A Journey into the Writers' Room at CME Content Academy

The first writers' room was established by Aaron Spelling in the 70s. for his series The Mod Squad, Charlie’s Angels, and The Love Boat. Since it became standard practice in American production, the concept is today adopted around the globe. For example, the first Star Wars movie was written by a small writing group led by George Lucas. Because two heads are better than one. That's why TV Nova established several writers' rooms for different projects.

Many great Czech writers started in the writers' room for the long-running TV series Ulice (The Street). Therefore it was logical to send students of CME CONTENT ACADEMY there to absorb all the best practices. The series has been broadcasting since 2005 as the first and only Czech original endless soap opera. The story follows the lives of several families from one neighborhood in Prague.  

Get to know the unique system 

The screenplay is created during big linking by different authors. The individual storylines for the entire season are presented during the meeting, then developed into sub-stories. One episode usually consists of a three-day story of each of the storylines. They are divided into scene sequences for individual parts. In the storyboard, the characters, scenes, and setting of the story are written. Then they are passed on to the dialogue scriptwriters. After that, the production and dramaturgy are subject to approval. The scenes are presented to the chief author, who chooses which ones will belong to which specific episode. Our students get the chance to try each step of the process.  

One does not simply walk into Mordor – or the writers' room. But you can earn access as a student of the CME CONTENT ACADEMY, an educational program for TV NOVA and TV Markíza based on original approaches focusing on TV content, storytelling, and technology. Our doors are open to new talents. Admission for the third course begins in spring 2023, so you have plenty of time to work on your submission. 

 Author Kristina Sverkunova