Started a blog to gradually post all of my Bravo Situation: Comedy entry

topic posted Wed, March 29, 2006 - 3:34 PM by  Unsubscribed
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About a year and a half ago, I created a full sitcom pilot script to send into the Bravo Situation: Comedy contest. This was a script I had already been working on for up to a year and a half before that. So this is material I started thinking about in late 2002 or early 2003.

Ever since my script didn't make it past the first round in the contest, I've been mulling over ways to release it. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that releasing it in parts in a new blog might be a novel way to get people looking at it and giving me great real-time feedback (feedback that could help me make it even better or provide material for subsequent episodes). So, a couple weeks ago, I started the blog -- broadwood.blogspot.com . After some harrowing formatting issues, I finally got it looking the way I wanted.

Anyway, the sitcom is entitled "Red State Broads" - and it's about several middle-aged and older women (plus other supporting characters) who work together in a small city's activities committee. In the first story (pilot episode), they are putting together a "Yard Sale, City-wide". I figured a group yard sale would be a good way to explore all the characters and how they all interact, in one fell swoop. Two parts have been released already, and Part 3 will be released on Saturday. For now, I intend to release a new part every Saturday.

To find out more about the sitcom and the cast of characters, go here: broadwood.blogspot.com/2006/0...rs.html

Well, if anyone is inclined to look it over, I will appreciate it immensely, and please feel free to leave comments in the blog or here. Either place is cool with me.

Thanks in advance for checking it out and giving feedback.

Best regards to my fellow amateur and professional writers.

Steve
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  • Sounds great, and I'll be sure to take a look at it as soon as I get a chance.

    I entered, too, and never heard anything back; I haven't done anything with it since, and can't decide if it's worth trying to do something again or not.
    • Unsu...
       
      I totally understand your indecision--I was there for a long time. The main thing pushing me to put my script in a blog is the sheer joy of writing it. I don't really care that much if it is marketable or not. I just love these characters I created.
      • I had taken several fragments of a still-unfinished book of experiences, and used some of the highlights to make a good 15 minute pilot with some funny stuff--I thought it would have gone further.

        I later showed it to someone else on Tribe who's in the business, though (they've since left), and got some really good feedback.

        So if they ran the contest, I'd be tempted to repolish and submit again, even though judging from the show, they were more concerned about demographics than they were about good material.

        We'll see. One day I'll have enough motivation to just finish the book. Even though its publication will hurt a lot of people.
        • Unsu...
           
          Regarding the Situation: Comedy contest, I honestly don't believe they even read all the entries as they suggested they would. At the time, people were estimating they were receiving tens of thousands of scripts, many within a week of the deadline. And I sent mine within a week of the deadline, as I needed all the time to finish a full second draft that would have sufficient quality. Perhaps they decided to not look at scripts past a certain point. Who knows what really happened.

          What really made me think the above is similar to what you said about them being "concerned about demographics". It seems as though the material they chose was very bland, with very poor character development. I couldn't even watch the show past the first couple episodes, as I couldn't believe the unimaginative crap they chose. Also, the restrictions they put the writers under wasn't just for "discipline", but also to remove any possible quirkiness and creativity, in my humble opinion, and that's the stuff that makes a great sitcom. It was "corporate cogs choose a writer who delivers the sitcom of their corporate dreams--a sitcom nobody wants to watch".

          I don't think I will ever submit my material to a contest again, but instead will do as I do now... release it and hope others will enjoy it... while being open to other opportunities.

          Re: your book, assuming that you changed the names to "protect the innocent", people will recognize themselves in your story. Perhaps you could twist the story around to make it less obvious. That's where imagination and the craft of writing fits in.

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