Feedback from production companies

Would be interested to hear if anyone else has experienced this. I recently received feedback from a production company about one of my scripts. They said my writing was good and that my work has definite potential, but added that the storyline was not particularly fresh or original and the style felt a bit outdated compared to current sitcoms.

I'm not sure what current sitcoms are fresh or original (e.g. Lead Balloon...a UK version of Curb Your Enthusiasm...Dogtown...a ripoff of League of Gentleman). Has anyone else come up against this attitude and, if so, what do you think they mean when they say original as I can't remember the last time I thought a UK sitcom was truly original - maybe The Young Ones and it could be argued that even that was a traditional sitcom in many ways?

Y'see, there's a strange problem at large here. Production companies want original stuff so they can be light years ahead of everybody else. On the other hand they want stuff that audience can attach to and follow easily.

Obviously these two things are pretty much polar opposites and getting the balance right between the two is the comedy writing equivelant of turning lead into gold.

I think you have to be careful with feedback from production companies, as most haven't really got the time to give you proper feedback, so they just send back generic criticisms, i.e, they'll start with some vague platitudes about what they liked about your script (a nice ear for dialogue, some interesting ideas, etc), before telling you it's not really for them and wishing you all the best in the future.

I think you're right Jason - I wouldn't take their comments as meaning they gave it a thorough going-over.

I sent my latest offering yesterday to a company who will let me know "within two weeks", so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I hear of my own good ear for dialogue etc etc!

Originality?

You can argue that no thought is original, because it had to rely upon previous thoughts to be born. But you can guarantee that flat-share premises will not be looked on favourably. From what i gather thru chats / feedback, the industry thinks they've been done to death but hold onto any flatshare pilots for a few years cos they'll soon be back in vogue.

Premise can be hard to present as original but you can disguise a well-worn premise as something new: for example Smoking Room is really just the flatshare idea with an original take, involving a looser wider collection of characters. Storyline? How many films are just remakes of Romeo and Juliet? Storyline will be limited and self-restrictive thru age-old dramatic techniques that writers use which are known to work.

I wouldn't pay to much attention to remarks unless they are clearly personal to you or the script, however if after several submissions the letters repeat the same theme then it's time to re-edit with their comments in mind. We've had a script described by one producer as 'feeble' (ooh that hurt :-) and described by another as 'spectacularly funny' So even the 'experts' differ wildly in what is / isn't good or funny. It's plugging away until you connect with a producer into your work.

Jeez man, "feeble" would finish me off. I get narked if the BBC send me something back with NO comments. I think I view everything like a relationship, and no feedback is the silent treatment!

In terms of premise, writers are stuck. All production companies, broadcasters etc want something 'original and fresh', but a lot of advice regarding premise says 'it's not the premise that's the main source of humour, it's the characters'.'Not Going Out' has been given a thumbs-up by many (myself included) but that's not an original premise. Every type of character and character interaction has been done before, guaranteed.

That last sentence made me think of Carl Jung. I like the idea of him sending his manuscript regarding archetypes to the publisher, and them replying: 'sorry, but all the charcters are unoriginal'.

Quote: Scott Taylor @ November 3, 2006, 6:31 AM

All production companies, broadcasters etc want something 'original and fresh', but a lot of advice regarding premise says 'it's not the premise that's the main source of humour, it's the characters'.

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I think that the key with that kind of comment/guideline/etc is that it's not strict, but more used to put people off sending in stuff like that. The companies know that if it's a bit shit, that kind of thing will put the writer off, but if they think it's particularly good then they would send it in anyway.

Probably.

Quote: SlagA @ November 2, 2006, 3:44 PM

It's plugging away until you connect with a producer into your work.

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Agree with SlagA. Unless a number of people tell you that your work is crap, why are you wasting your time? etc etc, it's a case of finding the right producer at the right moment. One of my scripts received a lukewarm response from one production company and hugely positive feedback from another.