Screenwriter, producer and icon of the independent film world Elliot Grove shares his insights into the art, craft and mechanics of filmmaking in this highly interactive three-part course.

For more than 25 years Eliot Grove has lived and breathed independent film. He once made an acclaimed feature, Table 5, for £200; his latest, Alice, won the grand jury prize at South by Southwest.

Founder of the Raindance Film Festival and British Independent Film Awards, executive producer of 5 feature films and more than 700 shorts, a writer and script consultant whose books on the subject are industry bibles and whose courses are in demand from Europe to the US to Japan, Eliot is singularly well-placed to teach the tools and tricks of the screenwriters trade.

Now, in this three-part livestreamed course taught online over successive Friday mornings, he will share his insights into the art of screenwriting with you.

Fri 9 April, Session 1: Structure

Session One explores new and unusual ways of looking at the backbone of a film: its structure.

You will learn how to access your inner self to generate and evaluate new ideas. And discover how world events like Sept 9/11 and COVID can be used to create an exciting and innovative structure for your story.

Fri 16 April, Session 2: Creating Compelling Characters

Any good story is simply the story of the relationship of the different characters. Learn how to use the tools that professional storytellers use to create captivating characters and keep audiences riveted to the screen.

Fri 23 April, Session 3: How to Pitch

All movies start with a verbal pitch. Learn how to get a meeting with the people that matter – the people that buy scripts. You’ll discover the techniques screenwriters use to grab the attention of development executives and have them reaching for their chequebooks.