swerytd
Wednesday 26th September 2012 9:13am [Edited]
Guildford
7,542 posts
Quote: Tradepressed @ September 26 2012, 9:15 AM BST
Hello all
New here. Some good advice on the forum, and the posting of unedited sketches that aired has been really helpful. Sent off some one-liners and a couple of sketches this week.
I noticed someone a few pages back was invited to write with the Newsjack people. Can anyone tell me what happens after this - is it meant as a one-off, masterclass-type thing, or do they watch you closely all day to decide whether you can come back?
Also...is there a huge amount of pressure on you to create something screamingly hilarious for them by the end of the day? I can barely do it in three days, on my own with no-one around to look aghast if my scribblings are incoherent nonsense. Except me.
Thanks!
There's a roomful of excellent comedy writers. You go through the stories that the script editor wants to cover, pitch an idea, 15 or so people throw in ideas to mould that idea into the best possible sketch, then you write it up. Then the script editor will finish it off.
You're not left on your 'own' to do it. It's very different from banging your head against the wall by yourself on Sunday night, blind to what's funny and what isn't.
There are plenty of people doing that, so why not ask who's about and wants to swap sketches late Sunday? A fresh pair of eyes on a sketch helps loads, I've found.
n comedy writers writing a sketch will, in the main, always come up with something better than a lonesome person trying to make something work when they're tired and devoid of ideas!
Quote: Trabs @ September 26 2012, 10:10 AM BST
You will go in and be treated like any other member of the writing team. It's pretty relaxed. If you do well, you will be invited back. If you don't do too well, then I certainly don't think it would be the end of the road. The producers ask you in because you have been consistently submitting material that they think is good, so I think they would bare this in mind more than if you happen to have a writing day where nothing comes off for you. If you do well on Newsjack it is also likely that the producers will put you forward for other shows and opportunities.
In terms of pressure. As a writer, you will be putting more pressure on yourself than the producers will put on you. A great benefit of working on the writing team is that you submit your sketches to the script editor who will then give you notes back on how to tighten them up or make it work better. There are some really talented script editors working on the team who can bring out the best in your writing and teach you a lot.
And all this too. Especially the script editor bit. You don't get notes on your sketches for Monday, but they are most helpful 'in the room'.
By the way, sitting there writing sketches all day is ace! It's like a job, but fun!
Dan
Hey Trabs, I wasn't wearing my glasses when I read your response and thought, 'That's a bit forward?'