What was it like to be part of the Drama Room writer development group?
Beru Tessema
Writer
Tagged with:
I write this as I reflect on the past year, of being a part of ±«Óãtv Writersroom’s Drama Room 2020/21.
I trained as an actor and my first attempt at dramatic writing was for the theatre. After some years of working as an actor, I found that parts for a young Ethiopian actor were too few and far between and I became more interested in actually creating the stories, rather than trying to be in them.
My love of TV and cinema led me to film school, where I studied Screenwriting. That was nearly ten years ago now. Coming out of film school with an ambitious feature film script, like any hopeful graduate, I was keen to get my script produced. I made short films and co-wrote a feature that was produced, but the journey to really discovering my voice in my work was far from straightforward.
My need to “get it right” became the obstacle. In the many drafts of the screenplays I wrote, I presented a version of my voice that I thought the gatekeepers wanted to see. I needed to reset and in a way restart; rediscover my reason for writing again; which was, of course, telling stories from my cultural and personal perspective. A perspective rooted in being a Londoner and a first generation Ethiopian immigrant and navigating the spaces in-between.
I returned to where I had started, theatre, and started writing plays again. I was writing these plays for myself, it was an exercise of discovery, suddenly I was enjoying writing again and my need to write every day returned. Once I had plucked up the courage to share my work, a friend of mine encouraged me to apply to the ±«Óãtv Writersroom.
I saw the level of competition, I had never written for TV and I didn’t have a screenplay I was confident enough to apply with, but this same friend suggested I apply with one of my new stage plays. I didn’t think it would be possible to be considered for TV with a stage play. I thought this was a writers’ programme for more experienced TV writers. But I applied and was accepted on to the programme.
The Drama Room writers 2020/21
As well as developing our craft and practice of TV writing, the objective over the course of the scheme was to write a . It felt like a chance to re-engage with the screenwriting process and discover my voice again in this space. The wide range of workshops created the foundation for what would be my first TV spec script, and the year long process being in the ±«Óãtv Writersroom's Drama Room encouraged me to cultivate a range of ideas for TV drama.
Having read ’s book on script writing and finding it to be one of the most informative books on the process, I was thrilled to be taking part in a day long workshop delivered by John Yorke, himself. I found it to be an insightful and illuminating session on story structure. As someone who often grapples with structure in screenwriting, I was so glad to be part of a session with John looking at structure in depth.
Beru Tessema
Among the other sessions, we also worked on Pitching and Treatments, with . Looking at the fundamentals of writing a one page pitch was massively useful for me, because this was an area that I wasn’t that confident in, but the session demystified this process and now I feel a lot more confident communicating my ideas within a one page document. Following this session, the exploration and discussion around writing treatments for TV was one session I returned to months later. Learning about the various styles and approaches has broadened the possibilities of how I could write a treatment and has helped me when putting together treatments for my own ideas and projects.
As part of the scheme I was also assigned a brilliant script editor, , who worked with me closely throughout the year. Working with Josie was a transformative experience for me. Beyond just being an editor for my spec script, Josie became like a mentor to me. Our regular story development sessions became spaces in which I learnt about the craft of TV writing, as well as developing my story. Above all, Josie’s way of working gave me confidence in my craft and I felt liberated to write in a voice that felt like mine. She worked to encourage my voice, not to change it.
As I come to the end of the ±«Óãtv Writersroom's Drama Room programme, I have a spec script that I am proud of, and more importantly, I feel a shift within myself. The past twelve months have really been about development, and I know that to be true in my work and my practice as a writer.
Thank you to the ±«Óãtv Writersroom team!