Content Tabs
"This is an excellent course that celebrates difference and myth-busts taboos of the industry. If the industry operated the way this course does, TV and film would become more enriched and diverse.”
- Former NFTS Student
- What does a hero's journey look like when they have an underrepresented voice?
- How do underrepresented writers navigate an industry not yet ready for them?
- How do you use existing expectations and dogmas to your advantage?
Underrepresented writers need practical advice on bending the rules and navigating the pitfalls of TV and film to their benefit. They need an opportunity to explore their ideas among like-minded peers who can help support and nurture them.
This course is an opportunity to study and strengthen your craft, gain vital experience in writers’ room environments, and demystify the process of formulating and pitching your projects.
The course runs on Wednesday evenings, after working hours (18:15-20:45), for 13 weeks — giving you greater flexibility to hit weekly writing homework deadlines. At the halfway point, there will be a 1-week break solely for writing your project.
"Under-representation and under-represented groups in the UK relate to the protected characteristics as defined in the UK Equality Act 2010. Additional areas include regional participation, socioeconomic background, and caring responsibilities. This is not an exhaustive list."
- British Film Institute
This course is not the one screenwriting theory to rule them all. This course acknowledges that one size does not fit all!
As a neurodiverse and disabled writer who has studied Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), John noticed a common issue with screenwriting books, lessons, and dogma: far too many do not adapt to or cater for underrepresented voices.
The lab utilises John’s From Scratch to Screen method — a visual, flexible, creative methodology for screenwriting — a form of writing that is, after all, inherently visual!
The course will equip writers with a wide range of existing tools to tackle writing and rewriting screenplays. You will:
- Learn the principles of From Scratch to Screen — a visual approach for visual writing.
- Learn the basics of developing a concept into a pitch and treatment.
- Develop a sellable pitch for your project.
- Gain invaluable practice in pitching exercises and mock Writers’ rooms.
- Practice writing and redrafting for both original ideas and existing IPs.
- Learn a toolbox of popular structures, theories, and troubleshooting techniques — and how to make them work for you!
- Write, redraft, workshop, and polish a personal project screenplay — short, TV pilot, or feature.
ABOUT THE TUTOR:
John Servante is a disabled and neurodivergent writer who has studied Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). A former NFTS student, John won places on both Channel 4’s 4Stories initiative and the BBC Studios Writers Academy, working with a breadth of BAFTA-winning producers including Elizabeth Kilgariff, Marcus Wilson, John Yorke, Philip Trethowan and Ben Bickerton, and John Chapman.
Writers should attend with ideas or stories they wish to work into scripts and pitches.
Please fill in the application form.
