Thinking in Frames: Creative Dialogues with Film Theory



Overview

Learn to tell powerful stories for screen. Combining critical film theory with practical screenwriting, this course explores how meaning is made in cinema and TV through film analysis and writing your own screenplay samples.

This course will explore storytelling through moving images and introduce you to the craft of laying out a screenplay that will translate into a visual narrative. 

The course approaches the subject from the twin perspectives of theoretical film studies and professional screenwriting. Classes will alternate between each of these sides and will allow you to combine theoretical knowledge with the opportunity to create your own ideas and concepts for visual storytelling in the form of written screenplay excerpts.

Through regular contributions, you will actively develop your screenwriting and storytelling skills through regular exercises and discussions. These are designed to allow you to draw on your imagination and observation in a safe yet demanding environment. 

During the course, your ability to communicate a film idea will grow alongside the deepening of your understanding of established film theory concepts. You will learn simultaneously about writing, and how meaning is constructed in cinema and TV.

Programme details

Courses starts Wednesday 22 April 2026

This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Wednesdays, 7-9pm.

Week 1: Introduction to characterisation and accessing narratives through characters.

Week 2:  Introduction to Screenwriting. How to write cinematically, within the limitations of scene description and dialogue – using the screenplay format. 

Week 3:  Genre and cinematic 'shortcuts'. How film style affects the speed at which we are able to build an understanding of narrative events.

Week 4: Exercise 1, Exposition – Introducing your story world.

Week 5: (Formative presentation) Exercise 2, Building Tension – Writing a chase sequence. 

Week 6: Editing and Comprehension. How do we make sense of sculpted time and space? 

Week 7: Story and Emotion – Methods for evoking viewer responses. 

Week 8:  Exercise 3, Towards a climax – Writing a transformation.

Week 9: Intertextuality and homage – Auteur Theory and referentiality. 

Week 10: Exercise 4, Conclusion – Writing a satisfying ending.

Certification

Academic credit

Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS Points)

Please note, students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you wish to gain credit from completing this course you must register to do so before the course starts.

Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.

Learn more about the Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme.

If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee for assessment and accreditation.

Digital certificate of completion 

Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee (with no assessment) £300.00
Assessment and Accreditation fee £60.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. See details of our concessionary fees for short courses.

Tutors

Dr Neil McCartney

Dr Neil McCartney is currently based in Oxford as an independent researcher and has taught courses at the Department on The Films of Orson Welles and Self-identity in Cinema. He obtained his PhD in Film Studies from the University of Kent under the supervision of Prof. Murray Smith. His doctoral thesis analysed unconventional character portrayals in film narratives within the wider context of psychological and philosophical theories of self-identity. His other areas of interest include film-as-philosophy, the portrayal of memory and subjectivity in fiction film, and avant-garde deviations from conventional narrative trajectories and continuity of characters. 

Mr Carl Schoenfeld

Carl’s film and TV productions with the BBC, Channel 4 and the British Film Institute have embraced emerging technology, established new workflows, and kick-started international careers. Drawing on his insights as a BAFTA voting member, he teaches Screenwriting both at the University of Oxford and through his Online Screenwriting Academy. 

Course aims

  • Bring established film theory and storytelling practice together. 
  • Application of insights within screenwriting conventions.
  • Provide a foundation for deeper engagement with film and TV, as well as continued further creative practice. 

Course objectives

  • Understand how meaning is created in the cinema.
  • Deepen your understanding of narrative construction in film and TV.
  • Learn about the key concepts and apply these in your own storytelling.

 

Teaching methods

Alternating weekly, the course will combine a lecture presentation followed by seminar-style discussion and group analysis of certain key elements of film theory alongside screenwriting workshops and discussions to allow students to put theory into practice.

Classes will involve pair and group discussions based around sample texts and key sequences relating to the weekly topic viewed together during the class.

Students will also have the opportunity to share and present their work with the group. 

Learning outcomes

Students will be given the opportunity to develop an ability to reflect on and analyse visual storytelling, and produce a piece of written work that demonstrates the understanding of what they have learned. 

Assessment methods

Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.

Assessment

A 1500 word portfolio demonstrating your engagement with cinematic storytelling either theoretically with an essay, or through creative practice through a short screenplay or fragment. Your portfolio should include a reflection on your learning during the course.

Students will also have the opportunity to submit a 500 word formative piece if they opt for the 1500 word essay.

Application

How to enrol

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

How to register for accreditation and assessment

To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for this course, if you wish to do so, you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. 

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.

If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, ie first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support