The Comedy Room writers 2015/16
Editor's Note: is a six-month writer development scheme for writers identified through our open submission script room and other talent searches.
The 17 writers are now half-way through the scheme and last week spent an intensive 2 days developing their scripts for the opening scenes of a potential sitcom with expert mentor .
We asked them to sum up the experience in their words...
(Other carbonated beverages are available)
Christine Robertson
INT. ±«Óãtv WRITERSROOM COMEDY ROOM – Tues AM
Andrew Ellard talks passionately about sitcom mechanics for nearly three hours. We would happily listen to him for another three. He covers everything from the perils of passive characters to the inadvertent sexism of male-centric shows. He's keen for us to interrupt with questions but we are too enthralled. This is going to be a good couple of days.
INT. ±«Óãtv WRITERSROOM COMEDY ROOM – Tues PM
The read-throughs begin. It’s exciting to hear everyone’s writing voice for the first time. Andrew powers through insightful, articulate feedback at an alarming rate. How can someone remain so focused, energised and thorough? Two words: Pepsi Max.
My read-through is towards the end of the session. The closer it gets, the more I can hear Carrie’s mum saying “”. The process has reassured me, however, that everything will be fine. Notes are intended to build your script up, not tear it down.
INT. ±«Óãtv WRITERSROOM COMEDY ROOM – Weds AM
Each of us see Andrew for a ten minute one-to-one, aka SPEED DEVELOPING. The short window forces me to consider how best to use that time. I'm struggling with my main character's voice, so we focus on developing 'specificity of character' - an oft-repeated term and for good reason.
I have an hour to finish my rewrite. The first ten minutes are spent faffing about trying to find a quiet place to sit. I opt for some corridor steps. A security guard appears. I think she’s going to turf me off the steps but she’s just on her way to the bogs. Another ten minutes wasted worrying about my violating health and safety. I curse my lack of focus.
INT. ±«Óãtv WRITERSROOM COMEDY ROOM – Weds PM
Read-throughs 2: The Re-writening. (producer) is now in the room, giving feedback alongside Andrew. Having notes from a production perspective is invaluable - and hearing more than one perspective brings us that much closer to the reality of developing a script. It's a team effort.
Structurally, my script is working a lot better - but my lead character still lacks specificity.
It is an intensive, inspiring experience - to the point where all my thoughts and conversations now begin 'INT.' This is momentum, and I'm going to ride it.
Comedy Room Day 4
Paul Parncutt
Turns out losing your comedy-read-through virginity is a lot like losing your actual virginity - it starts a little awkwardly, doesn't last as long as you thought it would, and then a man hands you notes when it's over.
"Stick that part in the end... lose the gag in the middle... tighten up that opening. Probably wouldn't touch those double entendres..."
When that man is Andrew Ellard, you know your next time is going to be an improvement. A Pepsi-Max-powered comedy machine, he gives his insight the same way he takes his soft drink - maximum taste & zero sugar.
If something's not working, he'll tell you. He'll also give you several ways to fix it. Plus a guided tour of sixty years of TV comedy. Often in the same breath. Honestly, his notes are brilliant.
So, if Andrew Ellard ever gives you one, take as much in as you can. You'll thank him for it in the morning.
Mat Rees
On Day One of the workshop Andrew Ellard was sitting approximately seven metres away. On the morning of the second day he was much closer, sitting directly opposite me at around one metre away before later, during the afternoon, returning to his previous distance of around seven metres away.
I can confirm that, at the distances mentioned, Andrew was amazing, erudite, insightful, supportive, entertaining, inventive and genuinely delightful. I assume that Andrew would be similarly amazing, erudite, insightful, supportive, entertaining, inventive and genuinely delightful at any given distance - perhaps three or even ten metres away - but as I have only experienced Andrew from seven metres away and one metre away I cannot confirm this.
Andrew Ellard offering advice
Ryan Grant
I've not read any of the available books about saving cats, killing dogs and neutering badgers, but Tuesday morning we had a torrent of information launched at us by Andrew Ellard, and now I don't think I need to read any of those books because he managed to condense their thoughts as well as convey his own in under 3 hours.
After lunch (no sandwich comments from me I'm afraid, it's a cheap shot. The crisps on the other hand…) we had the cast reads which was great for two reasons:
1 - You get an instant gauge of response from a captive audience
B - you get instant feedback from a captive script editor
Then came the long dark night of rewriting…
The second cast reading of our redrafted scripts guest starred feedback from John Pocock as Robin to Andrew Ellard's Batman (unfortunately no poles were slid down or baddies thwarted - #KAPOW).
To sum up - the two days have been great for the speed of feedback, pacing our scenes, forcing us to commit to deadlines and reaping the benefits of an experienced pair of eyes pointing out the glaring mistakes we're too blind to see. I think it's made us more confident about our writing, and I think I speak for all the other Comedy Room members when I say we shall go on to the end... We shall write on the beaches (weather permitting), we shall write on the landing grounds, we shall write in the fields and in the streets (not in the path of oncoming traffic or cyclists though - we're writers, not lunatics), we shall write in the hills; we shall never surrender our creative vision! Unless there's a substantial financial reward for doing so…
Joanne Lau
Andrew Ellard blew us all away with his talk in the morning. It was like watching Yoda explain the Force. He was so engaging and interesting that even a back-of-the-class doodler/lurker like myself put up my hand to ask a question. He begged us to ask anything we wanted, and always had something helpful and practical to give us in response.
Hearing everyone's scenes read out was way too much fun for something supposedly educational, but the feedback. DAMN. Watching Andrew Ellard give feedback was like watching that scene in where kicks ass: graceful, deadly, and accurate. It was like, 'HOW IS HE KEEPING UP WITH THIS ALL?!' and he nailed it every time AND made it look effortless.
Patrick Coyle
It's easy, as a writer, to get stuck in the bubble of a script you're working on and lose perspective on it. It was great to get someone else's perspective, especially one of the industry's top script editors who has helped guide many a draft to being broadcast-ready. Andrew's advice -- not to mention John Pocock providing a producer's angle on proceedings -- is invaluable in shaping not just the pilot I'm working on currently, but in providing solid criteria to check all future scripts against.
I would love to spend the rest of my life doing frantic overnight rewrites in hotel rooms. It was knackering, but I wish we were still there!
Comedy Room Day 5
Laurence Tratalos
Hearing your script read out by a group of actors is both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I can see why stand-ups get hooked, there’s something quite addictive about hearing your work generate laughs. And of course the reads were even more intense because of the presence of script guru Andrew Ellard. That man knows comedy. As once said ‘I wish Andrew came as an app’ and I can see what he means. His ability to analyse each script instantly and highlight its shortcomings was quite remarkable.
We were then tasked with taking on board the notes and re-writing our scenes overnight. This was harder than I thought it might be. You can’t really second guess yourself in such a short amount of time, you have to go with your gut instinct and hope it works.
I practically re-wrote all my scenes but the reaction was far more positive on the second read. And John Pocock (comedy producer) kindly came down to listen into our work and provide Andrew with some welcome respite.
I was so tired by the end I left the ±«Óãtv without my suitcase and had to run back to get it.
And as there were no writers overdosing on morphine this time you’d have to say it was a resounding success.
Lee Coan
Andrew Ellard talks a lot, at great speed. However unlike most people who never shutup, every word seems to be extremely well thought out and clever. The man is a machine. I think he might know more about what makes a great sitcom than anyone else I've ever met, and I once met Ricky Gervais. Sorry for the name drop, what a dick!
Anyway, he delivered us wave after wave of brilliant information, refuelled with Pepsi Max, and then sat back and listened to some very talented actors read our hopefully funny scenes. The notes he gave us were cutting but never offensive, open not dictating - the kind of notes that spark your imagination instead of making you want to go home, cry and never write a word again.
I personally think everybody's work was a massive improvement the second time around, and it was great to not only see what was / wasn’t working with mine, but how the other writers reacted to their notes, and made their already very funny stuff somehow funnier. I feel like I learned a lot and laughed a lot. Then I fell asleep on a train.
Watch an interview with Andrew Ellard (Writer and Script Editor for shows including Red Dwarf, The IT Crowd and Miranda) .
Michael Beck
It was great to hear Andrew Ellard's advice. I'd completely forgotten to get to the actual theme of the show during the pilot. I was going to leave it to the end. Andrew told me that audiences need to know what kind of show it'll be in episode 1. One rewrite later and it's a lot clearer.
John Pocock advised that, while it's easy to run up pages of funny character talk, it's best to cut that so we get the best jokes, and you'll find you still have enough dialogue to show who they are / what they think.
Shai Hussain
In all honesty, I was seriously tempted to scrap the sitcom I was developing for the Comedy Room and ask if I could start a new one, but with constructive feedback from both Joanna Blake and Andrew Ellard, it's become a project I've not been as excited about since my webseries. What helped hugely was hearing the other writers' projects - they're all of such a high calibre of comedy with amazing gag rates that it makes you want to write better. Or crawl in a hole and die as a failure to even try and compete. Thankfully I'm a believer.
Sally Stott
What I learned over the past few days: I can rewrite a script overnight, but it probably won't be as polished as the version I've spent three weeks on. This may be how the industry works ("so suck it up writers", as everyone keeps saying) - but I’m the kind of person who needs longer than an hour to develop a main character, make them more active and think of a better ending ("so suck it up, The Industry". Oh, you don't care...).
I loved hearing the initial draft of my script read out on the first day. The actors were excellent and everyone laughed. Superlative script editor Andrew Ellard also gave me some incredibly useful feedback. Listening to the other writers’ work was also extremely enjoyable and inspiring. They’re all so talented and funny, there’s no need for anything ‘bad’ to ever get made again. Although, the next time I come across something I don’t like on TV, I’ll be more sympathetic – imagining the writer, alone in a hotel room, trying to achieve the impossible with only a headache, a deadline and box of complimentary biscuits.
Tez Ilyas
What an amazing two days. I bascically learnt everything that was wrong with the treatment I'm working on. Humbling to say the least. Andrew Ellard was just a fantastic fountain of knowledge, an absolute stream of useful consciousness.
It was also fantastic to hear everyone's scripts read out loud and to see just what it will take to make it as a comedy writer in this country. New found respect for every writer out there doing their thing. Keep going and think of me when you're doing your rewrites; and any tips on how to keep yourself from bashing your head against the wall would be hugely appreciated!