http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article2640694.ece
About how pilots are used nowadays rather than commissioning series straight off. It certainly suggests we should write a lot of different sitcoms rather than concentrating on a single one.
Dan
Its good that the industry is going this way, US style.
Bodes well for everyone and should see sitcom quality go up.
The Slagg Brothers only write pilots. We plan a full series but only complete the pilot then move on to the next premise and plan / write that. The way we've always looked at it is, if someone bites we do the series, if no one does, then it isn't worth the effort to make 6 shows that won't sell.
Quote: SlagA @ October 16, 2007, 1:40 PMThe Slagg Brothers only write pilots. We plan a full series but only complete the pilot then move on to the next premise and plan / write that. The way we've always looked at it is, if someone bites we do the series, if no one does, then it isn't worth the effort to make 6 shows that won't sell.
Yeah absolutely, you should never write six episodes as no one asks for that at the first stage. They all just want to see one episode and a series of outlines, or even just 10 pages, so six is a waste of time - especially as its six times the effort and six times the time.
Interestingly, whilst the BBC were mulling over the Office Gervais and Merchant did write the rest of series one so when the BBC finaly came back (six months later) and said 'When can we start filming?' they said 'Now', but at least they had big interest.
Quote: ContainsNuts @ October 16, 2007, 1:47 PMso six is a waste of time - especially as its six times the effort and six times the time.
I don't think that's true at all! All the effort of the pilot goes into characterisation and working out your characters backgrounds, etc, etc. Once you've sorted that out, the actual writing of the individual episodes is relatively easy, especially when you've got synopses for six episodes.
In my experience, 5/6s of the effort goes into the pilot!
Dan
Quote: swerytd @ October 16, 2007, 3:07 PMI don't think that's true at all! All the effort of the pilot goes into characterisation and working out your characters backgrounds, etc, etc. Once you've sorted that out, the actual writing of the individual episodes is relatively easy, especially when you've got synopses for six episodes.
In my experience, 5/6s of the effort goes into the pilot!
Dan
Well, I don't think that's true at all! Fight! 
I don't agree because I spend my time developing characters, backgrounds before ever doing a pilot as you need the direction and storylines already in your head before you start.
Otherwise you could write a pilot and then realise there is nothing more you can do with them - wasting a lot of time.
I agree it probably gets quicker and easier as you write more and I agree you will spend most your time generating characters and premise at the beginning but I think that is a separate stage to writing a pilot, from what I've experienced and read.
Ah, I see what you mean then!
I count my background/development/profiling/etc in the writing of my pilot. You don't.
Dan
I love creating back-stories for my characters. I spend ages on sites like Wikipedia, looking up all sorts of random shit. I spent a large part of last night reading about the ancient art of Lithography. I've noticed that Steve Coogan and his co-writers seem to love going into detail about random stuff as well. 'Partridge' and 'Saxondale' are filled with detailed jargon, about various random things.
I think writing more than one episode is right. What are you going to do, spend ages putting every joke you can think of into your pilot and then when they come back and say, "Let's see another episode." You start forcing things 'cause you hadn't planned any further forward.
I remember reading a script editor once saying he received a script from someone and he didn't like it. And the person said 'Well what about this?" and "What about this?" and "What about this?" He had no conviction about any of the ideas and was just hoping to get lucky.
I don't think you should waste your time writing more than a pilot - unless you're getting development money to do it.
No, don't write more than one. Show plots, and ideas and where the show is heading, but it's best to have lots of a pilots. I've got three, all in different styles, as my portfolio type thing.
Quote: David H @ October 17, 2007, 10:33 AMI think writing more than one episode is right. What are you going to do, spend ages putting every joke you can think of into your pilot and then when they come back and say, "Let's see another episode." You start forcing things 'cause you hadn't planned any further forward.
No, plan the episodes in a series, but if you've done the legwork re: character development then a pilot is proof that a series can follow. It's a myth to think that a writer dries up and becomes incapable of writing a joke.
I think the script reader just got peed off with being hassled.
Quote: SlagA @ October 17, 2007, 11:36 AMNo, plan the episodes in a series, but if you've done the legwork re: character development then a pilot is proof that a series can follow. It's a myth to think that a writer dries up and becomes incapable of writing a joke.
I think the script reader just got peed off with being hassled.
Agreed.
You don't just lose it. Starting a pilot is hard work, but once it's written I feel I could do another 5 episodes easily because I know the characters and their 'voices'.
Yep, SeeFacts, plus most production companies don't expect to hear that the series is already complete. If they come back with suggestions and revisions that means a whole lot more rewriting.
Quote: SlagA @ October 17, 2007, 1:08 PMYep, SeeFacts,
Look, I don't want to cause trouble but it's not a capital F. It's not the first time you've done that either. It's one word.
How would you like if I kept putting 'Slaga', eh? If I mis-used the case of the letter, you'd be pretty upset, I'll bet.
Like I said, I don't want to make a fuss, but one time I killed a man AND a couple of dogs, so watch it.
I hope I'm not over reacting, but I want to push for Slaga to be banned. Not just from this forum, but from the whole of the internet. And possibly most of Europe.
EDIT: Oh, and yes, you're right about the re-writing. It's more than likely that if you wrote a pilot and it was picked up, it would be changed probaly beyond recognition with re-writes. So not only is it pointless writing 5 more episodes, don't get too attached to how the pilot is either.