotional videos?

  • Do you want to develop your writing skills for novella writing, fiction writing, or to transcribe books to screenplays.

 

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Study script writing to improve your script writing skills in TV, radio, education and more.

  • There is always demand for suitably qualified script writers - for contract work, freelance opportunities and permanent employment roles. Do you have the skills and the knowledge to work in this growing industry?

 

STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD - HONE YOUR SKILLS - WRITE YOUR PASSION.

This course is suitable for

  • anyone interested in writing scripts
  • course writers
  • television writers
  • content writers
  • radio writers
  • amateurs looking to get into script writing
  • professionals who want to hone and improve their script writing skills
  • study for professional development, CPD or interest.

 

  • Course Duration: 100 hours of self paced study.
  • Start Date: Start at any time - you can enrol today.

 

COURSE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT 

The content of each of the 11 lessons is as outlined below:

Lesson 1. Scope and Nature of Script writing  

Learning Aim: Explain what script writing is and its many applications.

Lesson Content

  • Introduction - what are scripts? 
  • Where are scripts used? 
  • Writing Scripts - what is the story you want to tell?
  • One page, one minute rule.
  • Visual, behaviour and aural storytelling.
  • Show and don't tell.
  • Handling time.
  • Formatting script.
  • Abbreviations.
Lesson 2. Plotting the Screen Play

Learning Aim: Describe and compare techniques for plotting the story.

Lesson Content 

  • Types of stories.
  • What are the specifications? 
  • Duration of the performance.
  • Developing the story-line.
  • The Story Pyramid.
  • Creating a story board.
  • Techniques for plotting a story.
  • Fiction and creative non-fiction.
  • Non-fiction - Education, Corporate, Presentation Writing.
  • Screen play formatting guide.
Lesson 3. Outline and Writing the Script

Learning Aim: Explain how to write the outline of a script and then write the script itself.

Lesson Content

  • Writing the outline.
  • Cliff hangers in a script.
  • Formatting outlines.
  • How to write the script.
Lesson 4. Characterisation

Learning Aim: Explain how to write good characters in your script.

Lesson Content

  • Writing good characters.
  • Building characters.
  • Character planning.
Lesson 5. Use of Dialogue and Sound Effects

Learning Aim: Explain the use of dialogue and sound effects in script writing.

Lesson Content

  • Dialogue in script writing.
  • Writing dialogue.
  • Dialogue tags.
  • Tips on writing dialogue.
  • Examples of dialogue.
Lesson 6. Writing for Internet, TV and Film

Learning Aim: Explain how to write for the internet, TV and film.

Lesson Content 

  • Time frame.
  • Fiction or non-fiction.
  • Pace.
  • Sound effects.
  • Visuals.
  • Writing for TV.
  • Writing for film/screenwriting.
  • Writing for websites.
Lesson 7. Writing for Radio

Learning Aim: Explain how to write for radio.

Lesson Content

  • Introduction.
  • Components.
  • Voice.
  • Music.
  • Sound Effects.
  • Other points to consider when writing for radio.
Lesson 8. Writing for Training/Instructional Videos

Learning Aim: Develop scripts for use in educational programs.

Lesson Content

  • One person script.
  • Two person script.
  • Multiple persons script.
  • Visuals in training presentations.
Lesson 9. Writing for Children

Learning Aim: Develop scripts for an audience of children.

Lesson Content

  • Introduction.
  • Fiction and non-fiction hybrids.
  • Children's cognitive development.
  • Implications for the writer.
  • Socialisation.
  • Gender, roles and stereotyping.
Lesson 10. Writing for Advertising

Learning Aim: Develop scripts for an audience of children.

Lesson Content

  • Writing for advertising.
  • What is the purpose of advertising? 
  • Writing and analysing adverts.
  • Summary skills.
  • Tips for summarising.
  • Writing for infomercials.
Lesson 11. The Business of Script Writing

Learning Aim: Develop an understanding of the business of script writing.

Lesson Content

  • Commercial Opportunities.
  • Start your own production business.
  • Ethical and legal considerations.
  • The law.

 

CHARACTERS IN YOUR WORK - EXTRACT FROM COURSE NOTES

Building Characters

We must be true to our characters. As a scriptwriter, we should ensure that our characters have the correct characteristics to develop the story in the correct way.  Imagine you are writing a script about a poor, down at heel man, living on the streets in poor shabby clothes with no money and then finding out that he is being blackmailed and is a millionaire. Unless there were pointers in the story to suggest that he was wealthy, the audience may not believe the story you have created, we need to ensure that we give those clues. For example, he may be very well spoken, know a lot about good whisky, say that he has travelled the world etc. These ‘clues’ might help the reader to believe us when we say he is a millionaire. 

Try and visualise your characters. What do they look like? How do they talk? What do they do? How do they behave? Are they good or evil? Are they human? If we can imagine what a person looks like, we can find it easier to find their voice when we are writing a script.

Character Planning

Background: Research your character – don’t make simple mistakes that may not be realistic; for example, if your character is a GP he or she is not likely to be performing complex surgery. 

Know your character - their traits, their position, their job, their family situation, their cultural background: ethnics, religion, social standing, education, interests, their ethnic background, their physical and mental attributes, their behaviour, how they speak, how they walk and how they react in various situations.

Question your character: When you develop a character, it is handy to set a list of questions – as if you were conducting an interview. Respond to each question by researching and imagining what this character would be like –their attitudes, behaviour, appearance, social standing and so on. Asking questions is a great tool in character development.

Development: A character is developed and shaped through their environment, their upbringing, their education, the people that have influenced their lives (for good and bad) and the time in which they lived or live.

Time period: The way a character behaves, dresses, speaks etc., is reflected by the time in which they live. If you are setting a tale in the future of course you will have a lot more licence as it may be pure fantasy. Those that have lived in the past (in whatever period) must reflect this in their speech, attitudes, behaviour, dress and social standing. Research, research and research and you are unlikely to go wrong!

The location: The setting of your script will influence its atmosphere – a script set in outback Australia will have a totally different atmosphere to one set in the lush tropics or the English country-side. Again, this requires research – if you get it wrong your script will most probably be rejected and if it sneaks through your audience will undoubtedly pick you up on it and you lose credibility. Either write about what you know or be prepared to do a lot of research or even visit the places you are writing about. 

Career: As discussed before – make sure that the career suits the character, their life and in general the way they speak, dress and behave. A surgeon will have a totally different character to a farmer. A very well-dressed person is more likely to be affluent than they are a vagrant.

BE IN DEMAND

There is always demand for suitably qualified script writers - for contract work, freelance opportunities and permanent employment roles.

  • Do you want to develop the skills and the knowledge to work in this growing industry?
  • The predicted future growth of the script writing industry is steady. There is an expected 25-30% growth of this market in the next 5 years.

 

HOW THE COURSE WORKS

You can start the course at any time.

It is studied by distance learning, so you can study in the comfort of your own home. But this doesn't mean you are all alone in your studies.  Our highly qualified and friendly tutors are there to help you every step of the way.  If you have any questions at all, they are always happy to help.

Each lesson includes set tasks, and is completed with an assignment which the student submits to their course tutor.  The tutor will mark the assignment and return this to the student with comments and suggestions for further reading.

WHAT NEXT?

  • Do you want to become a script writer?
  • Do you want to improve your script writing skills?

If the answer to one of these questions is yes, then why not enrol today and get started?

The only way to become a writer of any kind is to write.

Get started. Don't say, "I want to be a writer." Decide to say "I am a writer."

YOU CAN ENROL NOW

If you know this is the course for you and want to enrol now, please click the "Enrol now" button on the top right-hand side of the page.

ANY QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions, please click here to contact one of our writing tutors. They are more than happy to answer any questions about our courses - contact us today using our FREE COURSE COUNSELLING SERVICE.

 
Courses can be started anytime from anywhere in the world!

Meet some of our academics

Peta Jinnath Abdul B.Sc., Grad.Dip.Ed., M.Creative Writing. Peta is a writer with interests in education, science education, and literary theory. She's worked as a writer, editor and teacher, and is currently pursuing her research interests, while working as a writer, tutor and academic officer at ACS.
Tracey Jones (writing)Tracey has enjoyed creative writing since she was a child. She has had several short stories published and a novella. She is also a keen writer of children's stories and poetry. She has also written many academic and non-fiction books in the fields of psychology, sociology, child development, writing and marketing.


Check out our eBooks

Getting Work in a Modern WorldGetting Work in a Modern World is a must read; for students, parents, the unemployed, careers advisors or anyone interested in changing or forging a sustainable career. This is realistic guide to getting a job or starting out in business and understanding different industries. Topics covered in this book include 1/Career Myths, 2/ Finding Your Path, 3/ Understanding Employers, 4/ Preparing for a Job, 5/ Jobs to Consider: Looking to the Future, 6/ Information Technology, 7/ Business, Management and Sales, 8/ Health and Wellbeing, 9/ Horticulture, 10/ Wildlife and Environmental, 11/ Animal Care, 12/ Agriculture, 13/ Hospitality and Tourism, 14/ Media and 15/ Education.
Professional WritingProfessional writing is any writing that you are being paid for. It can include fiction writing, a best-selling book, articles in a magazine, articles in a newspaper, blogs for companies, technical manuals or procedure manuals, copy for catalogues, newsletters, text books and other academic material and so on.
Creative WritingThe Creative Writing ebook can be useful for writing students or even professional writers to help improve their writing techniques and skills. The Creative Writing ebook is a fabulous starting point for budding writers. The topics that are covered within this book are an introduction to creative writing, Methodology and technique- the building blocks of writing, Genres, Creative non-fiction, creative writing techniques, developing your skill, building your career and a Glossary.