Writing / Acting / Everything-ing Opportunity

Hi there,

I'm looking for comedy writing/acting talent for a low-but-not-no budget video project, and I figure this is as good a place to start.

Please read the following, plus:
--Feel free to forward it on to anyone else who might be interested
--Let me know if I should be hawking this elsewhere, too.

So, here's the spiel:

My company is producing a bucketload of short, 2-5 minute video pieces, explaining business skills. They want to be very "anti corporate video", and we think that sketch comedy has a lot to offer.

Some of the subject areas are a bit esoteric (balance sheets, anyone?), but some are also ripe for great comedy (making the most of meetings, closing a sale etc...)

We need writers and performers to make something funny happen. In particular, we'd like something which can be easily replicated (e.g. Mel and Griff's 'head to head'), partly because it's cheap to film, and partly because then we can establish some characters who pop up regularly.

We also desperately want some women to be involved, because business is too masculine at the moment, so please please some female applicants! (Do I get sued for that? Is that inverse discrimination or something?)

Now, what will you get? Well, I'm not sure. We have a small and dwindling pot of cash, so it will be glory plus expenses plus something minimal. This will not keep you, me or anyone else alive- put it that way.

But if you'd like to get involved, do let me know. Many thanks for getting this far,

Happy Tuesday

Nick Saalfeld
Director
Wells Park Communications
nick@wellspark.co.uk

Are these training videos you're making? You know, like having "not what to do" type sketches.

I've no doubt you are based in London though

@Mikey: Yup, pretty much training videos, but they slot into other materials (reading, podcasts, other guff), so they don't stand totally alone.

But in construction terms:
--2-shot, daft people doing what not to do
--banana-skin denouement
--oh how silly we all were
...is a pretty accurate description.

@bushbaby: Yup we're in the smoke. Apologies if that's a dealbreaker. Pop in a script if you're interested anyway. Fact that you're all woman noted. Ta

So how would it all work? I have a couple of sketches which would slot nicely into something like this.

Sounds good, but like said above, how would it all work?

Oh, and I assume you'd say "hey I want a sketch about.... so and so" , you know, you'd give us the general subject matter and we'd weave our magic around that.

Quote: Nick S @ September 16 2008, 2:43 PM BST

Hi there,
My company is producing a bucketload of short, 2-5 minute video pieces, explaining business skills. They want to be very "anti corporate video", and we think that sketch comedy has a lot to offer.

Now, what will you get? Well, I'm not sure. We have a small and dwindling pot of cash, so it will be glory plus expenses plus something minimal. This will not keep you, me or anyone else alive- put it that way.

Nick Saalfeld
Director
Wells Park Communications
nick@wellspark.co.uk

View original

Hey Nick as I am a writer and you are a company, but you can't write and I don't have any company infrastructure how about you send me a stenographer, with paper, printer cartridges, envelopes etc for a month - some of the time we'll work on stuff for you and the other we'll work on a stage play that I have wanted to dictate for a long time?

* edit * very bad mood today.

have you tried posting on Chortle.co.uk

EDITED Too. Thanks Jbubya for making my job easier.

An opportunity is an opportunity. Saying that, I do know what you mean Jdubya. Basically what you're driving at is that the pay-off on this is the writer gets paid very little for someone else to profit by. But that's standard fare throughout the writing profession.

Writers thinking about this should bear in mind that the pay is minimal but plenty of writers will want to take any opportunity. All of us start off on nil-to-low-paying gigs in every sector of life. It's for each of us to be aware of the pros and cons involved and make their own decision.

Well I was serious about my offer. Quid pro quo as my father the lawyer used to say to streetwalkers.

Your request for material would be much more attractive if you would just cut to the chase and tell us the exact topics you want to offer. This way we can write 'em up and send them to you.

Tell us exactly which business skills you want us to tackle.

Last but not least, do tell us specifically what the f**k "anti-corporate" means. Honestly. A lack of professionalism? Hand-held camera shots? On the cheap like the Slagg vids (no offence intended, Slag---and you know I mean it).

Have you any examples of finished work to show us? If you got this gig to produce a bucketload of vids then you must've got it based on some submitted samples of your work.

Do tell.

Do show.

Cheers,
Mr Arlington Roth

I think we should need more information.You would have to explain to us (for each subject)the ideal business model that you are applying to the scenario and the points that you wish to finesse; with this information we can work backwards and pervert the original model.I, too, fail to understand what you mean by 'anti-corporate video'.Perhaps you could post an example of a brief for a scenario to help us decide exactly what you have in mind.

Quote: Skibbington von Skubber @ September 16 2008, 5:21 PM BST

A lack of professionalism? Hand-held camera shots? On the cheap like the Slagg vids (no offence intended, Slag---and you know I mean it).

View original

No offence taken. We are the Anti-Corporate: £6.66 is both our number and our budget.

Cheers all for the replies!

Yup, I know you'll need lots more info- I'm just collating interested people, and I'll be back (no doubt in a blind panic) with more details.

Have a fab weekend,

Nick

Cheers Nick, I have no preference on hair colour. My ideal would be more like Mary Tyler Moores character from Thoroughly Modern Millie rather than Julie Andrews and I am not really too bothered about WPM. In this game it's quality not quantity that counts and a nice smile.