Just sent off my one liners.
Newsjack - Series 5 Page 13
Quote: Lazarus Goldfinger @ September 12 2011, 10:23 PM BSTI do have a couple of questions for all you wisened old Newsjack sages on here:
1. If your sketch gets rejected in the first week, is it worth re-jigging it and resubmitting it for the second week, or is that usually a waste of time?
2. In BCG'ers experience, what is the average success/hit rate of sketches and one-liners people send to Newsjack? e.g. Do you get one line on per show? One line on per series? In other words, if I send sketches and one-liners in to Newsjack, exactly how low should I set my expectations?
Oh, hello everyone by the way!
Don't resubmit it.
For a 'beginner', as it were, you should be aiming to get one thing (anything!) into the series and be happy with that, I would say. Any more than that and you'd be considered 'a regular'!
Dan
Quote: Lazarus Goldfinger @ September 12 2011, 10:23 PM BST1. If your sketch gets rejected in the first week, is it worth re-jigging it and resubmitting it for the second week, or is that usually a waste of time?
2. In BCG'ers experience, what is the average success/hit rate of sketches and one-liners people send to Newsjack? e.g. Do you get one line on per show? One line on per series? In other words, if I send sketches and one-liners in to Newsjack, exactly how low should I set my expectations?
I'd echo Sooty's views on this and the latest Writers' Room blog would seem to back him up. They want sketches on the last week's news and if it wasn't good enough for one week why would it be good enough for the next? Having said that I've found good sketch ideas are never really dead and what didn't work for that news story can be re-written a year later in a totally different setting. So I'd say no to re-jigging but keep it on your hard drive.
And on point 2 I'd set your sights even lower than Jinky. They get about 1000 sketches each week and I'd say about 15 make it into the show. If all sketches are equal then that's about a 1.5% chance per sketch. Of course not all sketches are equal as this post points out:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/writersroom/2010/02/newsjack_special_guests.shtml
Certain people are more attuned to the house style and, alright, are funnier so they are going to have a higher hit rate.
Over the few series a few people have wowed the NJ types and got chances to write for other shows - Tom Neenan, James Kettle, Andrea Mann and Trabs spring to mind (there are probably others). Some of us have had a few credits over the years (myself included) and other good writers none at all.
But read the blogs, listen to the show, see a live recording, write at least one sketch for the prescribed features, submit one-liners and corrections and whatever else it taks to give yourself the best chance of getting on.
So where to set your sights? I think getting any sort of credit is an achievement and enjoy it if you do. But if you don't, don't be dis-heartened as you might not suit the house style but could have more joy elsewhere. Of course those elsewheres aren't the only mainstream Radio/TV open-sumbmissions opportunity...
Just got my tickets but it's flaming moved to Greenwich. Greenwich wtf. Fuhgeddabatit. 
Okay. I've sent one last gag. No more from me this week, as I have work to do and then lager to drink.
I think when the series is over, I might make up my own podcast to use all my rejected material (might be enough for a full movie soundtrack). The only snag is, all my vocal impressions sound like one of the Gallagher brothers.
Quote: chipolata @ September 13 2011, 10:22 AM BSTThis thread's the only time we see you anymore, Wolfy!
I do talk on other threads (anything to do with QI for starters).
Quote: Ian Wolf @ September 13 2011, 1:12 PM BSTI do talk on other threads (anything to do with QI for starters).
That's a bit highbrow for us.
do you say who is saying your one liner - i.e elderly woman, young man etc or do you just send the joke and let newsjack decide who says it?
If you have someone in mind then say so. They can always use the one-liner elsewhere if they want to.
Too be honest I don't truly know why I'm bothering.
I mean 1 line in 4 seasons.
I guess they know what they want and it isn't me.
Sooty. How about we do some collaborating* next week ?
*non-physical
Well you can buy me a drink first you smooth talking bastard.
But seriously lets do it by PM maybe Fridayish we exchange stories and ideas, work them up and then split which ones we do each.
I've managed to scrape together a few apps, that was harder work than I remembered.
Has anyone posted any rejected Apps that we can see for example? Hang on, I mean any Vox Pops? Are these the exact same thing? I'm getting confused.
Quote: sootyj @ September 13 2011, 2:50 PM BSTToo be honest I don't truly know why I'm bothering.
I mean 1 line in 4 seasons.
I guess they know what they want and it isn't me.
Do you get your stuff proof-read? It might be just that they don't understand your work because of bad smelling.