Script Writing (Taught)

The skills of storytelling are timeless. Tackle the creative, analytical and professional sides of script writing for film, television and radio on this industry-accredited MA.

• Focus on further developing your own feature film, TV or radio project in a workshop-based environment limited to twelve students, ensuring intensive engagement.

• Study on one of the few MA Scriptwriting programmes accredited by ScreenSkills.

• This programme will immerse you in the industry. You will have the opportunity to gain industry exposure by pitching your project to high-level industry professionals and having your script read. Your lectures will be taught by expert academic staff as well as an array of guest speakers, who will discuss their careers and projects, including Oscar nominees and BAFTA winners.

• Be supported in finding industry contacts who can encourage and support your development as a scriptwriter.

• Develop script editing and script development skills.

• To mark the end of your studies on the MA, you will take part in a graduate showcase - a celebration of scripts written on the MA Scriptwriting in front of industry experts. You will have the opportunity to present 10 minutes of a project, read and performed by professional actors.

• You can choose to upgrade your degree to an MFA by completing a second year of study. During this time, you will work on an Independent Practice Project.

• Alumni of this course go on to pursue sucessful careers in script writing.

• Study within Goldsmiths’ School of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, and hone your craft in a critical, stimulating, and interdisciplinary creative environment.

• Media, Communications and Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths has been ranked second in the UK for 'world-leading or internationally excellent' research (Research Excellence Framework, 2021) and 16th in the world (third in the UK) in the 2024 QS World Rankings for communication and media studies.

With myriad new media platforms, there are more opportunities to create content than ever before. And all these require a script and a story. But how do you get your work to industry-standard and in front of the right people?

Industry access
At Goldsmiths, our tutors are all experienced film and TV professionals, and we are able to offer exceptional industry access for our emerging writers.

Over the last four years we've welcomed a broad range of writers, television development executives and film production executives.

The questions we explore
The main question you have to ask yourself for this MA programme is: do I really need to be a writer more than anything else? That’s quite brutal, but script writing is a tough profession. You’re totally exposed as a creative person, it’s you and the page and the tradition in which you’re working, and that can be a liberating but also uncomfortable place to be.

The processes we use
The programme is not about learning how to be a writer; it’s about developing and pushing forward your own writing projects as far and as fast as you can in 12 months. You’ll be developing your own voice, learning how to critique the work of others, and getting to grips with marketing your projects. You’ll also be making industry contacts so you can pitch for employment in an extremely competitive industry.

You’ll cover every aspect of the writing process from getting ideas, maintaining productive writing practices and developing characters and storylines, to presenting your work to an industry standard and pitching your ideas. Writing is a lonely business – that’s why the community of writers that the programme gives you is such a creative advantage.