Oh I see Admin has been given a series.
BBC Comedy College Page 64
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Quote: Micheal Jacob @ November 18 2008, 5:05 PM GMTAppreciated.
No probs. I did ask you keep us in the loop and I'm grateful for it.
Thanks again
Dan
Quote: Ben @ November 18 2008, 5:17 PM GMTOh I see Admin has been given a series.
A series of what?
Quote: Tim Walker @ November 20 2008, 1:17 AM GMTA series of what?
Unimaginable mediocrity.
Quote: Aaron @ November 20 2008, 1:43 AM GMTUnimaginable mediocrity.
Since I renewed my "lovely person" vows (hence I was away), to me every sitcom is lovely. Isn't everything lovely?
A lot of stuff is. Just not Admin. Or not the pilot, anyway.
I'm sure everyone tried their best on the pilot. And good luck to them for the series.
"At a commissioning meeting, discussing a script that I'm developing, I was told that there were too many jokes. This seemed a rather odd note for an audience sitcom, but what the comment meant was that there were too many obvious 'jokes', designed to get a laugh, rather than funny lines which would make an audience laugh, be true to the characters, and advance or comment on the story."
This is actually very important. I've been guilty of this so many times - desperately squeezing in a gag every other line because I feel guilty if there's not been at least 3 or 4 big laughs per page.
But looking back over my own stuff I see now the distinction between a funny "joke" that's just there for the laugh and a funny "line" that comes from within the character - and I could kick myself for not seeing it sooner. 
It sometimes seems an impossibly subtle thing but actually there's a world of difference, (although I think it's a difference you can never fully appreciate until you actually see the actors performing it).
Sometimes what looks right on the page looks bloody terrible performed, which I suppose is why read-throughs etc are so important.
And now I'm going to bed, where I shall put my MP3 player on and listen to some good music until I fall asleep, because sometimes comedy is a massive pain in the arse, and today's been one of those days.
Night night all. 
I have never written a "gag" for a sitcom. Gags are for stand-up (sometimes) and sketches (very sometimes.).
Quote: Tim Walker @ November 20 2008, 2:36 AM GMTI have never written a "gag" for a sitcom. Gags are for stand-up (sometimes) and sketches (very sometimes.).
Good for you.
Quote: Lee Henman @ November 20 2008, 2:41 AM GMTGood for you.
Fair play, that does sound like a c**t's arrogant boast. 
Quote: Tim Walker @ November 20 2008, 2:48 AM GMTFair play, that does sound like a c**t's arrogant boast.
Don't mind me, I'm tired and cranky.
But this altogether reasonable Tim Walker is beginning to scare me. 
Just remember Lee (Perry), I started out like this on this site. A nice chap. I won't last, I'm sure. For example, I was baptised as a born-again Christian aged 18 and that didn't affect my behaviour for long.
Not technically Comedy College, but in a way it is I suppose, regarding budgets for sitcoms: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/writersroom/2009/01/cheap_and_chirpy.shtml
Very informative.
Dan
Cheers Dan
Looks like some good "Hard Evidence" on that link.