Thinking about what AA had to say maybe I personally have overlooked this aspect. From a personal point of view I've maybe assumed that the writing gives enough clues to the type of character. Obviously that's a bit naive.
Presumably for a sitcom you have to write a pen-portrait of each of the characters - maybe 50 - 100 words?
For Sketches maybe just a couple of lines - unless they're recurring characters.
Would this seem sensible?
You don't have to write pen portraits of characters. Your characters should reveal themselves through dialogue. What I was saying earlier is that you should have thought about that character's drives, quirks, fears before putting words in their mouths.
Quote: Alan Alexander @ June 13, 2007, 9:50 PMYou don't have to write pen portraits of characters. Your characters should reveal themselves through dialogue. What I was saying earlier is that you should have thought about that character's drives, quirks, fears before putting words in their mouths.
Total newbie here as far as experience...but if you're gonna submit a package to a production company, aren't they gonna want a page telling them who the characters are and why they have to interact with each other? Won't they (and any director and actor) want a description of the characters to help cast the roles?
I agree with you. Need to have and know your characters first in order to write a relevant story and then the relevant dialogue.
The thing about sitcoms is, I imagine there is only so far you need to go regarding how you propose a new one. They just want characters and proof that there's an entertaining story arc for at least one series, right? That, and a strong pilot script. Then they are free to tweak it and twist it about and perhaps even turn it into something unrecognizable.
A sitcom is a world.
When you love a particular sitcom, you cannot wait to visit that world.
When you're proposing a sitcom you need to introduce us to that world.
A logline is not enough.
You need to introduce us to your characters; tell us what they look like and sum up their attitude; tell us why they have to interact with each other (why they are trapped); and tell us about their environment. Then show us a pilot script beginning with a cast of characters and a story line, followed by the scenes.
Mind you, I'm operating on instinct here and learning from these forums. I would love to read whatever is considered the industry bible for creating shows for television. Any suggestions?
Quote: Skibbington von Skubber @ June 13, 2007, 10:20 PMTotal newbie here as far as experience...but if you're gonna submit a package to a production company, aren't they gonna want a page telling them who the characters are and why they have to interact with each other?
I was talking earlier about characterisation in scripts. I understood David was talking about including character pen portrairs in the script, which is not a good idea.
I may be confused.
At the 4Laughs seminar the panel of producers had mixed preferences on whether you should include character profiles when submitting scripts. Some liked it, some didn't. All agreed that if you do it should be kept brief.
I'll write up some more about the seminar some other time but I need to try and remember everything (like names!!). It was good though. And they filmed it all so no doubt they will be on the 4Talent site at some point.
I've read that when you first introduce a character in the action line, you give a short description of them.
David Chapman (120) Listens to old fogies music and dances like your dad at weddings. He's the type of guy who makes Homer Simpson attractive.
For example.
It would also help to write a paragraph or two to give a basic idea of who the character is an their role in the sitcom.
Quote: Alan Alexander @ June 13, 2007, 10:24 PMI was talking earlier about characterisation in scripts. I understood David was talking about including character pen portrairs in the script, which is not a good idea.
I may be confused.
Well I bloody am!
This is almost a contradiction of what you said elsewhere.
Quote: Leevil @ June 13, 2007, 10:43 PMI've read that when you first introduce a character in the action line, you give a short description of them.
David Chapman (120) Listens to old fogies music and dances like your dad at weddings. He's the type of guy who makes Homer Simpson attractive.
oi! How did you know???????
I have always worked from the position that the audience will not have the benefit of character profiles and they have to get the whole idea from the dialogue and action. Anyway writing all that stuff for your characters is a pain. You should know their stories but everybody else needs to get it from the piece.
The less you tell producers the better. Too much information only encourages them to say 'no.'
Quote: Charlie Adams @ June 13, 2007, 10:54 PMI have always worked from the position that the audience will not have the benefit of character profiles and they have to get the whole idea from the dialogue and action. Anyway writing all that stuff for your characters is a pain. You should know their stories but everybody else needs to get it from the piece.
The less you tell producers the better. Too much information only encourages them to say 'no.'
I only brought this up because I thought maybe AA was talking sense and that maybe producers etc need to know for casting etc. I think that the writing should explain the character although of course you can't see how they physically look from that.
Try reading, 'How to be a sitcom writer by Marc Blake, it cost me £1.90 off Amazon and has some good tips about things like this.
I always thought that the information in a script should be minimal. So you would put in the least amount of directions possible and the characters should emerge from the dialogue but not be too obvious like 'Hi i'm mike and i'm a postman.' So only include what you have to and get rid of the other stuff (apart from the synopsis). Also don't include things that the director or producer will decide on e.g. clothing, unless they are relevant to the script.
I think I'll go back to how I was doing things before.
It really is time some of these basics were sorted out! Personally I write a heck of a lot of stuff that doesn't get mentioned in the script itself, although it's the reason the characters behave the way they do, say the sort of things they say, and what-have-you. Perhaps it's because I've got a bad memory ... if I don't write every darn detail down then it gets lost in the mists of time for me. I've just checked a 3-hours-worth of script I wrote a few years back, amounting to 140 pages of single-spaced dialogue. Backing it up are a further 38 pages of detail about the characters, locations (including visual only passages) a glossary, and scene outlines. None of these 38 pages are part of 'the script' ... but, frankly, if anyone thinks writing any kind of drama or comedy is just about writing dialogue ... then gawd 'elp 'em!!!! I personally wouldn't write a word of dialogue unless I knew a whole lot in 'background' terms first. It might work ... but that would just be luck (or perhaps due to having a more retentive brain than I have!). Just in the case of characters, for example, I think you have to 'know' them sufficiently well they are pretty much real. If you met them in the street you'd chat to them like old friends.
That's my tuppence-worth ... time for bed here in the Med regions!
But that surely is for your reference and then needed if required.
Yes, quite right, I like to cover all the bases!!!!