Well done Trial peeps - and good luck making the final 4.
The Sitcom Trials 2012 Page 28
Ok, so congrats are going on this thread? Well done Alan and Matthew Stott!
Are all the trials themed?
Quick question - would a superhero themed show be classed as sci fi?
Quote: Numpty @ October 26 2012, 1:30 PM BSTAre all the trials themed?
No. It happens occasionally. Back in 2005 the Shakespearian Sitcom Trials gave birth to the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre. In more recent years, the Halloween and Sci Fi themed Trials have been the only ones for a while. It is highly likely an "open" round of script entries will be coming up soon.
Quote: blahblah @ October 26 2012, 1:56 PM BSTQuick question - would a superhero themed show be classed as sci fi?
Yes. Superheroes are not so naturalistic and mundane to no longer qualify as sci fi. Similarly fantasy is fair game, and you'll see we've invited the Halloween edition of Country Rock to re-enter, so zombies are obviously okay.
Think of it as an inspiration rather than a restriction. You could put in any old sitcom and just have the occasional person remark "that never used to happen when we lived in that parallel universe". If you thought that'd work.
As ever, if it's funny, we want to see it in the Sitcom Trials.
On which subject, has everyone been following my weekly posts of Great Sci Fi Sitcoms on the Sitcom Trials blog? Here's the latest - The Strangerers. (Get the updates on Facebook and Twitter)
Were the Eurovision trials so forgettable?
Quote: Badge @ October 26 2012, 5:05 PM BSTWere the Eurovision trials so forgettable?
And the Eurovision Sitcom Trials. We did Eurovision Sitcom Trials. And, yes, I did genuinely forget them just then.
Quote: Kev F @ October 26 2012, 5:05 PM BSTYes. Superheroes are not so naturalistic and mundane to no longer qualify as sci fi. Similarly fantasy is fair game, and you'll see we've invited the Halloween edition of Country Rock to re-enter, so zombies are obviously okay.
Can I just clarify: you don't want first episodes, but you do want a first act? I'm just thinking that a sci fi sitcom might need a but more of a setup to bring the audience up to speed. How am I going to explain why Marty is getting off with his mum at the Enchantment Under The Sea dance?
Quote: joebloggs69 @ October 27 2012, 4:39 PM BSTCan I just clarify: you don't want first episodes, but you do want a first act? I'm just thinking that a sci fi sitcom might need a but more of a setup to bring the audience up to speed. How am I going to explain why Marty is getting off with his mum at the Enchantment Under The Sea dance?
The Sitcom Trials, by virtue of its format, puts certain constraints on the writers, which it's a good idea to think of as an inspiring challenge. The script as it gets performed is just 10 minutes long, up to the cliffhanger moment. If you look at that bit as if it were the first half of a sitcom, up to the ad break (which, in many American sitcoms, is exactly what you get) then that is your challenge.
I've always found it's a good tip to think of every episode of a sitcom as the first episode - as for many of your viewers that is precisely what it will be, most successful sitcoms being joined as the show goes along, and watched at random on re-runs. In any sitcom that wants to keep its viewers and win new ones, the writer will make sure every character makes their mark and establishes their identity every time they appear. Again it's US sitcoms that do this most professionally.
Or you can do it the Downton Abbey way with everyone spending the first 5 minutes recapping the previous episode's plot. If you want to lose.
At last, the video from the Manchester Halloween Sitcom Trials is online, giving a taste of all the competing sitcoms and the winner. Enjoy.
Talking of changing the subject, I just made a Halloween pumpkin.
What? Too soon?
Good signs so far reading the sci-fi scripts. Decent standard on all three I've read up to now. Here's hoping it's the best Trials to date!
Thanks. I suppose I'll have to just put some effort in.
I've read a couple of entries and I notice a lot of stage directions. I was under the impression that it should be a radio style so the dialouge and F/X should serve the purpose of stage directions or am I wrong and the actors will be playing to the crowd?