TV Writing Intensive
From the 5th to the 17th of June, Almasi presented a TV Writing Intensive for 6 Zimbabwean screenwriters. Led by US Visiting TV Writer and Executive Producer, Matt Negrette, the TV Writing Intensive was presented at Reps Theatre. The workshop began with the six participants, each at different stages of their writing careers, coming together. Matt led the workshop by allowing the participants to share their personal journeys into writing and their motivations behind it. Matt also shared his own experiences, which sparked discussions about the role of writers in the Zimbabwean TV and film industry.
During the workshop, Matt delved into various aspects of TV writing, including structure, tone, world-building, and character arcs. He used the Stranger Things’ pitch deck as a template, which led to an engaging discussion on what makes a show interesting and how to create compelling stories. Matt's wealth of experience provided concrete examples from his past work, enriching the learning experience for the participants.
Of Stories, Strangers and Gold
By Nontobeko Vanessa Mapuma
Learn, grow, implement. Those were the words ringing in my head as I made my way to Reps Theatre where the 2023 Almasi TV Writing Intensive was being held, which was facilitated by Matt Negrete. That name alone sent shivers down my spine being someone who has followed his work with the Walking Dead franchise, and I was excited albeit nervous to share a room with him and other writers alike.
Like a new born fawn, I walked into the venue all Bambi eyed and nervous. Who was I going to meet? Would I fit in? Those where the questions that were running through my head as I signed my name at the gate, dreading yet excited for the opportunity I had been given. Being a writer means coming as a package deal of anxiety and social awkwardness and I was sure they were going to be my downfall. Fast forward to a couple of minutes later, I’m in the room, having been introduced to the stage managers and one of the coordinators, Mr. Gideon Wabvuta and I’m approached by one of the participants and boy, was I shaking in my boots! The only person I knew hadn’t made his appearance and I was already feeling anxious, but my fellow colleagues made me feel extremely comfortable as we prepared to start the day. I had opened Pandora’s Box and boy was I in for a surprise.
I had called myself a writer before but to write is to explore intricate worlds and thoughts one never thought possible. It is to have sleepless nights that leave you feeling like a zombie yet...oddly satisfied because you have created a world that is so unique and true to you that you cannot help but marvel at the gold mine that is your mind. At Almasi, those gold mines were excavated to find the gold hidden beneath so as to modify it into a beautiful piece of work. The journey was grueling yet satisfying, and the intensive introduced me to a whole new world of writing and I shall forever be grateful to Almasi and Matt Negrete for this wholesome opportunity,
The two-week process was arduous. With juggling school and dissertation pressure as well as the intensive, I was often left drained and resembling the zombies that Matt wrote about in the Walking Dead, but it was an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. The first task was to get to know each other and what motivates us to write. This enabled me to understand the back stories to some of the work the participants had submitted, and, in a way, this exercise broke the walls that we had, allowing for a sense of familiarity to be built among the writers. The first reading of Romano was one of the most nerve wreaking experiences I have had. Call me a wimp but this was my first professional experience in a writer’s room and having such renowned people critique my work was both daunting and flattering. What was originally supposed to be a one- or two-hour critique and feedback session ended up being a whole day affair, with the room expressing not only their excitement and desire to develop the script further but their questions and concerns as well. Romano was stripped naked, dissected and put back together, leaving me with a lot to reflect on. Over the next couple of days, all the scripts from the participants endured the same process, allowing the team to develop and rework their scripts for the final showcase that was to be held. The room had a running joke that all the scripts were now part of what we termed, “the Almasi Universe” and like the DC and Marvel universes tends to do; we wanted to blow everyone away with our stories which we had carefully crafted.
By the end of the two weeks, Mr. Gideon Wabvuta took the reigns as the director. A cast was called in and Romano was given life. The actors embodied their characters, leaving me on the verge of tears (between me and you, I might have shed a tear or two, but shhhh.... don’t tell anyone) at seeing what my imagination was once come to life. My personal favorites were Charmaine R. Mujeri and AneUnhu Gwatidzo who played the characters of Don Romano and Gabriel respectively.
It is at this point where I must thank everyone who managed to bring Romano to life. I express my sincerest gratitude to Matt Negrete and Gideon Wabvuta for giving constant feedback and creative criticism. The same sentiments go out to my colleagues whose words of encouragement, feedback and critiques pushed me to write to the best of my ability. A heartfelt thanks to Elizabeth Zaza Muchemwa who shared her views as well as the stage managers Prudence Kalipinde and Privilege Gwaba and production manager Kudakwashe Kanembirira for making sure we uphold time and stay motivated even when the intensive, like its name, was getting intense. Lastly, I am forever grateful to the actors who delivered such a moving performance and allowed me to see my vision come to life.
The reading of Romano in front of a live audience came with guns blazing, ready to tear everything down and leave everyone stunned. I am truly humbled by its reception and the amazing feedback the audience gave. Their feedback along with that of the whole team prompted me to write the pilot episode of Romano, a show I hope to one day see on the big screen and maybe, winning an Emmy award. But until then, I shall write and rewrite until I am satisfied with the outcome.
Once again, a massive thank you to Almasi Collaborative Arts for creating such amazing opportunities for young writers like me to learn from writing greats like Matt Negrete and interact with their fellow colleagues in a space that allows creativity to run its course. Your program has rejuvenated my desire to write for television and I can only hope I share the knowledge I have gained at the intensive with all the writers I meet. Let’s do this again!
Asante Sana...
12 Days A Tribe: A Dream On The Equinox Of Connection
By Itayi Chitauro Junior
A.J. Downey once said, "When you find people who not only tolerate your quirks but celebrate them with glad cries of “Me too!” be sure to cherish them. Because those weirdos are your tribe."
For one to dream, they essentially just must believe and throw/expand their imagination as far as their will can take them. But for one to dream with meaning, they need to do so...with a tribe.
When I saw the call for the ALMASI ARTS COLLABORATIVE TV WRITING INTENSIVE WORKSHOP facilitated by Matt Negrete. I was pumped up to the brim! I mean, a working (not one of those clout chasing out of work so called gurus) Hollywood television Writer-Producer (who has an affinity for dark stories and has worked on theeeee Walking Dead?!!!!! Come on!!!) and the most progressive dramaturgy entity in the country coming together to do this?!There was no plane of existence whereby I saw myself not participating in this! NOOOOOONNNNNNEEEEE!
My expectations and hopes were simple. I wanted to gain an understanding of one hour drama writing, the art of the mystery box and how to play in it, the landscape of tv writing in Hollywood, the staffing process and to have a no BS review on my voice and my work. I had applied with two samples, SCARLET and CHIVHU. Each laced with horror and mystery elements. But it was SCARLET I felt was more...me.
After being late and getting lost on the very first day (did so a few more times, Harare confuses me and I am not a morning person)...after politely denying breakfast and pretending my stomach wasn't aching for some egg roll sandwiches (because it's the most Chitauro way to do things - even though it kills you)...after awkwardly hugging everyone (save for the facilitator, I was just too damn shy)...after a round of hilariously divulging our diverse backgrounds...it finally came the time to delve into each of our samples...
As I got proverbially slapped across my 29-year-old face with notes, questions, suggestions and pitches (that not only blew me away to another galaxy & back... that required over 5 hours of audio notes and over 20 handwritten pages of bullet points) the world I had created was, well, okay, but the one which materialized as a result of this exercise was more lived in, distinct and felt a lot like...home (as in Kwekwe). The characters began to feel more like proper extensions of myself, my fears, anxieties and people I have met.
The first week got capped off with a talk (with the public) at the National Gallery and the viewing of the internationally acclaimed and well-travelled (and I think award-winning) play, Zandezi --- WHICH BLEW OUR FLIPPING MINDS!!!
By the morning of Day 11, we had gone through all (six) samples and provided feedback enough for each writer to drown in. We immediately welcomed a multi-layered and ridiculously talented cast of two brilliant actors, and three actresses. What followed were the table reads, more rewrites and rehearsals. Two scenes from my newly visioned SCARLET PILOT, now tentatively titled SCARLET: BUTTERFLIES GLOW IN THE DARK. Ane Unhu Gwatidzo read for the part of Mandla & Charmaine R. Mujeri for the part of Yvonne while Francis Nyakuhwa provided a haunting and moody narration!!!
The showcase (basically staged readings of the excerpts from the six samples) and a Q&A session with the modest crowd brought the workshop to a close... Emotionally charged selfies, hugs (and in my case with Vhoroso and Bibi) and some well-deserved KFC takeaways caped the day.
At the start of this writers intensive, I walked into a room with my messy afro, stuffed resume and pathological confidence... I thought I was the sh*t, that I was ready for the next stage...i.e., Hollywood. But now I know more than anyone, that I am not. Though at first, he was in denial, I have accepted the truth. In as much as I get beaten into a corner by social anxiety...I need to find ways to beat it and communicate clearly when pitching and or addressing a room. At the end, I walked out with more knowledge than I had hoped to gain.
I hope to continue working on SCARLET to the end, I need to know how the story ends. I don't care much if it gets picked up by a streamer or television station or not, that's a bit trivial....and far-fetched and out of my hands. I want to control what I can and satisfy the viewer and reader in me.
To the wonderful Prudence "Queen" Kalipinde, our plug, our writer's assistant and ever alert stage manager; the ever smiling, pushy, sweet, vocally talented and resourceful stage manager, Privilege "The Time Gestapo" Gwaba; the brotherly nurturer, our thoughtful, ever present and always running around money-man-with-a-sharp-tongue Production Manager, Kudakwashe Kanembirira; the bold, opinionated Elizabeth "Zaza" Muchemwa, our Bohemian bird and programmes director; the ever supportive Gideon Jeph "Gidhi-Gidhi" Wabvuta, the brother we never asked for but got in a full package and to the welcoming and generous Matt Negrete, the refuser of the nickname Matty-Matt, the inciteful and brilliant teacher, our Yoda and now...proud Mandoza fan....
I say to you all...THANK YOU SO MUCH, MWARI NGAARAMBE ACHIKUROPAFADZAI.
And to my fellow cohorts... Nontobeko Vanessa "Bumblebee" Mapuma, Tawanda Josh "Vhoroso" Vombo, Annie Bridget "Bibi" Paradza, Ian "Msaks" Msakanda and Marc Anthony "Marcy-Marc" Greenwood...pshhh...you guys are a one loveable, weird, emotional, smart and progressive bunch of scribes... Brené Brown best summarized how I feel about you : "I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship."
Till our paths cross again. Itayi, out.
We all have a story to tell - some of us are fortunate enough to be shown the way
By Annie Bridget Paradza
Writing a TV show has been a long- held ambition of mine but I never knew where to begin. I have always taken it up upon myself to self-educate as much as possible. Over the years, I have watched hundreds of films as part of the process. When the ALMASI TV WRITING INTENSIVE WORKSHOP came, I was receptive to it. I had no doubt that it would be a worthwhile investment.
I was very happy to learn that I was one of the six participants. I looked forward to this workshop and was glad to meet five of my colleagues Tawanda Vombo, Itayi Jnr Chitauro, Nontobeko Mapuma, Marc Antony and Ian Msakanda, and of course our facilitator, Emmy-Nominated Writer and Producer MATT NEGRETE who shared his extensive experience in the writing arena. He has a wealthy knowledge and is very generous with it.
In our sessions, we went through our scripts and ideas, and we observed the process of breaking down each person’s story to an original episode of television. The flow of the sessions was brilliant, and it revealed the natural progressing of writing a TV show. Every session was packed with information, and I learnt to see the structure of a story, how characters, themes and plot all interact to shape a memorable TV show. When it was time for my story “LOOSE ENDS “to be broken down, I was so amazed, and I absolutely loved the journey. From a mere story to a full episode and the Staged Reading on the last day of the workshop was so overwhelming. Seeing my story come to life instilled confidence in me.
The content of the workshop was rich, practical and interesting. I have a much better understanding of the principles of writing a TV show. The workshop has given me exactly what I needed. The tools, the process and a clear understanding of how stories are told for television. It offered tremendous value. I am currently working on my series LOOSE ENDS, and I am confident to explore any genre henceforward. This was soul enriching, and I am for that reason extremely grateful.
Matt, I salute you for all that you are. Gideon Wabvuta, I appreciate that you believe in me. Holding my hand throughout the process kept me going. Zaza Muchemwa, I thank you for encouraging me to think critically and creatively. THANK YOU.
Giving in to new dreams
By Tawanda Vombo
Over the past few years, my writing graduated from a hobby to something more than just a dream; now it's a part of me that I wouldn't want to let go of. For someone who dropped Literature at O’levels and, regrettably, chose not to study Film or Theatre at tertiary level, I never thought that my journey would go this far. Free-lance writing and filming proved to be difficult for me. Inexperience, poor networks, weak motivation and retarded growth marred my journey and frustration began taking shape. My love for film grew cold and the frustration, fortunately, was directed towards literature where some notable achievements jolted to life. However, these could not fill the love I have for film and media.
The call for the Almasi TV Intensive workshop came at a time when I was grappled by these odd and frustrating circumstances. My application was successful, and it brought me into a circle of talented writers and, of course, into sharing space with the Emmy nominated writer and producer of 'The Walking Dead', Matt Negrette. Becoming one of the six writers accepted into the workshop was an eye opener on the possibilities of success that are there for me. The workshop ushered me into world where things like writer's rooms, story development, pitch documents etc exist. The 12 days with Matt were quite intensive but worthwhile. We spent time analysing and modifying each writer's idea. Sitting for 12 days with someone who produced about five seasons of a popular television show was informative and motivating. Goosebumps covered my skin when the stage readings for my script were done. A dream admired behind closed doors came to life and I enjoyed every bit of it.
The workshop was a once in a lifetime opportunity that got to resuscitate my motivation back, strengthened my scriptwriting abilities, made me conscious of my strengths, appeased my love for film and cemented my networks in the film industry. Now, I see potential in something that used to frustrate me a lot. The pilot idea I had in the workshop is under development and I can't wait to see how it will come to life in the future. I am also hoping to see what my fellow writers developed during the workshop. Using everything that I got from the workshop, I hope work and make an in impact, not just in Zimbabwe's film industry, but in Africa and beyond. I am forever grateful to Almasi Collaborative Arts for such a wonderful once in a lifetime opportunity that also gave me new dreams.
Learning to let go
By Marc Antony Greenland
“I don’t write with anyone!” This was my rule of thumb. I did not see the need to, after all, I wrote for film not tv it did not require a writer’s room. I went into the workshop knowing I would have to break this rule. Through the years I had grown very protective over my work. I had a couple of bad experiences, so trust was an issue. The intensive required me to open and I was dreading it.
Learning to let go was hard… but after going through my fellow attendee's scripts, I came to understand and value the process. The script that I applied was too long, so I had to dust off an old one which made it even worse. My anxiety levels were high. Finally, my day came everyone had read it. Let’s say it was everything I had a nightmare of. My script was far from ready to be presented to anyone yet alone a class of some of Zimbabwe’s finest television writers and a Hollywood executive. In my haste to find a new script I overlooked proofreading it. I paid the consequences. Embarrassed, I was ready to quit. The staff tried to reassure me, “The script just needed to be worked on.” Unfortunately, time was not on my side.
It was late in the week, so we had to quickly shift to working on our teaser scenes. Our showcase was coming up. I felt unprepared the urge to leave was rearing its head once again. Matt was so great; he sat with me and gave me good pointers on writing my teaser and within an afternoon I had written it. The next day the showcase went well despite my anxieties. The superb actors brought to life the scene. The audience applauded some even gave me a standing ovation. It was all over. I left the workshop knowing I had a team behind me. If I had any challenges whilst writing my first series, they would be there to help. So far, they have been true to their word.
Buckling down to the process
By Ian Msakanda
Growing up I never thought all those shows I used to watch were scripted first before appearing on our screens. Now I cannot imagine watching a show that does not feel scripted. The tv writing intensive was an excellent platform for me. It was an experience like no other, fun and eye-opening to the world of creative writing.
In Zimbabwe, there are very limited places where one can go and learn about the craft they love and hope to hone. The nature of the film and tv industry has always been about people with a lot of passion struggling and learning through their failures. So, when an opportunity to learn from the world’s best presented itself, I applied and was selected. What followed then was an entire adventure like no other. It was liberating. It was my first experience in a professional writing environment. It made me realize that Zimbabweans are storytellers with numerous stories to tell. What’s missing is the people to help develop them into world-class projects.
My participation at the conference was due to a potential that other fellow filmmakers and friends saw in me. That on its own was motivation enough for me to apply. I was so thrilled, and I had my expectations. What fascinated me is how I grew as a writer and managed to access skills in me that I had no idea existed. It has allowed me to trust my instincts as a writer.
One major lesson I got from the intensive was the need to listen. I struggled as there were certain elements of my stories that I thought were concrete, but they weren’t. when I entered the intensive, I expected to know a lot since I had already started my carrier journey as a film and tv writer. I had gained a bit of success with some of the productions I wrote.
On the first day, I met everyone including Matt Negrete from the USA. it was quite an experience to meet someone who is way more experienced and respected but as humble as sheep. It was as if we were friends. I guess that allowed for a free and safe environment for me to express myself the best way I know how. As the workshop progressed, I got to see other writers’ stories expand in a way they never thought they would. Already I had begun the process of unlearning what I thought I knew about writing and started picking up new skills.
I had no idea how important this developmental process is, and now I don’t think I can get a piece of work produced without this process. The process enlightened me, so much that when
Matt talked about a character-driven story versus a plot-driven one. I started to think of how I could deepen all my characters. It was a fun experience getting to discover new things about my abilities as a writer.
I learned how to come up with a compelling logline within my story, to find the spine of the story, and make my characters stand out. More work is to be done but I am somewhere where I can say yes, there’s a good script somewhere in there. I cannot begin to describe the feelings that went through me when I received some more notes, the day before the showcase of our teasers. they seemed more than I expected, and I had no choice but to make sure that I am printing my final draft the following morning.
On the final day, everyone was so focused on making sure that their scripts and some had already begun rehearsing for the showcase, I was approved and when I got to the printer, it ran out of ink and my script was faint. most of the actors couldn't read it. I wanted to run away lol, but I am glad I did not. It was fixed and finally, the cast went into the script like never before. They brought it to a place where I realized the full potential of my story.
Thank you, Almasi Collaborative Arts!