Quote: Rosebud @ April 7 2008, 8:32 PM BST
From talking with an independent production company, I understand that part of their development process is to make a script as marketable and attractive to a broadcaster as possible.
While that makes sense to me, the company then went on to say that they have to make the script as perfect as possible, because even if the broadcaster is 90% happy with a new script, it will still be rejected.
In other words, broadcasters will not engage in discussion, will not ask writers to re-work the 10% of the script they didn't like - it's in or it's out. And once it's out, it cannot be re-submitted.
Is this true? And if so, does that strike anyone as daft? I mean, how many tv shows by established writers/comedians hit the bullseye dead-on first time out? It seems a ridiculously high standard to apply to us poor clueless newbie writers. Worse, it leaves us (and the prodcos) using our psychic powers to try and guess what it is the broadcasters think the public thinks.
It's at this point one gives up writing and takes up professional lottery ticket buying. It seems a more secure method of making a living.
To answer your 'is it true?' question, in my experience, no. I had a sitcom script read by the BBC earlier on in the year and their response was to give some advice and ideas on how it could be improved. They said they would read it again and they did. Things are moving along with the project and I am working on another version of the script at their suggestion.
