Quote: Robert Sacamano @ June 23 2011, 9:23 PM BST
Hi,
As Jim did further back in the thread I'm only going to vote for the scripts I want to give a full 'YES' to. Writing comedy is a tough process and I applaud each and every writer who has had the guts to submit a script to Sitcom Trials. I don't really want to dent the motivation and creativity needed to write any of those scripts, especially not on a forum. Whilst some scripts didn't always hit the funny bone and laugh count for me personally, or didn't fit the length and performance guidelines of the event, I could certainly see the spark, the idea and passion in absolutely all of them.
But a 'YES' go to:
Apocalypse
As Sick As A Parrot
Bi-Polar
Broken Records
Checkpoint Dave
Environmentally Friendly
Middling - The Gate
Shit Happens
O-kay, well don't want any of the above not to get a vote because I didn't put in a review, so:
APOCALYPSE JOHN:
Funny lines, good pay-off with the cauliflower and the potential for a great sitcom world.
AS SICK AS A PARROT:
Great stuff, jokes fell away a bit in places but a fantastic sitcom idea that you could see would have legs. Anyone saying that this world doesn't exist any longer is wrong IMO. I kept thinking of Wigan Athletic as I was reading it, and there are still lots of clubs which are owned by tight, Arkwright-type 'local boy done good' owners.
BI-POLAR:
Can't really see it as sitcom unless it's for radio, but nice lines, ideas (Kerplunk instead of chess, etc.) and the crossword puzzle / answer was a nice end.
BROKEN RECORDS:
Enjoyed the world but most of all the misunderstandings The Mask / Mask mistake was sheer class and can't believe no-one had hit on it before.
CHECKPOINT DAVE:
A new idea / 'sit' that I've not seen before and had a lovely feel to it mostly through the clear hierarchy / 'intelligence' of the characters. Felt very Blackadder whilst still having its own style and voice, with good twists and reverses.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
Just a crazy, jobsworth main character whom I adored. If it's not a sitcom then at the very least it's a great sketch character. Enjoyed the 'rules' and someone sings 'The Fraggles' theme tune for God's sake - funny!
MIDDLING - THE GATE
Nice characters and dialogue, felt real in its tone, problems and references, with scope to go forward into a sitcom.
SHIT HAPPENS
Just all-out, guns-blazing comedy. Funny because of its swearing? Partly, but that works for a lot of shows, plus it also tapped into the idea that some old folks reach a certain age and then simply don't give a ****. Some wonderful images and moments created just by the 'then what happened?' recollections.
And I did read all the other scripts. Will be happy to take a lie detector test or be subjected to waterboarding to prove this.