The art of commentary to capture audience engagement

As part of our Step up strand, we’re offering training to help individuals coming back into the industry after a break, moving into a new role or responsibility level, or improving skills in unscripted TV. 

A good commentary script can really make a film ‘sing’. But what’s the best way to approach writing one? Too much information and the viewer will glaze over. Too little and they won’t follow your story. This course will teach you the key skills of how to decide what you need to say in commentary and at what point in the film; how to successfully interweave commentary and sync; and how to work out what the audience needs to know to enjoy each scene and get the most out of it. 

Commentary writing is an art. But this course will unpack that art by teaching techniques and approaches that will streamline your commentary writing, make the edit process more efficient, and produce commentary that really engages and excites the viewer without overwhelming them with information they don’t need.

Who it's for

It would suit Series Producers, PD’s and Edit Producers, but also the AP’s and Researchers in unscripted TV who are prepping the all-important research material that the commentary writer will need (and who will find themselves writing their own commentary as they progress in the industry).

Trainer

Steven Clarke is a BAFTA and RTS winning director, producer, writer and show-runner with over 20 years experience. He has produced multiple critically acclaimed films, from factual drama, to drama-doc and documentary, for the BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Channel 5, as well as NGC/Disney+, Discovery, PBS and Arte. Past credits include ‘Union, with David Olusoga’, ‘John Bishop’s Great Whale Rescue’, ‘Bigfoot Files’, ‘Hostile Planet’, ‘The Beauty of Maps’, and ‘Six Wives of Henry VIII’. He also has experience over many years teaching Filmmaking students in the UK and Europe.

What it covers

This will be an interactive workshop, using real scripts and clips, with highly experienced director and show-runner Steven Clarke.

Preparing research material for commentary writing
Writing concise commentary for maximum impact
Techniques for interweaving commentary and sync
Commentary styles for presenter-led & contributor-led programmes 
Managing the commentary process in the edit
Understanding what the audience needs to know, and when they need to know it

How to apply

This session will take place online via Zoom. Click ‘apply now’ at the top of the page and follow the instructions to apply for your place: you must login or register before you are able to complete your application.

If you need additional support to complete your application or require the application form in an alternative format please contact USF@screenskills.com

Places on these free online courses are limited and applications are often highly competitive. To stand the best chance of securing a place, please be sure to consider the following:

• When asked to list your three most recent credits, please include the programme title and your job role.
• When asked what you hope to gain from the course, please be concise but ensure you cover the specific elements of the topic you would like to gain knowledge of and what gaps in your skillset you believe the course may address. A rewording of the course title or a general comment on career progression does not tell us much about how this course would benefit you.

If you are no longer able to attend, we ask you to please use the 'decline ticket' function on the right hand side of the page so that we can release your place. Our sessions are often oversubscribed, so we’d like to give other freelancers the opportunity to fill available spots. Thank you for your consideration.

This session is supported by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies.

This course would normally cost participants to attend, but thanks to this support, we are able to offer it to you for free. If you fail to attend, we reserve the right to request reimbursement of costs, unless your place can be taken by someone else.