This masterclass is ideal for:

• Screenwriters who want their work to stand out emotionally.

• Novelists interested in adapting their stories for film.

• Writers fascinated by films such as Pan's Labyrinth, The Green Mile, Big Fish, Life of Pi or Peaceful Warrior.

• Anyone who has ever wondered whether an impossible event can reveal a deeper truth than realism alone.

Meet Your Tutors

Our VIP Eleanor Veness

Award-winning screenwriter Eleanor Veness explores the emotional heart of storytelling through work that moves naturally between the everyday and the extraordinary. Her writing demonstrates how magical realism can deepen character, illuminate hidden emotional truths and create stories that resonate long after the credits roll.

Following international recognition, including success at Cannes, Eleanor now works as a professional screenwriter, helping writers understand how imagination, symbolism and emotional authenticity can transform an ordinary screenplay into something memorable. During this masterclass she will share practical techniques from her own writing process, showing how magical realism can remain emotionally grounded while still surprising an audience.

Hosted by Adrian Beckingham

For more than thirty years, Adrian Beckingham has worked professionally as a spoken-word storyteller, author, journalist and interviewer, performing over 45000 stage shows throughout the UK and internationally.

His storytelling has been shaped by decades studying mythology, Indigenous storytelling traditions, creation stories and the relationship between narrative, memory and emotional truth. That lifelong exploration now informs his work as a screenwriter.

His feature-length screenplay, The Diamond Ship, was developed through Hollywood-based Voyage Media under the mentorship of Ilyssa Goodman, whose producing credits include the A Cinderella Story film franchise.

Together, Eleanor and Adrian bring two complementary perspectives: one grounded in contemporary professional screenwriting, the other in a lifetime devoted to myth, oral storytelling and emotionally authentic narrative.

What You'll Explore

During this highly interactive three-hour workshop you'll discover how magical realism can become a practical storytelling tool that enchants your audience as well as holding their trust and connection with the narrative journey.

Together we'll explore:

• Understanding the difference between fantasy, science fiction and magical realism

• Keeping an audience emotionally grounded while introducing extraordinary events

• Using symbolism to reveal character rather than simply decorate a story

• Building trust with an audience when your story steps beyond everyday reality

• Finding emotional truth beneath unusual or impossible events

• Developing memorable scenes that combine wonder with believable human behaviour

• Learning where magical realism succeeds in film and where writers commonly lose their audience

• Receiving practical writing exercises, live discussion and supportive feedback of your own work

Who Is This Masterclass For?

This masterclass is ideal for:

• Writers who have a story they believe would make a compelling film

• Emerging screenwriters looking to develop a distinctive voice

• Novelists interested in adapting their stories for the screen

• Writers who want to create emotionally powerful stories rather than simply plot-driven ones

• Anyone fascinated by the relationship between myth, memory, imagination and emotional truth

Examples of well known Films and Stories within the Magical Realism family

• Big Fish

• The Green Mile

• Pan's Labyrinth

• Life of Pi

• Peaceful Warrior

• Jonathan Livingston Seagull

• Forrest Gump

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

• Edward Scissorhands

• The Lord of the Rings

• The NeverEnding Story

• The Wizard of Oz

• Cloud Atlas

• The Green Knight

• Everything Everywhere All at Once

• Three Thousand Years of Longing

What You'll Leave With

By the end of the masterclass you will have:

• A clearer understanding of what magical realism is, and what it is not

• Practical techniques you can immediately apply to your own writing

• Greater confidence in blending the ordinary with the extraordinary

• New ways of using symbolism, myth and metaphor without confusing your audience

• A stronger understanding of how emotional truth creates memorable stories

• Ideas and exercises to continue developing after the workshop

• Personal feedback and encouragement from two experienced storytellers

What To Bring

Please bring:

• A photograph that has personal meaning to you

• A meaningful object

• Up to three pages of your own writing. This could be one of:

  • a screenplay scene

  • a prose extract

  • a character study

  • or the outline of a story you have always wanted to tell.

No previous experience of magical realism is required. Whether you're an experienced writer or simply have a story you've long wanted to bring to life, this masterclass will provide practical tools, fresh inspiration and a supportive environment in which to explore one of storytelling's most powerful forms.