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Quote: SlagA @ April 19, 2007, 4:10 PM

Your reasons for anonimity are understood. Thanks for your time btw.

When you write a pilot, do you slip character descriptions in (for example) the action sections when they are first introduced?

STACEY enters, 31, (a new age type, constantly fortune-telling but always giving depressing news). she sits by --

I've always been told avoid this, make it clear in the characters action and words but I've seen so many pro scripts on the net break the rules and it is easier than getting the script reader to read our carefully constructed character sheets before or during the read-through.

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Or do you have a seperate page were you detail the character's appearance. I kind of guess in Slag's example you might need to mention the 'new age type', but the 'constantly fortune-telling but always giving depressing news' should come out in the script. When I write i always view it as something anyone can pick up and understand but some of the characters have appearance differences which I would need to get across.

Thanks for this by the way.

I just want to say hello, and welcome to the site i hope you stick around as i feel that the critique forum would be a even better place for writers to post with your advice, even though i don't post on it.

Hi there welcome to the site,

I don't really have a question yet except the answer to Ginger Jesus question as I am not the world’s smartest person but I do have a passion for what I do and fill much of my time with it.

Anyway I'll let you get back to it.

Welcome to the site. How long should a 30 minute sitcom script be in your opinion, because I've seen varying answers?

Might I know you? Are you bald? The writing situations you describe seem to be from several years ago. I know you're not Garry Chambers.

Tsk Tsk. No guessing.

To answer ContainsNuts, most industry advice seems to favour 'develop through words and actions' but I have seen so many production scripts that actually contradict this.

Nice to see Charlie back out, is it the fine weather Sir?

Quote: SlagA @ April 19, 2007, 4:10 PM

Your reasons for anonimity are understood. Thanks for your time btw.

When you write a pilot, do you slip character descriptions in (for example) the action sections when they are first introduced?

STACEY enters, 31, (a new age type, constantly fortune-telling but always giving depressing news). she sits by --

I've always been told avoid this, make it clear in the characters action and words but I've seen so many pro scripts on the net break the rules and it is easier than getting the script reader to read our carefully constructed character sheets before or during the read-through.

View original

Personally I'd never include character descriptions in the actual script. I'm from the school of thought that what your character says and does within your script defines him/her.

If you wanted to, I think it's acceptable to include character descriptions in a separate document. But it should be brief - a paragraph per character.

Quote: SlagA @ April 19, 2007, 4:10 PM

How much leading-the-reader-by-the-hand do you do? Do you explain in detail why a scene is happening if it could possibly be seen to make no sense until much later? Would you treat the script reader as the viewer (on which surprises can and should be sprung) or are your scripts transparent in that you explain as much as is needed to let them know the reasons why?

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In your actual script I'd always treat your reader as a viewer. Extra information, such as character profiles, additional episode overviews etc should go in a separate document (typically called the treatment). There are no hard and fast rules what should go in the treatment, maybe with the exception of additional plots so a reader can see how the series plays out and if you plan to have a story arc across the series.

On a related point, there is a difference between a selling script and a shooting script. For a selling script I'd always make the stage directions interesting to read, remember you are asking somebody to sit down and spend 45 mins reading your script, at least make the stage directions reasonably interesting! Obviously you're not writing a novel but you can 'sex-up' stage directions and make them more interesting. The way I do it is to initially write very clear succinct stage directions that portray exactly what I want to happen. When I'm near the final draft I'll revisit these stage directions and 'sex-them-up'.

Hang on, a gag writer, a sketch writer, no TV sitcom yet but one with a broadcaster? You're not Charlie Adams, are you? No, wait --

Quote: Ginger Jesus @ April 19, 2007, 4:22 PM

Hello again takeabow, sorry for bombarding you.

I was wondering if you had anything in the way of writing qualifications, or whether it's all been done off your own back (ie books, net etc)

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No qualifications, just lots of practice!

The best way to be a better writer is to write more.

I started reading a book on writing comedy once, but stopped half way through, I wasn't getting anything from it. I don't think you can tell people how to be funny .

I do think you can teach people about basic dramatic structure though, e.g. character, plot, character and story arcs, classic 3 act structure etc. I'd recommend books by Robert McKee (Story) and Syd Field (Screen Writing Workshop). They're geared for writing screenplays, but lots of it is applicable for sitcom writing too.

Quote: Martin Holmes @ April 19, 2007, 5:02 PM

Welcome to the site. How long should a 30 minute sitcom script be in your opinion, because I've seen varying answers?

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Yes, there are lots of varying answers!

The rough and ready way is a page a minute, through heavy action sequences run longer.

The ultimate way is to time it yourself, do a read through and time everything and add it up. Dialogue you can time easily. You should have a rough idea how long an action sequence takes.

For a 30 min sitcom (although obviously the actual length varies depending on the channel, commerical 30 mins, versus Beeb) I'd say anywhere between 28-35 pages - approx.

As I say, there's a difference between a shooting script and a selling script - I wouldn't get massively bogged down in worrying about total page length as long as you're in the ballpark.

Your selling script WILL change if it gets made!

Quote: Charlie Adams @ April 19, 2007, 5:15 PM

Might I know you? Are you bald? The writing situations you describe seem to be from several years ago. I know you're not Garry Chambers.

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Hi Charlie, no, we've never met. I have a full head of hair thanks!

I can only say from my own experience that the writing situations I describe are recent experiences!

Great advice to tart up the stage directions. I'd always wondered why stage directions in produced scripts seemed to read with more zing than my own. I was approaching it from the bare bones angle. Cheers.

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for sharing your experience with us aspiring writers.

Thanks for doing this btw, it's very helpful.

Right, cheeky time as you're anonymous

Do you still have a job whilst you're writing or are you full-time?
If so, how long was it before you could afford to do that?
And how much do you earn from comedy writing a year?

Cheers

Dan

Quote: swerytd @ April 20, 2007, 10:18 AM

Thanks for doing this btw, it's very helpful.

Right, cheeky time as you're anonymous

Do you still have a job whilst you're writing or are you full-time?
If so, how long was it before you could afford to do that?

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I'm full time now, didn't start that way, obviously you only go full time when you think you can earn enough.

Quote: swerytd @ April 20, 2007, 10:18 AM

And how much do you earn from comedy writing a year?

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Yes, you are cheeky aren't you! You're not from the Inland Revenue are you?

Would you recommend sending scripts to production companies or to TV channels? From what it seems, to get anywhere you need to have experience...but how do you get the experience if you don't get anywhere?!

Quote: Jeremy Smith @ April 20, 2007, 10:59 AM

Would you recommend sending scripts to production companies or to TV channels? From what it seems, to get anywhere you need to have experience...but how do you get the experience if you don't get anywhere?!

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Well, I knew nobody when I started out. You have to start from somewhere.

I've covered how I got started earlier on in this thread. I think the biggest mistake most writers make starting out is they try and write a sitcom and then try and sell it.

A sitcom is the biggest ask in TV comedy, it costs the most, it's the hardest to write, it's pretty much the hardest 'everything' to do. Yet people with no track record in comedy go straight in at the deep end and try and write one and then get despondent when they don't get anywhere!

Basically my advice is you're aiming too high at the start to get a foothold in the industry. Start with trying to write gags and sketches for shows that take unsolicited material. Not only is this a much easier sell, but you'll be learning your craft from the bottom up, from the smallest units of comedy.

ie. gags - sketches - sitcom - screenplay

This is what Richard Curtis did and is pretty much what I did (obviously not putting me and Curtis in the same league BTW! Just the same path).

Writing a sitcom demands huge amounts from you as a writer, you need characterisation, plot an overall structure and a premise that'll sustain multiple series for a channel to be interested. It's like trainee builder trying to build a complete house from scratch. The trainee pilot who thinks he can jump straight into a jumbo.

In the last 10 years I only know of one sitcom that was commissioned from unknown writers - Operation Good Guys.

You're stacking the odds massively against yourself basically.