4th- 11th September 2009
Writing for TV
With Helen Farrall


Have you ever fancied writing for TV? Well this course might be just the opportunity for you to develop your screen writing abilities. The course will consist of four mornings of tuition where you will learn how to develop characters and storylines, use image and dialogue effectively and learn how to pitch ideas. Informal evening sessions will include character 'hotseating', a question and answer session where you can pick up some top tips and an opportunity for you to experience pitching to an audience.It would be an advantage if you have some screen writing experience, but it’s not necessary as the course will be suitable for beginners too.

Your tutor Helen Farrall has much experience both as a writer for TV and as a tutor. To date she has written over thirty hours of television, storylined many more and been involved in developing new series ideas.

Helen’s credits include Doctors, Emmerdale, Crossroads, Dream Team and Bad Girls. She has also written for BAFTA and RTS award-winning children’s shows Grange Hill, Children’s Ward, Jeopardy, and Byker Grove. In 1996 Helen’s screenplay The Hangman’s Daughter won the runner-up prize at the BAFTA/ Carl Foreman Awards. She worked in community theatre and Theatre in Education in the mid 1990s and her other writing interests include radio, film and multi-media. Helen is currently working as lead writer of an Alternate Reality Game/ internet project for Channel 4 Education.

Helen has extensive experience as a screenwriting tutor at institutions such as Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Bolton, Cornerhouse and Contact Theatre. She has taught students at all levels, from community workshops to B.A. and M.A. courses. Helen has been a lecturer and mentor on the M.A. in TV & Radio Scriptwriting at the University of Salford since 1997.




The structure of the course
On this course you will arrive on Friday 4th September either at Granada or Malaga airport where you will be met and transferred to your accommodation in Alhama de Granada. If you are flying into Malaga we ask that you choose a flight that arrives in the morning. See the link for details of budget flights. After you have settled in we will meet at our house Carmen de Pepita for a buffet lunch in the Moroccan courtyard.

In the afternoon we will show you some of the sights of the town and then you are free to explore or rest. We will meet at 7.30 in the main house for drinks and a shared evening meal. Helen will introduce herself and outline the plan for the week’s work You will also sign up for your one to one session with Helen. I

Saturday
Is the first day of tuition and the morning session starts after breakfast at 11 am. In this workshop Helen will introduce you to the specific needs of writing for TV as compared to film and prose. She will outline the slots and formats of TV drama and you will begin working on creating world, characters, plot and dramatic goals. You will then be set the task of creating a character to work on in the afternoon. One or two of you will have a one to one session in the late afternoon to discuss a piece of writing you will have sent Helen in advance (Don’t worry if you have nothing to send , you can have your session towards the end of the week and use material you have produced in workshops).writing task for the afternoon. In the evening we will meet up for drinks and a fun session of character ‘hotseating’.

Sunday is a free day and you might want to take a leisurely breakfast, work on your developing scrip or explore the lovely town and its scenic gorge. We will visit a local restaurant for Sunday lunch and then meet in the evening for drinks and nibbles followed by tapas in the local bars.

Monday
It’s back to work today and the morning session is focused on creating scenes and Sequences and using Image, sound and dialogue on the small screen. Helen will also introduce you to Exposition. You wil be given an afternoon writing task and in the evening we will meet up to share our scenes from this task.

Tuesday
Is devoted to working on structure and storylining and the afternoon task is to begin writing a pitch original TV drama programme/ series/ serial. In the evening Helen will run a Q&A session on breaking into TV, agents, etc. You should be able to pick up some top tips here!

Wednesday is a free day and there is the option to go the historic city of Granada where you can explore the twisting streets of the Albaicin- the Arab quarter with its jumble of cave like shops selling Moroccan lanterns, rugs, slippers and trinkets. You might want to try a mint tea or a bubble pipe in one of the many tea rooms. Alternatively you could explore the Cathedral, the ancient cave area of Sacramonte or if you want some retail therapy Granada has all the top shops you would expect in a major city. After lunch we will be able to visit the magnificent Alhambra palace and Generalife gardens and then there will be more free time to explore the many bars and restaurants of Granada.

Thursday is our last day and we get straight to work in the morning on Screenwriting techniques – montage, metaphor, flashback, and resonance. Then on to that all important skill for any hopeful screenwriter-Pitching. The afternoon task is to prepare 3 minute pitch for your idea. In the evening we will meet up for our last meal at Carmen de Pepita and after dinner we will have a session where we pitch our ideas top the group.


On Friday we will reluctantly take you back to the airport for your flight. Of course you may choose to stay on another week- see our writer’s retreat rates, or you might choose to go on and explore the rest of this beautiful region of Andalucia.



Typically winding street in Alhama

Prices

The price of the holiday depends on the accommodation you choose:
The cheapest option is if you choose to share a room with another guest, either a friend you choose to travel with, or we can match you up with someone who wants to share. This holiday will cost £550

If you want a bit of privacy you can have a room to yourself but share a bathroom (usually with one other room) This holiday will cost £599

If you would like your own bathroom you can choose to pay a supplement which is £7 per night = £648.

This price includes transfers from the airport, accommodation as chosen, workshop tuition, one personal feedback session, breakfast every day, six lunches including one in a local restaurant, two evening meals with drinks and drinks on the terrace most nights.

Discounts are available for early booking
Not included is lunch on the free day, dinner on 5 nights and drinks in bars. Optional activities or trips are extra.

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be in specially selected town houses in our historic town of Alhama de Granada. You will share the house with two or three others and will have your own room- unless you choose to share. The houses have all been restored to the highest standard and each has its own distinctive character. The houses all have self catering facilities so you can make a snack or drink whenever you feel like it. You have access to either a terrace or a garden so you can take some time out and relax in the sunshine with a book and a cold drink. In cooler months the houses have cosy log burning stoves for fireside reading.

Food

You will help yourself to breakfast in your own house. Our well equipped kitchens are stocked with local produce including free range eggs, cheese, cold meats, yoghurts, cereal, jam and honey, bread, butter and coffee, tea and fruit juice. If you do not feel like making your own breakfast you are welcome to eat at any of the local cafes and if you bring us your receipt we will reimburse you up to 6 euros per day.

The food of Andalucia reflects the history of Moorish and Spanish culture and these influences determine our menus. A buffet lunch is provided at 2pm every day in the garden of the main house Carmen de Pepita. Delicious healthy home made food such as salads, tortilla, fish, chicken and a good range of vegetarian choices is provided. Where possible we will use locally grown food and herbs from our own garden, We can also cater for vegans providing you give us advance notice. On Sunday we will take Sunday lunch in a local restaurant. This might be in the town itself or after a walk into the beautiful countryside. On the free day you will make your own arrangements for meals giving you the freedom to go and explore the region.
We will let you know the options available when you have made your booking. We like to tailor our holidays to your needs so let us know your interests.

On the first and last night of the holiday we will eat dinner together in the main house. Again there will a good variety of food including vegetarian options. One night we may choose to cook over an open fire or in our outdoor woodburning oven. The other nights we will meet on our terrace for a few complementary drinks before we head out to explore the many tapas bars. Unlike the major cities of Spain most of the bars of Alhama still hold the old tradition of giving free tapas with every drink. Prawns in garlic, calamares, bacalao (delicious salt cod) pinchitos (little spicy kebabs), pork served on little buns, jamon and bread or delicious local cheese are some of the specialities on offer. With a good glass of Rioja at only 1.50 euros you can have a very reasonable night out and come away quite full! We often forgo an evening meal and just dine on tasty tapas.

However, if you fancy something a bit more substantial you can always order a Racion which is a bigger portion and this will usually cost you about 7 euros for a big plate of food. Alternatively you can choose to have a proper meal at one of the many local restaurants. We are happy to recommend something to suit your taste and budget.


Autumn in the Gorge