Writing TV Drama
Start Date
Package
← Back to Courses
Writing TV Drama
Do you have ambitions to write TV drama? Whether you’re gearing up to start work, or if you’re already writing, this course will teach you the fundamentals for writing a pilot. Learn the language of TV drama – how it’s constructed and how to talk about it to the industry, with expert advice from screenwriter and showrunner, Colin Teevan (Das Boot, Rebellion).
Drawing on his substantial experience as a TV dramatist and showrunner, Colin teaches a professional approach to screenwriting that will mark you out as someone who understands what producers and commissioners want. Discover how to use an established genre to turn the story that you want to write. Establish the world of your drama on the page so that a production team will get everything they need to know – but crucially no more than that. Put your protagonist in a hostile situation and figure out what they must do to overcome it. And learn how everything on the screen talks – not just dialogue.
By the end of this course, you should have written at least the first 10-12 pages of your script and have the confidence to be able to deliver your pilot to an industry standard.
A brilliant course. I thought the teaching points from Colin were fresh and interesting and showcased his long experience as a leading screenwriting professor.
Tutor
Colin Teevan
Colin Teevan is a celebrated playwright, translator and writer for screen. He is writer, creator and executive producer of Rebellion (RTE, Netflix) seasons 1 and 2 and lead writer, showrunner and executive producer on Das Boot (Bavaria Fiction/Sky TV) seasons 2, 3 and 4. He is also the writer and creator of Charlie (RTE), three original films starring Aidan Gillen, who won an IFTA for Best Performance. His other work for television includes Silk (BBC) starring Maxine Peake, Vera starring Brenda Blethyn and Single Handed (ITV). Colin currently is showrunning a show for Channel 4/Playground, and his feature film for Amazon is in production. He has new series in development with Gaumont Germany, Bavaria Fiction and Windlight. Colin’s theatre pieces have been produced by many leading British theatres including the National, the Young Vic, the Soho Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland. He is also the creator of our highly popular advanced course in Writing an Original TV Drama Serial, and is Emeritus Professor of Screenwriting and Playwriting at Birkbeck, University of London where he lectured for over 12 years. He previously lectured on Creative Writing and Screenwriting at UEA, Durham, Newcastle and Queen’s Belfast.
WHAT DOES THIS COURSE GIVE YOU?
- Video modules: Work through six modules comprising pre-recorded teaching videos and substantial notes by Colin Teevan. You’ll learn the fundamentals of screenwriting, including an understanding of what should definitely go in your script and what should be left out, how to write compelling action and zingy dialogue, and how to pitch your work to the industry.
- Writing tasks: Weekly screenwriting tasks to help you explore and understand the teaching topics and progress your TV drama.
- Scene studies: Read five short scenes from Colin’s own screenplays and hear him discuss his own script decisions in-depth in five videos demonstrating how his teaching works in practice.
- Resources & notes: You’ll get additional resources and teaching notes and a list of recommended watching.
- Professional feedback: An expert CBC editor will give brief written feedback on several of the students' practical assignments every week, with all students receiving feedback on one of their screenwriting tasks. Students are also given the option to purchase additional end-of-course feedback from our expert editors.
- Student forum: Find your writing community on our private student forums. Upload your completed screenwriting tasks, give and receive peer-to-peer feedback, and discuss the week’s topics with your fellow students.
COURSE SCHEDULE & DELIVERY
Our online courses are designed for flexible learning. Allocate your own study time and take part from wherever you are in the world. Each week, we recommend spending at least four hours on the course. It’s also important to be planning and working on your TV pilot throughout the six weeks.
Week 1
What am I writing?Week 2
Anatomy of a TV scriptWeek 3
ActionWeek 4
CharacterWeek 5
DialogueWeek 6
Point of view & openings
ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK
All students will be given the option to purchase feedback on their final task from a CBC editor.
- CBC report: For an additional fee of £145, you can obtain a detailed 500-word report on an extract from your draft pilot script (up to 2,200 words), 300 words synopsising your entire pilot episode and 300 words synopsising the rest of your serial. from one of our CBC editors.
- CBC report + tutorial: For an additional fee of £240, you can obtain a 500-word report from one of our editors and have a 30-minute video or telephone tutorial with them to discuss your work.
GIFT THIS COURSE
Encourage your writerly friend or loved one to get creative! We have £220 digital gift vouchers available, enabling you to buy any five-week online course as a present.
Learn the essentials of screenwriting and get to work on your own TV drama pilot.
Tutor
Colin Teevan