There are no specific requirements for this course. However it may be beneficial if you have had some production or editing experience.

•  An Analogue Art in the Digital World:  the importance of writing for factual; commentary that is integral to the story, not an addition, structuring your content and re-editing through words.• Script Doctor:  Patrick Uden reviews trainee’s scripts and give feedback.• Sources of Metered Writing, e.g. Philip Larkin ‘The Whitsun Weddings’• Exercise in effective commentary.• The Story of Commentary:  the evolution of commentary for factual programming – with illustrated examples.  A look at current styles of factual entertainment (from The Gap Year to Come Dine with Me to The Apprentice), polemic and observational styles.• Key rules of commentary – empower the sync, facts not feelings, spoken not read.• Case Study:  Patrick Uden looks at examples of commentary from the web and broadcast and discusses how to doctor/turn sentences around for more impactful writing.  Word efficiency for the Twitter generation.• Design:  the importance of script layout for effective commentary.• Exercise in Commentary Writing:  trainees get to practice their newly found skills by re-writing a personalised script into a neutral commentary.• Exercise Writing to Pictures:  trainees watch The Apprentice without the commentary and write their own cues.  Comparisons between online and broadcast versions.• Question and Answer session.

Patrick Uden is one of the most influential execs working in UK television. Having made his name as a director and documentary marker at the BBC, where his credits included Tomorrow's World, Horizon and QED, Patrick set up his own pioneering production company Uden Associates, before becoming the creative force behind Channel 4's Bafta-winning FourDocs. More recently, he has worked as a consultant executive producer on some of television's most successful series including The Apprentice, The Restaurant, and Junior Doctors: Your Life in their Hands.  

Do I need to bring anything to the course?It’s advisable to bring a pen and some notepaper. Otherwise, all you need is a receptive mind and your energy and enthusiasm.

Is lunch provided?We keep you replenished with teas, coffee, biscuits and fruit. We don’t provide lunch – although there are a number of sandwich shops, cafes, restaurants close by, as well as a supermarket.

What if I have to cancel?If you cancel more than 10 working days before the course date, you will get a full refund. If you cancel with less notice, or once the course has been confirmed the full course fees are still due. We will however endeavour to get you onto to a future course as and when we have a spare space. Although this cannot be guaranteed and will usually involve you being offered the place at short notice, we have a great track record of making sure people get their training – even it takes a bit of time.