Define your voice as a creative writer by developing the storytelling tools and scriptwriting techniques needed for a rewarding career as a screenwriter in the film, television and media industries. 

Gain practical script writing experience and work on a wide range of media formats: from film, television, documentary, games and animation, to emerging media content, across different forms and genres. Learn how to craft engaging stories and complex characters through dialogues and narrative styles that excite audiences across multiple arcs, episodes and seasons. 

You’ll do this and more by immersing yourself in a true Writers’ Room environment. It’s here that you’ll pick up the tools and rules of working in a collaborative creative space, brainstorming and developing stories together. Gain valuable experience from day one by taking on diverse roles in the creative process such as head writer, executive producer, staff writer, showrunner or story editor.

Throughout this brand-new programme, you’ll acquire the full picture of industry processes, and your place within them. You’ll build a bank of stories original to you and your creative voice that will go on to form your portfolio. See your characters come to life by collaborating with our budding filmmakers, actors and animators.

You can study this programme either as a full three-year BA degree or the first year only as a one-year HE Certificate.

The future of storytelling:

The demand for professional script writers is growing, not only in film and television, but also in sectors such as gaming, social media and advertising. From scene construction to character development, screenwriting specialists are given the challenge of finding innovative ways to build narratives and engage new audiences. 

Our brand-new screenwriting programme responds directly to this increasing demand for writers and storytellers across film and media. This could be anything from a short story for social media to a feature film or a multiple-episode format for an on-demand TV series. 

As new spheres emerge and technology brings about new forms of digital media, the role of the storyteller is constantly expanding to exciting new territory. For screenwriters, it’s more important than ever to understand how to tell stories in the digital media realm. On this course, the ethical and theoretical implications of scriptwriting are considered throughout the production of interactive stories, development of social media content and creation of audio-visual narratives. 

By gaining a thorough understanding of how different screenwriting approaches impact the field of audiovisual storytelling, you will be able to ride the wave of any shifting media format and technological development that comes your way.

Is this programme for you?

You should be interested in some or all of the following:

• The impact of stories – of all genres and formats!
• Applying your passion for writing and stories to the film industry.
• Learning how to work in a Writers’ Room environment.
• Engaging critically with films, series and all types of audiovisual storytelling.
• Understanding how narratives, show scripts and characters are created.
• The creative process behind audiovisual productions.
• Feeling positively challenged and inspired through creative project briefs in which you learn by doing.
• Connecting professionally with the filmmaking and media industries. 
• Building a career in the international film, media, gaming and wider creative industries.
• Living and working in Berlin, one of the world's most exciting epicentres for international filmmaking.
• Collaborating with a community of like-minded people from over 75 different countries.

Career opportunities:

As well as leaving Catalyst with a brimming network of peers able to fill any role needed to progress your projects, you’ll leave with a portfolio of work that will equip you for writing jobs in the film industry.

• Completing the one-year HE Certificate course will put you in a position to work as a freelance screenwriter.
• Completing the full three-year BA (Hons) course will set you up for a huge range of career possibilities. 

As well as the role of a screenwriter, you’ll be ready to take up various positions within film and TV. You could find work at entry level as a staff writer. Find a role at the early stages of a production as a story editor or later within the process as a script consultant. You could eventually work your way towards becoming a showrunner in a Writers’ Room, controlling finances as an executive producer or leading a production as a creative director for TV series and feature films. You could choose to flex your critical skills and awareness of the zeitgeist by working as a film or TV critic. 

You’ll be well equipped to work in different media. You could work as a creator or writer in the world of gaming – a rapidly expanding industry with writing roles that range in size, from narrative and characters through to scenes and small interactions. Writing for audio formats, such as podcasts or radio shows, will be an option for you too. Or you may opt to explore the role of a writer for comic books and novels.