Screenwriting Course
Lessons

Many believe that to write comedy you must begin with a comedic premise. That’s simply not true. While there are comedies which have a comedic premise, most successful comedies do not. In fact, the worst possible scenarios often spark laughter.

Aphorism: Comedy is Tragedy plus Time.

• The Narrative Needs are the Same: All drama, all comedy have exactly the same needs. Take any comedy or drama. Deconstruct them side-by-side, you will see no core difference.
• Serious Subject Matter as Comedy: The more serious the subject matter, the greater the comedic potential. With the separation of time, we get laughter.
• What is Taboo in Comedy? Answer: not much. Ultimately, it isn’t the tragic or taboo aspects we’re laughing at. It’s the human condition that tragedy and taboo reveal about what we find funny. We, as human beings, are so monumentally flawed and those flaws are revealed in our actions which are sometimes very extreme and hence funny. Don’t be afraid to take chances. Don’t limit your thinking because of societal taboos or political correctness.
• Comedy of the Absurd? Ground It in Reality:  To be funny, absurdity in a narrative film needs to be grounded in reality or, at least, grounded in emotional reality. Start with one foot on the ground and you have some freedom to be absurd.
• Character is Comedy: If you design your characters with a well-defined overriding quirk or pronounced personality flaw, or unique left-of-center view of the world (which is still consistent with the story and theme you’re telling) then the humor that comes out of your character’s mouth isn’t so much a joke as a consistent perspective.
• Enter Laughing:   Always   make   a   statement   about   your   Give them a funny, revealing introduction that makes a statement about who they are.
• Not Every Protagonist is Funny: Don’t be afraid if your protagonist is not the comedic center of the film. Use it and build a broader universe which orbits around them. Having a grounded protagonist at the center of the show, who represents the audience and to whom they can relate, allows you to go much broader and funnier with the side characters. There’s still great material to be had with your less funny, grounded central character in their   growing frustration/exasperation with the situation at hand. “Comedy allows us to hold our otherwise tragic or taboo subjects at arm’s length.”
• Romantic Comedy: Wonder why romantic comedy is moribund? There’s no seemingly insurmountable obstacle standing in the way of the two leads getting together. Sure, you knew they’d get together, the problem lies with how relatively unproblematic it was; it wasn’t earned. Where’s the real conflict? The larger the obstacle, the greater the conflict, the better the comedy, and the  more  satisfying  then  when  the  two  people  finally get together.
• Structure and Formula are Your Friend, Especially in Comedy: Beginning, midpoint, end, and act break one, act break 2 give you signposts around which to build your story. Each of them gives you an opportunity for humor. Beginning – memorable comedic entrance. 1st Act Break – that moment when matters spin out of control, conflict kicks in, and the stakes are established. Midpoint – another chance for humor. You increase the threat and tension. Remember, the bigger the threat, the bigger the humor.  2nd Act Break – this is when the tension and humor should be at its highest. This is the moment that demands resolution. On  Genre  Tropes  –  know  them  so  that  you  can  deliver  a  fresh twist and do better than the competition.
• Don’t be afraid to suck. All writing is rewriting. Don’t be afraid to be bold. Romantic Comedy: The greater the conflict, or obstacle, the better the comedy.