Do you only do impressions of chocolate bars?
Sitcom (Com)Mission Page 58
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Quote: Badge @ January 29 2010, 2:07 PM GMTDo you only do impressions of chocolate bars?
I do a pretty poor impression of a human being.
Quote: The Giggle-o @ January 29 2010, 1:47 PM GMTJust wondering what tends to get through, really.
From the previous entries I've seen, all of the sitcoms that went down well on stage had really good characters rather then just gag-gag-gag.
When the comedy flowed naturally from the characters rather then the 'set up / punchline' type of dialogue, it seemed to work so much better and the audience was more then happy to suspend disbelief and go on the ride.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 29 2010, 3:23 PM GMTFrom the previous entries I've seen, all of the sitcoms that went down well on stage had really good characters rather then just gag-gag-gag.
When the comedy flowed naturally from the characters rather then the 'set up / punchline' type of dialogue, it seemed to work so much better and the audience was more then happy to suspend disbelief and go on the ride.
Thanks, RC, a great help.
(P.S. Good luck for the current comp. as well as other BCGers)
Quote: The Giggle-o @ January 29 2010, 1:47 PM GMTIs there much scope for a more drama based comedy or do gag heavy sitcoms tend to be selected for the final 32? It's just I was thinking of maybe submitting something for 2010 and I'm not really a 'gagster', yet, if ever. So would a kind of drama/dark/surreal sitcom stand a chance in the comp?
Just wondering what tends to get through, really.
Echoing what Renegade said, I think the audience has to be taken with your characters, but I'd say it is easier to connect if they make you laugh early on. The ideal is to establish strong characters early with funny moments. However the audiences at Si and Decs last running of the trials were pretty flexible in terms of style, etc. so surreal and dark are fine.
The Chortle reviewer described mine last year as 'gagsy' but IMHO the humour came mostly from the characters with a few more direct 'gags' early on to warm things up. I think, as Dolly said, you may have to compromise a bit given the time and the need to connect directly with the audience. Sitcom characters tend generally to be broader than characters in longer pieces and the 15 minute timescale probably heightens that - so subtlety may be an issue.
SFX are fine, although you and your cast/director will need to provide them. Mine had a lot of announcements and an odball phone tone which we put together before the piece and Debs the lovely stage manager at Leicester Square handled them all perfectly - except for one in the final, for which I have almost forgiven her 
Quote: Ponderer @ January 30 2010, 10:58 AM GMTEchoing what Renegade said, I think the audience has to be taken with your characters, but I'd say it is easier to connect if they make you laugh early on. The ideal is to establish strong characters early with funny moments. However the audiences at Si and Decs last running of the trials were pretty flexible in terms of style, etc. so surreal and dark are fine.
The Chortle reviewer described mine last year as 'gagsy' but IMHO the humour came mostly from the characters with a few more direct 'gags' early on to warm things up. I think, as Dolly said, you may have to compromise a bit given the time and the need to connect directly with the audience. Sitcom characters tend generally to be broader than characters in longer pieces and the 15 minute timescale probably heightens that - so subtlety may be an issue.
SFX are fine, although you and your cast/director will need to provide them. Mine had a lot of announcements and an odball phone tone which we put together before the piece and Debs the lovely stage manager at Leicester Square handled them all perfectly - except for one in the final, for which I have almost forgiven her
Thanks Ponderer! I shall take all of the above on board, I'm planning on starting my entry as early in the year as possible because it just takes me forever to do anything.
Thanks all.
Quote: Ponderer @ January 30 2010, 10:58 AM GMTThe Chortle reviewer described mine last year as 'gagsy' but IMHO the humour came mostly from the characters with a few more direct 'gags' early on to warm things up...
And my script which made it to the final was very 'gagsy', but lots of people said they liked the characters (but that was probably down to the calibre of the cast and direction rather than the script).
From the most recent Sitcom Trials, scripts that were too joke-led fared generally less well with the judges than ones that had character depth as well as gags.
In any case the old rule still applies - funny is funny.
Am I right in thinking that the 2nd bit of feedback is due today? Or did I imagine that?
Second bit?
Those who paid a tenner get feedback from two readers.
Quote: Kevin Murphy @ January 31 2010, 11:07 PM GMTSecond bit?
'back'
"Here's your first lot of feedback...A one-page from a
second reader will follow."
Morgills
Simon and Declan are honourable and you'd go a long way to find such sincere people in the business. I am sure they will come up with the goods, whatever they promised.
Have patience my dear.
Just sent my second episode in.
I just timed my second episode and it came in at a majestically extensive 25 minutes.
Best sharpen the machetes to shop it down to size.