Quote: catskillz @ February 25 2009, 11:43 PM GMTBut they do like the Pilot script to be completed?
Ideally.
The further up the ladder you get, the more you can get away with of course.
I'm sure 10 pages of a Graham Linehan script, for example, would get him very far.
Quote: Marc P @ February 24 2009, 4:09 PM GMTSAMPLE
ALL ABOUT EVE
This is a contemporary situation comedy, looking at life, love, and marriage in the third age. A mainstream, pre watershed, studio based sitcom.
Divorce is a messy thing at the best of times. But what does divorce mean to a couple in their sixties after forty years of happy marriage? At least Bob Baxter (Nicky Henson) thought they were happy, as far as he is concerned his life is perfect … but that's all about to change. Eve Baxter (Liza Goddard) has recently turned sixty, her fortieth wedding anniversary is upon her and she realises she has never really done anything she wanted to in life. Having been taken for granted for far too long she is blowing off the dust and spring-cleaning her life – love, home, career, marriage, everything.
Bob Baxter is a man of modest means but by no means modest. Retiring early from his chiropody practice, this obsessive man focuses his energy on local party politics. He sets about securing himself a nomination at the next elections, where he naturally expects his devoted and doting wife, Eve, to support him. The sexual revolution of the sixties and feminist revolution of the seventies passed serenely over his head but Bob is about to get a very rude wake up call.
Eve has had enough! When Bob considers dinner with his political grandees more important than their Ruby wedding anniversary she decides it's time to take charge of her life. She wants a divorce! After all, why stay with a man who pays his record collection more attention than he does to her? Bob can hardly believe his ears? Surely she can't be serious? But Eve is, deadly serious and Bob's comfortable and cosy world comes crashing down around his suburban ears.
So…Eve moves out of the marital home and into the granny flat adjoining the property whilst the house is put on the market to be sold. Determined to show her newly found independence she sets about seeking gainful employment. Unfortunately at her age with no work experience this proves more difficult than she thought. But Eve won't back down and ends up working in her best friend's antique shop, finding her people skills and personality a huge asset. She is single again at sixty and feeling good about herself and good about her future.
But for Bob, however, the future is bleak. These are supposed to be the golden years but instead he's faced with the prospect of a lonely life on his own. He tries to win Eve back but all to no avail. Finally he realises that if he is ever going to win her back then he has got to make her fall in love with him all over again. And that means becoming the kind of man he once was, and becoming that kind of man is going to be a whole new education for Bob…
OTHER CHARACTERS:
VIX: Victoria is Eve and Bob's thirty something daughter. Like an Alfa Romeo Spider, Vix is sexy, polished and driven. Outspoken and in control, her romantic life has always taken a backseat to her career. But Vix has now decided she wants a baby. Her boyfriend runs for the hills and as Eve moves out, Victoria runs for home. Maybe father and daughter can counsel, comfort and guide each other – or maybe not! But as Bob begins to reassess his own life he begins to hep his daughter and through helping her he begins to see himself as Eve sees him – and it's a rude awakening.
KITTY: (Frances Barber) is Eve's best friend and confidante. A few years younger, she is sexy, witty and irreverent. Always ready with either a cocktail or advice (usually both) she is the lighthouse by which Eve steers her uncertain way on the life raft of her independence.
ALAN Kitty's husband, is a charming, laid back and amiable man and a shoulder for Bob to lean on. However, when it comes to giving advice on the opposite sex Alan may not be as useful as Bob would like. To his further consternation Bob discovers that Alan is gay.
All About Eve is a third age courtship comedy in the style of As Time Goes By. My Wife Next Door meets Educating Rita. A comedy of very bad manners for the end of the noughties.
Thanks buddy. This is the good stuff!
Start with the one line pitch and get more specific. Helps clarify the idea.
Anyway, back to 'Millions'!
Quote: greensville @ February 26 2009, 12:31 AM GMTThanks buddy. This is the good stuff!
Start with the one line pitch and get more specific. Helps clarify the idea.
Anyway, back to 'Millions'!
Millions? Wasn't that written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce?
Quote: catskillz @ February 25 2009, 11:43 PM GMTBut they do like the Pilot script to be completed?
Well, yeah! Unless you're a big deal already and are keeping it to yourself.
Quote: greensville @ February 26 2009, 12:31 AM GMTThanks buddy. This is the good stuff!
Start with the one line pitch and get more specific. Helps clarify the idea.
Anyway, back to 'Millions'!
No worries!
By the way, where did that All About Eve Treatment come from?
My advice is to make your treatment around 3000 words. 
(actually it's not)
Quote: catskillz @ March 13 2009, 10:10 AM GMTBy the way, where did that All About Eve Treatment come from?
From my brain. Just something I did recently.
There really isn't an industry-standard treatment template, and I know people can find them harder to write than a script.
When I commission a treatment, I like it to consist of:
A sentence which describes the essence of the show.
A paragraph which expands on that, majoring on characters.
A brief story outline, so that I can see what an episode will feel like.
Two or three sample scenes, so that I can assess the style and the humour.
And that would equate to ten pages at most.
But whatever you do, my style or Marc's or some other, you need to give whoever is reading it a clear idea of the show you want to write, and what will make it funny and interesting.
Quote: Micheal Jacob @ March 13 2009, 11:23 AM GMTThere really isn't an industry-standard treatment template, and I know people can find them harder to write than a script.
When I commission a treatment, I like it to consist of:
A sentence which describes the essence of the show.
A paragraph which expands on that, majoring on characters.
A brief story outline, so that I can see what an episode will feel like.
Two or three sample scenes, so that I can assess the style and the humour.And that would equate to ten pages at most.
But whatever you do, my style or Marc's or some other, you need to give whoever is reading it a clear idea of the show you want to write, and what will make it funny and interesting.
That makes sense to me. If a treatment is commissioned, you would want a bit more of substance to it than mine. I was just asked to do a two pager to go with a script that had already been written.
MJ
Sorry to sound daft here MJ but when sending a script to Writers room do I need to send a treatment as well, or do they prefer to get straight into the first ten pages.
J26
I don't know, Johnny. We work together but aren't connected. If you check their site there should be FAQs, but since a treatment is really an appetiser for a script, I should send the script. Hope they like it.
Quote: Marc P @ March 13 2009, 10:46 AM GMTFrom my brain. Just something I did recently.
Spooky - I just wrote a pilot with someone we were calling 'All About Steve' initially.
But as (in our case) it took about ten minutes to explain the title we've changed it now!
Thanks for all these useful tips though. I'm going to submit my first treatment/ script to the writers room for radio soon so it's helpful to know how other people approach it. Although my first goal is just that they'll read beyond ten pages and give me a proper reply!
Jx
they don't seem that impressed up till now, I was just looking for an excuse, or someone to blame really. Oh well back to the drawing board, thanks anyway.
J26