Good for you! I think I'm the bee's bollocks too! And till that final curtain call, I will go on believing it.
The Sitcom Mission 2011 Page 79
Quote: Lee Brown @ March 15 2011, 3:07 PM GMTJust like when you place a bet on a horse, you only bet on it because you think it has a good chance of winning, otherwise why would you bet on it?
If you are saying that your script is a racehorse then you aren't some punter in the bookies, you are the owner/trainer of the horse.
Your horse might be a donkey but you've entered it in the race hoping that all the other horses are worse runners/ have a bad day/ fall at the first fence.
The people doing the 'betting' are the guys who have read all of the scripts. They've seen the entire field and are backing the 32 horses out of 1,200 that they think are going to finish well.
Quote: Antrax @ March 15 2011, 3:45 PM GMTI don't know why they'd need to be the funniest guys in the country in order to tell whether a script someone else has written is funny (certainly, I think they're better qualified than the writer). An inability to be insanely funny does not preclude us from being able to laugh.
I agree, but I have also had work published in the past (this is my first sitcom ).
And I think I know when something is not funny... I've been throwing my other scripts out for years now!
I'm only starting out here (in my twenties), and might come over a little cocky, but I genuinely think this script is the dog's gonads. I wouldn't have sent it in otherwise.
A little bit of humility goes a long way.
Jinky,
Yeah I suppose so, I think.
Quote: simon wright @ March 15 2011, 1:49 AM GMTAbout a third of the scripts that we get sent are by women, so that explains it. There's no bias, just fewer women writers. At the moment.
I really wish you hadn't tried to justify the results against gender of entrants as the statistical analyst, in me, is now very sceptical. Looking forward to seeing what happens next!
Quote: Derry Dee @ March 15 2011, 3:53 PM GMTI genuinely think this script is the dog's gonads. I wouldn't have sent it in otherwise.
Stick a few pages in the 'Critique' section of this forum and we mortals will give you an honest second opinion.
Quote: Derry Dee @ March 15 2011, 3:53 PM GMTI agree, but I have also had work published in the past (this is my first sitcom ).
And I think I know when something is not funny... I've been throwing my other scripts out for years now!
I'm only starting out here (in my twenties), and might come over a little cocky, but I genuinely think this script is the dog's gonads. I wouldn't have sent it in otherwise.
I agree, I really thought this was the funniest thing I have ever written, now I'm doubting my own ability, and don't know what direction to take cos not knowing what it failed on is stopping me putting it right.
Quote: zooo @ March 15 2011, 3:55 PM GMTA little bit of humility goes a long way.
"If I only had a little humility, I would be perfect". 
Quote: JJ Cocker @ March 15 2011, 3:55 PM GMTI really wish you hadn't tried to justify the results against gender of entrants as the statistical analyst, in me, is now very sceptical. Looking forward to seeing what happens next!
I don't think it's an observation (the remark about gender of finalists) that's helpful to anybody (unless there really is bias towards men, which I'm pretty sure there isn't).
I absolutely hate the idea that I might be on some list to fulfil some ratio.
Can I kick a couple of things into touch?
1) Our dealbreaker for choosing something to be in the 32 was the incredibly scientific and quantifiable: did we like it more than the others? Please stop naval-gaving and blood letting. All of your sitcoms were brilliant, and, as John Major said when he launched The National Lottery, "I hope you all win."
2) We don't do comedy by quotas or box-ticking. The reason why we only picked eight women writers is because women aren't in the slightest bit funny and those we did pick are actually men writing under female pseudonyms.
3) I wrote 2) above, because I am the funniest person in the country.
4) If anyone wants to sign up to our Help! I've Written A Script workshop, they will certainly get my and Simon's feedback, along with an MP3 of their script read out by professional actors and feedback from the actors and their writing peers. Let us know if you're interested and we'll arrange some for the coming months.
Cheers, Declan
Quote: Declan @ March 15 2011, 6:32 PM GMT2) We don't do comedy by quotas or box-ticking. The reason why we only picked eight women writers is because women aren't in the slightest bit funny and those we did pick are actually men writing under female pseudonyms.
3) I wrote 2) above, because I am the funniest person in the country.
Congratulations to all involved - particularly Simon and Declan from Every 1's A Critic for completing the mammoth task of ploughing through all the submitted work.
As a longtime lurker and occasional contributor on these forum shores, I was wondering if the Sitcom Mission guys can maybe discuss how being former finalists of previous Sitcom Missions and Sitcom Trials has possibly aided/helped the 2011 shortlisted writers? i.e. some of the writers and/or work have been workshopped live before?
There are quite a few names on the 2011 shortlist (and even scripts in some cases) that have been performed within the two schemes already. And as someone new to Trials and Mission (though I know they are separate endeavours), I was wondering if that is something that helped the work make the shortlist cut? And was there any stipulation against re-submitting work the Mission had already showcased - as one of the scripts, THE BOX I believe, has already been featured on one of the live Sitcom Mission Heats before.
It is not just the Trials and Mission that have seen the work too (one of the shortlisted pieces was done at the Soho Theatre, I believe) so obviously there is an experience of live performance and even progressed development within today's 2011 shortlist already. Obviously some of these scripts have been lucky enough to get honed up to speed within that live context. Declan and Simon were always s**t hot on pushing folk to remember the live angle - though are Hat Trick looking for live-act friendly or TV friendly?
And, are the "two more episodes" a new idea?
I'd be interested to know how many of the finalists attended the workshops.