The BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum has put a call out for sitcom and sketch comedy scripts. There's a trip to the Edinburgh and New York television festivals up for grabs, to see your winning script showcased. Looks like an amazing opportunity.
BAFTA Rocliffe call for comedy scripts
a. Early Bird fee is £30 for hard copies (posted or hand delivered) or £40 for email submissions.
b. Final Entry fee is £40 for hard copies (posted or hand delivered) or £50 for email submissions.
Why do people always have to pay? Must be the Guardian's influence.
Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ March 31 2013, 10:18 AM BSTa. Early Bird fee is £30 for hard copies (posted or hand delivered) or £40 for email submissions.
b. Final Entry fee is £40 for hard copies (posted or hand delivered) or £50 for email submissions.
Why would there be a difference in price between posted and emailed scripts? Does ten pound cover someone pressing 'Print' and the few sheets of paper it will use up..?
No pay to play!
This is about a billion times worse than that comedy women contest thingumy.
Quote: sootyj @ March 31 2013, 1:12 PM BSTNo pay to play!
This is about a billion times worse than that comedy women contest thingumy.
To be fair though, it is a big opportunity. One of the two people who won last year has now had the show picked up by the BBC to develop.
All opportunities can lead somewhere obviously.
Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ March 31 2013, 10:18 AM BSTa. Early Bird fee is £30 for hard copies (posted or hand delivered) or £40 for email submissions.
b. Final Entry fee is £40 for hard copies (posted or hand delivered) or £50 for email submissions.
When does Early Bird run out?
This is stupid. Most people know competitions don't lead anywhere. All they'll get is naive beginners who have yet to cotton on, or write anything good.
They're cutting off their nose just to limit entries.
Early bird entry is before 15th April.
There's a few profiles on the Rocliffe site of previous participants. Many seem to have had a track record in the theatre or as drama writers, and the winning scripts have brought them agents, options, development deals and commissions. If that's your idea of naive beginners going nowhere you must have experienced a fairly extraordinary level of success.
Yes it's a good opportunity.
No the writers it rewards/punishes is wrong. S'pose it's their choice though.
Money to enter a writing opportunity no matter what the reward automatically excludes those who can't afford to enter.
As such the interest of those running it is in those able to to pay, rather than to see what's out there.
Same as the Sitcom Mission caper, free to enter and a shot at impressing Hat Trick fantastic opportunity. But now when it has no production company interest it wants dough?
For me running cash to enter writing comps at the height of a recession is more Moses Pray than Frank Owen
I don't expect people to dedicate their lives to reading piss poor scripts like mine. But rather than run cash comps why not just say up front what the service is that you're offering and what you charge?
The term 'Struggling Writer' can indicate writing block or lack of contacts and or lack of money but I have never seen a writer have to struggle to find a cash to enter writing competition.
BAFTA should not be associated with writing cash cows it should be more interested in finding out what's out there and how it can help bring it in!
Quote: Matthew Stott @ March 31 2013, 1:11 PM BSTWhy would there be a difference in price between posted and emailed scripts? Does ten pound cover someone pressing 'Print' and the few sheets of paper it will use up..?
Maybe they prefer the good ole printed page instead of fiddly attachments.
I applied to this last year and got some useful (and best of all, honest) feedback. Like the sitcom mission, it definitely helped my development and was worth the cash in my opinion.
I haven't got the cash so I wouldn't know, that's not a pop at you Bluergh in any way.
It's just my reality at the moment so the more opportunities that go behind pay walls the less chance I and a few like me will have.
The sad part is that BAFTA are involved, the should be scouting not touting!
When you go to the Rocliffe site it seems that there's an early bird, hard copy, NO REPORT version for a tenner.
Don't know if that's true, but might make it a bit more feasible for some.