Quote: R.J. @ January 16 2010, 1:26 PM GMTWell, in terms of giving non-comms a better chance, Newsbullet affords the opportunity for at least a few one liners. Take that away, and it's even harder to get stuff on.
Fair enough, but I still think it jars a bit in comparison to the rest of the show. Not because it is 'youthy' but because it sounds like a rather flat parody of the Day Today.
Apart from that, no complaints!
Quote: Kevin Murphy @ January 13 2010, 5:09 PM GMThttp://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/writersroom/2010/01/newsjack_script_smart_or_smart.shtml
If you use OpenOffice, you might find this works instead:
In the menu, click:
Format > Paragraph
Under the "Indents & Spacing" tab, set "Before Text" to "4.00cm" and "Before First Line" to "-4.00cm".
This seems to have the same effect.
Don't forget to Save As a Word .doc before submitting it, however.
Cheers Kev. I was going potty trying to work that one out!
Anyone else struggling this week?! 
Tough news week I reckon, there's obviously the big tragedy which I don't think they'll touch. I certainly am not going to try. Two Photoshop/Air brushing stories which are always a bit boring subjects. And a couple of quirky stories that are beyond parody!... Floor collapses at weight watchers meeting?! WTF do you do with that?!
Anyways, I hope everyones doing better than me 
What sites do people go to to read the headlines? I've found the Telegraph have a nice news layout covering a wide selection of stories. Gogle News is a bit rubbish. I suppose I should have bought a paper!!
I tend to just go with the BBC news website for stories.
Then again, I've yet to get anything on so maybe I'm doing something wrong.
The best thing to do is to write a sketch about, say, a Gorden Brown being murdered, send it off on Monday, and then on Wednesday morning, go round to no.10 with a Kalashnikov and kill him yourself. Yours will be the only sketch about that topic.
Quote: ShoePie @ January 17 2010, 8:53 PM GMTWhat sites do people go to to read the headlines? I've found the Telegraph have a nice news layout covering a wide selection of stories. Gogle News is a bit rubbish. I suppose I should have bought a paper!!
I use RSS feeds via Google Reader. I've added BBC news, The Guardian, The Sun and CNN. It definitely makes life easier.
Quote: ShoePie @ January 17 2010, 8:53 PM GMTAnyone else struggling this week?!
Yup.
Assumimg the earthquake is off limits then it's been a very quiet few days.
12 voxpops if something 'amazing but not too sad' happens in the next 43 hours.
I was wondering about the submission limits they specify. You're allowed only three sketches, but many more vox pops, it seems.
So how many one-liners are permissible? Should each one be considered as a mini-sketch or as a voxpop equivalent?
I don't want to automatically rule out our submissions for the week by not adhering to the limits but wondered if anyone had any definitive answer about where short gags fit into the scheme of things.
Has anyone sent in a whole raft of one-liners and actually got anything on?
EDIT: Also, what deadline would apply?
You've just got to use your best judgement. I think half a dozen Voxpops is about right. Just don't give them pages and pages of the stuff.
Quote: ShoePie @ January 17 2010, 8:53 PM GMTAnyone else struggling this week?!
Thank God you posted that. I spent yesterday slaving away at sketches about Gordon Ramsey losing a Michelin star and the BNP causing violence/ National Front debate in France and ended up at abandoning them because they were going no-where. I've only been able to salvage one correction from the junk nonsense material I wrote. Today, I flirted with a couple of stories but ultimately came up with nothing. I gave up for a while then had a had to go to talk with a mate about something we're writing together and am now drunk.
I've got over a dozen stories pinned up on my noteboard, and I have nothing. Nothing!
(I read the papers and cut out the stories I think there's something in, rather than browse the websites. Greenpeace have bought a £14 million pound boat, Gay rights will grind to a halt under the tory's, Futurists predict a four legged footballer, Hull could be Venice of the north if sea levels rise say Architechts, Civil weddings in Houses of Parliament draw closer. I just looked up and typed a few of the things in-front of my face. Should be sketches in those...I have NOTHING!)
Quote: R.J. @ January 17 2010, 9:37 PM GMTYou've just got to use your best judgement. I think half a dozen Voxpops is about right. Just don't give them pages and pages of the stuff.
Agreed. I think I've always sent between 3 and 7. Always lead with a good one though.
Quote: Griff @ January 17 2010, 9:42 PM GMTi did something about the earthquake
Did you send a donation?
That's very decent of you. I haven't yet on account of how difficult it is to get an accurate rhyme for Haiti.
Griff, after a tragedy if the focus of satire is "off" the suffering and on the attitudes/representation then there's valid things to say and it can be quite powerful.
It can also be hideously misjudged so it must be tempting for a topical show to pretend something like this hasn't happened.
It descended into a bit of a cliche but programmes like Not the Nine O'Clock and Spitting Image used to make a point of that dreadful "No Britons were injured" business and it really stuck with me.
I think what I'm saying is comedy doesn't have to make "light" of something.
Hi guys,
This is my first post, and I have just finished my first 3 sketches. What I wanted to ask is. Firstly, when do people normally get emails if they got something in, and what does it say? Also, how much do you get paid, I'd do it for free!
Cheers.
Haiti was screwed way before the earthquake by being forced to pay French reparations, US bank loans (who occupied the country for 20 years to make sure they did that) and finally their own farmers being run out of business by cynical international agribusinesses.
The people were literally eating mud for decades so our farm subisidies (amongst others) could be a little lower.
A sketch that could put that over would be a powerful message.
I hope some one can do it.
