Writing for TV Drama with Eilish Kent New

Course details

Along with the explosion of high quality television drama over the last decade there has been an increasing diversification of audience viewing patterns. Broadcasters and production companies are increasingly looking for innovative and distinctive drama proposals capable of reaching and attracting large television audiences.

The course is highly recommended for writers who are interested in exploring TV drama as an avenue for their work, but may also appeal to directors and producers seeking a better understanding of television story structure and dynamics.

The course is designed and will be led by Eilish Kent, who worked for the BBC and RTÉ commissioning and developing TV dramas, for over 16 years. She has worked across formats from singles to renewable series, and across genre, from comedy to true life stories. She has brought many first time writers to TV audiences.

Course Content

• The principles of screenwriting and their application for television drama.
• The current best practice for submitting drama proposals to broadcasters and television production companies.
• The commissioning process and broadcaster requirements at the various stages of the development process.
• The fundamental principles of writing for single and one-off dramas, serials and renewable series.
• The world of the series and the series ‘Bible’.
• The importance of research, generating storylines, arcs and plotting.
• Creating compelling characters, pacing and tone and audience engagement.
• Different formats and genre.