James Cary
- 49 years old
- English
- Writer and script editor
Press clippings Page 8
Hack joke amnesty
This blog post should be Part 3 on the The Terrifying Process of Studio Sitcoms but there's been a bit of action on Twitter about hack lines that should be avoided in scripts.
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 22nd November 2016The terrifying process of studio sitcoms - part 2
It's Day 1 of the production week. Probably a Friday. It's 10am. The actors are all sitting at tables in a big square. Production staff are sitting one row behind, up against the wall (which is how they feel for most of the week). And so it begins.
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 18th October 2016The terrifying process of studio sitcoms - Part 1
A script that's been months in the making, and weeks in the rewriting, is blown through in six days and it can be quite alarming to see it all happen so fast.
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 11th October 2016Readers' Qs - random background props
@JoChallacombe asks: Often random background props make me laugh. Do I try to write these into the scene descriptions, or do I chat to the producer about how funny I think that novelty mug on the desk could be later on?
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 22nd September 2016You can't have your sitcom and eat it
I would argue that a decent mainstream sitcom will last longer than almost any reality show. Most of these reality juggernauts run out of steam after eight years or so, and then limp along for a couple more. A sitcom can last so much longer.
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 14th September 2016Readers' Qs - does every sitcom need an idiot?
This question comes from @andyrileyish, aka Andy Riley, an extremely experienced sitcom writer (Black Books, Hyperdrive, The Great Outdoors), a thoroughly nice man, and writer of a new series of children's book called King Flashypants. He was also a guest with his writing partner, Kevin Cecil, on The Sitcom Geeks Podcast here.
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 31st August 2016How many scenes should there in a sitcom episode?
Good question. And of course that all depends on the sitcom and the story.
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 24th August 2016When devising a sitcom, where do you start?
The characters are the key.
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 22nd August 2016Avoiding giving punchlines to just one character
If this is happening in your script, it's probably not an accident.
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 16th August 2016Readers' Qs - Do I need a final draft?
No. Probably not. Maybe eventually?
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 15th August 2016