MA Screenwriting

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International Student CAS Deposit

International applicants will be required to pay a mandatory CAS deposit of £2,500 that confirms your intention to study in the UK. This payment is only requested when the accepted offer is unconditional and Visa preparations are ready after May.

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

• Learn more about - student finance options for UK students .
• Learn more about - fees and finance for international students .
• Graduates of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can receive a 10% discount on their master's degree tuition fees as part of our Manchester Alumni Loyalty Discount scheme.

The unit aims to give you a conceptual and critical understanding of the universal principles of story structure. By the end of the course, you will understand the five act structure, the particular content and purpose of each act and the relationships between them. You will be trained to use a vocabulary that will enable you to talk about screenwriting with a new degree of professionalism and sophistication. This course will also give you a conceptual framework to analyse the most successful, professionally written screenplays as well as those of your peers and equip you to talk about story structure in industry. On completion of the course, you will have acquired a set of diagnostic tools empowering you to identify where your own script has gone wrong, and giving you a roadmap to remedy.

• Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the formal, technical and professional choices industry practitioners make when designing story.
• Demonstrate a detailed and systematic understanding of story structure, and a critical awareness of contemporary innovations in the field.  
• Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of the collaborative, project-oriented nature of story design when working in industry settings.
• Demonstrate originality in the application of story structure and demonstrate self-direction in the planning and implementation of remedial re-drafting.

• Be able to critically analyse, interpret and judge the work of leading industry scriptwriters.
• Students will use a real or adopted professional perspective throughout to frame their discussions and reflections.
• Demonstrate their understanding of the methods industry practitioners employ to edit, remedy and rescue scripts and apply this to their own work.

• Be able to evaluate and critique their own work, with reference to the professional conventions of story design.
• Be able to make presentations to the class critiquing work, and the lastest viewing assignments.
• Use e-tools to collaborate with peers.
• Be able to write original screenplays utilising crafted story-design.
• Be able to remedy, and salvage more original ideas by using the diagnostic tools.

• Communicate their ideas effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Collaborate constructively in group dynamics with peers to develop ideas and understanding.
• Manage their time and workload effectively in order to meet deadlines

• Feedback on summative work via Turntitin.
• Formative feedback via individual meetings with course tutor, and in class peer review, summative written feedback at the end of the semester.

Essential Reading

• John Yorke, Into the Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them (Penguin, 2014)

Further Reading

• Christopher Vogler, Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (Michael Weise , 2007)
• Joseph Campbell: Hero With A Thousand Faces (Princeton University Press 1973)

Background Reading

• Syd Field Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting (Delta, 2005)
• David Mamet. Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama (Methuen, 2007)

Essential Viewing - Features:

• American Beauty
• Thelma and Louise
• The Godfather Part 1
• Psycho
• The King’s Speech
• Finding Nemo
• Toy Story
• The Imitation Game
• The Lion King
• 50/50
• Pretty Woman
• Alien
• Knocked Up
• Frozen
• Jaws
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Humpday
• Force Majeure

Essential Viewing - Television:

• Breaking Bad
• True Detective
• Misfits
• Six Feet Under
• Southcliffe

Shorts:

• The Phone Call
• About a Girl
• 2+2=5
• This is John
• Wish 143
• Toyland
• Six Shooter
• Gridlock
• Wasp