Experiment: Sitcom in a Blog

[stevietheman]

A year and a half ago, I wrote a sitcom script for the Bravo contest Situation: Comedy, a script which didn't get past the reviewers in the first round. (Darn.)

Anyway, since that time, I had been mulling over whether to release the script in a somewhat open manner (while maintaining copyright). Ever since I started developing the sitcom concept in 2003, I had been itching to let the public see it--who knows, this might be the next big sitcom, or maybe at the very least it could build a web following. I ultimately realized that a blog format might work. _Might_ work... as I really haven't seen anyone else do what I'm now doing. (Of course, let me know if I'm wrong)

Well, deciding to do it was the first hurdle. Then, I had to decide how and when to release it, as well as how to format a blog for the sake of displaying script parts the same way they would appear in an actual script.

As far as how and when, I decided that I would break up a story (basically a half-hour episode) into multiple parts, each comprising one or more scenes. And I would release each part on a weekly basis (or as frequently as I could write).

Then, as far as formatting was concerned, after a short, albeit hair-pulling period of time, I figured out I was able to export my script from Final Draft into an HTML format that, after some minor tweaking, could be placed into a Blogger post. And I must say it looks pretty good. (I don't know why but it feels wild seeing my script inside a blog entry.)

So, here goes. My experiment is taking off at http://broadwood.blogspot.com/

The sitcom is called Red State Broads and centers around several middle-aged and older women and other supporting characters who make up the Broadwood Activities Committee, an offshoot of a small city council. Go here to find out more about the sitcom and its characters: http://broadwood.blogspot.com/2006/03/introduction-and-cast-of-characters.html

Please feel free to check it out and leave comments. I hope everyone enjoys reading it. I certainly enjoyed writing it.

[frogmarch]

1. Your experiment

worked for me, stevie. The scene was easy to visualize. The characters seemed real, and were fun to watch and listen to.

I'm ready for more.

[stevietheman]

2. Thank you for your response

I plan to release a new part every week (most releases will be on Saturday evening). To maintain quality and story coherence, that's what I have to do. I already have the first full story essentially written (in fact, it's a year and a half old), but I will probably make some advance "tweaks" based on feedback, and there were a few scenes I wanted to slightly rewrite and expand anyway.

I'm also battling a formatting problem with how the script looks with Microsoft Internet Explorer--spacing between the script parts isn't working. However, it looks perfect when viewed with Mozilla Firefox. I'm trying to find a good solution for this.

I myself am looking forward to see how it unfolds and how people react to it. This is new for me, especially since programming is my career and writing is just a hobby.

Cheers!

[frogmarch]

3. I use IE

The formatting may not be what you're aiming for, but it looks fine to me.

I have your site bookmarked and will check every week to see what's happening. Thanks for posting here and giving your fellow DUers a heads up. :-)

Who knows...maybe one day writing will be your career and programming a hobby.

[stevietheman]

4. You must be seeing the fix :)

Earlier today I figured out a fix to the spacing problem for IE.

Thanks for checking back. I'm excited to see what people say (good or bad) as the story develops. Yeah, who knows what will happen--I'm open to anything.

[mdmc]

5. I 'm going to take a look this afternoon

I am doing something similar with a cartoon (this is how the Boondocks started, by the way). Another DU'er, Nostamj (rip - he passed last year, I think) created a cabaret titled "The Question W Review". There are many creative minds here at DU. I think it is a great medium to launch a creative endeavor.

[stevietheman]

6. Let me know when your cartoon is ready...

or if it already exists, I'd love to give it a look-see. Thanks!