Quote: Griff @ June 4 2009, 11:18 AM BSTIf you mean my humble play Don, make sure you come and say hi.
Apologies, Griff, for my previous comment - I didn't realise there was another page of text! Good luck with it though - and yes, I will say hello. 
Quote: don rushmore @ June 4 2009, 1:44 PM BSTApologies, Griff, for my previous comment
I'm going to pretend you were aplogising to me as well, it'll make me feel all warm inside Don.
Personally, I don't think I would want to direct my own stuff, at least you've got someone else to blame if everyone hates it! 'Bastard butchered my script!!'
Quote: Matthew Stott @ June 4 2009, 1:49 PM BSTI'm going to pretend you were aplogising to me as well, it'll make me feel all warm inside Don.
Yes, I apologize to you as well, Matthew. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf on here. So no hard feelings, I hope?
Quote: don rushmore @ June 4 2009, 2:00 PM BSTYes, I apologize to you as well, Matthew. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf on here. So no hard feelings, I hope?
Only as long as you get your facts right next time, I'm David Bussell AND Ben Ricketts dead wood comedy partner!!
Ultimately if you don't want people messing with your work then stick with trying to write novels and short stories. Anything performance based is a collaboration between a whole plethora of people. With any luck, you get some good people who share your vision.
Quote: Griff @ June 4 2009, 3:05 PM BSTIf you want pure autonomy, do stand-up.
And even they get edited by hecklers.
Quote: Griff @ June 4 2009, 3:13 PM BSTDylan was right. You gotta serve somebody.
Not neccessarily. Rumour has it that for the last half a century JD Salinger has been writing books and just locking them in a safe because he doesn't want anybody to read them.
(The reason I mention Salinger is that this week he's suing somebody to get an unnofficial sequel to Catcher in the Rye stopped from being published. http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5507H720090602)
Oi I'm a blogger!
Quote: SlagA @ June 4 2009, 1:01 PM BSTIf you want total control, go into animation.
Even then you have to do the voices yourself, or it still won't come out how you imagined it.
Quote: chipolata @ June 4 2009, 2:14 PM BSTAnything performance based is a collaboration between a whole plethora of people.
This is true, but if you're the director you get to pick and choose the best ideas that people come up with, then take the credit* for it all. If you're the writer, you're just one of the voices.
If I gave up a script for somebody else to direct, I would expect changes to be made. If someone gave me a script to direct, I'd more than likely make changes. Which is why, if the script is at all important to me, I'd fight to direct it myself.
Sketches are different, but so far every sketch of mine that's been filmed by someone else has been... less good than I thought it could be. I am clearly a control freak, but I think in comedy you have to be.
*Or blame.
Quote: James Harris @ June 5 2009, 10:12 AM BSTThis is true, but if you're the director you get to pick and choose the best ideas that people come up with, then take the credit* for it all. If you're the writer, you're just one of the voices.
I think that may be more true of sketches, especially topical sketches, than plays - if the writer knows his or her own story. It can be a tug of war even so, but maybe that's a good sign that it's a text worth battling over. But I have to admit one of the reasons I decided to do a second play and produce it myself quite quickly after my first - altho' I do think writers sometimes can become unnecessarily paranoid about such things - was for people to know my first play wasn't just a fluke - or only because of the director and actors who were all wonderful though.