SCRIPT READING for film & TV
The Script Factory’s flagship teaching programme is back! Learn how to write professional, constructive script feedback for both Film and TV projects with this practical five-week online workshop.
Tuesday evenings 7pm - 9pm
Starting Tuesday February 25th
Course Fee £175. Includes comprehensive training notes and individual feedback on assignments.
***Our February course has now sold out. We plan to release new dates starting in April very soon. To add your name to the waiting list please email hello@scriptfactory.co.uk***
The Script Factory pioneered training for script readers way back in 1999. Our aim was to create an industry standard approach to offering constructive, respectful and informed feedback that would empower a writer to move to the next draft or project with more confidence and a greater understanding of how their work would be assessed within the current production landscape.
Over the years, thousands of film and TV professionals have gained their foundational understanding in script analysis through attending one of our courses.
We are thrilled to be bringing our Script Reading back for the next generation, offering the course online to a small group who will all benefit from practical report writing assignments, group discussions and individual feedback on their work.
We have expanded the training to now cover TV pilots as well as feature film scripts.
Of course, not every one who attends the course is aiming to work as a script reader or in a development role; we actively welcome writers who want to get the inside track on how a reader will evaluate their work or want to improve their feedback skills to support other writers in their network. Everyone is welcome!
FAQs
What Does The Course Cover?
Attendees will be guided through a structured process of reading analytically and preparing a report. You will learn how to distill the story into a brief synopsis and how to articulate the premise of the project in terms of its core dramatic conflict.
We will teach you criteria against which to assess the potential strengths of a story idea and how to identify which elements of the current draft serve that concept well. You will be trained to evaluate where there may be weaknesses in the script and learn how to clearly articulate why those plot or character choices may not be best supporting the story’s intentions.
We will deepen your understanding of the key principles of story structure (for both film and TV) and consider the nuances that are specific to different genres. We will teach you how to offer useful feedback on all elements of screenplay structure without attempting to rewrite the script or bamboozle the writer with jargon.
We will explore the essential skills behind creating a memorable cast of characters and plotting convincing character arcs. We will give you the tools to assess the quality of the dialogue, the pace and visual storytelling on the page.
We will also consider how to evaluate where a project might fit within the current marketplace.
Course Preparation & Assignments
There will be some preparatory reading and a short assignment to complete before the course starts. Between each session there will be a new script to read and prepare written feedback on building up to a full script report. Attendees should expect to commit approximately four hours each week to the programme, in addition to the teaching time.
Where And When Will The Course Take Place?
The course will take place over Zoom on Tuesday evenings from 7 - 9pm.
What Does The Course Cost?
Attendance on the course costs £175.
Participants will receive a full set of notes to accompany the teaching and receive individual feedback on all written assignments.
The course is limited to just 10 participants to ensure there is plenty of opportunity for group discussions and for everyone to contribute.
What If I Miss A Session?
This course is intended to be attended live. However, if you unavoidably miss a session, we will record the class and you will receive a time-limited private link to view and catch up.
Course Tutors
This workshop will be taught by The Script Factory’s Justine Hart and Charlotte Macleod.
Certificate of Completion
All attendees who successfully complete the assignments will receive a certificate of completion.
Booking
Our February course has sold out. We plan to release new dates starting in April very soon. To add your name to the waiting list or for any other enquiries, please complete the contact form.
WE NEED YOUR SCRIPTS!
Training Scripts
We are looking for suitable scripts for our course attendees to read and prepare reports on. If you have either a feature film or TV pilot script that you could offer us to use in exchange for some development feedback, we’d love to take a look.
What We Are Looking For
Original spec scripts that are ideally at least at 2nd draft stage and that aren’t currently optioned. We are ideally looking for scripts from UK based writers. We are looking to select two feature film scripts and one TV pilot script that will be read by our course attendees.
What We Can Offer
Writers whose scripts are selected for this purpose will receive two 60-minute development meetings on their project . Unfortunately, we won’t be able to give individual feedback on any scripts that we don’t select for training purposes.
Terms & Conditions
By submitting a script to be considered as a Training Script you agree that, if selected, The Script Factory may circulate that project to all Script Reading for Film & TV attendees within the next twelve months. The confidentiality of your work will be acknowledged and respected by all readers.
This is not a competition. There is no fee to submit and our criteria for choosing scripts is based on finding a variety of projects to stimulate different teaching discussions.
The development meetings offered to those whose scripts we select are an in-kind ‘thank you’ for allowing us to use your work. This arrangement does not constitute a development agreement.
Submitting A Script
To submit a script, please attach as a pdf file and send to hello@scriptfactory.co.uk under the subject heading ‘Training Scripts’. We will be open to accepting scripts until January 31st. Thank you!