Writing for Film and TV Drama

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Course Title:  Diversify Your Creative Writing- Transferring Your Skills into writing for Film & TV Drama: Introduction to screenwriting for Novelists, Short Story Writers, Poets, and Playwrights.

Course Date:  Saturday May 24 2025. Full day including refreshments and lunch.

Course Level: Beginner screenwriters, Established novelists, playwrights, short-story writers and poets

Course Summary: 

This one-day workshop, aimed at emerging screenwriters transitioning from other creative writing medias, will be comprehensive and medium-specific, covering structure, concept, and story development for film and TV, to help writers better understand the elementary tenets of visual storytelling, screenwriting and the Irish and global film and TV industries.

Course Outline: 

1. Film and TV Concept & Plot.

• Identifying the core differences between Short Story, Theatre, Novel, and Screen stories
• Establishing  the Concept & Expanding it into a Plot
• Elements and Purpose of The Screen Story
• Theme & Tone
• Identifying  the Key Characters and Their Goals – Hero and Villain – and how they are      represented on screen
• Introduction to Film and Episodic Pacing & Structure
• Introduction to Character Development through Action and Dialogue

2. Creating the Synopsis, Treatment, Bible, and other Materials.

• What is a screenplay?
• Why is a screenplay so important?
• What goes into a screenplay?
• What is a synopsis and why is a synopsis so important?
• What is a treatment and what is it used for?
• What goes into a treatment?
• How is a treatment structured?
• What is the difference between a treatment and a series bible?
• What is a Pitch-Deck and what is it used for?
• Other Documents and Their Uses. 

3. Working in the Industry.

• Identifying the core differences between Screen Industries and the Publishing and      Theatre Industries
• Availing of Funding within the Industry
• Working and Collaborating with Creative Communities
• Approaching Production Companies
• Working with Producers
• Collaborating with Directors
• Basics of selling TV Dramas to Broadcasters and Streamers
• Basics of selling to the Film Industry

4. Concluding chat and Q&A.

Course Outcomes: An understanding of the elementary tenets of visual storytelling, screenwriting and the Irish and global film and TV industries.

Paul FitzSimons is a producer and screenwriter and runs the production company Prelude Content. He recently produced the feature film VERDIGRIS and he’s now developing a number of film and TV projects.

He wrote the 2017 feature film THE GIFT and has been a story writer on the TV Drama FAIR CITY.

Paul has been a screenwriting coach and tutor for 15 years and has developed training materials and run training courses for The Big Smoke Writing Factory, DFEI Dun Laoghaire and Screen Ireland Skills. He currently works with the National Talent Academies and coaches writers on a one-to-one basis, many of whom have gone on to enjoy successful writing careers.

Eight participants (max) accepted on course. 

You can book your place by clicking on the link below.

Course fee €125 including refreshments and lunch.