WritING Holiday Movies
TWO-PART ONLINE
NEXT WORKSHOP - WEDNESDAYS 25TH NOVEMBER & 2ND DECEMBER 2026
18:00-21:00 (uk) | 19:00-22:00 (EU) 13:00-16:00 (EST) | 10:00-13:00 (PST)
BOOKING OPENS 25th september 2026
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OVERVIEW
Wherever you are in the world, every year brings holidays and celebrations that everyone is expected to join in - August Bank Holiday, Ferragosto, Midsommar. Diwali, Nowruz, Thanskgiving, Eid Al-Fitr, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year, Kwamza... For some, this comes with anticipation and excitement. For others, they just bring pressure and stress. For writers, holidays are perfect scenarios. They subject our characters to the kind of social, physical, financial, relational, and emotional challenges that can end in tragedy, drama or comedy. Add a genre twist and they can have you gripping your seat with fear, reaching for a box of tissues, or rolling in the aisles with laughter. Holiday movies are built on familiar elements - family gatherings, food, music, gift giving, love, loneliness, bah-humbug, peace, renewal and light. But the familiar doesn't have to be formulaic. In this workshop you will learn to use genre to elevate the familiar. Or to re-invent the everyday with something unexpected and uniquely yours. In short, to re-imagine the formula. And box office figures show that, when re-imagined formulas work, audiences want to see them. Which means producers do too. So whether the idea of holidays makes you want to whoop with joy, hide under the sofa, punch something, run away from ghosts of holidays past, or just close your eyes until it's over, that's fine. Use it to write your holiday movie and add a commercial project to your portfolio . CONTENT The workshops draw on a range of holiday and festive narratives from a variety of cultures and countries. PART ONE looks at common ingredients and recipes used in holiday movies to extract the formulas. We examine what has to be there, what is over familiar and explore how unexpected mixes of story, theme and genre can elevate the narrative and resonate with audiences. PART TWO is about your own project. It's a hands-on evening about how to elevate your own ideas with fresh and original elements, making your holiday movie unique to you. ABOUT YOUR TUTOR ELIZABETH CLEGG I’m a writer, script editor and development consultant. I often specialise in stories based on true events and real people. I also write, and work on, projects across many genres, including Crime, Family Drama, Romance, RomCom and Social or Impact Drama. I have designed, taught or assessed screenwriting and creative writing courses for academia, cultural bodies and industry, among which: Bectu; the British Council; the Commonwealth Media Development Fund; the European Development Fund; Goldsmiths (University of London); London College of Communication (University of the Arts London); the London Film Academy; the National Film and Television School; NorthWest Vision; Roehampton University; the UK Film Council; and the UNESCO Programme for Creative Content. I have an MA in Screenwriting from London College of Communications (University of the Arts London). I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. |
BOOKING OPENS 25TH SEPTEMBER 2026 WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT ELIZABETH'S COURSES AND FEEDBACK "...brilliant session [...] the pace and interaction were just right and complimented the incredibly well delivered information, what a gift for you to share your knowledge with us." Deborah Telling True Stories for the Screen "It was a privilege to access your knowledge and insights to screenwriting and its industry. I learned plenty both from yourself and my fellow students that was relevant to my specific project, as well as to the larger business of getting a film to the screen." Nigel Telling True Stories for the Screen "It was uncanny. She knew exactly what we were thinking, what we were going to ask and what we needed to hear almost before we did." Gill and Elaine True Stories Incubator BOOKING DETAILS TWO-PART ONLINE WORKSHOP NEXT WORKSHOP AUTUMN 2026 DATES PART ONE - WEDNESDAY 25th NOVEMBER 2026 PART TWO - WEDNESDAY 2nd DECEMBER 2026 TIMES 18:00-21:00 (UK) | 19:00-22:00 (EU) 13:00-16:00 (EST) | 10:00-13:00 (PST) PRICING Part One + Two - Full Price: £95.00 Part One + Two - Concession or Partner Price*: £85 Part One Only - Full Price: £60.00 Part One Only - Concession or Partner Price*: £50 Concession price available to anyone receiving benefit/pension. Partner price available to members of: BECTU, Directors UK, Lane's List, Society of Authors, WFTV, WGGB. Proof required. Check ScreenSkills for bursaries www.screenskills.com/training-and-opportunities/?fundingOptions=ScreenSkills%20funded PAY IN 3 STAGES, FOR FREE! Those with PayPal accounts can opt to pay for workshops in 3 payments: 1st at time of purchase; 2nd at 30 days; 3rd at 60 days. Click PayPal Button at Check Out. Select PAYPAL OFFERS. BOOKING OPENS 25TH SEPTEMBER 2026 For any questions or queries about the workshop and its suitability for you, email me a the link below.
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