Major Project Programme: Development, Completion and Sales to Industry
(Online Version)

The Programme is aimed at screenwriters, writer-directors and creative producers who have a feature film or TV drama/comedy project.

This programme is designed for busy professionals and participants who cannot attend seminars in person on a regular basis.

Workshops and seminars are available live online and/or as videocasts, and mentors contact participants by phone and Skype where necessary.   A series of workshops are available in London, spread across the year, and ensure networking opportunities and concentrated development opportunities face-to-face.  Further opportunities for participants to meet mentors and fellow film-makers are available – guided by the participant’s own commitments.

The structure of the programme follows the same template as the “in-person” Major Project Programme.

This Programme covers the span of a calendar year, in 3 Stages (seminar/script meetings occur one morning a week from February to April,  and one full day for September to December.  The summer is self-directed with mentor support.)

The participants will leave the Programme with:

a completed script to high second draft standard
a production business folder (including BFI qualifying materials for EIS and Tax 
   Relief Schemes)
a network of established industry connections

This is a streamlined programme designed to develop, write and sell a feature project (or TV drama/comedy) as efficiently and pragmatically as possible.  Our aim, as always, is not just to get scripts developed to a high professional standard, but to get projects sold and made.

Participants are mentored throughout the programme by leading writers and producers and projects are aggressively promoted to established producers and distributors.  Our partners include Working Title Films, Ealing Studios, Artificial Eye, Film Four and (in the US) Plan B, Participant Media, HBO etc.

This programme  has industry networking integrated within the formal structure – so that, by the end of the programme, participants need never worry about being “connected”.

There are 3 Stages to the Programme.

Stage 1:  Project Development (Jan to April – Or September to April on Sept-start programmes)
Stage 2:  Project Drafting  (May to September)
Stage 3:  Project Completion and
Project Packaging and Sales to Industry (September to mid-December)

If you are interested in this Programme you should write to the Director of the Institute at:
stephen.may@thescreenartsinstitute.com

And/or go to the “Apply” page and send the appropriate application materials by email.

Fees:  The Programme costs £7,000.  The Institute has a very limited number of Bursaries and these are generally ring-fenced for the full “Storytelling for the Screen” programme.  But UK applicants may find support from local Screen Agencies and Skillset.

The Screen Arts Institute is keen to encourage partnerships between individual writers and production companies as a way of offsetting the costs of development – with producers subsidizing the cost of the programme in lieu of higher writing fees.