When submitting a script, how much do you all worry about the timing?
Do you take into account for example that - in between different programmes - the BBC need time to show people in wheelchairs dancing or men on mountains doing capoeira? And Channel 4 of course need ad breaks?
I suppose my question is really how many pages should an episode 1 script be? I heard that a page is roughly 1 min, but not sure whether I should be aiming for the full 30 or slightly less.
I generally aim for 30 sometimes a few more to allow material to be cut etc most people I've talked to and most books I've read on the subject say 1 page per minute.
I think I read somewhere that it was 1 minute per page for an audience sitcom (I assume to account for laughter or tumbleweed to pass) and 45 seconds per page for a non-audience sitcom.
I tend to aim for 30 pages per episode. Though it does feel insubstantial sometimes! Best thing to do is read it out loud for timings; at least that way you're delivering it in the way you intended (something actors won't necessarily do!)
Dan
If I have to take tumbleweed into account, maybe 2 mins per page 
I sometimes read mine through (I'm hand writing it at the moment) and it doesnt feel like a minute a page, it sometimes feels, 40 - 50 seconds a page.
as this is hand written I suppose this could be the reason but also it's my first proper attempt at a sitcom and I'm still having a we bit of trouble structuring scene etc etc.
(hoping to improve for my second one)
I don't think 'Pages' is very helpful here. It varies too much with formatting.
Andrew Collins states in his interview: "We went for around 7,000 words a script". This seems pretty good guidance for a 30 min. sitcom.
Quote: JohnnyD @ January 2, 2007, 1:05 PMI don't think 'Pages' is very helpful here. It varies too much with formatting.
Andrew Collins states in his interview: "We went for around 7,000 words a script". This seems pretty good guidance for a 30 min. sitcom.
Good point. I meant 30 pages using the radio sitcom template on ScreenSmart if anyone else uses that. My scripts tend to be around the 6,500 word mark.
Dan
Tricky one this. If you look at the sample scripts on the BBC Writers Room web page you have Ideal at 31 pages and 2 Pints at 50. Sit com scripts seem to have each new scene on a new page so, depending on how many scenes you have, the number of pages could vary quite dramatically. My own first (and so far only) completed script 'Crazy Little Thing' is 53 Pages and 6,500 words and, when I read it, it feels about right in terms of length.
Quote: steve by any other name @ January 2, 2007, 1:50 PMTricky one this. If you look at the sample scripts on the BBC Writers Room web page you have Ideal at 31 pages and 2 Pints at 50. Sit com scripts seem to have each new scene on a new page...
Hmmm, I've not started each new scene on a new page but I can see the logic of that.
I'm liking this thread I'm learning alot I like to say I know alot abou the processes of comedy but when it comes to sitcom writing I can sometimes find it abit of a struggle...
for example I have an idea of what my episode is going to do and I have a page of what scenes Im going to work with blah blah blah but now I'm writing it I find I'm running out of story all ready.
I generally aim for somewhere around thirty pages, then read it through with appropriate pauses, etc, to check the length. I think BBC like it to actually last about 29 mins, commercial channels about twenty four.
My Sitcom pilot was 58 pages and was written on BCC's Script Samrt. Its aprrox 7,000 words in length and has 32 scenes (most of which are Father Ted style cuts to surreal events). Anyway, every time I show it to someone they always tell me its too long but it runs to 29 minutes so either they're wrong or i'm retarded, both are feasable.
I think the problem is i start each new scene on a new page and there is alot of dialogue.
I've learnt to work 'inside out' too! I've tried the 'start a story and see where it goes' method and it was absolutely no use to me at all so this is what I do:
Think of a very basic plot (3-5 lines) for an episode. Write it in some text editor (I just use Notepad).
Expand this into a plot thats about 10-15 lines long. Each line (maybe two in some cases) is now a scene. Space them out in Notepad and put a big line of lines between them. Head the scenes.
Then approach the scenes in order of which I want to do and when and work on them one at a time.
I *never* work on the scenes in order, but as I'm working on one scene, I keep adding bits to other scenes mostly to maintain the storyline and especially the logic!
I've then got a storyline with a beginning, middle and end but very little dialogue at this stage (other than the odd joke, essential bit of speech to remind me what's going in this bit/that bit/etc). At this stage it's more a narrative of what's going to happen all the way through and not even nearly a script.
Then I work on the dialogue.
Initially it wasn't the way I wanted to work at it, but it's been by far the most productive way for me to work. It's all planning, planning, planning. Then writing. In fact, I'm beginning to figure out that writing sitcom is not anything like I thought it was in the first place!
(Oh, and save your work every few minutes, ideally with a date/time format in the filename so that you can track it when your computer inevitably fails at a most crucial moment. Make sure you email it to yourself at the end of each day to an email storage place where you are not responsible for backing it up, such as googlemail or hotmail... or both!) 
Anyway, hope this is helpful to someone out there!
Dan
Generally I plan it with a paragraph for each scene, including any bits of dialogue I think of that I consider gems (really I'm not writing dialogue at this stage) and will be able to exapnd on later.
It helps me to see if I'm neglecting bits of story (or subplot) when I look at the overview and see only one scene devoted to it for example.
Also, you start to think more about the characters because it's like you are reporting to one friend what your other friends have done so you start to feel them a bit more I reckon. I also think of actors and actresses who's be good in the role and get their pics off the web. Helps to make everything more vivid.
It's all personal though, isn't it? This is good for me but one man's masterplan is another's chip paper and all that.