A series of lectures and seminars introduce students to the language, concepts and skills commonly used in the development of projects for the screen, whether in film or television.You will examine the key elements, skills and terminology of dramatic screenwriting (premise, pitch, character, structure, theme, visual style, genre, dialogue, etc) and review the key story documents generated in the development and commissioning process (idea, concept, premise/logline, synopsis, outline, proposal, treatment, first draft, revised draft, pitch page, pitch deck etc.). The module aims to develop the critical and practical abilities needed in screen project development: an understanding of the language and terminology; personal and interpersonal skills; a critical understanding of the various roles in the creative and industrial process; a sense of the market place across the various forms and formats. Crucially, the critical, analytical and inter-personal skills required by key personnel in the development process (writers, producers, script-editors, developers) are examined and then developed and tested in a series of exercises, including the module's major pieces of assessment – the Script Report and Coverage/Story Report.You will also develop an understanding of the various jobs, roles and career opportunities across story development in the film and television industries. Lecture content is interwoven with seminars, screenings and exercises which will encourage you to reflect on how you might practice and apply these tools, concepts and skills to your own creative and analytical work across the Masters.This module is a core element of the MA Screenwriting programme and is also offered as an option to MA Film students, encouraging the development of collaborative skills across the creative disciplines and providing an opportunity to form creative teams.