Master of Arts in Serial Stortelling

»How to be a staff writer; or, why there is no I in team.«
Lawrence Meyers, Inside the TV Writers’ Room

The MA Serial Storytelling at the ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln is Europe’s first Master’s Programme focusing on collaborative writing for series.
Focusing on both local and international series markets, this intensive two-year master's degree programme combines story development skills, collaboration techniques (»Writers’ Room«), and the innovative approach of artistic research.

Students work with highly acclaimed international guest speakers and scholars, such as Jane Espenson (Battlestar Gallactica, Game of Thrones), Kath Lingenfelter (Westworld), Lisa Albert (Mad Men), Annette Hess (Ku’damm 56/59/63, Wir Kinder From Bahnhof Zoo), Oliver Kienle (Bad Banks) or Jeppe Gjervig Gram (Borgen, Follow the Money).

The programme is supported by industry partners such as RTL Media Group, ZDF, SKY Deutschland, Paramount, btf bildundtonfabrik, Série Series, Series Mania, and the Film Festival Cologne.

Target Group:

Talented aspiring series writers with advanced team working skills, an interest in academic and creative research and at least one year of relevant work experience.

International and German-language Tracks

For the majority of courses, the group of 16 students joins together. Thus, this programme mostly takes place in English.

However, for more elaborate writing projects and for classes geared to specific series markets, students may split into two tracks.  In these specific cases, students of the international track write in English for international audiences, while students of the German-language track study and write in German with a focus on German-language series markets.

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Serial Stortelling: Course Content

The MA Serial Storytelling guides young professionals in exploring, conquering, and expanding forms and methods of serial narration for TV and digital platforms. Accompanied by renowned series creators, script consultants, and media scholars, the students analyse the secrets behind the success of popular series and develop their own innovative series concepts. Series dramaturgy, character development, and collaborative writing processes (»Writers' Room«) are at the center of their practical work.

In addition to narrative and media-theoretical content, the programme conveys the basics of transnational markets and new media platforms, and it supports the students in exploring innovative narrative forms, work structures, and distribution channels.

With a strong focus on collaboration skills and innovative strategies, this Master’s program provides aspiring series writers with exceptional learning experiences:

• Relevant Skills for a Wide Range of Career Paths
• Hands-on Experience
• Industry Insights and Networking Opportunities
• Artistic Research and the Social Responsibility of the Storyteller

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Serial Stortelling: Career

Series writers are skilled professionals who are able to combine top-level creative work with the ever-changing demands of markets, audiences, schedules and budgets. They know how to create characters, arenas, themes and stories that capture audiences throughout numerous episodes and seasons. They are excellent team workers and can deliver high quality scripts on schedule. As the job profile of a series writer differs from country to country, the MA Serial Storytelling aims to equip aspiring writers with the skills needed to write both independently and as part of a collaborative writing team with a focus on the US writers’ room model.

Alumni of the MA Serial Storytelling have gone on to work as screenwriters, staff writers and series creators, game writers, transmedia and VR-creators, script consultants and commissioning editors in various markets and for various platforms. Credits include NETFLIX success “How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast)” (Nataly Thomas, Peter Furrer, Mats Frey, Lena Tusche), Cannes Series Audience Award winner “Kljun/Awake” (Ljubica Lukovic, Matija Dragojevic), Swiss Series “Tschugger” (Mats Frey), and the French adaptation of Norwegian teen phenomenon SKAM (Elina Gakou-Gomba). Alumni activities include frequent meetings at series festivals, mentoring programmes, and advanced classes.

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Serial Storytelling: Academic Requirements

To obtain a Master’s degree, applicants must have an undergraduate degree (Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent degree) with a minimum of 180 ECTS credits or a higher degree (e.g. a German »Magister« or »Diplom«) from an accredited university. The ifs welcomes talented applicants who have received degrees in unrelated fields. 

In justified exceptional cases, applicants with exceptional artistic skills whose CVs lack one or more of these formal requirements may request to enroll in the program as advanced training participants.
 

Work Experience

Applicants must have worked in the field of media production for at least one year.
 

Language Skills

Applicants need to provide proof of sufficient English language skills (B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, e.g. by a TOEFL score of 72 points (internet-based) or equivalent test results. Native English speakers are exempted from this requirement. German language skills are only required for students in the German track.
 

Screenwriting Skills

A solid understanding of the basics of screenwriting and dramaturgy in theory and practice is a prerequisite for this program. This is assessed in the application process. If an applicant’s knowledge and skills in this field prove to be yet insufficient at the time of selection, the applicant may be required to enroll in the ifs’ »Summer School Screenwriting« (or in a comparable course) before the start of the Master’s Program (additional costs apply). In these cases, admission is pending until the missing proof has been provided

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Overview of Masters programmes - ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln

		3D Animation for Film & Games
		Digital Narratives
		Entertainment Producing
		MA Film
		Serial Storytelling

More information on this programme? Visit the website!

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