The Two-Weekend Writers Room

You’ve got an idea for a television series. Maybe you’ve had it for a while. But you’ve never been able to get it on the page. The question is whether it’s really a series — and if so, how do you bring it to life? How do you get it from your head into a workable compelling concept?

The course is practical, collaborative, and deliberately small. Eight participants maximum. Each person develops their own project, with sustained input from the group and from tutor Hal Cantor throughout.

Depending on student output, the final session on Sunday is reserved for presentations: whether that takes the form of reads with actors — your scenes performed aloud, in the room—or your final, polished series pitch (or both), this is the culmination of an intensive, immersive workshop. You get back what you put in. If you want to write television, this is where the work begins.

Across the two weekends and midweek session, participants will work through:

• The fundamentals of television storytelling — what makes great television, and how it differs from film
• Loglines: why are they the make-or-break of your idea?
• Character construction: building leads that can carry a series
• Pilots: what must they accomplish and why are they so bloody hard to write
• Scene writing: dialogue, conflict, story, and exposition
• A midweek one-on-one session with Hal to review your project in progress
• A writers’ workshop read of your scenes — cast from the group, with Hal in the room
• Pitch craft: how to walk into a room and engage with your audience
• A final table read with professional actors
• Student pitch development and delivery

This course is for writers who already have some experience — in prose, journalism, theatre, or screenwriting — and an idea for a television series they are ready to develop seriously.

It is not an introduction to writing. It is a development environment for writers who are past the beginning and need a structured, rigorous framework to bring an idea into reality.

Participants should arrive with a series idea in hand. It does not need to be fully formed. It needs to be ready to be worked.

Weekend One

Saturday — A Day in TV LAND

Immersion in TV Boot Camp. What makes a series? Types of series. How does television storytelling differ from film? The day covers the craft essentials — format, tone, character, structure. Scene workshop. A breakdown of the BREAKING BAD pilot (sent before the first class) as template for series creation.

Sunday — Pitching & Initial Idea Presentations

Pitching workshop. Tips from the trenches. Hal presents a real-world pitch: students act as studio executives in immersive feedback session. Students present their initial concepts, utilizing the vocabulary and learned knowledge from practical sessions.  By the end of the day, each participant has a clear project direction and a working brief to develop before Wednesday.

Midweek — One-on-One Development Sessions

Each participant meets individually with Hal for a dedicated 20-minute session. Projects are reviewed, questions addressed, and direction set for the second weekend. Participants submit a brief series overview in advance of this meeting.

Weekend Two

Saturday — Scene Work and Pitch Refinement

Participants bring scenes. The group reads them aloud — writers cast from the room. Scene workshop. The afternoon is devoted to refining final pitches, character work, series overview revisions.

Sunday — Table Read and Final Pitch

The culminating session. Actors are brought in to perform participants’ scenes. Feedback and discussion in a group setting, with specific emphasis on actor commentary regarding character, dialog and overall assessment. Final, refined, revised polished PITCHES are presented.

By completing this booking, you confirm that you have read and agree to the London Film School Workshops and Short Courses Terms and Conditions (linked below). You have the right to cancel within 14 days of purchase for a full refund unless the course has already begun, in which case your right to cancel may be reduced or lost. After this period, bookings are non-refundable except where the course is cancelled by London Film School. In such cases, liability is limited to a refund of the course fee only. London Film School shall not be liable for any additional costs, including travel or accommodation. All courses are subject to availability and may be amended or cancelled where necessary.​

London Film School shall not be liable for any additional costs, including travel or accommodation. All courses are subject to availability and may be amended or cancelled where necessary.​

Full terms and conditions.