STORY for SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT

Learn the script-development and story-shaping skills you need to thrive in the HETV drama arena

A new generation of high-end TV (HETV) shows has transformed how TV drama is made — it’s more ambitious, requiring bigger stories and larger, more complex teams.

Over seven weeks you’ll learn all the story-structure and note-giving skills you need. You’ll become familiar with the key components of narrative set out in John Yorke’s bestselling book Into The Woods and the blueprint that underlies every successful story.

You’ll gain an understanding of five-act structure and what makes stories resonate with TV audiences worldwide, then apply those principles to diagnose and fix script problems within the context of a HETV drama production.

Along the way you’ll develop increased confidence in judging story ideas, distilling a story to its essence, working with writers and the wider team, and the complex art of giving useful notes.

John Yorke has worked with experienced script editor Caroline Young to devise this online CPD course.

Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate of completion evidencing their learning and study hours.

NEXT COURSE

Start date:	TBA
Duration:	7 weeks
Skill level:	Intermediate
Held:	Weekly
Sessions:	6
Price:	TBA

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John
Yorke

Director

Matt
Telfer

Tutor

Georgi
Tandy

Moderator

Work from our course team

Good script editors are the unsung heroes of television drama – they can quite literally make the difference between a script that works and a script that doesn’t.

- Caroline Young, Course Leader

Read Caroline’s article on script editor clichés

Story for Script Development is for anyone working in (or who wants to work in) TV drama, including editors, script readers, development assistants, trainee script editors, researchers, storyliners, story assistants, story supervisors and anyone else looking to learn the mechanics of story structure and apply that practical understanding to high-end TV drama.

We teach this course in groups of up to 15 people. You can book as an individual or block-book a dedicated class exclusively for your team.

The course is suitable if you:

Are a trainee script editor, researcher or story assistant and want to learn how to plan and structure drama scripts
Want to move into HETV and learn more about the story expectations of the market and audience
Would like to sharpen your five-act story structure skills and learn how to work with larger scale stories
Need to understand storylining over a series
Want to discover why scripts aren’t working — and how to fix them
Would like to feel more confident in giving notes, including giving notes you’d rather not give
Want to join a friendly and supportive group of learners
Can dedicate 5-7 hours per week for the duration of the course

You’ll discover the underlying structure of all successful stories, learn the essential elements every HETV drama needs, and practise applying this understanding to your work in script development.

Throughout the course you’ll study real-world scripts that work — and some that don’t — to help you understand how a knowledge of archetypal story can help you identify and tackle problems, and make your note-giving more effective at all stages of the development process.

Along the way, you’ll be working within a supportive community keen to share their experiences.

Session 1: Introduction to Storytelling

We start by thinking about the grammar of storytelling and the essential elements every story needs. We’ll look at the HETV script production process and the role of the script editor and other team members. This session is also about introducing yourself and your current role in the script process.

Session 2: Basic Building Blocks

In the second session we build on the basic building blocks used in dramatic storytelling. By the end of the session you’ll understand what makes a good HETV story – and what doesn’t. We’ll also look at the HETV market and audiences, and the specific opportunities and constraints the form presents. We will ask you to make notes on a real HETV script.

At the end of Session 2 there is a Tutor Q&A.

Session 3: Fixing Stories that Don’t Work

This session is about being able to see if a story works – or how to ‘break a story’. You’ll learn the 10 key questions to ask every story and by the end of the session should be able to deconstruct any HETV story and understand what needs to be done to fix any problems. You’ll apply those principles by giving headline notes on an HETV script.

Session 4: Mastering Three and Five-Act Structure

In this session we break down a story into first three and then five acts and look at why the midpoint and turning points are such important elements in a script. We’ll introduce key ways to read an HETV script and look at storylining across series. Practical exercises include breaking a script into five parts and giving notes to an important writer who’d rather not hear them.

At the end of Session 4 there is a Q&A with John Yorke.

Session 5: Giving and Receiving Notes

In this session we look at ways of acting on notes – to make scripts better not just different. We’ll assess a script at scene level and think about the merits of seeing a story from the character’s perspective. We’ll look too at the script-editing process from the viewpoint of the writer and the wider team.

Session 6: Putting it All Together

In this recapping session, John offers his top tips for checking whether a story is as good as it can be. We hope these tips will inspire you to look at stories and scripts with a fresh eye. At the end of the session you will submit notes on a live script to see how far you’ve come, and receive written feedback notes from your tutor.

At the end of this session, there will be a Q&A with an HETV writer.

We teach this course in our online classroom, which is open 24/7 so you can fit learning around your work, family and friends. You’ll work in a small group of learners so you can discuss ideas, ask questions and share your writing as you progress through the weekly sessions.

Read more on how we teach.

See a full list of the materials and programmes you’ll need to complete this course.

You’ll learn from:

Short podcasts and videos from John Yorke, Caroline Young and other industry experts
Q&A session with a guest HETV writer
Practical exercises and prompts to help you experiment and practise your script skills
Carefully selected reading and viewing lists
Live Q&A chatroom sessions with your group and tutor
The opportunity to share your work and give and receive feedback from fellow writers
Weekly tutor input and detailed feedback on your script notes at the end of the course from your tutor and John Yorke

Join our alumni

After your course, you can join our online alumni community where you’ll meet our growing network of past students. You’ll be able to.

Rejoin your classmates in a private forum
Continue to access an archived version of your course materials
Meet alumni from other courses and share work for feedback
Join discussions about screenwriting, script editing and the industry
Attend live chats with guest writers and industry folk

Mentoring and one-to-one feedback

The John Yorke Story tutor team offer mentoring, script reads and reports. We are happy to quote by job or script, or to arrange a longer mentoring scheme as you work on a specific story idea. We’ll create a package to suit you, so for more information please email learn@johnyorkestory.com

Taking things further

If you’d like to take another John Yorke Story course, we’ll give you a discount. Please get in touch for more details.

This course has been made possible by the support of ScreenSkills, and has been approved as part of an informal or formal continuing professional development (CPD) programme.

You may be eligible for a training bursary for this course. Apply direct to ScreenSkills here, at least FOUR WEEKS before the course start date.

As this counts as CPD training, you may also be able to get funding from your employer to do it. See here for all our latest bursary and funding opportunities.

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WHAT our STUDENTS SAY

The script I’m working on is really dreadful. I thought that at the beginning of the course, but couldn’t say why. Now I realise, when going through the checklist, that the story is missing most of the checkpoints. We have no idea where the protagonist is going or why. I know how to fix this now.

Zoey

I really have enjoyed the course. The content has been fantastic and the feedback incredibly helpful… I’ve managed to secure a couple of weeks on a production, shadowing with the Script Team in children’s drama, so that I can put some of what I’ve learned into practice.

Ally

It has been so fascinating to see just how much changes between a first draft of a script and the final TX.

Laura

I’m honored to have learned from such an experienced team. I definitely learned a lot and feel a sense of satisfaction after receiving the notes on my final assignment. I’m out there now applying for more reading jobs.

Micki

Our ARTICLES on SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT

Matt Telfer’s top tips on becoming a script editor

Becoming a script editor is many people’s first step in their career in TV and film, but how do you actually get your foot in the door? Story for Script Development tutor Matt Telfer explains the best routes into the industry and how to make the most of it in this special long-read article.

What do script editors do? – Interview with script development consultant Jessica Jones

Script editors are an integral part of developing a writer’s initial idea into a truly compelling TV show or film. In this interview, John Yorke Story’s Katherine Press speaks with script editor and development consultant Jessica Jones about ironing out problems with writers, understanding how stories work and what questions you should be asking your script.

How to master five-act structure

We work closely with all our students, and often go through topics in detail to help them better grasp them. In this one-to-one session, the John Yorke Story team work with a screenwriter as she masters some of the core elements of five-act structure: inciting incidents, moments of hope and despair, and the point of no return.

STORY for SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT