Story Matters: Writing for Television

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: Dr Eleni Liarou
• Assessment: a 3000-word theoretical essay (50%) and 2000-word individual written report based on group production of a TV title sequence video (50%)

In this module we focus on the storytelling/script strategies of a range of TV genres, from sitcoms and political thrillers to ‘quality TV’ and drama documentary.

You will apply theories of genre and complex narratives to historical landmarks in TV and to contemporary examples of storytelling on streaming and digital platforms. Through screenings, discussions and coursework, you will develop skills in narrative analysis in the context of television production in the analogue and digital eras.

As part of the module’s mini TV festival you will have the opportunity to work with your classmates on the filming and production of a TV title sequence video and also participate in a Q&A with a TV industry professional.

Indicative syllabus

• Introducing the concept of 'medium specificity' in relation to televisual narrative and genre
• Discussing contemporary debates about digital television
• Creating a television title sequence
• Identifying the narrative form and the genre codes and conventions of the soap opera, sitcom and political conspiracy thriller
• Exploring various forms of non-fiction television, including television news and current affairs programmes, quiz/game shows, reality TV, television documentary and drama documentary
• Looking at key moments in television history to explore the ways in which the industry and its practitioners experimented with format, genre and storytelling techniques
• Understanding how television draws on national and international cultural traditions and icons

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• recognise and use the critical vocabulary appropriate to the study of writing for television and online platforms
• appreciate the significance of key moments in television history for the ways in which the industry and its practitioners experimented with format, genre and storytelling techniques
• think critically, creatively and independently about the material we have viewed and read.