Overview
Define your voice as a creative writer as you develop the storytelling tools and script-writing techniques required to build a rewarding career as a screenwriter for the film, television and new 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 develop and give life to complex characters and stories through convincing dialogues and creative narrative styles that excite and engage audiences across multiple arcs, episodes and seasons.
Immerse yourself in a true Writers’ Room environment, where you’ll learn the rules and tools of working in a creative workspace, brainstorming and developing stories together. Gain valuable experience from day one by taking on diverse roles such as head writer, executive producer, staff writer, showrunner or story editor in the creative process.
From the ideation and development of concepts and ideas through to the drafting of scripts, treatments and bibles, throughout this programme you will learn to generate original stories and deliver high-quality scripts that meet the professional and creative demands of any writing project.
Build a bank of high-quality and original scripts that will give our budding Filmmakers and Screen Actors the chance to work with professionally developed and original characters. You’ll have the opportunity to see how your stories unfold, whilst gaining a deep and comprehensive understanding of the storytelling creative process.
Through practice and more practice, learn how to deliver narratives for a wide range of audiences, formats and genres, along with the pitching skills needed to present and sell your stories to the world. Find your authentic voice and reveal your artistic signature with a final project tailored to your personal and professional ambition.
Launch yourself into the industry with a solid and rich portfolio of screenwriting work, pitch documents, treatments and finished screenplays that showcase your screenwriting and storytelling achievements.
Degree course structure
Year 1
Throughout the year you will be introduced to different kinds of writing in short formats. You’ll be challenged on a regular basis as you become acquainted with the rules of different areas of writing in collaboration with your peers.
Here are some of the storytelling formats you can look forward to working on:
- Short fiction films
- Documentary scripts
- Music video/musical short films
- Animation scripts
- Game proposal for video, role playing, board or other game formats
- Emerging media script content
More details on workshops and course structure coming soon.
Year 2
Year 1 goes wide, covering the foundations of script building, Year 2 goes deep as you dive into longer format writing and serialised storytelling. Refine and hone your critical thinking and creative skills. Explore and expand your individual skill-set and creative approach as you dig even deeper into the art of editing and supervising scripts. This second year will allow you to build a solid foundation for specialised subjects requiring advanced writing skills.
By the end of this second year, you will have produced:
- One feature script or one documentary feature film
- A TV series Bible and the Pilot script
- A game story of long format
More details on workshops and course structure coming soon.
Year 3
During this third and final year, you will have the opportunity to define and express your creative voice through two major projects: a self-initiated project that will represent your individual artistic signature and a collaborative group project to be developed and executed at industry standards.
These could be a feature film, documentary, animation script or a TV series Bible and Pilot script or a game story. With supportive guidance and feedback, your work will be plotted, written, and rewritten until it is ready for the market. A pitching final event will be held to celebrate the completion of your journey, where you will present your big idea or script to representatives from various production companies, agencies, broadcasters and commissioners.
By the end of this 3-year BA Screenwriting course, you will have:
- Learned how to create narratives in different media formats
- Learned how to engage viewers across arcs, episodes, seasons or in open worlds
- Developed suitable writing skills applicable to different formats
- Acquired the ideation tools and techniques needed to generate new stories and develop those ideas further into concepts, outlines, treatments and scripts
- Applied writers’ room skills and team management techniques to work effectively in a group
- Learned how to process criticism and feedback within a team setting
- Developed the skills of a showrunner in the creative process
- Learned how to edit scripts and supervise the projects of others
- Learned how to pitch ideas to stakeholders and future clients
- Seen your scripts translated to the screen, in collaboration with film, acting and music students
- Built a future professional network
- Created an extensive script and story portfolio
- Achieved an internationally recognised BA Hons degree
Good scripts make good films
The rise of on-demand platforms has seen the best days yet for serialised content and a growing appreciation for professional script writing. Creative storytelling for TV series and new emerging media formats is on the rise. Platforms such as Netflix and Amazon have poured millions into the production and distribution of new series styles and formats with the hope of growing and maintaining viewership for as long and as frequently as possible.
So what is the key to any successful film or series? If you ask us, there’s no doubt that it all starts with a killer script!
Our Screenwriting programme presents a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded creatives and to tell stories that resonate deeply with your creative vision, passion and interests.
Progression
Employment model
The media industry never ceases to evolve and reinvent itself. We aim to provide you with an education that enables you to either be a change maker or to be capable of adapting and staying at the forefront of this change.
The last 30 years have seen unprecedented growth in the audio and music for media sector with the proliferation of the gaming industry, accelerated production needs for the film/TV and social media industries, as well as the expansion of app and mobile based technologies requiring creative audio solutions.
There is growing demand for creative practitioners that are able to adapt to the shifting formats and technologies, from AAA games to indie film developments. Roles with permanent contracts do still exist but it is much more likely that you will work either as a freelancer or as part of a small startup on your way to professional creative autonomy.
Career opportunities
Our programme has been designed to give you relevant experience in a number of specific industries whilst also allowing for specialisation as the course progresses.
Here are just a few of the fields a Screenwriting graduate can aspire to:
- Freelance Screenwriters;
- Staff writers in Writers’ Room hired by production companies or broadcasters;
- Creative producers of television series and feature films;
- Authors of TV entertainment programs and documentaries;
- Creators in web series;
- Writers of comic books and novels;
- Fiction editors in publishing companies;
- Story editors and script consultants;
- Supervisors of evaluation, acquisition and programming of TV shows;
- Creators and developers of Video Game stories;
- Professionals working in different areas of television and film industry;
- Speechwriters;
- Film/Television Critics;
- Advertising Copywriters;
- Education: teaching audiovisual arts.
Building success
However you measure it and whatever artistic realm you are working in, most creatives would like to achieve success with their creative endeavour. There are many types of success an individual may want to achieve. From successful completion of an artistic exploration all the way through to financial security and a global audience.
There are many skills required to develop these dreams into real and practical futures. Our optional course in self-development and leadership is the ‘rocket fuel’ which will provide you with the frameworks, the focus and the drive to help realise your future.
Self development to better understand how to take decisive action, to communicate powerfully with others and take an honest look at how you limit yourself. Leadership to complete your creative project, to bring your work into the external world and to attract an audience to share, appreciate and follow your work.
Tutors
Our tutors are industry-experienced professionals and creatives with a passion for passing on their knowledge to others. Say hello to some of the tutors that will be supporting you throughout your learning process.
ADMISSIONS
New course validation
This is a brand new course which Catalyst will run for the first time in 2023-24. If you see this message, it means that we are still in the process of accrediting it with our university partner (Plymouth Marjon University), which awards the degrees and certificates that our graduates receive after completing their studies with us.
How does this affect you? After the course is accredited, we will register it with the Berlin Senate, so that students enrolled on it are eligible to apply for funding or a student visa in Germany. If you would need a student visa to live in Berlin for the duration of your studies, then we recommend that you wait until this course is formally approved by the Senate before beginning your visa application.
We expect this to be finalised by April 2023. In the meantime, you can still submit an application to study with us and we will contact you by email as soon as we receive official accreditation and Senate approval. In our 10 years in Berlin, all of our Bachelor and Master degree courses have been successfully validated within the same framework.
Entry requirements
All applicants will be asked to provide: personal and educational information, documentation of their education experience, a portfolio or audition tape, and a personal introduction (which can be submitted as a written statement of motivation or a video/audio clip).
MINIMUM ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
- Standard entry: graduation from high school at a level which would normally permit entry to university in the country where it was gained. This would be A-Levels in the UK and the Abitur in Germany, for example.
- Non-standard entry: We recognise that not all education happens in the classroom and it may be possible to admit you through a non-standard access route. If you do not possess the required formal qualification, but have acquired relevant professional or life experience, please contact our Admissions team.
If neither of the two categories above describe your situation, you'll most likely need to complete a short course to gain access to our 1 and 3-year HE degree courses.
LANGUAGE
The language of instruction in all our courses is English and applicants must demonstrate a level equal to IELTS 6. We do not ask for official exam results, but we will assess the standard of English in your application and support materials.
For more information please contact our Admissions team and we’d be happy to discuss your opportunities to come study with us.
Course dates and application deadline
Course start: mid-September 2023
Application deadlines
- Round 1 - International (non-EU) and EU students - 31 March, 2023*
* Non-EU students will need to apply for a student visa to live in Germany. The application process for this takes several months and you can only begin this process after you have been offered a place and enrolled on the course. - Final deadline - EU students only - 31 May 2023
Tuition fees
We offer two ways to pay:
- Single Payment Option:
Single payment tuition fee - August 1st deadline
Annual Enrolment Fee* €895 + Annual Tuition Fee €9,855 = €10,750 per year** - Monthly Instalment Payment Option:
Monthly instalment plan from August 1st - May 1st
Annual Enrolment Fee* €895 + 10 instalments x 1,085.50€ = €11,750 per year**
* The enrolment fee is non-refundable. It is due every year as part of the total annual fee.
** BA degree = 3 years x total annual fee.
If you decide to enrol in both a 4-week short course and HE degree course (1 or 3-years long) with us, you will receive a discount of 500€ on the total tuition.
Open days and taster workshops
Get a feel for our school from the comfort of your home with our Virtual Open Days and skill-focussed Taster Workshops.
Hosted by our team and students, these online events will give you a sense of what it's like to come and study with us in Berlin.
We look forward to meeting you online soon!
Student work
In the end it doesn’t matter what we say or do. What matters is the work of our students. Have a listen and decide for yourselves.
More courses
Access to Higher Education
For those wishing to join our main music courses, but lacking either practical experience in music production or the formal education requirements to apply through standard entry, we offer an additional short primer workshop to run alongside any 4 week summer short course.
Screenwriting 1-year HE CERT
Develop the essential storytelling techniques and scriptwriting tools required to start your career as a screenwriter in the film, television and media industries.
Film Production
Learn the craft of narrative filmmaking and visual storytelling. Explore our 4-week summer short courses and our 1 and 3-year degree courses in Film Production.
Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation
Learn the tools and techniques required to create 2D and 3D animations, visual effects solutions for film, live visuals and digital arts projects.