Great to see The Sitcom Trials continuing to help further the careers of actors and writers - great work guys!
Maybe you should take a leaf out of Simon Cowell's book and make everyone sign up to contracts giving you exclusive first dibs on being their agents etc 
... with all the talent coming out of The Trials you'll be millionaires in a couple of years!
When I started the Trials we did just that. The deal was any script that got commissioned as a result of the Trials, I'd get 10%. Only one writer (Brian Meenagh, first writer whose work ended up in the TV series) ever coughed up, though I told him he needn't bother. By rights I should be up for 10% of the new Miranda Hart TV series, but not sure it's legally binding.
Declan & Simon planned to do something contractually for their seasons but I think running the show has been headache enough without getting buried in legalese. I agree, it would be a good idea (especially if I got a percentage for not even doing anything).
Hello my BSG Chums
The 10% thing is a legal minefield, we'll tell you all about it one day.
Instead, for your viewing pleasure this week, we have the last of the Quarter-finals. And once again, it's not to be missed.
We have From Riga To Rotherham by Dean Hardman, winner of week 5 and directed by Sam Miller, David Melkevik's Top Shelf, directed by Katie Thompson and runner up in week 6, Canteen Culture by Chris Ovidu and directed by Dan Frankenburg, which won week 7 and Three's A Crowd by Jane Perrin and directed by Matt Holt which won week 6.
One of the judges this week is Marc Blake. If anyone's going to his How NOT To Write A Sitcom workshop on May 2, which we can heartily recommend, we'll see you there.
As for ticket sales, we'er in the strange situation of having seats available for the 7pm show, while the 5pm show is nearly sold out. So if you want to come along, please do, we'd love to see you at either show.
Cheers,
Declan and Simon
Every 1's A Critic
Presenting The Sitcom Trials
Hello!
I've just got back from this week's Sitcom Trials and I must say, it was a brilliant night out at the theatre for very little money.
I got to meet Jane P from this very forum, who was an absolute delight and a real sweetheart, plus I got to see lots of really good comedy entertainment for not a lot.
This has been one of the most professional and honest competitions I've ever been involved with and I hope it grows in stature for years to come.
Simon and Declan have been great organisers and I hope that they receive good things for all their hard work.
Fingers crossed that the winner actually gets their work on the telly to validate the entire competition (and also to recognise the hard work and talent that has gone into it).
I would recommend that all BSG forum members give it a go next time it comes round.
Morning everyone.
First off, thanks to Renegade Carpark for his kind comments (above), it was great to see you again, James, and we're glad you had a positive experience from The Sitcom Trials.
On to last night's show. Well, not a sell-out, but a decent sized crowd and one that enjoyed themselves which is the main thing.
Judges were comedy script editor, author and workshop teacher Marc Blake, manager of the Hen And Chickens comedy venue Felicity Wren and radio and TV producer Karen Rosie. One of the judges summed the night up as "great quality stuff". We're honoured.
The judges voted Chris Ovidu's Canteen Culture in first place, with Dean Hardman's From Riga To Rotherham in second. We'll see them again in next week's semi-final. Only one point separated second from third (David Melkevik's Top Shelf) and one point from third and fourth (Jane Perrin's Three's A Crowd).
Thanks and commiserations go to the casts of Top Shelf and Three's A Crowd, and to directors Matt Holt, who directed the latter and Katie Thompson who took the helm on the former. You all did a brilliant job and we're sad to lose you.
The audience put Riga in first place, with Top Shelf in second and Canteen Culture and Three's A Crowd in third and fourth respectively.
As for next week, we're into semi-final territory, so we'll be seeing Canteen Culture and From Riga To Rotherham again, along with James Parker's Boarders and Graeme Knowle's Trainspotting.
Hope to see you then
Cheers
Dec and Simon
Every 1's A Critic
Presenting The Sitcom Trials
Yep I was booted out but agree with Renegade Carpark that this has been a fantastic experience. Probably the closest I'll get to being a 'real' writer and working with such a talented director, Matt Holt (Declan had them mixed up) and cast.
I'd seen two of the others before and thought we all upped our game and improved on the previous heat. Even though I'm out I still got to see mine in the best shape at 7pm and couldn't be more pleased with the performances.
I was also pleased to meet the other three writers even if it was brief as it's such a hectic affair. So commiserations to Dave who did a great rewrite and good luck to Dean and Chris in the next round. I have my tickets for the final so hopefully I'll see you there!
Last but not least it was lovely to meet Renegade C and, at the risk of ruining his carefully constructed bad boy image on here, what a lovely guy he is.
(That's a friendly wave by the way not one of those sarcastic ones!
I concur with Jane's concurrence. It was a great experience and if there is a Sitcom Trials 2010, I'd definitely recommend giving it a crack.
I thought I'd join the love-in. I've had a fantastic experience and it's definitely worth entering. Just don't submit your scripts on the back of cornflake packets with the lines written in pink crayon. It's against the rules, apparently.
Dean
As a judge I really enjoyed the experience. There was very little between them actually and the criteria I employed was - would this be commissioned as is, on prime time terrestrial TV? I.e. was the concept workable long term? Secondly, a simple clear throughline. Minimal characters with a plot that did not rely too much on contrivance or coincidence. Third - new and interesting characters who defied stereotype. Fourth - gags. They were all funny, but there were some stand out performances and the general level was very high. Most impressive.
One comment: please give the WRITERS a round of applause at the end of the show -and a big resounding one at that. I once had a sitcom bought by Marks and Gran and ITV which was read out at BAFTA in front of the whole Industry - more than a little wee was emitted that night I can tell you. After my drubbing by the great and good they thanked themselves, the actors - THREE Times - and then themselves all over again. I felt like poo.
Without writers this stuff does not work.
Ahh. One day we will be recognised. (or go postal )
Marc makes a very good point about thanking the writers as well as the actors. When we took over presenting The Sitcom Trials, it was very much a showcase for writers. This has now changed, and a number of actors have quite rightly used the showcase to get agents and to be seen by casting directors. We're very proud of our record on this, and many people have commented to us about how 'professional' the show is. That's because it is a professional show, and one of our aims was to make The Sitcom Trials much more industry friendly.
Next time we do it, we'll be able to present it as a showcase equally for writers, actors and directors. We're ideally located, are getting a good reputation among the industry and would be thrilled if the 5pm show was packed with casting directors, agents and producers. It's one of our aims for next year.
The sitcoms on display start with the writing (it's how they are chosen, this year from over 500 entries), so yes, the writing is absolutely fundamental. They are then worked on by the writer, cast and director. The end result is a combined effort of all three groups, but the main writing credit remains with the writer.
One thing we should add is that some actors and writers haven't used the opportunity the showcase has presented and haven't invited industry people to come to see their work (which is their prerogative). However, next year we'll be looking to work with actors and writers who are ambitious business people as well as being excellent artists.
And maybe we should get the writer and director to come out and take a bow along with the cast. We can certainly give them the opportunity.
Quote: Declan @ April 25 2009, 10:31 PM BSTOne thing we should add is that some actors and writers haven't used the opportunity the showcase has presented and haven't invited industry people to come to see their work (which is their prerogative). However, next year we'll be looking to work with actors and writers who are ambitious business people as well as being excellent artists.
I agree with many of the posters above that Simon and Declan have done a fantastic job on completely transforming the Trials between 2007 and 2009, and I absolutely congratulate them on this.
But let's not start labelling writers as "unambitious" or "unbusinesslike" because they didn't manage to round up sufficient celebrity guests. Simon and Declan are surely as aware as anyone how hard it is to get industry guests along, given that on the night I went Declan had to sit in as one of the judges.
Declan - how would you assess the business acumen and drive of future applicants?
Maybe rather than seeking out sitcom writers with an MBA from Harvard, there might be a simpler solution: writers would be more encouraged to invite industry people along to the Trials if they actually had some clue as to what was going to be presented on the night. Rather than my experience this year of being completely in the dark, to the extent of not even knowing which one of two possible scripts was going to be performed until the week of the show... but knowing for certain that whichever one it was, there had been very little rehearsal and absolutely no script development: no opportunity to attend rehearsals, fix broken scenes, cut duff lines, or write replacement pages.
All writers know that no matter how great you think your script is, you can't tell how well it's going to work until you've seen it on its feet (and even then it's far from certain). Who's going to take the chance of inviting an industry rep along to something they've never seen, and about which the director has never spoken to them?
Quote: Declan @ April 25 2009, 10:31 PM BSTbut the main writing credit remains with the writer.
FFS
are the trials on video anywhere?
Quote: Griff @ April 26 2009, 12:56 AM BSTRather than my experience this year of being completely in the dark, to the extent of not even knowing which one of two possible scripts was going to be performed until the week of the show... but knowing for certain that whichever one it was, there had been very little rehearsal and absolutely no script development: no opportunity to attend rehearsals, fix broken scenes, cut duff lines, or write replacement pages.
All writers know that no matter how great you think your script is, you can't tell how well it's going to work until you've seen it on its feet (and even then it's far from certain). Who's going to take the chance of inviting an industry rep along to something they've never seen, and about which the director has never spoken to them?
Sorry to hear that you had no interaction with your cast and director Griff. I know from talking to Jane P and a few other writers that this was not the case with the majority of entrants.
Personally speaking, the director and actors attached to my sitcom all did an excellent job and the script was transformed by their advice, suggestions and improvisations. I don't know the full circumstances surrounding your sitcom entry Griff, but it sounds like you got the poo-ey end of the stick and were the exception rather then the rule.
My only gripe about the competition was that a few writers and directors 'took the piss' when it came to the 15 minute run time. It's very difficult when you play by the rules and cut pages of jokes / plot / character development in order to bring the performance into the specified time limit and every other entrant on the night hasn't bothered. *
*This does not apply to the lovely Jane P as her excellent sitcom came in at the 15 minute mark, and like my own, it was the only one on the night that did.
Cheers Mr.Carpark. My script went over the 15-minute mark by a couple of minutes (apparently it came in around 17-18 mins) but I'd have been glad to edit the scenes down to fix that, as they would have been all the better for it.
Out of interest: Jane, Dave M, Carpark and others - how many of you submitted a second episode, and was anybody else's second episode used in preference to the original one they sent in?
