British Comedy Guide

Bloody production companies! Page 3

This is a quite disheartening thread, to be honest reading it just makes me want to die.

This might sound silly...but.

If your script is genuinely good enough, a script worthy enough for T.V, will these production companies find this script? Will the 20 year old 'reader' find this script and make sure it happens. Or, is it just a case of luck that some prick finds it reasonably funny enough to contact you...

Obviously, what I'm writing I think is Gold. But when I send it out and I receive no response, I will want to cry when I'm alone, insult my mum over the phone and repeat domestic violence on my partner, If my script is no good...

(My Gold maybe another persons Bronze)

:)

It's a disheartening business so grow a pair and write some more.

Quote: Scottidog @ January 25 2011, 5:47 PM GMT

This is a quite disheartening thread, to be honest reading it just makes me want to die.

This might sound silly...but.

If your script is genuinely good enough, a script worthy enough for T.V, will these production companies find this script? Will the 20 year old 'reader' find this script and make sure it happens. Or, is it just a case of luck that some prick finds it reasonably funny enough to contact you...

Obviously, what I'm writing I think is Gold. But when I send it out and I receive no response, I will want to cry when I'm alone, insult my mum over the phone and repeat domestic violence on my partner, If my script is no good...

(My Gold maybe another persons Bronze)

:)

The chances of winning the Euromillions lottery are about 76 million to one. Writing a script that eventually makes it to the screen has slightly better odds, so chin up! :)

Seriously though, if you think about it too much you'll just give up. The problem is layers. Layers and layers and layers of people you have to get through before the cameras start rolling. Readers, producers, commissioners etc. They all have to love your stuff.

And at any point, right up until the first day of filming, the whole project can be pulled and shelved and never see the light of day again. It's all very daunting and you have to be a f**king idiot to keep trying. Luckily there are a lot of funny idiots out there who do, or we'd have no comedy to watch at all.

Lee's spot on. You have to learn to be accepting of almost constant frustration, rejection and disappointment, interspersed by the odd minor victory. Even if you're writing good scripts on a regular basis (which is an achievement in itself), one has to be prepared to play the "long game". So chin up! ;)

Ok, Cheers guys!

I haven't yet sent anything out, but I'm guessing I need to start writing again as soon as I'm ready to send the first one out.

To be honest If I get some positive feedback or results over the next year, I'll be over the moon. If not, death...

:)

How's the sudoko going Tim?

Quote: Tim Walker @ January 25 2011, 11:42 PM GMT

Lee's spot on. You have to learn to be accepting of almost constant frustration, rejection and disappointment, interspersed by the odd minor victory. one has to be prepared to play the "long game". So chin up! ;)

You may be taking it to seriously...

Quote: Scottidog @ January 26 2011, 1:34 PM GMT

To be honest If I get some positive feedback or results over the next year, I'll be over the moon. If not, death...

:)

If I were you I'd buckle in for at least a decade or so of rejection. No kidding.

Quote: David Bussell @ January 26 2011, 1:43 PM GMT

If I were you I'd buckle in for at least a decade or so of rejection. No kidding.

And that'll just be from Bussell himself. Just ask Stott.

Ben let me up him within an hour of shaking hands.

This is a question to Jonathan Harvey recently and his reply.
,,,

How do you regard the climate for TV comedy at the moment?

Reply

It has become really hard, I think, and I'm someone who has had stuff made recently. The BBC has just cancelled my Beautiful People. It has done brilliantly internationally, even won awards, but it had a tough spot over here and no one seemed to know it was on. It didn't set the world alight with its ratings, so clearly the BBC had to make way for something new. Television in general has got harder, the climate is tougher. No one seems to want to commission scripts any more. They just want pitches or ideas or treatments. So automatically writers stand to earn less money than they did a few years ago. Even the most successful writers are feeling the pinch.

Nobody seems to be making anything new much.

The TV channels are mainly full of repeats of the stuff that was good in the 70-90s and Startrek. The detective Series CSI, NCIS, Mrs Marples are are shown willy nilly with several series showing at the same time, so without external program information lists, it's impossible to follow the background Arc story.

The rest is cheap quiz programs and documentaries which all seem to be about the same themes.

Quote: David Bussell @ January 26 2011, 1:43 PM GMT

If I were you I'd buckle in for at least a decade or so of rejection.

Sounds about right, sadly. *slits wrists*

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