People in Glass houses

A guide is standing outside the London Shard talking to a group of tourists.

GUIDE
"Ladies and gentleman welcome to the London Shard which standing at almost 310 meters it is the tallest completed building in Europe.Designed by Renzo Piano the building has a total glass exterior"

The guide encourages the tourists to use sets of supplied binoculars in order for them to truly comprehend the Shard.

After a suitable pause the guide attempts to restart the tour.

GUIDE
"The London Shard is covered completely in three quarter inch thick glass and..."

The tourists become disturbed when one of them who is still looking up through his binoculars starts shouting in something in Japanese.

The guide moves over to the head of the tourist group

GUIDE
"What's the problem"

TOUR HEAD
"There is a terrorist hanging on a rope"

GUIDE
smiles
"That's an abseiler , we get a lot doing the descent for charity"

HEAD TOURIST
"But he has glass cutters on his shoes"

The guide grabs a pair of binoculars from a tourist and looks up.

GUIDE
"Dear god"

Everybody flees as the Shard is split in two.

I see the point but alas not particularly funny.
In my humble opinion.

But I do wish I could get back up to your rate of output.

Next please!

I have to admit this is a basic sketch and is not roll on the floor funny.I have posted other sketches that are truly funny and wholly original yet they draw no comments?

As such I can't in all honesty work this site out?

Until I can I'd rather stay down here in the basement having a go than drift into just visiting the site to talk about what I had for my tea.

There are lots of video clips in showcase so there is decent level of creation going on.

Sadly in the main there appears to be a degree of apathy in critique,were there should be a bubbling pot filled with ideas, feedback and encouragement.

I think its down to what people want? If they want to be discovered as writers or get positive advice then they have the perfect venue.

This place after all is a free board run by people with an interest in comedy, so why so few people interact is beyond me?

It's as though the the belief has gone and has been replaced by a form of mass apathy. Some members seem to have lost their inner fire to actually create comedy and have instead settled within small cliques or individuals who only serve only to suppress comedic ingenuity by extolling a less than deserved sense of aloofness.

To my mind if you're funny this is the place to PROVE IT rather than referring to some innate yet latent comedic ability via the odd sarcastic remark.

This section could and should be a beacon!

A place were those in the industry who commission things from sketches to sitcoms and from podcasts to radio comedy could visit and see burgeoning talents and rank amateurs alike filled with a life force to create comedy.

Sadly since I returned I sometimes get the feeling that I'm alone in the basement with the f**king cat!

If you look at the base of the forum page and see just how many members and visitors there are on this site hourly, you have to wonder why this is not more vibrant and creative?

There are many who come on to talk as fans with no intention of creating comedy. These fans are catered for and their posts often show a great depth of knowledge of the genre. If these fans could take the time to pop down and offer their wisdom then they would be using their membership wisely by sharing their knowledge, remember a fan often knows more than a writer.

If this site stops creating, if the members settle for less then it would be a great shame.

So for those who tut at TV and Radio comedy output and the lack of opportunities
for new writers, this site could and should be a place referred to as the place to discover talent.

The choice is yours, the boards are yours what have you got to lose?

A tad harsh Teddy I think. Risk of off-topic as the vibrancy of critique has been discussed recently and it feels as if there is more material going up than before. And - to be fair - most material gets critique.

On this particular sketch, it's a good angle but might work better if the splitting of the shard is an accident - the Duke of York in his recent abseil in full ceremonial dress cutting the glass with his spurs? Probably a purely visual sketch.

Okay...point taken. I'll pay more attention in future, but I have to say...I did have a fabulous dinner last night. Sometimes it's nice to be personal. If you feel you're dealing with a real person with a real life, you're more inclined to want to interact. I am anyway. Also, not everyone wants to post their original ideas on an open forum. I like your style of humour, so I'm sure our paths will cross.

Strangely enough I was at Guys Hospital on Monday and almost ran over a sower faced Prince Andrew as he dangled from a rope in St Thomas Street.. But the only punch line I could think of was 'By Royal Decent'

APS

Perhaps I should have shouted 'Oi you fat bastard stop hanging around'.. But then people in Glass houses..

I have no desire to be harsh or off topic and I fully understand how people interact socially, so if I offended anyone you have my apologies.

I was just flummoxed for a moment and perhaps unwisely vented my own spleen.
I'll just just keep myself to myself again and rather than repress my urge to create I'll just keep posting in the hope that others follow suit.

Again I apologise for any perceived slights as it was not my intention, it was just an insight into my passion and desire.

And the sketch was due to fat Andys descent, I just replaced a fat leech with a terrorist.

Nothing wrong with saying what you feel. How else will anyone know otherwise? I have to say, though, I am working on something that takes a lot of my brain power, so tend to just respond randomly, rather than going through the forum and replying to everything. You haven't offended me. It takes a lot more than a forum post to do that.

Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ September 6 2012, 9:56 AM BST

I have no desire to be harsh or off topic and I fully understand how people interact socially, so if I offended anyone you have my apologies.

I was just flummoxed for a moment and perhaps unwisely vented my own spleen.
I'll just just keep myself to myself again and rather than repress my urge to create I'll just keep posting in the hope that others follow suit.

Again I apologise for any perceived slights as it was not my intention, it was just an insight into my passion and desire.

And the sketch was due to fat Andys descent, I just replaced a fat leech with a terrorist.

View original

Oh.. I actually quite liked it. I thought you should simply expanded the theme 'Man Hanging from a rope at the Shard' and see where the train of thought goes.. Might at least have a section in a stand up..

I thought the whole point of critique was doing what you are doing?

APS

Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ September 6 2012, 7:46 AM BST

...remember a fan often knows more than a writer.

View original

But they can't always tell you why they like something or how you could improve it.

For my money, I would prefer the opinions/help of people who share my craft - albeit fewer of them - than a series of self-gratifying, but in the end sort of useless, "Loved it!"'s from comedy lovers.

That's really what 'Sketch Comp' should be for, instead a group of a dozen writers voting for each other's work, which is what it is at the moment.

Personally, I only comment when I feel I have something to add.

Quote: Lazzard @ September 6 2012, 10:43 AM BST

But they can't always tell you why they like something or how you could improve it.

For my money, I would prefer the opinions/help of people who share my craft - albeit fewer of them - than a series of self-gratifying, but in the end sort of useless, "Loved it!"'s from comedy lovers.

That's really what 'Sketch Comp' should be for, instead a group of a dozen writers voting for each other's work, which is what it is at the moment.

Personally, I only comment when I feel I have something to add.

View original

This.

Also, Teddy don't apologise for being frustrated at a perceived lack of response, good or bad. At least you're posting.
I reckon that once someone has had a modicum of success then they are less likely to remain with the hoi polloi in Critique, though might have a peek and contribute now and then.
People like Lee, Dan, Mikey, sootyj (exception?) etc (apologies for missing the bleedin' obvious), though they continue to post elsewhere.
Aid and I used to post fairly regularly a few years ago but trailed off due to not being very good plus having less time to do so.

Please keep up the good work, not only your own items but also your sensible and articulate critiques.

Thanks people my faith is restored.

Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ September 6 2012, 7:46 AM BST

Sadly in the main there appears to be a degree of apathy in critique,were there should be a bubbling pot filled with ideas, feedback and encouragement.
It's as though the the belief has gone and has been replaced by a form of mass apathy.

View original

It's not supposed to be easy, but yes.

Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ September 6 2012, 7:46 AM BST

Some members seem to have lost their inner fire to actually create comedy and have instead settled within small cliques or individuals who only serve to suppress comedic ingenuity by extolling a less than deserved sense of aloofness.

View original

Yes. Plus the sycophantic..

Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ September 6 2012, 7:46 AM BST

As such I can't in all honesty work this site out? Until I can I'd rather stay down here in the basement having a go than drift into just visiting the site to talk about what I had for my tea.

View original

I think one is far better off "in the basement".

Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ September 6 2012, 7:46 AM BST

I have posted other sketches that are truly funny and wholly original..

View original

Ouch. Teddy Paddalack? Please read that again and think about it.

Quote: Lazzard @ September 6 2012, 10:43 AM BST

For my money, I would prefer the opinions/help of people who share my craft - albeit fewer of them - than a series of self-gratifying, but in the end sort of useless, "Loved it!"'s from comedy lovers. That's really what 'Sketch Comp' should be for, instead a group of a dozen writers voting for each other's work, which is what it is at the moment.

View original

It's not clear that anyone can vote, entered or not, but it comes back to a general apathy of comment, I think... plus The Emperor's New Clothes syndrome, eggshell-walking.. and the sycophantic. Generally, but not exclusively, people care about what others think of them.. and so are loath to upset any applecart by honestly speaking their mind.

One last point, that I've made before: Critique seems to be, at the moment, almost completely sketch-centric. Whatever happened to prose? Because, in my opinion, if you can't write prose, you can't write anything.

Anyway.. I didn't like the shard sketch because it didn't make me laugh.. but I applaud the fact that TP is having a go. It's good to have an influx of energy.

I have nothing to reflect on, I know my stuff is wholly original in that I have never, would never or need ever to plagerise.

As for funny the whole thing is subjective I have seen stuff praised on here that I simply could not understand let alone laugh at, the same can easily be said of my sketches but I think they're funny and as I stated they're wholly original as well and that's not me being over confidence it's just confidence.

Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ September 6 2012, 12:04 PM BST

I have nothing to reflect on, I know my stuff is wholly original in that I have never, would never or need ever to plagerise.

As for funny the whole thing is subjective I have seen stuff praised on here that I simply could not understand let alone laugh at, the same can easily be said of my sketches but I think they're funny and as I stated they're wholly original as well and that's not me being over confidence it's just confidence.

View original

You remind me of my fellow art students at college, who, when asked: "What are your formative influences?" replied: "I haven't got any."

There's nothing original under the sun. You're just not seeing it at the moment.