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How NOT To Write A Sitcom
How NOT To Write A Sitcom, a one-day workshop from Marc Blake, aims to iron out these problems for you. Read on to find out more... What you will gain?
When is it?The next workshop is on Saturday 2nd October in London, W.1 11am until 5pm, with the cost being £75. Please bring your sitcom pitch, script, or scenes to have it workshopped in a positive environment. To find out more or book your place contact Marc via: marcgblake@hotmail.co.uk What you will need to bring: An idea, a pitch and/or the first five pages of your script. The more you bring, the more we can work with. Also bring laptop or writing materials. All material discussed remains the intellectual property of its owner. Testimonials from previous 'How NOT To Write A Sitcom' courses"Marc provides a friendly and informative day of training which will give me plenty of help in making my scripts better." "Marc is friendly and approachable, a great communicator." "Very good at nailing the overall vision" "The practical element is invaluable""The course provided a great testing ground for my work in a positive environment" "Excellent knowledge of the industry and the genre" "Marc knows his stuff. He doesn't just teach funny. He IS funny. Very good script analysis. Extremely valuable to the writer." "This course is very insightful. It gave me the encouragement and enthusiasm to continue to improve my scripts." Mark Knowles "I signed up for the course not knowing much about sitcom writing and with no experience. I felt I learned a huge amount, all of it taught by Marc with patience, humour and friendliness." Daniel Allen "Marc was very helpful in broadening my awareness and in making me realise the more strategic and business aspects of sitcom." Matthew Ross "Great for the opportunity to share ideas, work on scripts and learn from each other under Marc's guidance." Doug Davern "I learnt a lot and it has encouraged me to pursue my sitcom writing." Robert Johnson "A good course on sitcom writing, providing all info you need to know when starting out on your first script." Rachel Leigh Carter "The plotting and script critique sessions were informative and useful." Steve Rose "It was great to have direct feedback on my work and to be in the environment with other people, trying to learn the art of sitcom." John Corduff "We thoroughly recommend Marc's course. You will cut through a huge number of problems and the things that stop your writing from being successful. If you are serious about writing Sitcom as a profession you will do this course." Declan Hill / Simon Wright - Everyone's A Critic / Sitcom Trials "A ½ day in Marc's class taught me more than reading half a dozen 'How To' books and worked out cheaper." Paul Haslam – Club promoter and writer "Very informative and good constructive criticism" Oliver Ley "I feel much more able now to realise where I am going wrong with my writing and where I can improve" Martin Campbell "I found the insider knowledge really helpful and Marc's analysis very useful." Paul Campbell "Marc is knowledgeable, easy-to-approach tutor and believe I will be able to produce tighter, funnier and more saleable scripts after attending the course." Gary Bainbridge "It made me think in a totally different way. I took so much from today. It has changed the way I will write – hopefully for the better!" Paul Imrie "Marc has certainly helped me on the right track and gave me a clear idea of where to go next." Eddie Tyrell "I didn't quite know what to expect, but found I did learn a lot in a very constructive laid back environment. Well done Marc. I found marc to be extremely helpful, friendly and informative and would recommend his course without hesitation." Darren Smith "Perfect course for anyone who thinks they might have what it takes to write a sitcom, including feedback on your draft scripts." Philip Briscoe "Attending the course is steering my writing in the right direction. The feedback has prevented me from going down a lot of blind alleys." Colm Carty "Marc gets to the nuts and bolts of creating a sitcom." Dympna Jardine "It's the best thing since sliced bread." Gary von Hagen "Very informative." Steve Buckle "If you think you have the perfect idea for a sitcom then double check by going on this course first. Invaluable tips, which Marc delivered very well." David Richardson "Informative. Marc sheds light on the common pitfalls of sitcom writing." Greg Jennings "It is clear that Marc has a passion for sitcom. He really knows his stuff." Emma Macarthur "Genuinely helpful and has given me things to think about." David Leydon "A lot of constructive criticism which was much needed." James Boast "Very useful insights into what works and what doesn't for sitcoms." Pranay Sharma More About MarcMarc Blake has been a script consultant for over five years, for the BCG website, various TV companies and for the South African Broadcasting Company. He has taught sitcom and comedy writing for fifteen years at City University. Successful students include Catherine Tate. As BSG consultant his clients have recently sold scripts to both the BBC and Channel Four (2008). He is the author of: "How To Be A Sitcom Writer" and "How To Be A Comedy Writer" (Summersdale 2005). Marc also runs ten week courses at Kensington and Chelsea College (KCC). Please contact Marc (marcgblake@hotmail.co.uk) for more details. |
WRITERS' AREA
90% of sitcom scripts are rejected. Why? Often this is down to simple form and formatting errors. Sitcom is one of the most lucrative forms of TV writing and yet time after time script editors are given a hundred excuses to bin your hard work.