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Not just for laughs: the role of the pilot in commissioning Australian television comedy series
This article examines how the inclusion of a pilot as part of the
proposal for a narrative comedy series, which might include the
web series as pilot, can increase the chances of the project being
commissioned by a television network. It draws on a series of
interviews conducted with Australian television comedy writers,
producers and commissioners, and funding agencies, about the
importance of the pilot in the pitching process. This includes the
potential of the pilot to demonstrate style, tone and comedic
nuances; to showcase particular performers; and, in the case of the
web series, to generate a ready-made audience – all of which might
not be possible on the page. The article refers to successfully
pitched and piloted Australian narrative comedy series to give
context to its findings, including Wilfred, Lowdown, Please Like Me
and The Katering Show. By also drawing on the authors’
backgrounds as practitioner–academics with experiences in script
development and screenwriting, the article aims to provide both
theoretical and practice-based insights about the role of the pilot in
narrative comedy pitching and commissioning.
Funding
Other
History
Volume
8Issue
1Start Page
81End Page
92Number of Pages
12eISSN
2040-6118ISSN
2040-610XPublisher
Routledge, UKPublisher DOI
Full Text URL
Peer Reviewed
- Yes
Open Access
- No
External Author Affiliations
Swinburne University of TechnologyEra Eligible
- Yes