I posted a blurb about this last night, but for any aspiring comedy writers who think they have the chops to create a sitcom whose ratings we'll someday obsess over, here's the full press release with the information on the contest.
FOX BROADCASTING COMPANY, PROCTER & GAMBLE PRODUCTIONS AND THE NEW YORK TELEVISION FESTIVALTEAM UP FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL"FOX-NYTVF COMEDY SCRIPT CONTEST"
Aspiring TV writers again have a chance to win
$25,000 and a development deal with FOX.
This year, the winning script has the opportunity to be further developed and produced for FOX by contest partner Procter & Gamble Productions.
[NEW YORK, NY, APR. 27, 2009] - Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) and Procter & Gamble Productions (PGP) have partnered with the New York Television Festival (NYTVF) today to announce the second annual FOX-NYTVF Comedy Script Contest. The contest once again invites aspiring television writers to enter their scripts for original half-hour comedy TV pilots for the opportunity to win $25,000 and a development deal with FOX. The winning script will automatically receive consideration to be produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. Scripts must present an original idea for a potential half-hour comedy series. Opening date for script submissions is June 1, 2009.
"A major goal of the New York Television Festival has always been to provide opportunities for new and talented voices to be heard by the TV industry, and this year's Comedy Script Contest is a revolutionary step toward that goal," said NYTVF founder Terence Gray. "We are honored to be working with innovators such as FOX and Procter & Gamble Productions on a project that continues to represent an exciting and unprecedented alternative to the existing network television development model."
"FOX has been a proud supporter of the NYTVF for five years running," said Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment for the network. "This contest, now in its second year, is a marker of our commitment to reaching beyond traditional avenues to discover new voices and to shake up the comedy development process. In fact, we are currently in pre-production on a pilot to be produced by Ben Stiller and written by Kevin Napier, a NYTVF Fellowship recipient."
"Now in our third year as a Signature Sponsor, we are proud to continue our support of the NYTVF," said Brian T. Cahill, Senior VP, Managing Director of TeleNext Media, Inc., which manages production of soap operas and other television and new media content for PGP. "Building on our relationship with the NYTVF, we're thrilled to be able to partner with FOX on a project that incorporates both the production and the distribution of a new comedy series."
The script contest is open to US Residents age 18 and over who do not have any contractual commitments preventing them from entering into an exclusive development deal with FOX. All scripts not currently under development at a network, studio, or major production company and meeting all other criteria in the Official Rules located at http://nytvf.com/2009_scripts_info.htm are eligible for the competition. Scripts must be between 25 and 35 pages in a proper screenwriting format to be eligible.
Writers can enter by submitting a copy of their script online to the New York Television Festival. Scripts must be saved in a PDF file format and uploaded to the official contest Web site located at http://nytvf.com/2009_scripts_contest.htm. The NYTVF will begin accepting uploaded scripts on June 1, 2009 at 12:00 PM Eastern. The deadline for submissions is June 15, 2009 at 12:00 PM Eastern, or when 1,500 submissions are received, whichever comes first.
A screening committee of NYTVF officials will narrow the pool of entrants down to 25 finalists. These finalists will be presented to FOX and PGP development executives. One winner will be selected by FOX, and he/she will receive $25,000 and a development deal with the network. At this point, PGP and FOX executives may elect to further develop and/or produce the winning script. Additionally, FOX may elect to enter into development agreements with the remaining finalists.
The NYTVF debuted in 2005 as the industry's first showcase for independent television. The fifth annual NYTVF will be held in Midtown Manhattan September 21-26, 2009.
The 2008 NYTVF was supported by sponsors such as Procter & Gamble Productions, MSN, People's Choice, the Hollywood Reporter and the William Morris Agency. Official Network Sponsors for the 2008 NYTVF included FOX, NBC Universal, ABC, CBS, HBO, A&E, Bravo, the Rainbow Networks, MTV Networks, truTV, Lifetime, and E!. The NYTVF works in conjunction with the Mayor's Office of New York City.
For more information, please visit www.newyorktelevisionfestival.com.
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About the New York Television Festival
The NYTVF was founded in 2005 as the industry's first recognized independent television festival, providing a platform to elevate the work of artists creating for the small screen. Held annually each fall in New York City, the birthplace of modern television, the Festival unites artists, executives, industry figures, and fans together in one forum to celebrate the medium and to help shape its future. Along with the Independent Pilot Competition, the Festival features panel discussions, network premiere screenings, and other special events designed to honor television as an institution and as an art form.
About Procter & Gamble Productions
Incorporated in 1949 as division of The Procter & Gamble Company [NYSE: PG], PGP creates relationships between consumers and brands through engaging content that is compelling, educational, and platform-neutral. PGP has a history of developing original content that engages consumers through storytelling using the latest technologies--which began in the 1930s when the company created soap operas on the radio, and evolved into television, award shows, television specials, movies of the week, sitcoms, and most recently into digital content that is relevant to the media habits and passion points of today's consumers. Current PGP properties include soap operas As The World Turns and Guiding Light, The People's Choice Awards, Gillette World Sport, and original content websites such as Petside.com.
About Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) is a unit of News Corporation. FOX finished the 2007-2008 season as the No. 1 network for the fourth consecutive year among Adult 18-49 viewers, while continuing to dominate all network competition in the more targeted Adults 18-34 and Teen demographics. Additionally, FOX won the seasonal crown among all viewers for the first time in the network's 21-year history. FOX airs 15 hours of primetime programming a week as well as late-night entertainment programming, major sports and Sunday morning news
I hate comedies, but I have to give this a try.
I have a few scripts i’ve written but sadly i’m in the uk so the writing for tv isn’t as widely recognised over here + i’m only 17 so i’m going to university first. Watch this space lol
I’ve actually been floating some ideas around for an original comedy for a while, I might have to try this out!
If I win and have the next big thing comedy series, I’ll make sure to work TVbythenumbers into the show somehow.
“Scripts must present an original idea for a potential half-hour comedy series. Scripts must be between 25 and 35 pages in a proper screenwriting format to be eligible.”
Huh. They seem to be looking for a single-camera show based on that page count. Twenty-five pages is definitely a little light for a three-camera half-hour show.
Good luck to those that enter. Remember that novelty of idea doesn’t count a tenth of what the excellence of execution does.
Harold, I doubt they are looking to make the exact script they read.
But my understanding has always been 1 page per minute. Half hour comedy, whether single camera or multi, is about 20-25 minutes. Is 1 page per minute only for dramas?
Julia you’re right.
25-35 pages is usually the expected length of 30 minute scripts, although I’d say 35 pages is a little on the long side for commercial supported television. In general terms the minute a page rule works out across the board when scripts are formatted properly. It obviously gets a lot more complicated when shooting scripts are formatted but no one should ever submit shooting scripts anyway because they’ll rarely (if ever) be read by anyone.
Beats what I’m making now for my ideas.
Julia and Alex,
Because the dialogue for three-camera format TV scripts is DOUBLE-SPACED, they usually clock in around 45 pages. Only single-camera scripts are single-spaced. Three-camera scripts often have a parenthetical slug listing characters, but that’s only one line per scene. A half-page of white space for scene and act breaks also legthens them.
Of course, every show has a slight variation of format, but I’ve yet to see a three-camera sitcom script that didn’t have double-spaced dialogue. I love exceptions, so tell me if you’ve seen one.
Example of a three-camera show: Friends.
Example of a single-camera show: Malcolm in the Middle.
I think it goes without saying that your sitcom script should obviously be dialgoue-driven and have maybe three sets at most. Four would be pushing it. Five is obscene. Six is criminal.
Harold, the rules say you can double or single space, so either one seems acceptable in this case at least.
I still think they’re clearly looking for a single-camera approach for this thing, but in real life, formatting counts about a quarter as much as the number of sets (which isn’t the most important thing, but is definitely considered).
Just realize that there isn’t much story to be found in a 25-page double-spaced dialogue script. That’s like 10-minutes.
Harold you’re working from shooting and series scripts and they differ greatly from scripts submitted as unsolicited pilots, which essentially these would be. Shooting and series scripts for multi-cam shows are written with double spacing format, incidentally they also usually include stage directions in all caps which is a major do not do for any aspiring screenwriters.
However unsolicited comedy scripts should never be submitted formatted in that way because chances are no one will read them. Trust me on that, part of my job is reading unsolicited scripts and comedy scripts submitted like that never get read because the primary purpose of reading unsolicited scripts is not to pick-up a pilot or series but to pick-up a writer. What Fox is looking for with this contest is a writer with talent and to gauge a writers talent you want to know if they can write a fully structured and formatted script, not just the dialogue which is essentially how shooting and series scripts for multi-cams are formatted.
As things stand I would place good money on the chances of the person who wins this contest actually getting their show made is minimal at best, what is much more likely is that they’ll be given a job on an existing or new show as a staff writer and even then its unlikely that they’d be given episodes to write until they’ve proven themselves to the room. Taking all of that into account Fox will want to know that they’ve found someone who can just as easily go and work on Family Guy as they can Til Death and for that they need fully formatted scripts.
Alex says: “Shooting and series scripts for multi-cam shows are written with double spacing format, incidentally they also usually include stage directions in all caps which is a major do not do for any aspiring screenwriters.”
Spec scripts for different shows that I’ve read from writers double-space dialgoue for the three-camera shows. They’re not aspiring writers. Those are agent submissions. You can choose to disbelieve that, if you like. My feelings will not be hurt.
Alex says: “However unsolicited comedy scripts should never be submitted formatted in that way because chances are no one will read them.”
I’d agree with “unsolicited comedy scripts should never be submitted.” I’ve never read one. I’m not sure why you do which seems odd. I’m sure they’re almost unanimously awful. There is less risk in it these days, though. I don’t think anyone maintains a “wall of shame” featuring the title pages of unsolicited howlers anymore. Agent spec submissions are at least generally well written. The ones that aren’t seem stale more than fundamentally flawed.
In this case, scripts are obviously being solicited. I think it’s clear that they’re looking for a single-camera show, but please, by all means, do what you want. I’m not the one receiving them.
Alex says: “Taking all of that into account Fox will want to know that they’ve found someone who can just as easily go and work on Family Guy as they can Til Death and for that they need fully formatted scripts.”
That’s a really odd comment. Writers for animation and other live action shows are not interchangeable. They’re often not even in the same union. FOX animation (for the most part and maybe entirely again) is an exception as far as being in the same union, but people who write for animation usually have actual animation ability, not just writing.
“Spec scripts for different shows that I’ve read from writers double-space dialgoue for the three-camera shows. They’re not aspiring writers. Those are agent submissions. You can choose to disbelieve that, if you like. My feelings will not be hurt.”
I hate the phrase ‘spec script’ with a passion because its morphed into horrible different meanings depending on where you are and who you’re talking to. With that said I don’t find it hard to believe you’ve read spec scripts formatted with double spacing (there are thousands of them online) but all of them are meaningless when it comes to this contest and general script submission. Anyone who submit’s a script in that form will find it a thousand times harder to make any head way unless they’re an established writer pitching a show to a network or have been specifically asked by a network or agent to produce the script in that format.
I’ll also say depending on what definition of spec script you’re using its possible the scripts you’ve read are just generally meaningless in every way. And I will also point out that writers with agents are still aspiring writers. Unless you’re working you’re an aspiring writer.
“I’d agree with “unsolicited comedy scripts should never be submitted.” I’ve never read one. I’m not sure why you do which seems odd. I’m sure they’re almost unanimously awful. There is less risk in it these days, though. I don’t think anyone maintains a “wall of shame” featuring the title pages of unsolicited howlers anymore. Agent spec submissions are at least generally well written. The ones that aren’t seem stale more than fundamentally flawed.”
A huge number of writers currently working in television started with unsolicited scripts and there are millions of them submitted to agents, production companies and networks every year. Unsolicited scripts are how a huge number of writers are discovered, do you think agents, production companies and networks just walk up to people on the street and ask them to write a pilot? I’d also say that’s it likely you probably have read unsolicited scripts if you’ve read a decent number of spec scripts.
In terms of the quality of unsolicited scripts they vary as solicited do. I’ve read some fantastic unsolicited scripts and I’ve read a lot of unsolicited scripts from talented writers who are now working within the industry. At the same time you have to weed through some absolute howlers. I’ll also add that this year I’ve read more great unsolicited scripts than I have great solicited ones, although at the same time I’ve read more unsolicited scripts than solicited ones.
“In this case, scripts are obviously being solicited. I think it’s clear that they’re looking for a single-camera show, but please, by all means, do what you want. I’m not the one receiving them.”
In this case the scripts aren’t really being solicited, which sounds at odds with a script contest but life is complicated. In very general terms a solicited script is usually something that a network or production company directly requests and will include a strict brief on what they want not a vague ‘comedy’ tag and they’ll approach specific people or companies. And again I’ll say no one involved in this is looking for a show, they’re looking for a writer. The chances of the winner of this actually getting their show developed or made are tiny and there’s no way on earth the script that’s submitted will be shot, it’ll be developed and reworked a thousand times over. This is a contest to find a comedy writer they can develop not a comedy show they can develop.
Also I can promise you if Fox wanted a single camera show they’d be asking for single camera submissions only and making that very clear. There are multiple reasons why the 25-35 page count guideline has been used, primarily because somebody has to read these scripts and probably in a short space of time limiting them to 25-35 pages means it takes less time. Secondly they want to know that the writer can tell a story and develop characters in 25-35 pages because that’s pretty much all they’re going to have in comedy form. Fourthly they want to make sure you can write that many pages, the number of people who can’t get past page 10 is extraordinary. And the list goes on.
“That’s a really odd comment. Writers for animation and other live action shows are not interchangeable. They’re often not even in the same union. FOX animation (for the most part and maybe entirely again) is an exception as far as being in the same union, but people who write for animation usually have actual animation ability, not just writing.”
Firstly I wouldn’t read too much into the show names I literally plucked them out of mid air to represent two different shows with different formats. Secondly you’d be surprised how interchangeable staff writers on any show can be. Thirdly you’d be surprised how few writers who are now getting into animation actually have any kind of animation experience or ability.
Thirdly you’d be surprised how few writers who are now getting into animation actually have any kind of animation experience or ability.
See: Mitch Hurwitz, Sit Down, Shut Up
I surrender Alex. Believe what you want to believe.
Also, ten page reviews, when practiced, is solely a film thing. Two scenes of the first act is the unofficial early cut-off for a TV sitcom spec (not counting any opens), so make sure your speculative B.S. is correct.
I know the the “aspiring” writers make a big deal about ten page reviews and two-scene reviews, but a requested or agent submission is going to get a full read. “I can promise you.”
I obviously am not knee-deep in script reads anymore, but I couldn’t take a 25-page three-camera script seriously. I’ve never even heard of such a thing. That’s so light just looking at it that I probably would have called the agent to ask whether some pages were omitted before even reading it.
It’s time to dust off and submit my completely original *** screenplay about two guys who obsess over television ratings on their website. It’s like Numb3rs crossed with the Odd Couple. Just with more full frontal nudity.
“On November 13th, Bill Gorman was asked to remove himself from his place of employment. That request came from AOL. Deep down, he knew they were right, but he also knew that we all use math every day. To forecast weather, to tell time, to handle money. With nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his lunchtime friend, Robert Seidman. Sometime earlier, Seidman’s own online newletter had thrown him out, requesting that he never return. While figuring out the odds of this, Seidman realized we also use math to analyze crime, reveal patterns, predict behavior. Can two tv and numbers addicts share a website without driving each other crazy? Using numbers, they will try to solve the biggest mysteries they know – each other!”
I hope next year they expand this contest into non-comedic genres, so I can enter my script about two men who crisscross the country in a classic Impala investigating television ratings anomalies and shows that refuse to die. The working title is Supernumerical.
*** Any resemblance to living persons is completely coincidental. Any resemblance to dead persons would just plain be freaky.
How about a comedy based around being the unlucky guys who have to read all these scripts.
“Also, ten page reviews, when practiced, is solely a film thing. Two scenes of the first act is the unofficial early cut-off for a TV sitcom spec (not counting any opens), so make sure your speculative B.S. is correct.”
Learn to read.
At no point did I mention 10 page reviews what I actually said was that they wanted to make sure writers can write more than 10 pages because there’s a huge number of people who start writing screenplays and then stall at around the tenth page. However for the record just about every production company, network and agent have very different guidelines when it comes to script reviews and a large number of them now no longer send reviews or feedback unless they read the whole thing because the sheer volume of scripts they’re now receiving has increased.
I can tell you that the BBC has a commitment to read at least the first ten pages of every script submitted and that I know of at least four UK production companies who have the same policy. I’m also aware of several US production companies and agents that will read the first ten pages of any script and then decide whether to continue or not regardless of whether it’s a thirty minute comedy, hour drama or feature film. But like I said everyone has their own guidelines on how much they will or won’t read.
“I know the the “aspiring” writers make a big deal about ten page reviews and two-scene reviews, but a requested or agent submission is going to get a full read. “I can promise you.””
No it isn’t.
Submission through agents are subject to the same cut off point unless your agent can call in enough favours and get the whole thing read. The difference between an unsollicited script sent in by an agent and one sent in by the writer is that the agents script lands higher up the food chain but unless it has been specifically requested no one is going to read all of it unless they like it. And even then I know of several requested scripts that haven’t been finished because they were awful or not what was asked for.
“I obviously am not knee-deep in script reads anymore, but I couldn’t take a 25-page three-camera script seriously. I’ve never even heard of such a thing. That’s so light just looking at it that I probably would have called the agent to ask whether some pages were omitted before even reading it.”
That’s nice for you but once again no one is requesting multi-camera or single camera shows here, they’re requesting comedy scripts. The point of contests like this and the vast majority of script submissions now made isn’t to get a show off the ground but to get a writer noticed. Agents rarely submit multi-camera scripts now unless they’re part of a full fledged pitch for the show because networks and production companies are much more interested in gauging a writers all around talent than their ability to write within a specific multi-camera set up because in reality that’s phenomenally easy.
Like I said they’re looking for writers who they can put into comedy rooms, whether they be for animation, single cam, multi cam or sketch shows.
Joseph: How about a family drama about three Nielsen veterinarians sticking their hands up network executives’ arses and down their throats, and examining ratings of any and every television show in their practice – cue music – “All Ratings Great and Small”?
Bill could play the Herriot character, Robert the Siegfried Farnon one, and Julia – well, she’d be a composite of Helen and Tristan