Contributors

Friday, March 14, 2008

Unlucky you!

Unlucky for picking Are You Being Served!  However there is lots out there so get searching.  Try youtube for clips and character/actor summaries will be fairly easy.  Can't wait to see what you come up with!  Try to keep it clean though - it isn't the most politically correct programme so be careful.  
The Following were the cast of Are You Being Served:

Cast

Frank Thornton
Captain Peacock
John Inman
Mr Humphries
Mollie Sugden
Mrs Slocombe
Wendy Richard
Miss Brahms
Nicholas Smith
Mr Cuthbert Rumbold
Harold Bennett
Young Mr Grace
Trevor Bannister
Mr Lucas
Arthur Brough
Mr Grainger
Arthur English
Mr Harmen
Larry Martyn
Mr Mash
Mike Berry
Mr Spooner
Kenneth Waller
Old Mr Grace
Penny Irving
Miss Bakewell (secretary)
Vivienne Johnson
Nurse


Good ol' copy and paste

The Treatment

A treatment is generally more inclusive than a synopsis (which condenses the story into a few paragraphs), and also more dramatic. Its purpose is to create curiosity and enthusiasm for your script while describing the basic elements: leading characters, key scenes, overall storyline, mood, tone and/or genre of the piece, and any themes to be developed or explored. Unlike the script itself, which should be prosaic to a fault, a certain amount of poetic or colourful prose is permitted, even recommended, in a treatment, in order to make it more "persuasive." While your screenplay should limit itself to describing in simple terms what needs to be shot, a treatment is allowed to speculate (or fantasise) about how the finished programme might look, to discuss the overall effect you are shooting for, and to dramatize, not just describe, the action. This is mostly a matter of taste, however; some treatments are just highly detailed synopses


Synopsis

A synopsis generally implies something much shorter than the average treatment, probably a page at the most. Unless you have written an extremely basic script, a synopsis will have to omit most of the action and focus on the main points. For this reason, some screenwriters find composing a synopsis more taxing than writing the original script. Imagine trying to sum up the plot of The Godfather or The Matrix in a couple of paragraphs! Economy of language and description is something that comes more easily to advertisers than to writers, who naturally tend towards volume and eloquence rather than terseness and economy. But it can be a useful exercise to sum up your script in a handful of phrases. Being forced to focus on what is integral to story and theme can help draw out the essence of your piece and place it into a new perspective.


Since you can't describe the whole plot in two paragraphs, you will need to emphasize what constitutes the main thread, the story arc that takes audiences through your sitcom, and the ways in which this arc develops the main characters and the intended theme (assuming there is one). With The Matrix, for example, it might be easiest to focus on the journey of the main character, Thomas Anderson, as he discovers the truth of his situation (that he is living inside a computer program, his real body is being drained of energy by machines), and claims his power as The One. Everything else would be delegated to secondary or peripheral importance, and excluded from the synopsis.


Loglines

Finally, the logline, as the shortest, most concise summary of all, may prove the most difficult to realize to your satisfaction. A logline is solely for "selling" purposes: a couple of well-chosen lines used to "pitch" your script to prospective buyers. Think about what inspired you to write your script, what you most like about it, and what makes it stand out from other sitcoms


With all of these forms-treatment, synopsis, and logline- you will want to focus on those elements that are most exciting, challenging, intriguing and original in your script, taking care to place them in a context (that of genre, for example) that is both familiar and accessible to the reader, so reassuring them that your script is "marketable."

On Wednesdays lesson me and Katie T had the strees of creating our own Sitcom. The Sitcom was as follows: the setting was at a firestation and our main characters were 5 incredible gay firemen who were all overweight. The situation in out sitcom arose when one of the firemen wasn't allowed in international fireman of the year and thus all the firemen went on a sponsored diet. The now quiet and peaceful firestation is thrust in a frenzy of spiteful gay firemen racing to the finishline of weightloss.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Hey

Your site is looking good - you've mastered links, pictures etc. However, this is for you sitcoms so not really about you! Unless you're discussing your favourite sitcoms. Oh and enable comments for me then I don't need to write a post for all to see! See you tomorrow.