Screenwriting in London

This course provides a stimulating and challenging examination of the principles and processes of writing for the big screen, drawing on contemporary and classical screenwriting examples from British, European and American filmmaking. The program is a re-discovery of the fundamentals of writing a film: the screenplay is not a script, but should be a descriptive representation of the original film the writer has created in their imagination. Beginning with story, and exploring its possible forms and shapes; imagining characters from the inside outwards; and then situating your characters in their story world, the course provides a toolkit to assist any writer in creating not just their first feature screenplay, but all their screenplays to follow. Topics include explorations of genre, tone, style and emotion; an introduction to writing for TV; and how (and why) the film and TV industries work. Students are encouraged to participate actively in workshop development of their own and their colleagues’ scripts. By the end of the semester, participants will have completed a first draft feature length screenplay, and have directed an extract for its public presentation in a rehearsed reading; the cast recruited from students on the Tisch Shakespeare in Performance at RADA program.

This course offers a wide-ranging introduction to London’s history and contemporary developments and explores the capital through field trips to galleries, museums, and places of iconic interest. Lectures and visits by practicing artists, as well as discussions and debates, stimulate interest in a wide spectrum of the arts, including architecture, music, photography, painting, the applied arts, and aspects of performance.

This course examines the role that the capital has played in British film from the early, silent years to today. Many directors have used the iconic status of London as either the protagonist or backdrop in films of different genres, from the silent era to World War II documentaries, from the “swinging London” of the 1960s to the social satires of the 1980s, and from gangster films to romantic comedies. The course explores the significance of this world city and its representation of Britishness. It also provides the opportunity, where possible, of exploring the real locations and venues where films were shot.

The focus of this course is Shakespeare’s text as performance.  The study aims to uncover clues apparent to an Elizabethan actor and consider how this might inform current theatre practice.  Each sessions is a discrete unit, each with a separate focus blending academic and theatrical in areas such as adaptation and sources, style and interpretation, structure and genre, mythology and history.  The course encourages students to develop a working knowledge of the canon and read as widely as possible.  A chance to specialise comes in the final presentation which is in the form of a production proposal based on the experience of the course.  Work is enhanced by a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company, a visit to the Globe theatre and opportunities to view a wide range of recorded productions.

A selection of theatrical productions is chosen to give students a feel for the breadth and depth of London theatre during theatre visits to the West End and fringe theatres. Each production is viewed and analyzed as a whole, but the many and varied elements that go into making London theatre supply a different focus each week. In addition there are occasional field trips to sites of theatrical interest with a guest speaker or two thrown into the mix each semester to discuss his/her work (from writing to directing to acting to designing), to share knowledge and expertise and to help demonstrate how high-quality parts are needed to make a high-quality whole.