Having recently launched our contemporary screen writing course with the guidance of award winning writer Farah Abushwesha, we sent Chris McCabe along for a neutral perspective on what we hope should to be a great addition to Pulse College.
“I attended the 5-day Screenwriting Course in Windmill and I must say that it provided a superb supportive environment that fostered my expressive writing. It is an intensive 5-day course which, rather than focussing on theory, assists the participant to generate filmic ideas and to be confident in their own writing.
Priority is placed on putting a lot of the scary myths of screenwriting to rest and creating a context in which the participants can develop their own scripts over the week. It’s about knowing how to get your ideas down on paper and turn them into film scripts.
We got to understand how important short films are, how they work and that these shorts are a necessary part of a career path. Making a successful short film is very often a springboard to a career in films, documentaries and TV drama. One of the highlights of the week was that we got to make a short 1 minute film with the help of the Film Course students.
During the week there is an opportunity to brainstorm ideas with other writers and get feedback from a professional, practising screenwriter. Among the topics covered were:
- use correct script formats and layouts
- understand how the industry works
- understand how to receive and give feedback
- understand how to apply for film funding
- promote your film script and yourself
- network in the film industry and know where to network
- apply to and attend Film Festivals – creating a strategy for film submission
During the week we got to meet some industry guests who were easy to talk to and gave us some valuable pointers. One of the highlights being a talk from Bosco Hogan (Tudors, King Arthur, In the Name of the Father fame). Most people think they can’t write a script but it’s not rocket science, we’ve all got more than one film idea in us. This course is designed to break the myths with exercises and interactive tasks and in this it succeeds. If you get an opportunity to attend this course I would recommend it highly”
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