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Guidelines

THE LOWDOWN ON:
Quiz question writing

The genre

The job of quiz question writer – or question-setter, the phrase more commonly used in the industry – requires researching fascinating facts and formulating questions tailored to a particular audience, all within a set of style parameters. Solid research and fact-checking skills are a prerequisite of the job, which may also lead to question verifying. A good dose of imagination and a sense of humour are also required, as well as impeccable sources for reference and an heroic attention to detail.

3 of the best

• The ‘Blockbusters’-style question: Name the poet whose work includes ‘The Man-Moth.’
• The multiple-answer question: Name five countries which begin with the letter ‘L.’
• The 50/50 question: Of these two poetry forms, which one has more lines, the Sicilian sonnet or the rondel?
  

What’s hot

Television and radio production companies are always innovating new formats for shows, which inevitably leads to new types of questions. Janet Crompton’s wealth of experience as a freelance question-setter includes writing for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, University Challenge and Mastermind. ‘There’s an increasing trend for quirky, off-the-wall questions,’ she says. ‘It’s crucial to keep abreast of developments by watching the programmes.’

The market

The plethora of formats to meet the public’s growing demand for trivia includes pub quizzes, quiz leagues, media shows and games companies – not to mention the recently thriving number of independent question-setting businesses sprouting up to meet the demands of all of the above. ‘We’re finding that it is an expanding market,’ says David McGaughey, a question writer for QuizQuizQuiz, a company which prepares and delivers professional quiz services for corporate and company events. ‘When you take into account the number of just pub-based machines that require questions, the market’s limitless.’

Dave Small from Paul’s Quiz, a questions site attracting up to 14,000 visitors daily, agrees: ‘We receive requests from computer game designers who need to quickly source questions in large quantities, sometimes as many as 100,000 at once!’ So extensive – and popular – is the industry, that keeping quizzes and their content fresh, is essential.

‘Research on sports teams’ nicknames might lead me to ‘Sharks’; then I’ll find an interesting shark fact and incorporate that into a question. It’s a very creative, organic job in that sense.‘ Rebecca Milloy.

The competition

The market for games companies and pub quizzes is teeming with writers. The key to standing out is to write original, exciting, well-researched questions.
Unsurprisingly, it takes highly-honed skills and more than a dose of persistence to land a quiz-setting job in radio and TV. ‘There are a few people who have been doing this for a long time,’ says Crompton. ‘Opportunities do exist, but you’ll have to prove yourself to be taken on.’

The money

TV fees vary from £3 per question rising through to £6 or more, with programmes such as University Challenge and Mastermind commanding the higher rates, due to the extra research and technical proficiency required. Questions are usually presented to University Challenge in batches of 35 starter questions, accompanied by 25 bonus questions in linked sets of three (110 questions altogether).

In-house quiz-setters’ salaries are typical of television researchers’ salaries, ranging anywhere from £18,000 to more than £40,000.

Freelancers employed by suppliers to the gaming industry are usually paid 25p-£2.50 per question, depending on the company and type of question. ‘A simple multiple-choice question can take a few minutes to conceive, research, write and check,’ points out Rob Eccleshare, former freelancer and now co-owner of, and chief question writer for, quickquizquestions.com, which sells pub quiz packages. ‘If you’re only getting paid 40p a question, it doesn’t take a genius to work out you won’t be ordering that Ferrari any time soon.’

Though games companies pay less than TV, they take as many questions as you can provide them with. To make the time you invest go further, Small points out, it’s possible to generate three or more questions from each fact you find.

The best strategy

• Prerequisites for the job are a passion for facts and an enquiring mind. ‘Watch TV quizzes, play quiz games, read quiz books and attend pub quizzes to get an idea of what’s expected,’ says Eccleshare. ‘Then make your questions better than the others.’
• Write and host a pub quiz and encourage feedback from contestants: ‘One learns by one’s mistakes,’ says Paul Abrook, a question-setter for Paul’s Quiz. ‘It’s unpleasant – and more than embarrassing – being confronted by a “That’s not right!” mob.’
• Write about subjects that interest you. Your passion will make your questions sparkle.
• Though some jobs are advertised in industry press and websites, it’s more common to get work by contacting companies directly. ‘I simply made written and telephone enquiries to the relevant producers,’ says Christine Ansell, who writes for University Challenge. ‘I got their names from post-show credits on the television screen.’ You may then be asked to provide sample questions and a CV; it doesn’t necessarily matter if you haven’t any experience in the field as long as you’re passionate about facts.
• Bear in mind that there’s no room for guesswork in quiz writing: factual and grammatical accuracy and reliability are paramount. Check each fact against several trustworthy sources and keep a record of each source. ‘Quiz shows run against the clock,’ says in-house question-setter for The Weakest Link Rebecca Milloy. ‘There is no time for deliberation.’
• Stay ahead of the game. Find out which production companies make which shows, and find out when new quizzes are coming up. ‘Don’t assume that because you have a foot in the door, you’ll continue to get work for a programme,’ Crompton advises. ‘New producers may arrive with a list of tried-and-tested contacts. Keep in touch and be persistent.’
• Be flexible: a freelancer who only writes on ancient European history is unlikely to get too many jobs. ‘You have to be jack of all trades,’ says Angus McDonald, also of The Weakest Link. ‘And king of quite a few.’

ELIZABETH WHYMAN

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From Issue 41 ◊ Apr/May/Jun 2009

...and the info you need

JOB SEARCH

www.workline.org.uk Employment advice launched by Women in Film and Television and supported by the UK Film Council. help@workline.org.uk or phone 0870 8507147.
www.production-base.co.uk
Advertises TV jobs.
info.broadcastnow.co.uk
Broadcast job-specific website
jobs.broadcastfreelancer.com
Posts freelance TV and radio jobs
www.mandy.com
Posts worldwide TV jobs
jobs.bbc.co.uk
Advertises BBC jobs
www.itvjobs.com
Advertises ITV jobs
www.grapevinejobs.com
Posts jobs in entertainment and media

INCREASING YOUR CONTACT LIST

www.pact.co.uk Use their free directory of independent television producers
www.mediauk.com Contacts, articles and discussions
www.theknowledgeonline.com Useful source of contacts within the TV production industry
www.kays.co.uk Online directory of media production companies
Broadcast Magazine Information on industry news, what’s happening, which companies are recruiting, etc.

QUIZ SITES

www.paulsquiz.com Free quiz questions, plus facts-and-advice resources section
www.usefultrivia.com Archive of ‘pedantry and other useful stuff,’ with good links page
www.funtriva.com Test your general knowledge here, but be warned: it’s addictive!
www.freequizzes.co.uk A variety of free resources to hone your pub quiz-setting skills
www.pub-quiz.com A comprehensive directory of pub quizzes: search by day, date, location, type of quiz – or a combination of all of the above – to find a quiz that suits your needs.

GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT

www.wikipedia.org
You may find some tantalising factoids here, but always cross-check them with other sources.
www.britannica.com
A good place to check facts…
http://uk.encarta.msn.com
…and double-check them here
…and don’t forget to use the full range of resources at your local library!

• IMAGE © SOPHIE F BAKER