British Comedy Guide

The Sitcom Mission 2011 Page 54

Quote: jack martin @ March 13 2011, 12:50 PM GMT

Is it not better to encourage and nurture the hidden talents of someone rather than to attack their weaknesses?

Educate us all, don't discourage.

Rant over.

Hi Jack

Fair point, and the feedback that we get from our workshops is that we're good at encouraging people. We've always claimed that writing is its own reward and we'd never discourage anyone from writing and certainly not from sending it in to us.

We love to represent a diverse range of writing, and one thing we're actively pursuing is going into schools and colleges to work with kids who struggle with literacy and to encourage them to write sitcoms as a means of expression and to learn a love of language.

The script's content and potential for a series is what we're concerned with at the moment, as well as writers who are passionate about their craft, which cuts through class and demographics.

The tub thumping about good grammar is just the end product of two weeks of staring at scripts that have had hours and hours of work lovingly spent on them, and then the author hasn't bothered to spell check them. A lot of our frustration lies with the author, not because of them.

Hope that helps, Declan

Quote: jack martin @ March 13 2011, 12:50 PM GMT

A large number of people have been bold and in some cases brave enough to send in their scripts and idea's...

<shakes head>

Dan

Just out of curiosity, how many scripts have had the phrase "that bastard, David Cameron" or something like it in them?

David Cameron? Loads. And "the Con-Dem government cuts" etc.

How do you spell 'procrastination'?

Yes. Live, apparently.

Dan

Quote: sean knight @ March 13 2011, 1:27 PM GMT

Just out of curiosity, how many scripts have had the phrase "that bastard, David Cameron" or something like it in them?

Fair question. After Monday's over I'll have a look for you.

There's a blog going up today about taking rejection and one tomorrow along with the results.

They just mentioned some of the things that grow to annoy them as they read script after script after script; it's more than understandable.

Quote: chipolata @ March 13 2011, 1:13 PM GMT

Raised with wolves?

Wolverhampton football club run a school?

Quote: Declan @ March 13 2011, 1:29 PM GMT

David Cameron? Loads. And "the Con-Dem government cuts" etc.

How do you spell 'procrastination'?

Dunno, (from one of my other scripts) how many apostrophes in witnesses?

Quote: Declan @ March 13 2011, 1:30 PM GMT

There's a blog going up today about taking rejection

Don't be a baby, perhaps. Everyone gets rejected more than they get the thumbs up as a writer, even successful writers. The best thing is just to understand that it's nothing personal, shrug it off and carry on regardless. If rejection crushes you every time, perhaps this isn't the line of work for you.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ March 13 2011, 1:35 PM GMT

Don't be a baby, perhaps. Everyone gets rejected more than they get the thumbs up as a writer, even successful writers. The best thing is just to understand that it's nothing personal, shrug it off and carry on regardless. If rejection crushes you every time, perhaps this isn't the line of work for you.

Totally, I think every writer's number of rejections far outweighs their commissions.

The first one is the hardest, but it becomes pretty 'expected' after a while. I imagine most of the great TV writers were constantly rejected before their careers took off.

I'm going to help my Uncle Jack off his horse.

(referenced to the SPAG issue)

Wolves would have been a result, it was Nuns & Barnardos, a heady mix of brutality and attempts to destroy the individual.
It never worked because I have a wife & kids and I smile everyday and I'm learning more with every rejection.

I've just read the line:

'...he has an blank plague in front of him.'

He meant 'plaque'.

Update: Have just read an entirely different script which contains the line: '..you won't get a plague on a park bench.'

Today I've learned that spelling and grammar no longer matter. Anybody going to argue that words are now interchangeable?

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