In last month’s Q and A sessions I had two extreme versions of the same question.
First, how do you deal with an unequivocally negative response to your script from a producer? Second, what the hell are you supposed to do when your script comes back with feedback from five different people and much of it is contradictory?
The quick answer to both of these questions is the same. One person’s opinion is exactly that – the opinion of one person. Multiply that by five and you now have five lots of one person. And they’ll all have different things to say.
The reason this is pertinent is because for several months I have been grappling with the issue of “The Feedback I Give.”
The Screeching Sound of Feedback
Five years ago as the world shut down my immediate response was to come up with Build A Sitcom – a course to help you write an entire script from scratch in just eight weeks.
It was an instant hit and I’ve been running regular courses ever since. In 2022 I changed the name to Build A Script, to acknowledge how comedy drama had become an integral part of the BBC commissioning process.
The course was all about two things – 1 developing your idea into a script and 2 finishing what you start.
I love running the course and seeing people go from nought to script in eight weeks flat, but it’s a huge amount of work for me and involves a great deal of intricate feedback.
For me the biggest problem as the course progressed was writers getting back to me saying things like “I tried that thing you told me to do and it didn’t work.”
No amount of me saying “I’m not telling you to do anything, I’m offering suggestions of alternative routes you can try” can persuade people that my opinion is simply that, one person’s view.
I decided it was time to demand a second opinion.
One person’s opinion is not enough. And five is way too many.
How about two? And how about if the second opinion belongs to Adam Lavis?
Adam is one of the most respected comedy script readers and mentors in the country. How do I know? Because I often hear feedback from new writers about script readers they’ve worked with before and Adam’s name is the one that most consistently appears as the best.
Also I once read a script by Adam that was one of the best scripts by new writers I’d ever read which may also have coloured my opinion. The best writers aren’t necessarily the best teachers but it certainly helps.
This will lead to some changes in how the course is run. In the past I’ve given extremely detailed feedback to everything the writer has come up with.
I’ve Started So I’ll…
Instead of getting that intricate level of response you’ll be receiving more about the bigger picture. The big plus will be that this will only come after Adam and I have discussed the work together.
And we’re still concentrating on that other hugely important aim of finishing what you start.
My experience when working with James Cary on your Ten Page Challenges was that we almost always agreed on the headline issues, but then each of us brought other suggestions that the other would never have thought of.
The course will all be done online and begins on Friday 11 April. If you’d like to sign up – be quick, there are very few spaces available – then find out more here:
Writing For TV and Radio
By the way if you’re still looking for that intricate response as you develop your script, Adam will continue with his own “write a script in 12 weeks” course that does exactly that https://www.adamlavis.com/screenwriting-development
And I’ll continue to read your completed scripts https://www.davecohen.org.uk/learn-to-write-comedy/script-reading/