Course summary
Push the boundaries of comedy writing to their limits Join this Comedy Writing course and get the skills, tools and industry insights to push your projects to the top of the commissioning editor’s pile and get your comedy script green-lit. Interrogate big ideas like sex, politics, religion and family through comedy. Or just write a show that's unashamedly stupid! There are lots of opportunities right now and a great need in the industry for new television and audio comedy writers. Who knows; you could see yourself on the way to the BAFTAs, Oscars or Golden Globes with the next Fleabag, VEEP, Modern Family or Father Ted. Throughout this Comedy Writing course, you'll get writing tips and career guidance masterclasses from the very best in the industry. Guests have included the likes of sketch comedy heroes French & Saunders, Emmy and BAFTA-winning comedy writer Simon Blackwell, Radio 4 comedy commissioner Sioned Wiliam and former head of BBC and Sky comedy commissioning, Lucy Lumsden. This online Comedy Writing MA has been developed by award-winning comedy producer and executive producer Simon Nicholls. Simon has 20 years' comedy industry experience, developing and selling comedies in the UK and US. You will: Study the work of renowned writers and directors, reflect on professional trends and learn how to seize market opportunities Learn how to write comedy sketches, sitcoms, comedy dramas and develop a body of work for multiple platforms including; radio, TV, film and online Develop a portfolio of scripts, treatments and responses to professional briefs, which can be used to gain agent representation and producer interest Understand the role of a commissioner and what it takes to create a successful project
Modules
On this Comedy Writing course, you'll study the work of renowned writers and directors, reflect on professional trends and learn how to seize market opportunities. You'll hone your craft to develop a distinct comedy scriptwriting portfolio and learn the street smarts of how to best navigate the comedy industry: how to grab opportunities, how to approach producers and agents and how to make your work stand out from the crowd. This course is comprised of five modules, four 30-credit modules and one 60-credit project (180 credits in total). The modules have been specifically designed to be studied in a non-linear order, with the order in which you’ll study the modules depending on when you begin the course. All modules on the Comedy Writing course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award. Modules: Comic Storytelling for Screen and Audio (30 credits) You'll begin your studies by exploring fundamental questions such as, what is comedy? Why do we tell funny stories? How do we tell funny stories? You'll then develop your sketch and long-form comedy writing skills and tackle a set of writing briefs, which will become part of your final portfolio of work. You'll consider comic timing and beats, scene construction, setting and characterisation. Screen Industries: Professional Development in Comedy (30 credits) In this module, you'll gain a range of technical writing and project development skills as you work to produce industry-standard comedy writing with real commercial and creative potential. You'll undertake research into a comedic area of interest and produce a case study that evaluates current comedy industry markets and opportunities. In response to your findings, you'll develop a robust pitch document incorporating core ideas, the writer's vision, a short synopsis, description of genre, tone, setting, character and sample scenes. Individual Comedy Script Development (30 credits) Here, you'll hone your ability to generate comedy script ideas. You'll explore the art of combining comedy with drama and sustaining a comic narrative and theme in a feature film, television or online/audio comedy series. You'll also learn to frame your practice within the professional comedy scriptwriting industries through analysing the work of renowned scriptwriters and directors and reflecting on professional trends, markets and opportunities. Comedy Writers' Room: Collaborative Script Development (30 credits) This module is divided into two parts, giving students the unique opportunity to work collaboratively on a professional TV comedy brief within a commercial setting. In the first ten weeks, you’ll work in script development teams to develop a host of industry proposal documents. In the final two weeks, you’ll assume the roles of client/commissioner for each brief, assessing project proposals and deciding whether to ‘green-light’ them. Final Major Project (60 credits) Your studies culminate in a major script development project for a platform/medium of your choosing. You'll have the option to further develop work that you've produced on other modules or work on a completely new concept. You'll begin by researching, proposing and pitching your project. You'll receive regular feedback and will continue writing until you have produced a polished, industry-standard final draft.
Assessment method
Assessment provides the course team with a means of offering tailored guidance alongside advice on how to progress knowledge and skills in key areas that relate to the course Learning Outcomes. The course team will identify your strengths and weaknesses as an individual and discuss them with you throughout your time on the course. Assessments are 100% coursework, submitted in an electronic format to the virtual learning environment, and designed to reflect professional practice. Assessment methods could include visual, verbal and written works, tailored specifically to each module.
Entry requirements
An honours degree or Level 6 equivalent qualification is desirable. However, candidates without a degree or formal qualification are still encouraged to apply. For more information about entry requirements and Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL), speak to an advisor. You'll need to submit up to five pages of a script for either radio, TV or film. It's your choice, but it must be a comedy script, not any other genre, that best shows off your comedy writing. Please also submit a 300-word piece of writing considering an old sitcom, which is no longer running. The piece of writing should clearly tell us why you've picked this show for reinvention now. Please describe how you'll modernise and reinvent the show to be a relevant must-watch for today's audience. You should give consideration as to who will star in this production, and your vision for the show.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Additional fee information
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Provider information
Falmouth University
Woodlane
Falmouth
TR11 4RH