Fees and funding

Fees

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 .

Policy on additional costs

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).

Scholarships/sponsorships

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

Course unit details:
The Calling Card Script and Television

Course unit fact file
Unit code ENGL70712
Credit rating 30
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

The course will be taught through weekly three hour seminars. The first two hours of each seminar will be taught, and the final hour will take the form of a workshop where students will critique each other’s work. The first half of the course will focus on the critical analysis of pilot episodes of popular American, British and European comedies and drama, as well as new shows being broadcast concurrently with the course.  We will use contemporary theories of screenwriting and visual storytelling to understand and evaluate the success of this work while simultaneously extending and refining your understanding of the vocabulary of contemporary screenwriting through a programme of further relevant reading. In the second half of the course, you will begin to produce drafts of your own calling card script, these will be workshopped in class. We will continue to view and critically analyse examples of contemporary TV drama and comedy.

 

Aims

The unit aims to:  to develop and refine your existing knowledge of the principles of visual storytelling grammar, and to apply that knowledge to the writing of an original calling card television script. You will learn how introduce an audience to a dramatic premise with a view to a story unfolding over a series. You will learn how to introduce characters and convey story visually to maximize comedy and drama. You will also spend a day working at Hollyoaks in the storyline department. You will write a script/storyline for the Hollyoaks and have your work read by staff who will give you feedback. On completion of the course, you will be fluent in screenwriting language and will be equipped to translate your ideas and stories to dramatic and comedic screenwriting for television and you will have a piece of work suitable to used as a ‘calling card’ for industry. You will study and analyse numerous examples of the most successful recent television series. For your final assessment you will write the opening episode of an original TV series, under the supervision of tutors.

Teaching and learning methods

 

Knowledge and understanding

Demonstrate a refined understanding of the technical language of screenwriting and of contemporary theories of story.

 

Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of techniques used in professional screenwriting, and its application.

 

Demonstrate a developed knowledge and understanding of the particular requirements and demands of working in television.

Intellectual skills

Evaluate critically and, interpret examples of recent and contemporary television comedy and drama.

 

Understand and imaginatively respond to the particular requirements and difficulties of writing a pilot episode of a TV comedy or drama.

 

Develop systematic approaches to visually interpreting original stories.

Practical skills

Fully understand and be able to use the full suite of tools in the Final Draft software package.

 

Communicate specialist understandings of screenwriting methodologies in a group environment.

Transferable skills and personal qualities

Communicate their ideas effectively both verbally and in writing.

 

Give, receive and effectively respond to constructive criticism.

 

Exercise decision-making and personal responsibility in collaborative creative environments.

 

Manage their time and workload effectively in order to meet deadlines

Assessment methods

Treatment for original TV series 10%

Hollyoaks trial script/story 30%

Plot Script 60%

Feedback methods

Feedback on summative work via Turnitin.

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

Recommended reading

Essential Reading

The Calling Card Script by Paul Ashton

 

Recommended Reading:

Pilot scripts for: Breaking Bad, Being Human, Happy Valley, Life on Mars, The Americans, The Sopranos, Mad Men, Orange is the New Black.

 

 

Essential Viewing:

Pilots:

The Sopranos

Mad Men

Six Feet Under

Breaking Bad

Orange is the New Black

The Wire

Being Human

Dexter

Happy Valley

Life On Mars

Broadchurch

The Americans

 Eastbound and Down

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Practical classes & workshops 18
Seminars 33
Independent study hours
Independent study 249

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Tim Price Unit coordinator

Return to course details

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