Quote: RedZed333 @ October 2 2011, 6:05 PM BSTCan anyone vote on any script or is it just the entrants voting...?
And do you have to vote on all of the scripts for your votes to count, this was supposed to have happened last time but didn't...
You'll have to create a yahoo account if you don't have one, then sign in and download each file
Kev said earlier that it doesn't matter if all pieces aren't read, but then I don't know how they'd work out the maths/fairness
Quote: AJGO @ October 2 2011, 6:26 PM BSTYou'll have to create a yahoo account if you don't have one, then sign in and download each file
Kev said earlier that it doesn't matter if all pieces aren't read, but then I don't know how they'd work out the maths/fairness
What's fairness got to do with it...?
Quote: Kev F @ September 28 2011, 12:48 PM BSTYes. Any suggestion of fairness will be ruthlessly pursued and eliminated.
Kev F
Fair enough!
I'm having trouble opening the docx scripts--anyone know how to open them?
I think you need Word 2007 or later to open docx...
Quote: evan rubivellian @ October 2 2011, 11:03 AM BSTKev, first of all well done for all the effort you're putting in on this.
One point, though--you're not going to include "Go Wild in the Country" and "Kiss Me Son of God" in the voting, are you? They've already been through their Trials and been performed in 2002 or 2003. What benefit is there to include them now when they could be taking up the spot of an entry from this year?
A good question. I put them in when there were only 3 entries, to stimulate entries. I'm minded to leave them there and allow you to damn them all with your votes. They are both old scripts that have appeared in The Sitcom Trials in the past (one at Edinburgh, one in the TV series). Hopefully the newer scripts will beat them hands down. It's the first time I've been able to put scripts into the Trials since 5 years ago when my Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre scripts ended up spawning a new show and I stopped running the Trials, since when the show has been run as a competition rather than a showcase.
I think this time, given that it is both a competition and a showcase, but one which I haven't set up myself and over which I don't have the final say, it's not unfair for me to enter two of my own old scripts. Like I say, they're all going to get read, reviewed and voted on (I shall, of course, abstain from voting on my own contributions) so they're no more likely to make the cut than anyone else's.
Quote: AJGO @ October 2 2011, 3:23 PM BSTAm I being mathematically inept? Surely if people only get a chance to read a couple, and vote yes or maybe, then those will be going through ahead of any scripts people haven't had time to read.
And what happens if no-one votes?
Trust me, I've watched this process dozens of times, and it works brilliantly. Watch.
If no-one votes, either the cast will make the decision or, worse, I will. And I might choose mine, so VOTE NOW!
Quote: evertsen @ October 2 2011, 3:39 PM BSTWhy not send them all off to Manchester and let the cast decide
Because The Sitcom Trials has developed a marvellous democratic process to find out what's popular and what's not. The wider the range of opinions the more likely the choice will be representative. This voting system was first used in 2000 for The Sitcom Trials in London and Bristol and continued through to our shows in 2006. I revived it for Manchester this spring and am delighted to have the chance to use it again. Try it, you might like it.
The alternative version of script selection, where a large number of scripts are chosen by a small number of readers, is employed by other sitcom showcase shows like The Sitcom Mission. Both methods have their strengths and, arguably, their weaknesses. I like the long-established Sitcom Trials method, obviously.
Kev F
Quote: RedZed333 @ October 2 2011, 6:05 PM BSTCan anyone vote on any script or is it just the entrants voting...?
And do you have to vote on all of the scripts for your votes to count, this was supposed to have happened last time but didn't...
Yes, anyone can vote on the scripts. You don't have to have entered a script yourself.
No, you don't have to vote on all the scripts. Because a YES vote counts for 2 points, a MAYBE is worth 1 point, and a NO is worth minus 1 point, then an abstention or an unread or unvoted-on scripts scores Zero and therefore leaves the totals unaffected.
As a demonstration of how it can end up, here are last season's online voting scores. You'll see how we end up with as many scripts in minus figures as plus. The more vote, the clearer the differences become. (By the way, to return to an earlier question, last season's entries included a previously performed Sitcom Trials script written by a previous Sitcom Trials producer, and I don't remember anyone complaining about it 
Voting results July 2011:
Checkpoint Dave 26
Shock Treatment 25
Outgoings--ChristmasHit 23
THEATRE OF DREAMS 23
BI-POLAR 19
Keith Lymingstone-Brown 18
As Sick As A Parrot 15
Privilege 15
Apocalypse, 13
Singing the Blues 12
Lightning 11
Analysts 10
URBAN GUERILLAS 9
And It's Life And Life Only 7
God Complex 7
Agent of Chaos 4
EnvironmentallyFRIENDLY 4
Middling The Gate 3
SuperFood.doc 3
There must be someone else 0
Treading water 0
MATES RATES -1
An Ex Rated Date -2
Footlights -2
Living With Danger -2
ROCK -5
hardcow -6
THE OAP BUS -6
dead healthy -8
The Pinkie Device -8
Amateurs script -9
NOT ON A SCHOOL NIGHT -9
Shit Happens -10
Old Man -12
Three Bitches -13
BROKEN RECORDS -13
Caroline R.I.p -13
Cometh the Padre. -13
lo-fi (3 scenes) -13
ReasonstoBeCheerful -15
Highway to Hell -16
NO PROSPECT -16
The Oldham Chronicles -16
University of Life -20
FOUR IN A GYM -21
Hi Kev, thanks for your responses. Did people cast their votes on the forum thread previously or was there a different method used?
The votes and reviews were posted on the forum.It'll be the same this time, I'm sure.
Cheers evertsen
Kev: So you actually wrote "Go Wild in the Country" and "Kiss Me Son of God"? This must be what Marc P was referring to.
Quote: evan rubivellian @ October 3 2011, 9:34 AM BSTKev: So you actually wrote "Go Wild in the Country" and "Kiss Me Son of God"? This must be what Marc P was referring to.
Yes. If it's not clear, two scripts in this months competition were written by me, under the pseudonyms Jane Simon and Jonathan Kirby. Try and read them objectively if you feel you must, or spurn them as you would spurn a rabid dog if that makes you happier.
Quote: Marc P @ September 30 2011, 9:41 PM BSTYes that's cheeky lol. And it is a good challenge, after all - you must know how good you must be to win through one of your competitions, having done so yourself. Maybe you should run a how to succeed in a sitcom trial workshop yourself? These cheeky scamps would surely benefit.
Just to clarify, I try and arrange The Sitcom Trials so it is as democratic as possible, with the widest number of people reading and choosing the scripts, in as transparent a manner as is feasible. So the only way to "succeed" in the Sitcom Trials selection, would be to be the most popular.
Similarly when it comes to the live shows, they are voted for by the audience, so the aim is once again simply to be the best or the funniest (or to have most friends in the audience, and yes I am aware of that possibility, but that's a different story).
So don't be distracted by my "ringer" scripts. There's no way they can have a greater likelihood of being chosen through this process, and indeed there's a very high chance they'll do badly because, if the response on this forum is anything to go by, some people are going to give them a No vote before they've even read them, which would teach me a lesson.
I hope to read, review and vote very soon. Anyone want to beat me to it?
SITCOM TRIALS - my votes Oct 2011
A Fish Tale - I'm afraid my Mac won't open .docx files for some reason so I can't read or vote on this.
Animal Something - See Fish Tale. I can't open .docx scripts. If you upload again as a .doc I could read it. Unable to vote.
Apocalyptic Cake Sale by Vic Gore - YES. Very good dialogue that could play brilliantly, and a premise that could turn into something. Very good dialogue.
Art For Art Sake by Steve Tracey - MAYBE. Too much talking, not enough action; Dread Zeppelin is a real band; and "what could possibly go wrong?" is the worst cliffhanger line ever. But I'll give it the benefit of the doubt as the format is promising.
As Plain As Day by Richard Dowling - YES. Jolly good fun, very good central character, and not a bad story in a short time, with good laughs throughout.
Doing It For The Kids by Ian Clarke - YES. A little Dinnerladies meets League of Gentlemen meets an old Armstrong & Miller sketch, but pleasantly Radio 4-ish with some good lines and promising characters.
Go Wild In The Country - written by me so I'll abstain from voting on it.
Kiss Me Son Of God - written by me so I'll refrain from voting on it.
Leaping Tiger by Dave Powell - YES. Very silly, and a bit of a stretch to imagine it as a series. But it made me laugh and is pretty original.
Love Bites by Colin Rogers - NO. For half the script two blokes talk about things that have happened in the past but nothing happens. Then they go to a party and surprisingly little happens, none of it very funny.
Main Text - I couldn't open the docx file, so can't read or vote on it.
Not At The Allotment by perfunctory123 - NO. Slightly odd and rambling, with a very sudden end. Not sure it was going anywhere, though the writer has some good ideas along the way.
Stepping Stone by Stephen Laing - MAYBE. Good attempt at characters in an original setting, but the dialogue is a bit flat and not enough happens.
Taking of Peckham 123/Footlights by Bob Johnson - NO. All a bit too News Huddlines for me. People exchanging gags rather than telling a story.
Talent Spotters by Sean Knight - NO. A very short sketch with lots of stuff in it, but none of it very funny.
The Mad Axe Man & Her by Debbie Rayner - YES. Excellent characters, dialogue and action from the start. A bit short with no cliffhanger to speak of, but I'm sure we could work on that.
The Tragic Life of Roger Bulwark by Luke Cedar - MAYBE. Original premise, reminiscent of that thing with the man in a dog suit on BBC 2 last month, and good story. Not that funny, but could work.
The Wednesday Thursday Club by Bart Hulley & Stuart Allen - MAYBE. Quite a lot of characters to squeeze into a small space, but some good fun starts and this could possibly work.
There you go folks, that didn't take too long. 3 scripts I couldn't open, two I chose not to vote on, 4 get a NO, 4 get a MAYBE, and 5 get a YES from me. Who's next to vote? You'll find all the scripts to vote on here in the SitsVac files.
Kev F
http://techpp.com/2010/02/21/10-ways-to-open-docx-files-word-documents/
This article may help those having problems opening docx files...
Thanks Redzed. I'll give it a go--my problem is that I'm using an old version of open office on an obsolete Ubuntu OS. But Microsoft do go out of their way to make things incompatible.
I've uploaded a .doc version of A Fish Tale for those with old versions of word.