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Screenwriting Course Run Down - short courses
Well, I've been promising this article for a long time, but the emails have come in on this in dribs and drabs, so I wanted to wait a while before having a stab at a comprehensive list of screenwriting courses, both reccommendations and horror stories, short courses and graduate courses.
So...The Short Courses first.
The good news. As short courses go, there seem to be plenty out there worth a shot. The Script Factory's "Picture The Scene" course in scripting drama (which incidentally I've taken as well and found to be worthwhile) and Scriptreading Courses got the thumbs-up, as did TAPS. The New York Film Academy received a couple of good reviews and one lady reccommended Christopher Vogler's course. Katharine Way's courses too came in with good words and one chap reccommends this course in writing TV drama, which certainly seems very comprehensive. I personally can reccommend BBC Scribes' Tony Jordan and Peter Bowker's own course in TV drama, which I took this February, as it proved to be inspiring.
One of the few short courses that received bad reviews was Syd Field's Masterclass, in conjunction with The Screenwriters' Store, last May. A chap by the name of R had this to say: "It was lazy...When he finally did get going, all he did was recite his book on screenwriting. No additional info...Every screenwriting course I have been on has left me feeling inspired to write. This one made me want to do anything but."
Now I actually went to this masterclass myself and was not as disappointed as R, though I must admit the lack of technician for Syd Field was pretty annoying, since he was unsure how to use the projector and time was wasted. I also found it very expensive at £250 for just two days. Like R, I was disappointed at the lack of additional info to the book, but did like the materials that were given to us, particularly the CD-Rom with lots of screenplays in PDF format, in full, including some that I had found difficult to source on the internet.
Another course that came in with several bad reviews which should come as no surprise is the Cheltenham Screenwriters' Festival's New Writers' Day. Though the event has been documented widely and more established scribes like Paul Campbell and Danny Stack found the events aimed at them inspiring, Dominic Carver in particular has been very vocal about his disappointment in the New Writers' Day. This e-Scribe, S, feels the same way: "All the same old, same old...Altogether I suppose it was a commendable effort for a first year, just not terribly useful for someone like me. If you're a rank beginner, there's plenty out there for you. But after that? Good luck."
As short courses go then, that does seem the biggest problem cited in all the emails received about this subject: if you've done a degree in screenwriting or concentrated on your professional development for some time (but not made that all-important sale!), then just where are you in the screenwriting stakes? There's a good chance that you'll pay money for these seminars, only to be told what you already know. As one emailer writes:"I know the three act structure. I know it's hard to get an agent. I know directors don't like freaking adverbs and I know good characters make good films! I know that Tony Jordan used to be a market trader, that Bill Martell used to drive a fork lift truck! That's great.... But HOW do I get an agent? HOW do I get a deal? HOW do I approach TV companies? WHAT do I have to do? I will do anything... But these courses do anything but tell me how to advance in my career!"
This is a sentiment echoed by thousands of spec writers. Does anyone have any further advice, or courses to reccommend? Let us know!
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I would have to say that out of all the short screenwriting courses I've been on, the Weekend Professional Screenwriting Course by the London Script Consultancy is definitely the best.
These guys definitely know their stuff. Its a lot of information to take in but after the weekend I felt my life as a screenwriter had been revolutionized and I came away with a much clearer idea of where to go next. -
I recently attended a weekend course in Soho run by the London Script Consultancy. It's the third course I've been to and probably the best so far. I'm currently studying a BA in Scriptwriting and still managed to come away with a lot of valuable knowledge that hadn't been given to me on my course. The lectures were thorough and concise but most importently they felt honest. I was made aware of the intensity of the film industry but at the same time given the confidence to take it head on. I would definatley recommend this course to anyone who is seriously considering taking that first step in to the dog eat dog world of screenwriting. A+
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Hi Vicious, yes I have been in contact with Adrian myself - but extraordinarily, no one emailed in with a reccommendation, so thanks for that one. He says in his latest PDF (he sends them free to people who ask - look out on the SP list) that he will be doing even LESS teaching soon, 'cos more teaching means less writing - argh. Seems like we need more Adrians to go around!!! Anyone know one like him?
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"But HOW do I get an agent? HOW do I get a deal? HOW do I approach TV companies? WHAT do I have to do? "
For a short course that tackles these exact topics, I have to recommend Adrian Mead's one-day seminars. So You Want to Write TV Drama is not about writing, it's about the business of writing, such as how to approach TV companies and how to get an agent. Mead even lays out a three step plan for securing representation! Mead goes out of his way to stress the fact his seminars are not about writing, but breaking in and building your career. The seminars are inexpensive too - £45 for the day.
See what others have had to say about the one-day courses here:
http://www.meadkerr.com/publicity/SinglePosting.php?Article ID=15
The bad news? Mead lives in Edinburgh and runs his courses in various Scottish locations (and not that often). He's doing a four-day residential version in Spain this October - you can read more details here:
http://universal-arts.co.uk/hacienda/index.php?option=com_c ontent&task=view&id=5&Itemid=4
18/08/06 20:19