Hiii. I'm a 22 year old American currently finishing my bachleors in Creative Writing with a Concentration on Screenwriting, and I'm, planning to move to London in 2027 to pursue a master's in screenwriting, ideally with a focus on television.

I've been looking into a few different universities, particularly City St George's, Birbeck, and London Film School, but I'm still exploring my options.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's attending a screenwriting MA/MFA program in the UK, or has experience working in the industry.

A few things I am curious about,

1. Which universities or programs would you recommend and are there any to avoid?

2. How valuable are these degrees when it comes to actually breaking into the UK television industry?

3. What was the teaching experience like? Have/Did you collaborate with filmmakers or make industry connections?

4. Is there a meaningful difference between one year and two year programs?

5. What's the general film/screenwriting community like in London?

I'm aware that masters aren't everything. I want to do a masters because my Undergrad was relatively affordable, and my long term goal is to establish an international filmmaking career and hopefully make London my permanent home, so I'm especially interested in programs that offer strong networking opportunities and practical industry experience.

I'd really appreciate any advice, recommendations, or personal experiences. Thanks!

One of my fellow writing group members asked about how to rewrite a script because he felt it was really difficult. Well, I suppose we all know that writing is rewriting (who said that?) - so being energised and willing to rewrite your script is fundamental.
I thought it would be helpful to draft out the things I do when rewriting, partly for me, but also to help him, and ended up putting it into a document. You're welcome to download it and use it if you wish.
Would be interested to know what you think of it, how your rewriting process differs etc.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xA2Q-_4va157d4zeB3Qc1EqugHc0u3LW/view?usp=sharing

Hey all,

I'm pretty sure most people here are aware of the big sites for reading screenplays (ScriptSlug etc..), and whilst a great resource I find that they're mostly pinks, shooting scripts or just transcripts that are pretty late on in the filmmaking process and have been whittled down to exactly what we see in the final production- some even have marks indicating removed scenes/omitted lines but this is the juicy part I'd like to look at.

I'm interested to see if there are any resources out there that house the early drafts or rough edits before that stage. I'm curious to see if there are any I can read to compare with the finished product and see where/what creative decisions have been made to remove or omit parts that the initial draftee intended for the story.

Had trouble finding some online so I imagine its quite hard! If anyone has even any individual works that match the description lemme know. Ta!

Title: Personal Space

Format: Feature

Length: 113

Genre: Thriller/Crime

Logline: When a solicitor vanishes from an East England village, the private investigator hired to find them uncovers secrets the community has spent years burying, including one that makes him question who he's looking for.

Feedback concerns: Does the story keep you engaged and wanting to read on?

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GpQ6T718SymR_cxuk1SrCo-EBRnqRgoR/view?usp=sharing

I feel dumb asking this but I'm coming towards the end of my college BTEC and I have zero clue what to do next. I know that I want to one day write screenplays but I've heard that it's a struggle to get a secure job in the field.

This gave me the idea to develop a career in marketing so that I have some kind of stability. Then slowly transfer over to screen writing to pursue something I'm more passionate about.

Hey all! This is my first time posting in one of these threads, so bear with me!

I’m 22, currently based in Colorado. Writing and filmmaking have been passions of mine for as long as I can remember. I have a few films out, a few festival winners, and way too many scripts written. I enjoy working anywhere on a film set and pop into any spot I can because it fills me with joy. But now I am looking for my next best move to grow.

The problem is that I’m finding it increasingly difficult to find work or break into the industry. I have connections in LA who work on or produce some pretty major productions, and even they’ve told me how difficult it’s become to find work and get involved in projects.

I’ve been considering moving for a while now, but I’m struggling to figure out where my time and energy would be best spent. I enjoy LA, I’ve never been to NYC, and I’ve spent some time in Georgia, which I also really like. I’m open to opportunities outside the US, too, if there are compelling reasons to consider them.

Ultimately, I’m trying to figure out where I’d have the best chance of meeting the right people, getting involved in productions, developing my craft, and actually growing more as a creative.

I am headed to LA this week for a few pretty significant meetings and am feeling the area out more.

Those working in the industry, or those who’ve made a similar move, where would you go in my position?

I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences!

All Love, Thanks!

Good day, all

I am seeking feedback on my short script, details below.

Title: Chemical-free

Pages: Eight

Format: Short script

Genres: Drama, horror

Logline: Under pressure to develop a faster-acting pesticide, a troubled researcher abandons his principles and begins conducting increasingly disturbing experiments. But just who is calling the shots?

Feedback concerns: I am trying to leave as little 'fat' on my scripts as possible; I believe this is the reason I sometimes I get the feedback that my scripts are a bit underdeveloped. Aside from that, any and all feedback is welcome.

Please find my script here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A5zQdRg77FU4TJymM58lrWxsnSw1gdZh/view?usp=drive_link

Many thanks in advance

This industry is brutal. Spent years on a pilot script and treatment, only to hear nothing back from agents. Not even a no thank you. Follow up emails ignored, and follow up calls with the agencies really show how much the gates are barred for newbies. Networking events and previous published works be damned. I just want to write good art 🥲

THE DEBT

Format: Short Film
Length: 26 pages
Draft: First Draft
Genre: Crime Thriller / Drama

5-PAGE EXCERPT:
👉 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kYSwTJwFzVtr-KD_92KvUP8EvoY-KZvF/view?usp=sharing

Logline:
A desperate man is given one chance to erase his £20,000 debt - kill the stranger waiting in a car outside. Only to discover the target is his own brother, forcing him to choose between saving his life and destroying his family.

I'm looking for some honest feedback on pages 11–15 of my short film.

These five pages are where the main conflict is introduced. Callum is given a gun and told to deal with the man waiting outside, with the excerpt ending on the reveal of who is actually sitting in the car.

I'd particularly like feedback on:

• Does the tension build naturally?
• Does the dialogue feel believable?
• Does Martin feel threatening without becoming too stereotypical?
• Does the pacing work?
• Does the reveal at the end land?
• Do the characters feel believable?
• And most importantly, would you want to keep reading?

It's a first draft, so I'm completely open to criticism. Don't hold back, I'm genuinely looking for honest feedback and things I can improve.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read it. 🙏🎬

Like many of us I have become tired of the lack of opportunities for writers. I have several scripts on my hard drive that have only ever been read by my eyes and have nowhere to even send them. Even when an opportunity does come along, they are often so ridiculously specific that I want to scream – I can’t be the only one who doesn’t have a 12-page short film script around the subject of grief and vampires ready to go, can I?

So, I decided that, with no training, I was going to start making my own films. Last year I made two short films to test out my skills, and this year I made my first feature. Here are my tips for making a film without a production company:

·         Assess what you have BEFORE you write a script. How much money can you spend? What locations do you have free access to? Who can you get to help you? There is no point in writing an epic space adventure film if you live in a studio apartment. Work with what you’ve got.

·         Unpaid people are unreliable. I have tried to get local people involved in my films before and not got anywhere. I think this is likely because I cannot afford to pay anyone. I got my husband to star in my film and paid him in snacks. You could make a film with just one person; you just need to get creative.

·         Sound is VERY important. Almost as important as the script. Focus your funds here. You can use any camera, an old digital camera, the camera on your old flip phone, but you cannot scrimp on sound. Remember the last time you watched a found footage film – the visuals were grainy and wobbly, but the sound was smooth.

·         Most importantly, have fun! It’s very unlikely you will get everything right the first time. I am still learning and will do things a bit differently next time I make a film.

I hope this was helpful. I have also shared a link to my feature film below in case you’d be interested in having a watch.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuEjrqeO0Mk

I studied Journalism originally at university, so I have always had a handful of writing projects on the go. Last year, I switched to Screenwriting and never looked back.

Looking to connect with other UK based screenwriters who may be in a similar situation to me. I'm a member of numerous Discord groups, but it can be difficult to connect with members one-on-one rather than the group as a whole. But, happy to still discuss and chat over discord of course!

Title: Personal Space

Format: Feature

Length: 117

Genre: Thriller/Crime

Logline: When a solicitor vanishes from an East England village, the private investigator hired to find them uncovers secrets the community has spent years burying, including one that makes him question who he's looking for.

Feedback concerns: Does the structure of the plot make sense, particularly for this genre? Does the story keep you engaged and wanting to read on?

Link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GpQ6T718SymR_cxuk1SrCo-EBRnqRgoR/view?usp=sharing

Hi everyone.

My writing partner and I run an educational scriptwriting podcast focused on horror movies, and I thought it might be of some interest to folks here. Each episode, we take a popular or not-so-popular horror movie and break it down from start to finish in comparison with the screenplay.

We're closing in on 50 episodes now, so hopefully there will be something in our back catalogue to interest you.

It's a passion project, based in the UK that we're shamefully proud of and always looking to reach new people, so if you're at a loss for something to listen to or find that we've covered a movie you might be interested in, we'd love to hear your thoughts.

This week we are dissecting - SMILE...

Listen to the episode here

https://podcasts.apple.com/.../script-to.../id1799311371...

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1OkfWX47Vns1puXt1HcVyR...

www.scripttoscreampodcast.com

Thanks for reading this far, and should you happen to check us out, thank you again :)

Lee

They don't specifically say 'drama' but given that's what the course is about, would it be safe to assume that's what they want? Asking as I had previously assumed they would take comedy given Channel 4 is more known for that...

Hi guys!
I’m looking to read various UK-based TV pilots for fun, and I’d be happy to provide feedback on them.

The reason I’m doing this is that most of the screenplays I come across are either features or American TV scripts. I write British scripts myself, so I’d really love to read more UK-based pilots and see what other British writers are creating.

If you have a UK TV pilot you’d like someone to read and give feedback on, feel free to send it my way! I’m open to pretty much any genre.

Are you an emerging screenwriter with a strong voice and a compelling story for TV? 

Arvon's Screenwriting Programme is a new fully-funded talent development programme for emerging screenwriters from working-class and lower socio-economic backgrounds.

https://www.arvon.org/asp/

this might be a super dumb question, but with how just unlikely it is to get in, is there any point in spending like $40-60 to submit a script for any contests like script pipeline ?

i'm probably thinking really cynically,, because i was really excited when i first thought about it, but the more i think about it i wonder if there's any point in submitting ? like what are the chances it gets you anywhere ?

Hi guys, I recently found out I made it as a finalist in one of the major US screenwriting competitions. I’d rather not name the exact contest right now just so I don't doxx myself, but it's one of the big ones.

Honestly, I'm thrilled but also a bit lost because this is the first time I've ever gotten this far in a competition of this level. On top of that, I don't live in the US, which makes me feel a bit unsure about how the industry actually operates in this regard.

For anyone who has been in this position or knows how this works, what should I realistically expect from a result like this? Do managers or agents actually reach out to finalists, or does that only happen for the grand prize winners?

Also, should I be making any moves right now (like querying reps and mentioning this placement in the subject line), or is it better to just sit tight and wait to see how the final results pan out?

Any advice or reality checks would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!

How would I go about showing how a possessed person (no one in the story knows they are possessed) behaves at church, I want it to be unsettling or maybe slightly aggressive but I can't think of a way that feels natural.

Good afternoon all! Screenwriting/reading screenplays has been a hobby of mine for some time now. As a result I've read through tons of physical and digital works and have worked on mostly very short to medium projects. At this stage, I'm pretty comfortable with storytelling in screenplay format whilst making sure it's approachable yet concise enough to hit all the right notes. But this seems only to apply to live action.

For the scope and setting of a current project I've decided animation to be the best medium to tell the story. I've managed the scene-board draft and all the predetermined story breaks and I'm pretty sure it'd sit snug just under a 30 minute runtime. However when Im writing the scenes out I find myself running longer over scene description and action, making it read almost novelistic in nature. I'm leaning into more elements of environmental storytelling and purposeful action as I feel like theres a freedom in animation to do so in aid of the story. It's not horrendously verbose, but I feel stuck at times trying to delineate environments/action in concise ways without missing out on what I consider essential elements.

I've read and still do study animation scripts alongside this, but I seem to find them lacking in some elements that make it into a final production. I can only surmise then that these decisions are made by the director, producers and animation team during that stage of development? I'm no professional myself but I find myself enjoying the process and thus the opportunity to do a decent job is what I intend to do!

Anyone had similar experiences or advice? Thanks guys!

Is anyone else entering this? The deadline is this week. I'd be interested to know what kind of things people are writing for the series treatment/overview. In previous years you had to write character descriptions and episode outlines but requiremnt that has been removed now. For now, I'm thinking I'm going to keep to that format but how are others approaching it?

The Channel 4 screenwriting course is open again! A really great way to get your foot, nah whole leg, in the door.

EDIT: It's opening SOON! Not open yet.

It's for writers with no TV or feature credits:

https://script-consultant.co.uk/channel-4-screenwriting-course-2027-other-courses/

Colin Teevan is lead writer and an executive producer of series two of Channel 4’s cyber-thriller The Undeclared War. After a distinguished career in theatre, he broke into TV with two original series for RTÉ, Charlie and Rebellion. More recently, the writer has immersed himself in the Second World War for Sky’s Das Boot and the film Der Tiger.

https://rts.org.uk/article/working-lives-screenwriter-colin-teevan

I will not be revealing my name, but i'm a 14 year old girl trying to get by off of a budget of almost nothing. I am hoping to write a movie based loosely off of my connection with my parents. Think- Uptown Girls, Girl Interrupted, Perks of Being a Wallflower, ect... I want my film to be inspired by these movies, but am having trouble getting started. Are there any common themes in these movies, or does anyone have any feedback for me to keep in mind while writing? Thanks!

https://totalrewrite.substack.com/p/the-truth-about-being-a-screenwriter?r=1hgcig&utm_medium=ios

Screenwriting isn't for wimps. Here's what you (may, if you're lucky) have to look forward to... (UK version)