FAO: Sabbathfan (and other screenwriting academicians)

[Section_31]

Have started working on a comedy script with a guy off my course, he's a funny lad and I think he's got a handle on the things I haven't, while at the same time I seem to be able to chip in and contribute with a few ideas, so it's looking good early doors.

 

One thing is though, I know most comedy scripts have been written by a partnership, but I'm just wondering how the actual mechanics of it work? Do people take individual passes at a script, or do they divide up the scenes between them? If so, that must cause problems with rhythm etc? Thoughts yo?

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Jesus, I was thinking about this thread about 20 minutes ago as I was sat in front of the TV. Mad.

[chauncey]

One thing is though, I know most comedy scripts have been written by a partnership, but I'm just wondering how the actual mechanics of it work? Do people take individual passes at a script, or do they divide up the scenes between them? If so, that must cause problems with rhythm etc? Thoughts yo?

 

I'm no expert but have written bits and bobs for radio and, after two abortive attempts at partnerships, I'd say stick to writing alone!

 

I wrote a script with one guy which almost got a pilot on BBC Radio 7 (sent speculatively). Initially we got together to work on a non-specific radio comedy, each of us bringing sketches/scraps of ideas but just shot the shit for a while until something reasonably funny started to take shape. We'd bounce dialogue back and forth and I'd be on the laptop getting it all down, would tidy it up at home and send it to him. He'd read, edit and add to it then email it back. Would try and knock heads once a week over a pint but obviously most of the productive work was done by email until we had a final draft.

 

For me, that's not the best way of working because a lot of the funniest material is spontaneous and often a result of one-upmanship/trying to outfunny each other. This is a lot more difficult by email, but is how a lot of collaborators work.

 

Though of course there is no formula to writing as a partnership (Linehan and Mathews would each do individual scripts for an episode of Father Ted and unify them whereas The Office was written by Gervais gurning at Stephen Merchant in a room for hours on end). Hope it works out for you; it's a great feeling when you hit on an idea and both start to run with it.

Edited July 4, 2011 by chauncey

[Anubis]

Bumped the thread as I wondered if any of you had made any progress.

[Steve Holt]

I'm doing research right now for my honours script. Have to have it done by April. It'll be the only script I write this year. Feature though.

 

Anyone else?

[Section_31]

Finished an hour-long comedy script a few weeks ago with a writing partner I met on my course. Incredibly proud of it and I don't usually feel like that about stuff I've done or had a hand in. It's a comedy but there's some good social commentary in there and some killer lines and scenes.

 

We've got about three-four hours worth of material already written and ideas left, right and centre about where it could go, it's got lots of story potential. We've sent it off to a few places, he's got quite a few contacts already because he's had some competition success in the past. Just a case of wait and see really, but there are just so many factors at play that there's not much point getting optimistic, it's more a case of sending it and forgetting about it and looking to the next thing.

 

The amount of shit on the telly though just breaks your heart when you're trying to break into the game. If most things were like The Shield or The Sopranos or something you'd take it on the chin, but when you catch stuff like Eastenders and realise whole plot threads don't make even basic sense or simply disappear for no apparent reason, it's difficult to get your head around why the industry is such a hostile place for new writers.

 

I think Paul Abbott his the nail on the head recently when he said the problem with the industy is that it's producer-led rather than writer led. So for example, that Candy Cabs show (which was canceled after its first run of three shows) came about because a producer took a ride in one of those pink cabs in Warrington, phoned a writer she knew and said 'why don't you write something about this?'. That same writer will be back again with another project in a year when the producer takes a shine to something else, all the while someone out there with real potential has got his or her work shoved in a drawer. I heard of another one lately too, some writer who's doing a new supernatural drama for the BBC walked in to meet a producer to discuss project ideas, he was wearing a Ghostbusters T-Shirt and she just pointed at it and said 'do something like that!'.

 

The situation with agents is equally baffling. Many companies won't accept unsolicited scripts, i.e only ones that've come from an agent, but most agents won't take you on unless you've had something professionally produced. The BBC writers academy - 'academy' i.e a place of training - also won't touch you unless you've had something professionally produced.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I spent all summer toying with ideas but never got round to actually writing anything. I think I'll have to at some point this year though, which is what I need as I'd probably never get anything done if I'm left to my own devices.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

I'd love to see some stuff that anybody else has written - even if it's old stuff that has been rejected. It'll just give me an idea of what's out there and what others are doing. Is there anywhere on the web where people are sharing their scripts?

[SammyAftershave]

Guys, do you know there is a 2 hour video version of 'Syd Field's Screenwriting Workshop' knocking about? The resolution is not the best but I think it may be of interest to some of you.

 

PM me for a link.

[Section_31]

Had some good feedback so far from industry types. Some really staggering stuff too though. The latest nugget came from a guy that runs a Channel 4 competition who said 'Sometimes So often, it's less about the writing and more about WHAT you're writing about'. I'd say tell that to anyone who saw the Phantom Menace.

 

Here's some of the competition shortlist:

 

- a story about asexuality, based around two couples in each of which one of the partners is asexual. This was a fascinating idea - how some people have no sexual instincts at all, and how this deeply and often tragically affects their lives and relationships.

 

- a play about an aging male working-class Londoner, a lifelong Labour supporter who finds himself seduced by the promises of the BNP.

 

- a rom-com about a single career woman who decides to invite tenders from her male friends when she decides she wants to have a baby; and once she gets pregnant, falls in love with someone else altogether.

 

- a screenplay about two kids, aged 5 and 7, left in South East London to fend themselves for two weeks while their mother goes on holiday to Thailand.

 

- a radio play about a publishing company who discover a brilliant 'misery memoir' by an Afghan woman, decide to publish it to a fanfare of publicity - only to discover that the 'Afghan woman' doesn't exist and the story is a fabrication.

 

Yawn.

 

When you've been raised on HBO, dipping your toe in this side of things over here is quite soul destroying.

 

 

Another alarming development is that the chap in charge of finding new writing talent in the North for the BBC (what they bill as writing with a 'Northern' voice, i.e writing about brass bands, mines and unemployment) used to be a production assitant on Songs of Praise and looks about 24.

 

Here he is. See if you can guess the whole package before you click on it.

 

BBC - Careers - Usman Mullan

 

 

The gatekeepers are, I'm afraid, quite formidable obstacles.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Just starting to think about this properly again. I'm going to shortly be working a more normal set of hours, with very little work to do out of hours - I normally do much of my current work when everything is quiet at night - so I think getting deep into this as an outside hobby might fill the gap.

 

Any more luck with you, Sec?

[Section_31]

Just starting to think about this properly again. I'm going to shortly be working a more normal set of hours, with very little work to do out of hours - I normally do much of my current work when everything is quiet at night - so I think getting deep into this as an outside hobby might fill the gap.

 

Any more luck with you, Sec?

 

Just started another course actually, this time it's in TV and radio. After we finished the hour long piece we sent it to a producer and he gave us about 2,000 words of feedback and asked us to rewrite as a 30 minute 'straight up' sitcom rather than a comedy drama, which we did, but he still wasn't happy with it and wanted another rewrite.

 

At this point we got majorly sidetracked. We started trying to film it ourselves, or bits of it at least, got a decent amateur film maker onboard and auditioned some actors, but things just broke down, I was doing most of the organising (my writing partner didn't like the film guy one bit, which is fair enough as I get the feeling he was probably a paedophile) but the actors were pissing us off a bit too. None of them had done much beyond competition shorts but they all thught they were Marlon Brando "can we discuss the script, I've talked it through with my friends and we've had some thoughts" er no you can't, fuck off back to your barber shop.

 

We've dumped the project now, it relied heavily on Liverpool and reading between the lines we get the feeling it's not what they want. We're working on a radio piece now which has got loads of potential, but I'm working on my own radio piece first because, quite frankly, I'm sick of doling out my best lines to other people. The only downside is I'm disorganised and struggle with structure. My ideal job in this industry would be rewriting shit dialogue, as when it comes to planning an actual story I do struggle at times.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

I just want to write something with flair in the dialogue. Structure is important, of course, but I find the stuff I enjoy the most is just fluid and carefree with the wording.

 

Fuck writing for the UK or BBC or something. I don't even care if I don't hear back, I just look at shows like Californication, The Big C, House of Lies, and think 'you need to get into this shit'.

 

And yeah, screw giving somebody your ideas. Unless you find somebody who is your creative mirror, and you trust the shit out of them, don't bother.

[Section_31]

I just want to write something with flair in the dialogue. Structure is important, of course, but I find the stuff I enjoy the most is just fluid and carefree with the wording.

 

Fuck writing for the UK or BBC or something. I don't even care if I don't hear back, I just look at shows like Californication, The Big C, House of Lies, and think 'you need to get into this shit'.

 

And yeah, screw giving somebody your ideas. Unless you find somebody who is your creative mirror, and you trust the shit out of them, don't bother.

 

It started really well as a partnership, but now it seems to be me writing stuff and him editing it. Keep getting asked if I've 'had any ideas', and I'm like 'what the fuck?'.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

"Yeah, I had this idea about a couple of screenwriters; one was ace and handsome and creative, the other one was you".

 

What sort of stuff would you like to have written, or what stuff would you aim to be like? Not necessarily your favourite shows, but stuff you'd like to have done?

[Section_31]

"Yeah, I had this idea about a couple of screenwriters; one was ace and handsome and creative, the other one was you".

 

What sort of stuff would you like to have written, or what stuff would you aim to be like? Not necessarily your favourite shows, but stuff you'd like to have done?

 

The Shield hands down for me. When it was at its most intense, imagine switching the box on and realising you'd come up with that? Some of the throwaway lines are outstanding too. In some ways it's proabably been a bad influence on me because I like to include throwaway lines like that but it doesn't work most of the time, it really does depend on your characters and the tone you're trying to set. But I just like it!

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Good shout. For me, Alan Ball did amazing stuff in Six Feet Under. That was some funny, dramatic shit. I think Breaking Bad is pretty brilliant, too. If I'm honest, though, I don't believe I've got that in me.

 

Californication. yeah, I think I have that in me. Ari Gold, too. I think I've got some meaningless but funny stuff in there.

 

I'd also like to have written Juno. Quirky. Original. Yeah, I'd have liked that.

[silverlining]

Are you sure this is a good idea, Hank?

 

You're quite a boring person, and I can't imagine you producing anything I'd ever want to see on screen.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Are you sure this is a good idea, Hank?

 

 

You're quite a boring person, and I can't imagine you producing anything I'd ever want to see on screen.

 

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

I could maybe throw in some banal insults. It seems to work wonders for you. Zing.

 

Besides, you should read my Political Thought and Intellectual History dissertation. It was a real hoot.

[silverlining]

In this instance you are confusing "banal insults" with "entirely correct observations"

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

 

You see, I can do it.

[silverlining]

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

 

You see, I can do it.

 

Well, they do say everyone has a book in them. In 99% of cases they're fucking shit, though.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

You make me want to be a better man, Sil. I've got this shit on lock.

 

I don't know what that second bit means, I heard it in the movies. That's where most of my life experience comes from.

[Section_31]

Just bumped this thread without realising it's yet another which Brendan has tried his best to ruin despite having - as usual - absolutely nothing to add and yet still continues to be treated as the amusing forum pet, ah well we'll try and crack on anyway.

 

Been having a stab at radio writing instead lately, it's a lot cheaper to produce and you can go directly to producers with your ideas. Finished one a few weeks back which I'm really proud of.

 

The tragedy in this country though is that the only organisation which has any interest in developing new writers (I don't know where other organisations expect them to come from) is the BBC.

 

Take a look at this producer though, it makes the heart sink. Seems like the entire media, journalism, TV, you name it, is just run by these overachieveing accentless blerts. "Um, um, something's just not working with the script!" Fuck off.

 

BBC - College of Production - Profile: radio comedy producer