British Comedy Guide

Sitcom Trials Manchester 2011 - scripts invited Page 21

Urban Guerillas - like the premise, like the charachters, strong dialogue. YES.

University of Life - V, predictable, bad puntualtion and spelling. NO.

Treading Water - If the punctuation and spelling are out, I'm off. NO.

There Must Be Someone Else - Different voices, but sitcom? No.

Theatre Of Dreams - Nice idea, believeable charachters, best line is tha last line. MAYBE.

The Pinkie Device - Same voice for each charachter, NO.

Oldam Chronicles - So many 'O's in it. Here's another one. NO.

OAP Bus - Like the idea, warmed to it though waffly. MAYBE.

Superfood - Keep seeing Trippers Day! No.

More to follow...

Singing The Blues - well written, likeable charachters. What would happen in fuyure eps? YES.

Shock Treatment - Well written, enjoyable read, a couple of lazy jokes which nearly let it down. YES.

Shit Happens - in my head, I'm 15 too, but NO.

Reasons to be Cheerful - Step off the puns please, we get it. NO.

Privelige - nicely done, but idea is done to death. NO.

Outgoings - held my interest, but dialogue unbelievable for assasins. MAYBE.

Old Man - Won't stage. NO.

Not On A School Night - Formulaic, too many charchters? NO.

No Prospect - Daytime TV conversation = stop. NO.

Mates Rates - Broad and boring. NO.

Do rest later...

In no particular order . . .

Caroline RIP: Nice Idea, a little too chatty but enjoyable YES.

Bi-Polar: Wasn't much of a climax, which was a real shame because the idea was interesting. NO

As Sick as a Parrot: Enjoyed the plot, but the characters didn't really stand out. NO

lo-fi: Just an extended conversation. NO

Living with Danger: Interesting premise, but didn't really go anywhere NO.

Lightening: Abit heavy on the directions, but good humour in places MAYBE.

Keith Lymingstone-Brown: The time-travel aspect could have been used better.NO

Highway to Hell: Dialogue was all over the place and wasn't particularly interesting. NO.

hardcow: There was hardly any story. NO.

God Complex: Didn't get to a point of interest quick enough. NO.

Four in a Gym: Similar problem as God Complex, takes too long to get going. NO.

Environmentaly (sic) Friendly: Slow but steady, enjoyed the surreal element. MAYBE.

Dead Healthy: A good idea bogged down in too much conversation NO.

Cometh the Padre: The writing style took away the good idea that was underneath. NO

THE OAP Bus: Doesn't go anywhere, story-wise. NO.

Superfood: Some funny moments, but the supermarket setting could have been used so much better. MAYBE.

Singing the Blues-It's a Blunderful Life: Starting with the long monologue made me lose interest very quickly, which is a shame as the idea could have worked. NO.

Shock Treatment: Was a fun read, but the escalation of the situation felt forced and mad psychiatrist is abit cliched. NO

Shit Happens: Really poor and offensive language did nothing but annoy. NO

And it's Life and Life Only: Spelling errors are a very bad start, basic mistakes let it down. NO.

Analysts: Interesting idea, the writer shows potential but it seemed rushed. MAYBE

An Ex-Rated Date: Errors aplenty. Basics need to be adhered to. NO.

Reasons to be Cheerful: Too many puns, not enough action. NO.

Privilege: The political aspect will always be a tough sell as it would take something special to seem fresh, which unfortunately this wasn't. NO

Urban Guerillas: Liked the idea but it dragged out too long to get to the funny.NO

University of Life: Not much story to speak of. NO.

Treading water: Slow movement made it hard to get into this, but some good ideas MAYBE.

There Must be Someone Else: Too much exposition and direction. NO

Theatre of Dreams: A few funny moments. The cliffhanger could be clearer. YES.

The Pinkie Device: The dialogue felt jarring, unnatural. NO.

The Oldham Chronicles: Really enjoyed the abstract element of it. YES

Outgoings-No 1 Christmas Hit: The premise is interesting, but it wasn't followed through in the story NO.

Old Man: The characters didn't appeal and story doesn't go anywhere NO.

Not On a School Night: Too much exposition so takes too long to get going. NO.

No Prospect: Too much Carry On humour for me. NO.

Middling- The Gate: Just a long chat. NO.

Mates Rates: Enjoyable, and one of the first submissions I believe, so took courage. MAYBE.

Checkpoint Dave: Had its moment, but didn't really flow. NO.

Apocalypse, John: Too slow and predictable.

Amateurs: The plot did not fulfil the promise of the idea. NO.

Agent of Chaos: Sloppy, but was a fun read. YES.

3 Bitches: Really didn't enjoy this, simplistic characters didn't work. NO.

Broken Records: There story wasn't fleshed out fully but I enjoyed the characters and some of the visual gags. YES.

Okay, these are my votes. I've also decided not to add critiques - to be honest it's starting to piss me off what strangers who may or may not have any writing talent/ulterior motives are writing about mine and I don't likewise want to piss anyone else off unnecessarily.

For what its worth, I'm judging based on what I think people would enjoy in the venue, so whereas some of my yes votes may be for scripts that are not neccessarily my sense of humour, I can see them working at the Lass O'Gowrie on a Saturday night with maybe a bit of work on them.

F**k me, I bored myself typing that. My votes are:

[EDIT: UNDER DURESS I HAVE BEEN FORCED TO ADD REVIEWS. I GUESS IT'S ONLY RIGHT. YOU WILL SEE HOWEVER THAT I HAVE BEEN PEDANTIC WITH REGARDS TO PUNCTUATION / FORMAT. WELL, NOT REALLY. I DON'T THINK THERE'S ONE CORRECT FORMAT BUT SOME OF THESE ARE JUST PLAIN WRONG AND IN THE REAL WORLD OF SENDING SCRIPTS OUT TO PRODUCTION COMPANIES, ETC. I'M AFRAID BAD FORMATTING OR STUFF LIKE REFUSING TO PUT FULL STOPS AT THE END OF SENTENCES WILL CAUSE THEM TO IMMEDIATELY DISMISS THE SCRIPT HOWEVER FUNNY IT MAY ACTUALLY BE. THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS.]

Singing The Blues.......Maybe (thought it was funny but not funny funny)
Shock Treatment.........Yes (liked this a lot - good throughout)
3 Bitches...............No (just didn't like the characters)
Middling- the Gate......No (not for me, I'm afraid)
Amateurs................No (full-stops should be standard surely)
Bi-Polar................Yes (liked the set-up and dialogue)
As Sick As A Parrot.....No (writer has obvious talent but not really my taste)
Outgoings...............Yes (daft in a good way)
Broken records..........No (liked the destitute line but didn't think was strong enough throughout)
Shit Happens............Maybe (stupid)
Footlights..............Maybe (not sure it works completely but enjoyed it)
Urban Guerrillas........No (some potentially good stuff here but not good enough)
Theatre of Dreams.......No (poor formatting)
The Pinky Device........No (didn't understand it or the numbering)
Mates Rates.............No (didn't enjoy)
An Ex-Rated date.........NO (poor formatting and didn't grab me)
And Its Life and Life Only..No (poor formatting and didn't find funny)
Treading Water..........No (didn't grab me)
Privilege...............Maybe (good but not good enough for a yes IMO)
Old Man.................No (not for me)
Superfood...............No (didn't grab me)
Cometh The Padre........No (couldn't get my head around it, I'm afraid)
Keith Lymingston-Brown...Yes (really enjoyed)
Checkpoint Dave.........Yes (enjoyed and sure it would play well)
There Must be Someone Else...No (poor formatting)
The OAP Bus.............No (don't think the audience would stay with this)
Reason To Be Cheerful...No (couldn't get into)
No Prospect.............No (not for me thanks)
Highway To Hell.........No (poor formatting)
Lightening.............Maybe (dialogue crackled, story more so-so but did enjoy)
Living With Danger.....No (couldn't get into it)
Lo-Fi..................Yes (wanted to say no after poker face line but strangely drew me in)
Four In A Gym..........No (poor formatting - you can't just centre dialogue)
Analysts...............Yes (would play well I think in a live venue)
Apocalypse, John.............No (funny first line and thought writer showed talent but wasn't good enough in my opinion)
God Complex............Maybe (liked the idea, didn't quite enjoy enough for a yes)
Agent Of Chaos.........No (poor punctuation and format)
Dead Healthy.........No (poor format)

(The ones I've already voted for - so DON'T count these votes twice - are
Enviromently Friendly - yes
Hardcow, Not On A School Night, Oldham Chronicles, University Of Life, Caroline RIP - all no)

And yes, I have voted yes for my own script Whistling nnocently

Here the results of the Christmas Island Jury...

3 Bitches: Amusing little read, paced out quite nicely, dialogue snappy and focused, characters good, cliffhanger came in on the button, end piece good...Yes
Agent of Chaos: Too many characters and locations slugs and pages..? No
Middling: Bit slow... No
Amateurs: Some good dialogue but not sitcom... No
An Ex Rated Date: Some good dialogue...Maybe
Analysts: Dialogue was almost speech like at times...No
And It's Life And Life Only: Some slick dialogue... Maybe
Apocalypse: A bit bizarre...Maybe
As Sick As A Parrot: Quite wacky, got potential...Yes
BI-POLAR: Dialogue quite droll, first scene went 3 pages over, cliffhanger tame, 2 poles...No
BROKEN RECORDS: Some painful dialogue plus five characters...No
Caroline R.I.P.: Didn't find it very amusing...No
Checkpoint Dave: Wacky, workable...Yes
Cometh the Padre: Too clever...No
dead healthy: More farce than sitcom...No
ENVIROMENTLY FRIENDLY: Some good dialogue but not really sitcom
FOUR IN A GYM: Very, very wordy, 8 page ender...No
Footlights: I liked it, well I would, I wrote it. Good potential to develop crazy antics of a university drama group...Yes
God Complex: Took too long to get anywhere...No
hardcow: Coarse but funny. It'd probably go down well in Manchester...Maybe
Highway to Hell sitcom trial Beadles Baby Hand: Bit like Beadles hand, short on laughs...No
Keith Lymingstone-Brown: File wouldn't open for me...No
Lightning: Biff carried it too much but good potential...Maybe
Living With Danger: Just didn't find it funny...No
lo-fi: Short but not sweet, did it have a cliffhanger?...No
MATES RATES: Too slow..! No
NO PROSPECT: Couldn't see this as a sitcom...No
NOT ON A SCHOOL NIGHT: Not sure how you could work this with so many locations...No
Old Man: Had all the ingredients but just not in the right order...No
Outgoings--No1ChristmasHit: Some good exchanges, neat last line...Yes
Privilege: Started and ended well, middle a bit drab, 2 good actors might pull it off...Maybe
ReasonstoBeCheerful: I just couldn't raise a titter with this one...No
Shit Happens: Delightful little rom-com set in a restaurant, think Basic Instincts meets Desparately Seeking Toilet...Yes
Shock Treatment: Neat stuff, not sure how it would progress as a sitcom...Maybe
Singing the Blues - It's a Blunderful Life: Not sure how the ghost of Bobby Robson would go down in a regular sitcom...No
SuperFood: Not bad, seemed to go off course occasionally...Maybe
THE OAP BUS: Charming but not very funny...No
The Oldham Chronicles: Couldn't identify with this, bit short too...No
The Pinkie Device: Felt it too implausible to work...No
THEATRE OF DREAMS: Funny but a tired old format, predictable, two locations...Maybe
There must be someone else: Good location, crazy characters, could work...Yes
Treading water: Very slow going...No
University of Life: A couple of good verbal exchanges, short at four pages, cliffhanger poor...No
URBAN GUERILLAS: Some interesting dialogue and action...Maybe

I based my votes on my experiences at live venues and what has tickled my fancy in the past which usually includes visual comedy and rapid comedy dialogue...

The Pinkie Device. (No) Utter shite.

Middling the Gate. (maybe) Liked the premise. Decent dialogue and a conflict resolved.

3 Bitches. (No) Some funny lines but found myself asking if I really cared about the three.

Agent of Chaos. (Maybe) Liked the Idea. Ther could be some mileage in these characters.

Amateurs. (Yes) Gets a yes simply because it's funny.

X Rated Date. (No) Might work OK as part of a bigger script. Seemd little more than a stream of dialogue.

Analysts. (No) Liked the idea but too elaborate. Well written, though.

And it's Life. (Yes) Lots of laughter points. Worth a performance.

Apocalypse. (Maybe) Good pace and very funny in parts. Needs a little more work, imo.

As Sick as a Parrot. (Maybe) Enjoyed Blenkinsop. Thought plot a little too contrived but might perform well.

Bipolar. (Yes) Enjoyed the exchanges. A bit one off perhaps.

Broken Records. (No) Didn't take me on a journey. Little if any plot.

Caroline RI. (No) Started well but didn't carry it through. Liked the Polish references.

Dead Healthy. (No) Didn't deliver after promising start.

Environmentally Friendly. (Yes) Some funny lines. Should perform well.

Footlights. (No) Seemed to be a string of old jokes with some new material. Not a sitcom.

God Complex. (No) Far too slow at the beginning. Pens, lists and laminated exit signs were too laboured.

Hard Cow. (No) Liked some of the comedy but failed to hold my interest.

Highway to Hell. (Maybe) The band's new name got a laugh... liked the oddity of it. It amused without being overly special.

Lightning. (No) The premise didn't really grab me. Nothing that stood out.

Check Point Dave. (Maybe) Decent early hook and characters are well defined. Though well written the plot does tend to fizzle out but could carry if performed well.

Mates Rates. (No) Busy dialogue with characters working well off each other. Unfortunately it didn't get off the ground, for me, as the storyline didn't quite develop and became too static.

Shit Happens. (Maybe) Genuinely funny and made me laugh. The storyline didn't take me on a journey, however, and thought it more a vehicle for the humour it carried. Good characters. Good dialogue.

Cometh the Padre. (No) Too visual for the performance brief, imo. The main character is worth developing but perhaps one for another day.

Privilege (Maybe) Good script well written. Liked the dialogue and characters but hoped for something more inventive at the end, which is what this decent script deserves.

Quote: swerytd @ June 24 2011, 9:40 AM BST

Incidentally, there's a bit of voting going on at the Yahoo group, if anyone is interested in this masochist's votes

Hmm, voting NO to everyone else's scripts, (with a couple of Maybes) and only giving a YES to your own scripts. Well, it's not illegal. Let's hope more people keep voting, to redress the balance.

Kev F

(Excerpt below edited, reviews were included for every script)

--- In SitsVac@yahoogroups.com, "markymark_oc" <markymark_oc@...> wrote:
>
>
> 3 Bitches - NO
> Agent of Chaos - - NO
> Amateurs - NO
> An Ex Rated Date - NO
> Analysts - NO
> And It's Life And Life Only - NO
> Apocalypse - NO
> As Sick As A Parrot - NO
> BI-POLAR - NO
> BROKEN RECORDS - NO
> Caroline R.I. - NO.
> Checkpoint Dave - NO
> Cometh the Padre - NO
> Dead Healthy - NO
> ENVIROMENTLY FRIENDLY - NO
> FOUR IN A GYM - NO
> God Complex - NO
> Hardcow - NO
> Highway to Hell - NO
> Keith Lymingstone-Brown - NO
> Lightning - NO
> Living With Danger - MAYBE
> Lo-Fi - NOOOOO!!!
>
> MATES RATES by markymark_oc - YES
>
> NOT ON A SCHOOL NIGHT by markymark_oc - YES
>
> No Prospect - NO
> Old Man - MAYBE
> Outgoings - NO
> Privilege - NO
> Reasons to Be Cheerful - NO
> Shit Happens - MAYBE
> Shock Treatment - NO
> Singing the Blues - NO
> SuperFood.doc - NO
> THE OAP BUS - NO
> The Oldham Chronicles - NO
> The Pinkie Device - NO
> THEATRE OF DREAMS - NO
> There must be someone else - NO
> Treading water - NO
> University of Life - NO
> URBAN GUERILLAS - - NO

I am just going to do a yes vote as everybody will have worked hard on their scripts.
Amateurs (YES)
Caroline rip (YES)
Dead healthy (YES)
Environmentally friendly (YES)
Footlights (YES)
God complex (YES)
OAP bus (YES)
Shit happens (YES)
There must be somebody else (YES)
Treading water (YES)

Quote: mummyb @ June 25 2011, 10:37 AM BST

I am just going to do a yes vote as everybody will have worked hard on their scripts.

Again, it doesn't break the letter of the law...

Kev F

Quote: Kev F @ June 25 2011, 10:44 AM BST

Again, it doesn't break the letter of the law...

Kev F

Wait, WAIT! Yes, it DOES break the letter of the law.

I've asked everyone to Read, Review and Vote on the scripts they've read. That means you have to write a short review, to prove that you've read the scripts and that you haven't just put "YES" behind some scripts chosen because you know the writers (or for any other reason).

So, everyone: Read, Review & Vote. Votes on their own with no reviews will not be counted.

Kev F Sutherland
Executive Producer
The Sitcom Trials

Good call, Kev. I admire your political skills and agree entirely.

Thinking about it some more, getting some feedback for a 'NO' vote is probably more important than getting 'YES' feedback, as it gives people something to work with. And:

"something to work" = "a less demoralising trudge through scripts the next time we do this"

QED

(Kev -- feel free to pick me up on my startingly inaccurate equation above.)

Dan

Will the Sitcom Trials team be voting? They do have a stake in all this, after all.

Quote: evan rubivellian @ June 25 2011, 11:25 AM BST

Will the Sitcom Trials team be voting? They do have a stake in all this, after all.

At the moment none of the actors in the Manchester Sitcom Trials is in either of the groups to vote on the scripts. I believe they will be happy to perform what they are given.

Kev F

Quote: Nathaniel @ June 24 2011, 3:56 PM BST

Urban Guerillas - like the premise, like the charachters, strong dialogue. YES.

University of Life - V, predictable, bad puntualtion and spelling. NO.

Treading Water - If the punctuation and spelling are out, I'm off. NO.

There Must Be Someone Else - Different voices, but sitcom? No.

Theatre Of Dreams - Nice idea, believeable charachters, best line is tha last line. MAYBE.

The Pinkie Device - Same voice for each charachter, NO.

Oldam Chronicles - So many 'O's in it. Here's another one. NO.

OAP Bus - Like the idea, warmed to it though waffly. MAYBE.

Superfood - Keep seeing Trippers Day! No.

More to follow...

I think if you're going to use spelling and punctuation as a basis for giving a NO vote, you've got to make sure your own is spot on!!
As the writer of Treading Water, if you'd have just said it was ponderous and lacking in jokes I'd have had to say fair comment.
On the whole I've not had too much to complain about with the comments, although there have been a couple of occasions where I don't believe people have done more than skim a couple of pages. Trying to get through all these scripts is a big task, and well done to those who've taken the time and effort to do it.

ive now reviewed 32 and hope to post all reviews by tonight or latest tomorrow morning, or do all reviews have to be in by today??

Quote: cedardude @ June 25 2011, 1:59 PM BST

ive now reviewed 32 and hope to post all reviews by tonight or latest tomorrow morning, or do all reviews have to be in by today??

From the first post ----> Deadline for voting - June 26 2011 :)

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