The Sitcom Mission 2012 Page 4

just registered and 1st post.....been scribbling for years without success and keep changing format to suit different competitions, requirements etc. seek some guidance from those whove had some success. am I best leaving a sit com to fit 30 min radio/tv and submit to bbc writers or change again to meet comp requirements ie 15mins stage. my sit coms have been everything from 15 mins- 30 mins long and been adapted for both radio and TV; as a consequence ive never met a deadline. sorry to waffle but any thorts appreciated.

Quote: smudger @ September 14 2011, 4:50 PM BST

just registered and 1st post.....been scribbling for years without success and keep changing format to suit different competitions, requirements etc. seek some guidance from those whove had some success. am I best leaving a sit com to fit 30 min radio/tv and submit to bbc writers or change again to meet comp requirements ie 15mins stage. my sit coms have been everything from 15 mins- 30 mins long and been adapted for both radio and TV; as a consequence ive never met a deadline. sorry to waffle but any thorts appreciated.

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Erm. I think you're asking "Should I adapt my 30 minute TV script into the 15 minute format for the Sitcom Mission or should I write a new 15 minute script?" I could of course be totally wrong but never mind.

If you think that the 30 minute script can be whittled down to 15 minutes and made stageable without losing a lot of the humour/gags/key moments then go for it. If it relies heavily on lots of TV-specific inclusions, like quick little cut scenes or specific camera shots, then it's probably best to leave it alone.

It's all a bit subjective though, you might shrink it down and it could well end up funnier and better because you've done things differently.

Oh, and the deadline is over 4 months away, which is a full third of a year. No excuses for missing this deadline sonny-jim.

its not so much a dilemma of writing something different, its more a frustration of getting my characters and plot ready for writers room 30 min submission, then a competition comes up like this and I cut plotline to incorporate shorter time and fewer sets but I just have the confidence it feels right.
i guess what im asking is, am I better to have a 15 min script considered in a comp that may eventually be considered for full length sit com, or stick to a traditional 30 min format with some film/EXT shots and submit to Writers Room. im watching the speculation about possible BBC comp/submission with interest - which only adds to confusion........!

I would do both, if possible. Keep your options open. And as Penge says, the deadline for this particular competition is months away so that gives you time to prepare.

Smudger yea cut your sitcom to 15mins and also write another for the comp. It's a great opportunity. Don't lose the 30 min one that you cut though, just copy it to another doc and edit. Good luck, it's a fab comp

Hi Smudger,

As someone who got to the Grand Final in this year's competition my suggestion to you would be to think about writing a sitcom specifically for this competition rather than trying to adapt something for it.

You're right, traditionally, for most pitches, you would create a sitcom of between 25-30 minutes and mix interior and exterior locations in there to best effect. In my experience, cutting a sitcom that you have plotted for 28 mins down to 15 and removing scenes that just can't be staged is very tricky - providing you've plotted it correctly in the first place!

It's a bit like having a rattle in your car engine, dismantling it to find out what it is that's causing the noise, having the bits and pieces laid out in front of you, finding the rattle but then having no idea how to put your engine back together again.

I would suggest viewing this competition as a very particular writing exercise:

it has to be 15 minutes long
it has to be staged
it has minimum props
it has no redundant characters

Try and come up with a situation that serves these criteria and work towards that to maximise your chances of getting to the Grand Final to maximise your chances of being seen.

The competition is a process, not an end in and of itself. Your script is more a calling card than a finished product, it will open doors that will allow you to sneak other ideas you may have onto the table when you get to meet the people who matter. So while you may think that a 15 minute version of a sitcom is a slightly strange way to pitch something, in my experience it has actually helped us bypass a lot of nonsense with the people who count.

As a result of people seeing and reading our sitcom we are working on ideas/had meetings with with Hat Trick (the one that got to the final and two others), Jelly Legs (Craig Cash), Tiger Aspect and Talkback Thames. That's in the space of two months.

Go for it, be ambitious, be adventurous, see the 15 minutes as a challenge rather than a handicap and try and cram as many funnies into the time you have as possible. If you do that and can get your work onto the Grand Final stage you will have bypassed many hours, days and weeks of waiting for The Writersroom to answer your call.

Good luck

Ciaran

Many thanks to all for advice. Good stuff

Is the production budget high enough for me to get away with submitting The Adventures of Simon and Declan this time?

Quote: sean knight @ September 17 2011, 10:05 PM BST

Is the production budget high enough for me to get away with submitting The Adventures of Simon and Declan this time?

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Better than that - as 'The Regulators' ended up starring one of them, surely you've got a good chance of both of them treading the boards this year!

I was told my humour is still in the 70s but what's wrong with setting a sitcom in that era??????????

Quote: Chappers @ September 1 2011, 10:25 PM BST

Great. Maybe I'll be a little bit more disciplined - or discipline my writing partner. She does get carried away.

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You old, unfaithful, cheating bastard!

Quote: Chappers @ September 3 2011, 10:21 PM BST

Yes - it does seem a bit overdue.

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Pregnant?

Might give this a go, is it too late to start one?? I do have ideas but nothing written down yet. Is 15 pages = 15 minutes?

Shandonbelle--the deadline is at the end of January so you have plenty of time. Though there is a discount on the entry fee for early bird entries.

The usual timing, as far as I'm aware, is one page per minute. So, yes, 15 pages = 15 minutes.

Thanks Evan, been looking at the website for more info, I might book myself on one of the workshops.

My Sitcom Mission entry (16pgs) became my Laughing Stock (28pgs) entry.

Then I realised my Laughing Stock Entry had better dialogue and and pushed along at a better pace, so reworked that for Sitcom Mission, turning it to completely interior locations, and putting any important dialogue from external locations into those scenes.

Really glad I hadn't sent my Sitcom Mission entry from the off back in December/January because the rewrite worked better. Obviously I got nowhere, but it taught me that it was best to work to deadline, stops missed opportunities.