Quote: Blenkinsop @ May 28 2008, 7:42 PM BSTA promising career as a motivational speaker beckons if the writing bombs out
*Shrugs casually* I try my best, y'know 
Quote: Perry Nium @ May 28 2008, 7:38 PM BST
How can feedback be so different? Page 4
Hi Leevil
Don't try and trick me into posting a silly comment as my 1000th cos after this one I must weigh my thoughts and come up with something quite special.
Do you or Aaron ever go out? Have either of you seen a naked woman perchance?
There is some good work being done in the field of helping netaholics you know. Don't give up either of you! That big button on the front is the off button, perhaps you should both tr.....
Quote: Blenkinsop @ May 28 2008, 7:51 PM BSTHi Leevil
Don't try and trick me into posting a silly comment as my 1000th cos after this one I must weigh my thoughts and come up with something quite special.
Do you or Aaron ever go out? Have either of you seen a naked woman perchance?
There is some good work being done in the field of helping netaholics you know. Don't give up either of you! That big button on the front is the off button, perhaps you should both tr.....
Blenkinsop, I'm working on a project and I need several terms for the male and female genitalia. Could you assist?
Quote: Perry Nium @ May 28 2008, 7:54 PM BSTBlenkinsop, I'm working on a project and I need several terms for the male and female genitalia. Could you assist?
Don't think you're gonna fool me Perry! My mind is a finely tuned instrument and if you think that my 1000th post will be wasted on answering your...
Oh Bollocks!!!!
Come to think of it Bollocks is one term. I'll get thinking and let you have some others.
I'm probably not adding anything new to this thread, but largely just to reinforce some of what's already been said - this game is all about searching for those producers/commissioners who happen to like our style of comedy. Not everyone will - in fact, it will leave some of them cold - but if you keep at it and keep searching, you'll find your own particular route through the business (unless you're shit, of course - thought I should add that particular caveat ).
Something that helps me is an old Jedi mind trick. You just say:
"These aren't the comments I'm looking for. I can go about my business."
Of course, it helps if the person who gave you the criticism is a talentless prick who has never produced anything of note in their life (or if you can imagine them as such a person). If the feedback comes from someone you admire, it's much harder to bounce back.
And yes, as was said; remember that in the long run, we're all wormfood. And the universe will eventually collapse in on itself too, so not even our work will survive.
Quote: Deferenz @ May 28 2008, 2:03 PM BSTI am feeling a bit bruised and battered today.
My writing partner and I sent out our pilot script to a number of prodco's in early Feb and I've just had one of them give some feedback.
Ouch! It was awful. It didn't have a good thing to say about our work. I currently feel deflated and pretty useless.
I know you have to take the rough with the smooth but the first time the rough hits it bloody hurts.
When the script was ready it went first to Marc Blake. He pointed out things he really liked and things he didn't like. He said we were very strong in certain areas and not as good in others. Fair enough. So we worked hard on the poorer parts before doing a final draft ready for sending out.
So why is it that where people like Marc Blake tell you things are really good, another set of feeback tells you the complete opposite?
I know I just need to pick myself up and continue writing but getting a knock does tend to jolt the confidence.
Def.
Sounds to me like a company no one would wish to deal with, also sounds like a keen, newbrush graduate that thinks he/she is smart. If the criticism is just cruel and not constructive it's an appalling way to deal with a writer.
Quote: bushbaby @ May 28 2008, 10:03 PM BSTSounds to me like a company no one would wish to deal with, also sounds like a keen, newbrush graduate that thinks he/she is smart. If the criticism is just cruel and not constructive it's an appalling way to deal with a writer.
Yeah but a rejection is a rejection, whether they give a crit or not. Why is a rejection with a 'good luck' at the end, any better than one without?
You have to face facts that as a writer you'll get rejections and bad times. You just have to ignore it and use it to drive you on.
Quote: Griff @ May 28 2008, 10:11 PM BSTYeah but a rejection is a rejection, whether they give a crit or not. Why is a rejection with a 'good luck' at the end, any better than one without?
Well firstly, a rejection with a crit might be more useful than one without. Apart from anything else it makes you feel someone is taking your work seriously enough to take the time to give a considered response.
And secondly, a polite rejection doesn't make you feel like shit in the same way a horrible one does.
Okay, yes in terms of advice you'll obviously want a critique but this how the industry works. If they don't like it, they're won't be interested and will you tell you no thanks in a short sharp way. If they like it, they can't do enough. That's the writing game!
And they don't really care about feelings. If you're going to get down and out every time someone says a bad thing about your work then you might as well quit now.
"That's a shit joke" is what a producer told me in a meeting. And he LIKED the script.
The person in question might well have read loads of scripts recently so doesn't have time to give it a proper answers. Also, make sure you research the person - if you can't find much about them (or anything) chances are they're not very important so just ignore their comments.
Quote: Mike Greybloke @ May 28 2008, 9:55 PM BSTIf the feedback comes from someone you admire, it's much harder to bounce back.
I once sent Graham Linehan a link to one of my comedy projects. He replied with "Sorry, not my thing." which was crushing as he's been a massive influence on me. I really was quite upset and embarrassed.
It was my fault - I learned afterwards that Graham's not a big fan of overtly-sexual comedy and this particular project was quite peurile and sweary. I wanted to say "Not all my stuff's like that, I promise!" but that would've made me look pathetic and whiny.
Which I am. But I don't want him knowing that.
Quote: Perry Nium @ May 28 2008, 10:18 PM BSTI once sent Graham Linehan a link to one of my comedy projects. He replied with "Sorry, not my thing." which was crushing as he's been a massive influence on me. I really was quite upset and embarrassed.
It was my fault - I learned afterwards that Graham's not a big fan of overtly-sexual comedy and this particular project was quite peurile and sweary. I wanted to say "Not all my stuff's like that, I promise!" but that would've made me look pathetic and whiny.
Which I am. But I don't want him knowing that.
If that'd been me I'd have gone 'Well, looking back, his work on Father Ted, Big Train, The Day Today and Brass Eye wasn't THAT good . . .'
I've opened an old wound now. WHY did I have to send him that link?
I may have to go and flagellate myself now.
[quote name="Griff" post="169159" date="May 28 2008, 10:35 PM BST"]
If you're going to get down and out every time someone says a bad thing about your work then you might as well quit now.
I disagree. I think it's perfectly OK to feel pissed off when someone gives your work a slagging - and then get over it, and carry on.
Anyway your four-letter response to Marc P's post earlier in this thread (which didn't even slag off your work) doesn't strike me as the reaction of someone who dismisses criticism with a philosophical shrug.
And it's perfectly OK not to be thick-skinned. We're all different. But don't go telling people who aren't to "quit now" !!
I'm not saying don't get pissed off either, BUT don't dwell on it further than about, umm, lunchtime.
I react to people saying 'Well, what you've done was a piece of piss'. That's what I react negatively too.
Anyone not thick skinned will get a bit of shock if their career takes off.
[quote name="Griff" post="169159" date="May 28 2008, 10:35 PM BST"]
I disagree. I think it's perfectly OK to feel pissed off when someone gives your work a slagging - and then get over it, and carry on.
This is how I usually react. Although it's more a case of feeling down than pissed off. Everyone's different though.
Quote: Winterlight @ May 28 2008, 10:37 PM BSTThis is how I usually react. Although it's more a case of feeling down than pissed off. Everyone's different though.
Well, of course you'll feel down - we all do. But that feeling shouldn't last longer than about 8 minutes. There's no point to it. Yes it's hard, but you've got to remember than one person's opinion doesn't make or break anything.