The Sitcom Mission 2016 Page 7

I've just had someone DM me feeling the same way. Speak up people!

Quote: Harri @ 12th July 2016, 7:55 PM BST

The British Sitcom is dead. Written by textbooks, and overseen by box-tickers. Something you put on in the background whilst browsing your iPhone. That's why nothing sticks out from the last 10 years. All we get is setup and punchline, rinse and repeat.

Whenever I have been in attendance, all are so-so and nothing special, and you leave the one you know that will get the most laughs until the end.

This is not sour grapes; I just have an honest question for S+D, "What do all the producers you attract REALLY think?"

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Hi Harri

Thanks for getting in touch.

The producers that we speak to are usually looking for the same thing we're looking for. And, I'm guessing, what we're looking for is the same thing that you're looking for when a new sitcom comes on TV, radio or online.

So, what are you looking for when you turn on the TV? What do you get from your favourite sitcom that you're not getting from the current schedules and haven't for the past 10 years? What makes you think "that was brilliant" when the current crop of tick-box sitcoms makes you think "that was dull"?

For the list of producers see the first page of this thread, Harri...

Is Harri getting in touch, or is she just making a random comment on a forum? Suppose it's the way you look at things.

All we get is setup and punchline, rinse and repeat

Getting on? Him and Her? Mum?

You sure that your TV isn't permanently stuck on Two and a Half Men?

I'm not saying I'm the best, or a saviour or anything like that but my Sitcom Mission track record is:

2010 - grand finalist
2015 - commended
2016 - nothing

In between I got my foot in the door at BBC Writersroom, had great feedback from various workshops, table reads, etc. So I know I'm not getting worse, but this competition makes me feel like I am.

I'm not trying to sh*t on other finalists as a sore loser, but after attending last year, bar the winner, the crowd was dead.

And I don't just mean TV about rinse and repeat, I'm talking about this competition. I'm sure there are plenty of funny and original writers out there who manage to make inroads elsewhere, but hit a brick wall with the Sitcom Mission. Whether it's the opinion of the writers, or the marketplace I don't know.

(And I'm a He, but easy mistake to make ? )

Quote: Harri @ 14th July 2016, 5:27 PM BST

I'm not saying I'm the best, or a saviour or anything like that but my Sitcom Mission track record is:

2010 - grand finalist
2015 - commended
2016 - nothing

In between I got my foot in the door at BBC Writersroom, had great feedback from various workshops, table reads, etc. So I know I'm not getting worse, but this competition makes me feel like I am.

I'm not trying to sh*t on other finalists as a sore loser, but after attending last year, bar the winner, the crowd was dead.

And I don't just mean TV about rinse and repeat, I'm talking about this competition. I'm sure there are plenty of funny and original writers out there who manage to make inroads elsewhere, but hit a brick wall with the Sitcom Mission. Whether it's the opinion of the writers, or the marketplace I don't know.

(And I'm a He, but easy mistake to make ? )

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Sorry if we make you feel as though you're getting worse. It's not personal.

We had a record number of entries this year (since we changed the format). The ones that we longlisted all had something different or exciting about them and we felt that we could work with the writer to produce something of quality together. We may be wrong but we're looking forward to finding out.

We certainly had lots of fun last year and we continually raise our own bar and expect more from ourselves so that we can deliver a good service to writers and the industry.

Quote: Harri @ 14th July 2016, 5:27 PM BST

I'm not saying I'm the best, or a saviour or anything like that but my Sitcom Mission track record is:

2010 - grand finalist
2015 - commended
2016 - nothing

In between I got my foot in the door at BBC Writersroom, had great feedback from various workshops, table reads, etc. So I know I'm not getting worse, but this competition makes me feel like I am.

I'm not trying to sh*t on other finalists as a sore loser, but after attending last year, bar the winner, the crowd was dead.

And I don't just mean TV about rinse and repeat, I'm talking about this competition. I'm sure there are plenty of funny and original writers out there who manage to make inroads elsewhere, but hit a brick wall with the Sitcom Mission. Whether it's the opinion of the writers, or the marketplace I don't know.

(And I'm a He, but easy mistake to make ? )

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Harri, I have a 'grand finalist', 'commended' and two 'nothings' from Sitcom Mission (that's one more nothing than you!) - it's not about being better or worse, it's about pushing yourself creatively and finding sometimes your work connects with your audience, and sometimes it doesn't. I don't think the creative process is any less painful for writers who have been commissioned. We make ourselves vulnerable every time we put our work out there. You know you can write, so keep writing, because what else are we going to do?

Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way...

I'm throwing this open, who here wants to pool our talent, our resources, and our time on a collaboration? Form a Best of the Worst group, and show everyone what they missed out on?

I've got 2 nothings to my name so I'm up there with the best of the worst Harri, I don't think you could lower yourself to work with me

I heartily recommend trying to write with someone else if you can.

I've entered twice before, but I've had so much more fun this year being able to bounce around ideas and take the script off in directions I wouldn't have considered.

Quote: Harri @ 15th July 2016, 8:41 AM BST

Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way...

I'm throwing this open, who here wants to pool our talent, our resources, and our time on a collaboration? Form a Best of the Worst group, and show everyone what they missed out on?

View original

Why not form a Facebook group and give each other feedback and deadlines?

Some of our students have formed a group that meets in a pub in Farringdon. Pubs are going through a rough period. if you can promise them even a small group, you'll find one that will put a room aside for you.

I've thought long and hard about whether I want to weigh in here. I have decided, for better or worse, that I will. I do enjoy my own opinions.

On Monday, three things happened:

1. It was my birthday.

2. I was entirely properly and completely understandably rejected entirely from Sitcom Mission 2016.

3. A producer rang me up about optioning my script.

The script I sent to the producer was a longer, better version of the script I sent to Sitcom Mission. It was better largely because a) I had worked on it very hard and b) I struggle with the 15 minutes - I find I write better with a longer format because I let my characters breathe a bit rather than trying to cram all the funnies in as fast as possible. (Which is my issue rather than an issue with the 15 minute format per se.) However the character and the settings are the same, the jokes roughly the same, the story pretty much the same (with logic holes ironed out).

I am not naive - I know from past experience that a phone call is a long way from something meaningful, but it was still a nice and welcome surprise. But the point is that some people will like it, some won't. And that is OK.

It would be lovely if life progressed in a straight forward upward trajectory; but sadly we all know that it doesn't. Our lives as writers are the same; some we win, some we lose - what matters is that we keep learning and keep getting better on our own terms.

Declan and Simon run a competition. They pick the winners, and if you don't like their winners, then that is OK. They don't owe us anything. The comedy industry doesn't owe us anything. The important thing is to keep working, keep learning, and keep enjoying it. And if Sitcom Mission doesn't work for you - f**k it, go and find something that will.

Here endeth the sermon.

Brilliant news, Jennie. Sincere congrats.

Well done, Jennie. Was that your legal eagles script?

Not before time, Jen.