Writing for Newsjack (aka 7 on 7) Page 74

Caveat to above post... lest it should read as if I'm some dickhead who thought their subs were 'too topical' to get in (on the contrary, I think they were at best vaguely amusing and badly written). I was just saying that with a Friday start/Monday pm deadline - there's not much news-wise that actually happens except for a few Sunday paper revelations - therefore it's not surprising that the script editor's inbox on a Monday is inundated with the same topics. Should non-comms avoid obvious topics entirely?

Quote: clueless @ July 19 2009, 2:09 AM BST

Caveat to above post... lest it should read as if I'm some dickhead who thought their subs were 'too topical' to get in (on the contrary, I think they were at best vaguely amusing and badly written). I was just saying that with a Friday start/Monday pm deadline - there's not much news-wise that actually happens except for a few Sunday paper revelations - therefore it's not surprising that the script editor's inbox on a Monday is inundated with the same topics. Should non-comms avoid obvious topics entirely?

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Aah in there in lies the Catch 22. Cover a big story and compete with 100s and certainly the established writers. Cover a small story and risk being irrelevant.

It's a juggling act. Generally a good sketch is a good sketch in my view what ever the subject.

Quote: clueless @ July 19 2009, 1:43 AM BST

Hi Puk Toff

Know the feeling. Probably will myself, but only if I can think of something topical but not too, er, topical.

Was it only me or wasn't Boris "£250,000 fee = chicken feed" Johnson begging for a gag this week?

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You know we can't have a go at politicians for greedy expenses fiddling chancers and at the same time pick on them for having lucrative side jobs. Having read Boris's stuff he's an engaging, clever witty writer, I don't think he spends that much time on it.

"It's a juggling act. Generally a good sketch is a good sketch in my view what ever the subject."

Very true - it's just sometimes I feel I'd have to come up with a 'I have nothing against your right leg...' and though I'd love to be able to do that... I'd be lucky to think up one of those at short notice before I was eighty - even then I'd still die happy.

"You know we can't have a go at politicians for greedy expenses fiddling chancers and at the same time pick on them for having lucrative side jobs. Having read Boris's stuff he's an engaging, clever witty writer, I don't think he spends that much time on it."

Oh he makes me hoot despite my prejudices. I'm sure he'd easily write an article on a Sunday morning - it was such a bloody stupid thing to say though.

Just sent my weekly contribution. This time, I actually got an auto-reply, so when I don't get anything recorded I will know for a certainty it's because I'm rubbish.

Quote: clueless @ July 19 2009, 2:43 AM BST

"It's a juggling act. Generally a good sketch is a good sketch in my view what ever the subject."

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And if you wrote it you still think you'd be noticed?

Am still kind of hoping though that when the series is over they'll be in contact with at least some sort of feedback. Because it's soooo frustrating not knowing whether they think my stuff is rubbish and I'm wasting my weekends even attempting to write it when I could be in the park feeding the ducks - or whether I got close, and they were wiping tears of laughter from their eyes as they read it, but in the end it just wasn't QUITE right for the show. And in any case it would have made all the other sketches look bad. . .

Am kind of a bit stumped with VOX pops and one liners, as my brain doesn't seem to work that way. . . Which is a shame as I can easily spend an entire day writing a sketch. And then half an hour after I've sent it think of a funnier punchline. Ah well. . . Let's see what happens this week. . . Good luck everyone.

Yeah, I had feedback on one sketch (apart from the one they asked me to rewrite).
It was basically saying "nice sketch" and then went on to explain why they weren't going to use it.

PT, they say on the email autreply, and on their website I do believe that, because of the amount of submissions received, they cannot give individual feedback.

I too have received feedback from the producer, saying that some of sketches were "nearly there" as well as "nice sketch, but we cannot use it because..."

Thanks Griff and Mikey. . . Makes me feel a bit better that at least they're giving feedback to some people. In my darkest moments I'd begun to wonder whether they even read the stuff we send in...

Quote: Mikey Jackson @ July 19 2009, 6:22 PM BST

PT, they say on the email autreply, and on their website I do believe that, because of the amount of submissions received, they cannot give individual feedback.

I too have received feedback from the producer, saying that some of sketches were "nearly there" as well as "nice sketch, but we cannot use it because..."

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Yeah, I had this in week two (Katie Tyrell - think I heard that name mentioned a few times on the board). Again it was a 'beautifully written sketch and fitted in well with the show' but didn't produce consistent enough laughs.

At the time I was inspired, thinking "right, I'm close, so I'm bound to get on it next week". The next week, no feedback came. Not even an Auto-reply. (Oh, and needless to say, I didn't get anything on the show!)

Well, I got no feedback whatsoever from anyone at any point and I'm not, in any way, bitter about the fact that some of you did.

Mind you, I did get some email saying that they'd sent feedback to 'some losers' to make them feel better about themselves cos they'd 'never make the grade'.

Dan

Quote: swerytd @ July 19 2009, 11:19 PM BST

Mind you, I did get an email saying that they'd sent feedback to 'some losers' to make them feel better about themselves cos they'd 'never make the grade'.

Dan

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Ha ha, yeah that's the way its looking!

I haven't had any feedback at all, so I assume I have not even got close with a sketch. I anticipate the same this week, but you never know.

Good luck all for one last push!

Yeah, I've sent one last sketch in and a few one-liners. Would love to score a second credit but chances are slim I reckon. Although they would be slightly less slim if I'd got round to sending three sketches in.

I have a credit, but no feedback. No idea what I did right the first week or what I've been doing wrong since. It's a crapshoot.