What? Can someone explain what 'Getting started' means as a theme?

The last comp I entered had the theme 'the creation of the internet' so I did a sketch about how the internet was created (figures), yet all the winning scripts were about using the internet, not the creation.

So can someone tell me what this one means? Cheers.

Hi 'Nuts

I think I have the same problems as you and think about it too literally!

I think these themes are supposed to be (necessarily) very broad so they (and us!) don't end up reading more or less the same script countless times. That sort of did happen with the Guantanamo Bay sketches if I recall and might be why we don't have a winner for the Time Travel send-a-sketch pitch yet!

I suppose their theme of 'Getting Started' is whatever 'Getting Started' means to you! For (a pretty bad) example, if getting started means 'the problems you're having thinking of a comedy sketch', write about having problems getting started writing a comedy sketch (see what I did there?). If 'getting started' to you means 'attempting to shave a wilderbeest with a small, furry penguin' then write about that. (I don't think you'd win as I think that might be *too* broad, but I think you get my point.)

I have trouble thinking more broadly than the theme too, but if you write 'Getting Started' on a piece of paper and brainstorm/mind-map a few themes off there you should get a few good ideas to develop.

Hope this helps

Dan

thanks for that swerytd. It backs up what i thought too.

The thing is that I remember the christmas sketch where the feedback praised how the winner kept so close to the theme, so I was a bit miffed when the 'creation of the internet' winners were all about everyday usage.

Anywho, best get cracking. I wouldn't mind if I wasn't so limited with my time.

i to think lierally about it and wrote a reasonable stupid small sketch about a lucky pen!! Oh dear!! Needless to say i have binned that comment and moved onto alcoholism!! With all the best intentions, obviously!! Prop comedy tho!! Ahem. What??? Can anyone help the world dizziest blonde on this one. Although my continued confusion on what makes Catherine Tate so funny, seems to be shared by my peers on 4laughs

Prop comedy has slightly confused me a bit. is it basically what it says on the tin including more scene directions to get smacked around the head or something? more slapstick?

If I come up with, say, an old woman who does smack someone about the head with a stick, is that prop comedy or character comedy???

:-)

I'm glad i am not the only one to be confused by this. Its seems that there are issues with both the genre and theme!

I would say that the genre is having an object of some sort as a big player in the sketch.

To think we should be spending our time coming up with sketches not working out what they are supposed to be about!

I had a little trouble working out the brief on this, in the end this is all I could come up with. ..

INT. YIELDING’S BRAIN.

THE INTERIOR OF YIELDING’S BRAIN LOOKS VERY SIMILAR TO THE INTERIOR OF THE ALBERT HALL – BUT MADE OF MEAT.

THE SEATS AND STALLS ARE EMPTY, EXCEPT FOR ONE.

YIELDING IS SAT IN THE FIFTH ROW FACING THE STAGE. HE HAS A CLIP-BOARD ON HIS LAP AND HE IS DRINKING STEAMING HOT COFFEE FROM A 4LAUGHS MUG.

GIBLET GIBBONS ENTERS, GRADUALLY MAKES HIS WAY DOWN THE AISLE, AND TAKES THE SEAT BESIDES YIELDING.

GIBLET:
What’s on the menu tonight?

YIELDING:
Prop comedy.

GIBLET:
Oh good - what’s the prop?

YIELDING HOLDS UP THE 4LAUGHS MUG.

GIBLET IS UNIMPRESSED.

GIBLET:
It’s a bit obvious isn’t it?

YIELDING:
Yeah, well, I’m not exactly at the top of my game right now. I was up all night trying to make a bollock talk - so it’s the mug or nothing.

GIBLET:
Video entry?

YIELDING:
No thanks, I’ve just put one out.

GIBLET IS CLEARLY CONFUSED.

YIELDING:
Shall we get started?

GIBLET NODS.

GIBLET: (SHOUTING)
Okay! Let’s have the first one!

GONAD NIPPLETHWAITE WALKS CONFIDENTLY OUT ONTO THE STAGE, TOTALLY NAKED EXCEPT FOR A 4LAUGHS MUG, WHICH HAS BEEN GLUED OVER HIS GENITALS.

GONAD STANDS CENTRE-STAGE AND THRUSTS THE CUP IN THE DIRECTION OF YIELDING.

GONAD:
This penis transplant wasn’t the success I’d hoped for – now I get an erection every time I see a hobnob!

YIELDING:
Next!

GONAD SCOWLS AT YIELDING AND EXITS THE STAGE.

HECTOR AND SAUL TAKE TO THE STAGE. SAUL IS CARRYING A 4LAUGHS MUG, HECTOR IS CARRYING A REMOTE CONTROL HANDSET.

SAUL HOLDS UP THE MUG AND TAUNTS HECTOR WITH IT.

SAUL:
Nah-nah, nah-nah-naah! I’ve got a 4laughs mug and you haven’t! Ha-ha! I’m better than you!

HECTOR:
Really?

SAUL: (WAVING THE CUP)
Yeah!

HECTOR:
Well, you may have a 4laughs mug…

HECTOR ACTIVATES THE REMOTE CONTROL, AND A GIANT BLUE COFFEE CUP ON WHEELS ZOOMS ACROSS THE STAGE AND HITS SAUL, KNOCKING HIM TO THE FLOOR.

HECTOR:
… but MY cup runeth over!

HECTOR WAITS FOR A LAUGH, BUT RECIEVES NONE.

SAUL STANDS AND BOTH MEN TAKE A BOW.

GIBLET:
Next!

BOTH MEN EXIT, AND ARE REPLACED BY MOLLY.

MOLLY IS WEARING A GRASS SKIRT AND CARRYING A BANJO. HER BRA CONSISTS OF TWO 4LAUGHS MUGS TIED ON WITH STRING.

MOLLY BEGINS PLAYING AND SINGING A DREADFUL VERSION OF M-PEOPLES ‘MOVING ON UP’, BUT IN-PLACE OF THE WORD ‘UP’ SHE EMPHATICALLY USES THE WORD ‘CUP’.

GIBLET: (QUIETLY TO YIELDING)
It wouldn’t be so bad if those cups weren’t a perfect fit.

YIELDING: (GRIMACING)
Next!

MOLLY SULKILY HEADS OFF STAGE, AND IS REPLACED BY NORMAN.

NORMAN IS DRESSED AS A GIANT 4LAUGHS MUG. THERE IS A FLAP IN THE GENITAL AREA OF THE COSTUME.

NORMAN: (SINGING)
I’m a little tea-cup, short and stout, look at my handle as I jiggle it about!

NORMAN LIFTS UP THE FLAP AND WIGGLES.

YEILDING AND GIBLET LOOK AT EACH OTHER IN HORROR.

GIBLET AND YIELDING: (IN UNISON)
Next!

NORMAN IS REPLACED WITH RENTAL. RENTAL IS DRESSED IN A WHITE POLICEMAN’S UNIFORM. HE HAS A GIANT 4LAUGHS-MUG FOR A HELMET AND IS CARRYING A REGULAR SIZED 4-LAUGHS MUG.

RENTAL PUTS THE MUG TO HIS LIPS LIKE A LOUDSPEAKER.

RENTAL: (SHOUTING)
Step away from the biscuit!

YIELDING:
Next!

RENTAL SULKILY WALKS OFF STAGE.

YIELDING: (TO GIBLET)
This is just ridiculous. How am I supposed to salvage a sketch out of this nonsense? I mean look!

BOTH MEN LOOK TO THE STAGE WHERE SANTA CLAUS IS CLUMSILY SETTING UP A DRUM-KIT MADE FROM 4-LAUGHS MUGS.

GIBLET: (TO SANTA)
Get out!

SANTA SULKILY STARTS PACKING UP THE DRUM-KIT.

YIELDING: (TO GIBLET)
I mean, there’s not much to work with is there? There’s not one idea so far that’s worth a whole sketch.

GIBLET:
You could always put them all together in one sketch, throw in a second character for reactions and dress it up like an audition.

YIELDING LOOKS AT GIBLET IN DISGUST, LETS OUT A HEAVY SIGH, AND POURS THE CONTENTS OF HIS 4-LAUGHS MUG INTO HIS LAP.

GIBLET SCREAMS LIKE A SCHOOL-GIRL AS HOT STEAM BEGINS RISING FROM HIS CROTCH.

YIELDING RETURNS HIS ATTENTION TO THE STAGE.

YIELDING: (SHOUTING)
Next!

JANINE STORMS OUT ONTO THE STAGE WEARING DENIM DUNGAREES AND LOOKING QUITE MANLY.

SHE ANGRILY HOLDS UP A 4LAUGHS MUG.

JANINE:
Fifty reason’s why a 4laughs mug is better than a man!

YIELDING PUTS HIS HEAD IN HIS HANDS AND BEGINS TO SOB.

JANINE:
Reason number one…!

FADE OUT.


......................

It's official, Mr Yielding has a comedy brain the size of the Albert Hall!

COSMOS: (VERY DRAMATICALLY) My god if we don't stop yeilding and his comedy brain (VERY DRAMATIC PAUSE) he may just take over the comedy world.

Hurry get, Mvstott and midgetgems if we plan ahead now we might just be able to take him down! god I hope so!

But seriously, that was a very funny sketch and that reminds me frostyboy if your reading this we want more funny 4laughs sketches involving people from the forum there really funny. If not Ill have ago

I would settle for a brain the size of the town hall. Hold 150 people!!

quote:

Originally posted by Missyme25:
I would settle for a brain the size of the town hall. Hold 150 people!!

Oh dear, another typo error from MM25.
the 'a' and the 'i' are the wrong way round methinks.
Right, I really am off to the airport now (awaiting taxi)
Sithee
btc

That 'Yielding's Brain' sketch there is far and away one of the most creative and expertly-crafted pieces I've seen on here.

When you think of a lot of the junk that gets re-commissioned again and again on TV these days, it seems unbelievable material like that isn't breaking through and reaching the wide audience it deserves to. Phenomenal job.

Thanks Seth. I've been questioning my 'comedy credentials' a lot recently, wondering if I'm barking up the wrong tree. A lot of the entries I put forward thinking they had a strong chance of winning haven't even placed, while others I just threw together at the last minute have been winning all the points... and I've felt the same about other contributors work too, many I thought were guaranteed to win have barely placed at all, leading me to think that I may not be a very good judge of what is and isn't funny, which is why I wasn't sure about the above sketch's worth.

Yeilding some people are ment to be builders others businessmen then further down the spectrum there are people like us with comedy running through our vains and if we have doubts we shall cast them aside and look at your comedy ladder position and smile.

I also have been knocked abit recently what with me having abit of writers block, falling down the ladder and yeildings trouble of thinking a good script you submitted not even placing (surreal compo for example).

anyway like I was saying it happens to us all.

Of course, I'm very glad of the points I've recieved thus far, but in truth I think my position in the ladder is more down to quantity of output rather than quality.

I have a lot of work that's simply dire, but the occasional gem has surfaced - unfortunately they're not the ones I thought would shine.

My doubts are genuinely about my perception of what 'funny' is. Henry Normal's blog suggested researching what's popular at the present time, but it seems that for every person who likes a comedy show, there are two who think it's terrible. Which leaves me with just three options...
1. Stick to writing things that make me laugh. 2. Stick to writing things that make a specific audience laugh.
3. Strike a balance between the two.

The wisest choice is probably number 3, but the problem is my difficulty in recognising the requirements of that specifically chosen audience.

I will of course keep hacking away until I find the right balance, it's just that I think more feedback is necessary in order for me to find it.

Although it sounds cliched, I've always believed the only audience member you should try to write for is yourself. I write the stories I want to see told and the characters I'd like to see come to life, and if someone else likes it too that's a great bonus.

Because the chances are if you can find one person who likes it, you can find two, and with a bit of luck things will snowball from there.

"When you make your writing intensely personal to you, it automatically begins to become universal, because in essense we're all having the same experiences..." Larry David said that, or something along those lines on one of the Seinfeld box sets.

That's a sure-fire way to get some significant trails laid in the sand, I think. The only question then is if you've left them on the right beach.

I just write whatever I find funny. I konw for a fact that this isnt always to everyones taste and is often a bit odd, but stuff it. Ive managed to get some small measure of succes with it and Im not going to pander to what is expected just to please more people. Unless a producer asks me to, in which case Ill gladly sell my soul. (DEADPAN)

quote:

Originally posted by Yielding:
Of course, I'm very glad of the points I've recieved thus far, but in truth I think my position in the ladder is more down to quantity of output rather than quality.

I have a lot of work that's simply dire, but the occasional gem has surfaced - unfortunately they're not the ones I thought would shine.

My doubts are genuinely about my perception of what 'funny' is. Henry Normal's blog suggested researching what's popular at the present time, but it seems that for every person who likes a comedy show, there are two who think it's terrible. Which leaves me with just three options...
1. Stick to writing things that make me laugh. 2. Stick to writing things that make a specific audience laugh.
3. Strike a balance between the two.

The wisest choice is probably number 3, but the problem is my difficulty in recognising the requirements of that specifically chosen audience.

I will of course keep hacking away until I find the right balance, it's just that I think more feedback is necessary in order for me to find it.

Yes you top 3-4 people do send in alot of stuff quite a pattern but thats good at least you lot have plently to send in after these next few script comps Im going to be low on material so Im going to have to knuckle down and think.

and I was told by someone rejection or something on the internet I can't quite remember that if you don't write whats funny to you then don't bother with it. I found that strange becaause I rarely find what I write funny (I do and I dont hard to explain) but other will laugh, kinda weird that.

and very understandable matt I would sell my soul for a producer to pull an encouraging face at my script(s).

I generally only send in one entrant per competition on here.

Right

Right???

okay so the compl xloses tomorrow morning and i still have nothing that is worth submitted!! Prop comedy OMG!!

Well, I'm a little surprised the above entry didn't even place... I kind of expected at least the top four.

Ah, well... cest la vie.


Maybe I should try drama!