British Comedy Guide

Writers wanted (Screenplays, shorts or episodes) Page 4

OK, so I am writer 'In the industry' whatever that means... just some questions.

Quote: BarneyStinson @ July 28 2010, 3:18 PM BST

This type of structure has started to become more and more popular over recent years and will continue to gain in popularity.

Examples please? Especially ones that actually made any money

Quote: BarneyStinson @ July 28 2010, 3:18 PM BST

But do you think that you are going to make it as a writer without taking any risks and putting some money into your "talent".

WTF? You get money for your talent. Also writers don't have any money unless they have already made it. So who do you expect to take you up on this?

Quote: BarneyStinson @ July 28 2010, 3:18 PM BST

I will be back online tomorrow to answer more replies. Also feel free to personal message me any questions that you may have.

Who are you? Where are your credentials? Do you realise you are asking for money based solely on a post on a forum???

Laughing out loud

Quote: ContainsNuts @ July 28 2010, 5:08 PM BST

WTF? You get money for your talent. Also writers don't have any money unless they have already made it.

Speak for yourself, stig of the dump, I eat a bowl of sapphires for breakfast.

Quote: David Bussell @ July 28 2010, 5:19 PM BST

Speak for yourself, stig of the dump, I eat a bowl of sapphires for breakfast.

Just out of interest, where is your sewer pipe?

Quote: bigfella @ July 28 2010, 5:28 PM BST

Just out of interest, where is your sewer pipe?

Why does everyone want to know that?

FN probably stands for Fools Needed. As a matter of what killed the cat, what do FN have that would make anyone want to bung them money. I've got an alternative and much cheaper offer: Send me some loot, dosh, mula etc. and I'll give you 100% share of the joy that it gives me.

This kind of thing works when you've hit it big time, Mark Millar produced his own script with the guy that did Layer Cake because the studios refused to give him money, what happened is that the writer controlled the studios and owned all the film's profits and the studio's only got a little cut just for legitimizing the project. Mark Millar had the studio's eating out of his hand. But like I said, it only works if you have the money and the right producer who can get private investors. At the end of the day, it's still all about having someone influential raising money/promoting for the film rather than doing it DIY.

Quote: James Turner @ July 29 2010, 11:54 AM BST

This kind of thing works when you've hit it big time, Mark Millar produced his own script with the guy that did Layer Cake because the studios refused to give him money, what happened is that the writer controlled the studios and owned all the film's profits and the studio's only got a little cut just for legitimizing the project. Mark Millar had the studio's eating out of his hand. But like I said, it only works if you have the money and the right producer who can get private investors. At the end of the day, it's still all about having someone influential raising money/promoting for the film rather than doing it DIY.

No denying the importance of promotion but you can raise the money for a film yourself. Sorry to bring out a dusty example but the Blair Witch Project cost practically nothing to make - the money was in the P&A.

And Jane Goldman had a hand in the Kick Ass screenplay too...

David, it's not as if the guys who made Blair Witch project were short of cash. Raising 30 grand yourself is some task when you're a writer waiting on a paycheque, working part-full time in a normal job - if people are in this position there is no point in telling them to 'raise the money themselves', it still takes an agent and it still takes a producer. 'Every man for themselves' indeed.... you know with Cameron's 'Big Society' you're going to get a lot of talented people passing the time on the dole by doing public services for free. That's a waste of talent because now it might be expected of them to 'fund things themselves' if they want to get a script sold. It reeks of exploitation.

Quote: James Turner @ July 29 2010, 5:13 PM BST

David, it's not as if the guys who made Blair Witch project were short of cash. Raising 30 grand yourself is some task when you're a writer waiting on a paycheque, working part-full time in a normal job - if people are in this position there is no point in telling them to 'raise the money themselves', it still takes an agent and it still takes a producer. 'Every man for themselves' indeed.... you know with Cameron's 'Big Society' you're going to get a lot of talented people passing the time on the dole by doing public services for free. That's a waste of talent because now it might be expected of them to 'fund things themselves' if they want to get a script sold. It reeks of exploitation.

$30k works out to about £20k. And that for a feature. If you team up with a couple of other people you stand a reasonable chance of getting together money enough for a TV pilot. At the very least a taster DVD.

And if you only work part time, maybe it's time to get a full time job to raise some proper finance. Or you can carry on writing in isolation in the hope that someone will make your pilot for you. I've tried both and I'm preferring this method by far.

LOL.

Quote: Griff @ July 29 2010, 5:48 PM BST
Image

Ha! :D

Seriously though, all I'm saying is that if you want something bad enough you might might have to do something unpleasant to get it. I chose to work with Ricketts and Stott.

Quote: Griff @ July 29 2010, 7:41 PM BST

You're right of course. I've always looked at it the other way, that if you want to follow the dream of comedy, one day you might have to give up the day job in order to devote time to it (which for me would mean losing my house etc).

It's a tough choice - give up your day job to devote yourself fully to the writing and live like a pauper or work your fingers to the bone to be able to make your writing a reality. Like I say, I've given both methods a go and I'm finding the latter yields far better results.

Oh look, he didn't come back.

Quote: James Turner @ July 29 2010, 5:13 PM BST

working part-full time in a normal job - if people are in this position there is no point in telling them to 'raise the money themselves', it still takes an agent and it still takes a producer.

You don't really need an agent. They're handy but you don't need one.

Quote: David Bussell @ July 29 2010, 5:19 PM BST

$30k works out to about £20k. And that for a feature. If you team up with a couple of other people you stand a reasonable chance of getting together money enough for a TV pilot. At the very least a taster DVD.

And if you only work part time, maybe it's time to get a full time job to raise some proper finance. Or you can carry on writing in isolation in the hope that someone will make your pilot for you. I've tried both and I'm preferring this method by far.

The people that give you money are investors and they only go through producers unless you have pals that are loaded.

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