Dolly's right; we do want to deter non-serious entrants, but we also want to raise the stakes. We could do Sitcom Mission just as we did the Sitcom Trials last year, but the response that we had from industry (both at the time and in subsequent meetings), convinced us that we could make this so much bigger and better.
Bigger and better costs money. We want to make sure that everything that the judges see is as finely honed as it possibly can be. We worked with some excellent directors last time and we want that to continue. We can't offer directors much (yet) but if the difference between getting your script directed by a professional experienced in sitcom and getting it directed by a friend or one of the actors then isn't that worth investing in? It's an annual competition. Get it wrong just once, and you've a whole year to wait before it comes round again.
We realise that any sort of fee smacks of a scam. This isn't, it's a chance to make it better.
Let's have your feedback. We don't think we can take this to the next level without investment. The choice seems fairly clear to us: stay at this level (no fees) or, for very little, move up?
Simon