Learning path · Story and Development
Screenwriting and storytelling
Writing for the screen: logline and outline, scenes, dialogue, rewrites and a finished short script.
Free films in teaching order, for one craft. Watch, tick them off and test yourself. It's practice that prepares you for an Academy course. This one prepares you for Story to Screen Foundation.
Lesson 1
How To Write A Screenplay (For Beginners)
Film Riot · 17:16 · original on YouTube
You will learn: Take an idea from premise to finished first draft using a simple, repeatable writing process.
Note: US source: UK practice, law and terms differ. Check the UK guidance (HSE, Film London, the Production Guild). A friendly overview; treat the process as a starting point and adapt it to how you work.
By the end you will be able to
- Format a screenplay to industry standard and write a sharp logline
- Outline a story with clear structure and character arcs
- Write scenes with conflict, subtext and natural dialogue
- Plan and carry out a rewrite, and know what adapting someone else's story involves
- Write a short film script ready for a funding or festival submission
Test yourself
Could you do it on a set?
4 real situations, one for each thing this path teaches. It's optional practice, not pass or fail, and your answers stay on this device.
Next: do it for real
This path prepares you for Story to Screen Foundation.
The story track for the Story to Screen Lab, with Screen Sisters CIC: idea, logline, one-page treatment, pitch, and the producing basics that get a short made.
It's coming next: register interest and we'll tell you when it opens. Meanwhile, start with Day One.
How learning with FIF works
Learning path. Free films in teaching order, for one craft. Watch, tick them off and test yourself. It's practice that prepares you for an Academy course.
- Learn onlineFree films, paths and Academy coursesYou are here
- Competency checkA short check with us, online or in person
- In-person practicalOn our unit at Pinewood or 3 Mills
- FIF CertificateFrom the practical only
The FIF Certificate comes only from the practical. How it works · Book a competency check
How to Format a Screenplay: Screenplay Formatting 101StudioBinder · Lesson7 min.
How to Hook a Reader with Your Screenplay — The First 10 Pages ExplainedStudioBinder · Lesson19 min.
How To Write A Beat Sheet For A Screenplay - Paul ChitlikFilm Courage · Lesson13 min.
Jurassic Park — Using Theme to Craft CharacterLessons from the Screenplay · Lesson12 min.
Write better dialogue in 8 minutes.Standard Story Company · Lesson8 min.
BFI Film Academy Labs | Developing Your Idea into a Winning Short Film ScriptBFI · Lesson1 h 28 min.
TV Screenwriting 101 | BFI Future Film Festival 2025 masterclassBFI · Lesson1 h 3 min.
Mike Leigh | BAFTA Screenwriters' Lecture SeriesBAFTA · Lesson1 h 50 min.
How to give notes to writers | Scriptnotes Classic (Full Episode)Scriptnotes · Lesson1 h 1 min.
Go further
Beyond YouTube, labelled honestly. Free first. Paid options are labelled.
- BBC Writersroom Free
BBC. Script library, formatting templates, writing advice and open calls for new writers. - ScreenSkills online learning Free with sign-up
ScreenSkills. Free UK industry e-learning modules, including development and screen basics. - BFI Film Academy Free (16–25s; some courses have small fees with bursaries)
BFI. Courses and residentials for young creatives across the UK, including screenwriting. - NFTS short courses Paid (varies, roughly £100–£1,000+)
National Film and Television School. Short screenwriting and script development courses at the UK's leading film school. - Write a Feature-Length Screenplay for Film or Television Free to audit; paid certificate
Coursera (Michigan State University). A structured long-form screenwriting course. - Writers' Guild of Great Britain Free resources; membership paid
WGGB. Writers' union: rates, contracts and AI guidance. - Screenwriting for Film and TV Paid (£975)
NFTS. Six-day course. - Writing for TV – An Introduction Paid (£175; bursaries)
NFTS. Five-day introduction. - Aaron Sorkin Teaches Screenwriting Paid subscription (from about £10 a month, billed yearly)
MasterClass. Inspiration and craft; US focus.
For learners and trainers
Every lesson is a free video by its original maker, played from YouTube with privacy-enhanced settings. Found a broken video? Email [email protected].