Hello Page 3

Quote: takeabow @ April 19, 2007, 6:11 PM

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.

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Well my scripts usually end up from around 45-50 pages in length and when read through are usually 30 minutes, if not less. I've read a few of the sample sitcom scripts on the BBC site and stuff like Two Pints of Lager and a Packet Crisps is 50 pages. But I always see people saying it should only be 30 pages, but for me that would mean my sitcom would only last about 10 minutes.

Did you bury it with alot of description? If so it might be best to cut some out and keep the dialogue flowing.

Episode outlines:
How much info to include and do you have to include the ending of each episode? I read somewhere its good to give them a taster but keep them hanging on about how it ends:

Episode 1: Henry gets stuck in a lift with Samuel Jackson and Benard Manning and tries to keep the peace.

OR

Episode 1: Henry gets stuck in a lift with Samuel Jackson and Bernard Manning. Henry is desperate to keep everything peaceful but is surprised that Samuel and Bernard both share a love for 18th century bedpans. Henry comments that he's a glad toilets were invented causing outrage from his fellow captives who damn him as being shittest.

Quote: ContainsNuts @ April 20, 2007, 1:56 PM

Episode outlines:
How much info to include and do you have to include the ending of each episode? I read somewhere its good to give them a taster but keep them hanging on about how it ends:

Episode 1: Henry gets stuck in a lift with Samuel Jackson and Benard Manning and tries to keep the peace.

OR

Episode 1: Henry gets stuck in a lift with Samuel Jackson and Bernard Manning. Henry is desperate to keep everything peaceful but is surprised that Samuel and Bernard both share a love for 18th century bedpans. Henry comments that he's a glad toilets were invented causing outrage from his fellow captives who damn him as being shittest.

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Definitely the latter. A paragraph on each ep is fine. You want to give a flavour and a bit of detail to show the broad path that particular ep would take. But, as you say, not reveal everything and create some suspense and intrigue. You want the reader to be thinking 'Hmm, I'd like to see how that plays out'

Quote: hotzappa11 @ April 20, 2007, 11:20 AM

Did you bury it with alot of description? If so it might be best to cut some out and keep the dialogue flowing.

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Not really, I think it could be down to the double spacing. There is quite a bit of description in some places but thats to describe the visual gags.

Is there a list here or should we compile one that details the shows that take unsolicited gags, sketches etc.

I find it quite hard to find them, but now think I should spend some time on them after reading takeabow's comments.

Yep, there's a pinned thread in this forum for addresses and such.

A-haaa!! Finally after some thought I have a question. In general do you have any input with the actors? i.e. coaching them on how a particular joke works, how you'd like it said. Or do you leave it completely to their interpretation? If it's the latter there must be some good and bad surprises!?

Extreme example but I'm sometimes tempted to put in scripts:

DAVE (Surprised)
Oh my god!!!!!

Quote: SlagA @ April 20, 2007, 5:13 PM

Yep, there's a pinned thread in this forum for addresses and such.

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Thats for production companies, I said actual shows.

Quote: ShoePie @ April 20, 2007, 5:24 PM

A-haaa!! Finally after some thought I have a question. In general do you have any input with the actors? i.e. coaching them on how a particular joke works, how you'd like it said. Or do you leave it completely to their interpretation? If it's the latter there must be some good and bad surprises!?

Extreme example but I'm sometimes tempted to put in scripts:

DAVE (Surprised)
Oh my god!!!!!

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Typically, by the time you're on set, it's the role of the director to give the actors notes on their performance. In rehearsal the writers might have more of a say though, it depends.

It's rare for the writers to provide notes on performance, but not unheard of (Graham Linehan on Father Ted for example).

I would only use the parentheses in a script when I thought the meaning of the line itself did not communicate the way it should be delivered.
e.g. (sarcastically).

takeabow, thanks very answering our questions. It's great to have you here. You haven't by any chance read anything on the critque forum that was worth sending to anyone? (Might as well ask, you never know)

Welcome.

So do you have connections that we make use of?

Quote: David Chapman @ April 20, 2007, 9:04 PM

Welcome.

So do you have connections that we make use of?

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It's quite rare for one writer to recommend another writers work. I've certainly never done it myself.

Hypothetically, for me to get an industry person (e.g. producer or commissioner) to look at something I'd obviously be saying to them 'I think you should look at this, because I think it's good'. I wouldn't feel comfortable 'recommending' material that I genuinely didn't think was good/great, because that reflects badly on me. I'd be lying for a start!

I'm not saying that people here are producing bad stuff BTW - I have no opinion either way as I haven't looked at any material.

You'd be better off making your own connections. There are 'public' opportunities out there for new comedy writers, plus you should also be making your own opportunities as I discussed earlier on.

I'm just being lazy and thinking if we can use you - "Great".

Anyway - Isaw your comment about the sitcom project and it does make sense. We could all be wasting our time but then it's all good exercise.

Quote: David Chapman @ April 21, 2007, 2:01 PM

I'm just being lazy and thinking if we can use you

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You should be a producer!