I enjoy your writing, Lawrence, whether you like it being compared to the Marx Brothers Party of the First Part contract routine or not...
Using beats Page 3
Lawrence, we know that Sitcom Geeks liked you. Unfortunately they are producers - we aren't. Go and find a producer or agent, or at least post on Showcase/Review. Thanks.
There is an Ed Morrish blog post here in which he describes two approaches to producing a John Finnemore monologue. The first time they did it with the beats, so it flowed more naturally. The second time they did it with a tight script. Both the script and the beat-sheet are pictured in the post. I think they chose the scripted performance in the end.
http://edmorrish.tumblr.com/post/155353453273/john-finnemores-souvenir-programme-series-6
And here is a beat sheet used for Scot Squad, along with the transcript of what it yielded.
Quote: nabbit @ 1st February 2017, 2:55 PMThere is an Ed Morrish blog post here in which he describes two approaches to producing a John Finnemore monologue. The first time they did it with the beats, so it flowed more naturally. The second time they did it with a tight script. Both the script and the beat-sheet are pictured in the post. I think they chose the scripted performance in the end.
http://edmorrish.tumblr.com/post/155353453273/john-finnemores-souvenir-programme-series-6
And here is a beat sheet used for Scot Squad, along with the transcript of what it yielded.
Thanks for that nabbit, the Beat (thread) goes on!
So you write it all out with beats as a narrative, then have to write it again as a script, so it's double the work.
Quote: beaky @ 1st February 2017, 6:25 PMSo you write it all out with beats as a narrative, then have to write it again as a script, so it's double the work.
No, I think the beats on the radio show were there as an alternative prompt for an alternative take of the performance, but only because it was a lengthy monologue: the rest of the episode was just scripted as normal. Whereas the beats for the Scot Squad TV show were all the actors had: it was improvised around this and the transcript was produced after the performance as a record for Writers Room I suppose.
Beat-sheets can be used for plotting prior to writing a fuller script, as suggested in books like Save the Cat;
http://www.beatsheetcalculator.com/
or as the basis for improvisation as in the Scot Squad example.
And I've just spotted that James Cary has just yesterday blogged about beats: http://sitcomgeek.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/finding-beat.html
Quote: Lazzard @ 10th September 2016, 12:20 PMIt's terminology hell out there.
I once spent a whole year using the term 'high concept' in a way that meant almost the polar opposite of what it actually means.
And I mean used it in meetings.
*shudders*
You've got me worried now.