Overview
From pitch to pilot – work on your original TV drama with top industry professionals.With weekly teaching and group workshopping on Thursday evenings in the Curtis Brown offices on Regent Street, this course will help you hone your craft and make real progress with your TV script. It’s ideal for those looking for a practical in-person alternative to a postgraduate screenwriting course. Across 18 weeks, 15 talented writers will each develop an idea for a drama serial, write a 60-minute pilot episode and evolve a plan for further episodes – supported by the expert teaching of experienced screenwriter, producer and director Jamie Nuttgens.
Plus a series of six masterclasses from leading TV industry professionals, including Curtis Brown’s Theatre, Film and Television agents, and an in-depth one-to-one tutorial from an experienced producer. This course will run from 11 April to 1 August 2024.
There is also a scholarship place available, the Breakthrough Scholarship for Screenwriters of Colour will enable a talented writer of colour with limited financial means to join this Writing an Original TV Drama Serial course.
Course Content
What doe sthis course give you?
- Live teaching sessions in London: Jamie Nuttgens will teach on topics important for developing and writing a TV drama serial – and which support the masterclasses. Topics include character development, structure, plot, endings and more.
- A community of writers: Our selective applications process means that you will be writing your TV drama in a peer group of 15 students working at a high level. We have developed a bespoke learning platform exclusively for our students. Here you can give and receive feedback, and discuss the week’s topics with your fellow students and tutors. Many of our former students have found their trusted readers with us – and form strong working friendships with classmates which go on long after the course is over.
- Group workshops: On 10 evenings, Jamie Nuttgens will lead group workshops live in London or on Zoom giving dedicated feedback on 2,000-word extracts of your pilot script. Each student gets two workshops focused on their own work across the course.
- One-to-one tutorials: You'll get a 25-minute one-to-one tutorial with Jamie, as well as a 45-minute tutorial with an experienced producer.
- Five industry masterclasses: Top TV professionals share their expertise during five special Zoom/in-person sessions. Key leading figures from all key stages of the production process will guide students through the process of drama development, with focus on students' work.
- Agent Q&A: TV agents from Curtis Brown will talk about the agent's role and answer questions on the industry and how to get your work noticed.
- Pitching panel: Students will verbally pitch their TV project to two industry experts and get individual feedback on how to improve their pitch to make it as strong as possible.
- Share your work with agents: At the end of the course all students will be invited to informally share the first fifteen pages of your pilot script (max 2,200 words) plus 50-word pitch and 300-word outline for the series with the Curtis Brown agent team. Agents may request to see more.
- Cuba Pictures mentoring for one student: At the end of the course, one lucky student will be selected by the team at Cuba Pictures to receive three one-to-one mentoring sessions. They will read a full pilot script as part of this mentoring. This additional mentoring will be offered on merit.
All teaching and workshop sessions will take place on Monday or Thursday evenings from 7pm to 9pm (unless otherwise stated below). Classes will be held in the Writers' Room of the new Curtis Brown offices (Cunard House, 15 Regent Street, London, SW1Y 4LR).
Please apply with the opening of your pilot script (up to fifteen pages – maximum 2,200 words) in industry standard format, 300 words synopsising your entire pilot episode and 300 words synopsising the rest of your serial. All of these materials need to be in the same document, as you can only upload ONE PDF file.
The CBC team will select applicants based on the quality of the writing sample provided. The deadline for applications is midnight, end of day Friday 22 March, and we will respond to applicants by Monday 25 March.
TM Pro Member can get a 5% discount, please mention Talent Manager in your course application form.
This course offers Talent Manager Pro members the following discount:
5%
