Quote: Joyce @ July 31 2012, 10:01 AM BSTI bought a puppy and forgot all about it!!
Poor thing's probably dead by now...
The Sitcom Trials 2012 Page 19
Now THAT'S funny!!
...I don't mean that it's dead...'cos it isn't.
Hi - I have a question about the Hallowe'en theme. Would gods count as supernatural, or does it need to be more traditionally spooky? I'm working on an office sitcom populated by various pagan gods; no problem with lack of props or number of actors, but would be grateful if you can let me know if that subject matter fits.
Thanks,
Kate
Quote: kateweb @ August 12 2012, 1:49 AM BSTHi - I have a question about the Hallowe'en theme. Would gods count as supernatural, or does it need to be more traditionally spooky? I'm working on an office sitcom populated by various pagan gods...
I don't know about how strict Vince will be with his criteria for the Bristol Halloween show, but talking for the Manchester show I think we'd be interested in anything if it's funny enough. So everybody, enter what you like but beware. When it comes to the final cut, the producers of the actual shows might decide not to use scripts that don't fit the Halloween brief.
Blimey, that deadline is creeping up on us isn't it? I'm currently in Edinburgh doing two shows a day every day so you tend to lose track of the time and contact with the outside world, Which reminds me, have the Olympics started yet?
Kev F
Calling Ed Campbell, author of Games Night
Is Ed Campbell out there? Your email Bohannon99@hotmail.com off your script doesn't seem to work. Could you get in touch with your contact details, the Manchester Sitcom Trials team is interested in performing Games Night in full?
Oh didn't we mention that part of the prize? Yes, as happened last year with Vince Stadon's Manchester-winning Checkpoint Dave, the team are rewarding one of the scripts with a full half-hour presentation.
If you want it. And your email works. Ed? Ed?
Kev F
Sitcom Trials
<kevf@sitcomtrials.co.uk>
@KevF That's helpful, thanks.
Quote: kateweb @ August 12 2012, 1:49 AM BSTHi - I have a question about the Hallowe'en theme. Would gods count as supernatural, or does it need to be more traditionally spooky? I'm working on an office sitcom populated by various pagan gods; no problem with lack of props or number of actors, but would be grateful if you can let me know if that subject matter fits.
Thanks,
Kate
That sounds very intriguing. Maybe, you could inject a bit of spookiness into the 15 mins that are necessary for submission, just to get it through the trials, then change it back for the next trials (that aren't spookified).
I've just noticed that 21st isn't a Friday. So, Kev, do you mean Tuesday 21st or Friday 24th?
Dan
Quote: swerytd @ August 12 2012, 6:49 PM BSTI've just noticed that 21st isn't a Friday. So, Kev, do you mean Tuesday 21st or Friday 24th?
Dan
You see, this is what happens when I don't do it all myself. That was Vince, that was. Friday 24th, he must have meant. Vince, what did you mean? Frankly, I'd be all for changing that deadline to Saturday 25th, which is more in keeping with our usual practice. Oh it's all gone to hell in a handcart.
Kev F
This is my Halloween Sitcom entry, what are you waiting for, get over there and read it...
http://www.circalit.com/redzed333/projects/project_1344827826/?readScreen=true
Hi Kev,
How literally is the no-prop rule to be followed for the Halloween comp? For example, are phones allowed to be written into the script? Really surprising how these little things are taken for granted when writing.
Cheers
Alan
You can mime a phone, I guess.
Unless you wanted it for the satnav, Angry Birds, texting, watching/listening to some media, or to stamp on cos it's run out of battery half an hour after you charged it.
Dan
Quote: Alan O'Brien @ August 13 2012, 7:47 PM BSTHi
How literally is the no-prop rule to be followed for the Halloween comp? For example, are phones allowed to be written into the script? Really surprising how these little things are taken for granted when writing.
Different producers and directors of The Sitcom Trials are sticklers to these rules more than others. The rules have developed over the years as a means of keeping it simple for the performers and as a helpful discipline for writers. Scripts that rely too heavily on visuals (eg trampolining dwarves) aren't going to work on a comedy club stage in front of a live audience (unless of course you're a writer-performer who takes it upon themselves to find a witty and original way of presenting such things, with a flipchart or shadow puppets, in which case do please volunteer your services and skills along with your script).
The Manchester team, in recent shows, have simplified the show to the most basic level, reading out stage directions when needed, and the audience go with that quite happily. In Bristol and London we've had a few items fully staged with props, which is very much the directors and actors' initiative.
So, the golden rule would be don't rely on something which might not happen on the night and therefore bugger your script up. Simple things, like a phone ringing or a doorbell, or characters entering and leaving rooms, can all be done easily by the actors on stage. Other things can be mimed, or have the stage directions read out as long as you don't mind that being a bit awkward.
Write it as if it's a radio sitcom and you'll make everyone's jobs a lot easier. Anyone reading this in America who won't have heard a radio sitcom since sometime in the late 1950s will just have to use their imagination.
Hope that helps.
Kev F
Executive Producer
The Sitcom Trials
Quote: swerytd @ August 12 2012, 6:49 PM BSTI've just noticed that 21st isn't a Friday. So, Kev, do you mean Tuesday 21st or Friday 24th?
Vince has replied, over on the SitsVac list:
I had to help organize a wedding recently, and I got *that* date wrong too.
And I can never remember anybody's birthday (not even my kids) and I once turned
up a week late to a part I'd been invited to. On the plus side, I cook a mean
quiche.
Yeah, sorry everyone, I did mean Friday 24th, and as Kev says, Saturday 25th
would probably be better. So - final deadline: Saturday 25th! Definitely,
absolutely.
--Vince
So, there you have it. The new deadline is midnight Saturday August 25th. Hooray!
Kev F
Quote: Kev F @ August 14 2012, 9:37 AM BSTDifferent producers and directors of The Sitcom Trials are sticklers to these rules more than others. The rules have developed over the years as a means of keeping it simple for the performers and as a helpful discipline for writers. Scripts that rely too heavily on visuals (eg trampolining dwarves) aren't going to work on a comedy club stage in front of a live audience (unless of course you're a writer-performer who takes it upon themselves to find a witty and original way of presenting such things, with a flipchart or shadow puppets, in which case do please volunteer your services and skills along with your script).
The Manchester team, in recent shows, have simplified the show to the most basic level, reading out stage directions when needed, and the audience go with that quite happily. In Bristol and London we've had a few items fully staged with props, which is very much the directors and actors' initiative.
So, the golden rule would be don't rely on something which might not happen on the night and therefore bugger your script up. Simple things, like a phone ringing or a doorbell, or characters entering and leaving rooms, can all be done easily by the actors on stage. Other things can be mimed, or have the stage directions read out as long as you don't mind that being a bit awkward.
Write it as if it's a radio sitcom and you'll make everyone's jobs a lot easier. Anyone reading this in America who won't have heard a radio sitcom since sometime in the late 1950s will just have to use their imagination.
Hope that helps.
Awesome - many thanks for this.
Quick question- is it considered bad form to put part of your script up for critique on these forums before submitting it? Mine is the first script I've written, so I'd love an objective eye to tell me whether it's going ok or if it just needs to be killed with fire, but I can see why that might not be fair so I wanted to check first.