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Module # 14 Getting Started
in Comedy Introduction Comedy is notoriously difficult to quantify, and even the most successful comedians and comedy writers would struggle to explain why a joke is funny. But there are tips to take note of and pitfalls to avoid, as Martin Trenaman and Matt Leys (who between them have written for Lenny Henry, Bill Bailey, and Lee Evans amongst others) explain. This session will cover the basics in comedy writing, from short gags to half-hour sitcoms, and will cover:
Brewing Up Not that easy, is it? Don't panic. We don't think so either, and we do it for a living. Right. Put the kettle on… We hope you like tea and walls. Because you're going to be drinking a lot of one and staring at the other. Later on, you're going to be drinking a lot of one and crawling up the other. Let's not beat about the bush - writing comedy is hard. But if you've got patience, a sense of the absurd and a smidgen of imagination (and a kettle) you're halfway there. And if you get it right, it's one of the best jobs in the world. Almost as good as chief licker at Lyon's Maid. Alright, maybe not that good. The important thing to remember is, nobody ever learned to be funny from a book. Or a website. Like any other kind of writing, there aren't any hard-and-fast rules, just pitfalls to avoid, skills to learn, tips and tricks to absorb and funny bones to tickle. The first thing you need to know is, ignore everything we tell you (except when we're right, in which case don't). We all have our own taste in comedy, and yours will be different from ours and everyone else's. You might think Sergeant Bilko, Drop The Dead Donkey or My Family is the funniest thing ever to happen in front of a camera, or you might want to kill everyone involved with bringing such a witless abomination into the world. Only you know - and if you like a show, you can guarantee at least some people out there agree with you, otherwise it wouldn't be on (except in the case of Love Thy Neighbour, which defies all rational explanation). So the first thing is - trust your own taste. If you want to be a comedy writer, you probably watch and listen to loads of comedy. Watch more. Laugh. Watch it again. Stroke your chin and go, 'Mmmm.' Eventually, you'll start to go, 'Oh yeahhh...I see what they did there.' The secrets of comedy are now being revealed to you. You know you're a comedy writer when instead of laughing like a drain at an episode of The Simpsons, you're making notes on how the jokes work. Nothing wrong with it - that's how whoever wrote The Simpsons started out too. Basically - if it makes you laugh, put it in. If it doesn't make you laugh - don't. Right, how's that tea? Fancy another cup? So do we. See you in a minute. How to Write Comedy Now it's time to stare out of the window for 20 minutes. Don't worry - everyone does it. It's not wasted time. You'd be amazed how much of the comedy writer's day is spent staring into the middle distance going, 'Errrmmm...' Basically, don't expect incredible comedy to spring fully-formed from your imagination and onto the page. If you ever read an interview with a comedy writer saying they just sat down and wrote that award-winning sitcom/film/novel/whatever in one go, straight off the top of their head, throw it across the room shouting, 'You lying bastard!' They didn't. They wrote it, rewrote it, went and made a cup of tea, reread it, scrapped it, wrote it again, tore it up in frustration, put it aside for six months, read it again... You get the picture. A good trick when you've written something you think is funny is to leave it alone and come back to it a day or so later and see if it still makes you laugh. Be ruthless - and don't lie to yourself. It's also worth trying stuff out on trusted friends - you can tell them you want an honest reaction, but let's face it, we can all tell when laughter isn't genuine. Better still, try your material out without announcing it - just drop it in and see if it gets a laugh. Bear in mind that some things are very hard to get right, and even the most talented writer/performers can spend years honing a single gag. Physical comedy is a classic example - try and avoid writing elaborate routines that rely on a single performer's style. In general, unless you've been commissioned (you will be eventually, don't worry), avoid writing for a particular actor or comedian - use your voice, not theirs. If the material's good, they'll work it to fit their character - but you can't do it the other way round. Right, let's look at some of the main comedy formats. Grab your tea. Gags One of the hardest things is to make a gag sound spontaneous when it's so carefully contrived. Woody Allen says that what he hopes for from a routine is that the audience laugh as much as he did when he first thought of it. Here's how you do it:
A joke can be just a few words (a one-liner) or a lengthy ramble (a routine). See, there we go with the jargon - you're off to the kitchen again, aren't you? But remember to keep the laughs coming. Watch some of your favourite comedy routines and you'll notice that it's seldom just one gag - there are plenty of comedy stepping-stones along the way. There's nothing you can't write a joke about - nothing. Someone once told us that some subjects just weren't funny. He picked up a cushion from the sofa he was sitting on and said, 'This cushion for instance - nothing funny about that.' So we decided to prove him wrong and wrote a joke about scatter cushions. No, we're not going to tell you it - but it turned on the word 'scatter' and if you're any good at this game, you can probably figure it out. Or write a better one. Go on. Sketches The sketches work through exaggeration. Once you've come up with a situation, try and think of the worst possible person to be in that situation - or the worst possible thing they could do. The Fast Show's 'Ted and Ralph', for example, works because the relationship that Ralph wants with Ted is so completely, painfully wrong. Another great example from The Fast Show is the construction engineers who get childishly excited at the sight of a digger or crane. Why? Because they work in such an unchildish world. The comedy here comes from making a leap: between the Bob The Builder-ish glee small kids take in the world of diggers and cranes, and the serious, macho reality of that world. But again, don't over-exaggerate - stretch it too far and it'll snap. Keep it real - after all, one reason we laugh at those engineers because still there's a bit of that excited kid in all of us... And as with gags, keep it tight - avoid the temptation to let it go on too long. This isn't easy as it might seem. Remember, be ruthless. Give it a go. Take one of these situations:
Who would that be, and what would they do? Tip: it's not necessarily the first - perhaps most obvious - thing you come up with. For instance, in the holiday-preparation sketch, someone neurotic about leaving the gas on or forgetting their passport might not have as much comedy potential as someone being ridiculously laid-back...
This might sound bleedin' obvious, but remember to make it funny! Your idea itself might be funny, but you'll need gags along the way - your audience might get the idea pretty quick, so you'll need to keep surprising them with variations, new ways of seeing the joke. Once you've established the set-up or the character, you can even turn it on its head, twist it round completely. And remember to end your sketch on a laugh - you're essentially asking the audience to listen to your joke, and you owe them a pay-off. In our experience, this can be the hardest thing of all in writing a sketch. Try it. If you find it hard to end a sketch, trust us, you're in good company. Sitcoms and Comedy Death Dad's Army is another example, and without those particular characters, it's just a bunch of old blokes wearing uniforms in a church hall. Watch any episode of 'Dad's Army' and see how much of the comedy comes from the way characters of different types - age, class, background - come into conflict with one another. The delusional character is a staple of British sitcoms: the boss who thinks he's a great leader (David Brent in The Office, Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army) or who truly believes he's made for greater things than his present surroundings but fatally unable to recognise himself as the greatest idiot - Basil Fawlty again, constantly frustrated by the idiots around him or Tony Hancock, a civilised (i.e. pompous) man drowning in a sea of imbeciles. Watch these shows and examine the central characters and how they don't fit into their worlds; and look at the ways in which certain of their characteristics have been exaggerated. Last but not least, here are our top tips on what to avoid at all costs. Something all comedy writers know is that the quick way to lose all credibility in comedy is to fall back on the following:
Annoyingly, as with all rules, there are exceptions - Captain Darling, in Blackadder Goes Forth, is a comedy name. And it's funny. Sorry about that.
Okay, we've given you a few pointers to bear in mind and a few pitfalls to avoid. You probably now want to give up your day job, have some business cards printed and ring all your friends and family to announce you are now a comedy writer. Whoa...slow down, tiger. And at about this point in proceedings, we sometimes like to switch from tea to coffee. Controversial, we know, but that's the kind of devil-may-care dilettantes comedy writers are. Getting Noticed First, buy your kettle. Make sure it complies to the correct British Safety Standards and is properly earthed. Boil some water in it. Brew some tea. Take tea to desk, sit down. Some paper and a pen are useful. Got all that? Congratulations. You are now a fully-qualified comedy writer. The problem is, no-one knows you are. You have to get yourself noticed. And that's easier than you might think. Radio sketch shows are traditionally one of the springboards for new comedy writers into the industry - Radio 4's Weekending, in its day, provided the first break for countless comedy writers. Sadly it's no longer with us, but there are other radio sketch shows such as The Now Show and Dead Ringers. If you've got what you think are some good samples of sketches or topical jokes you've written, get them to as many producers and/or script editors as you can. And pester them til they respond. Bear in mind that most sketch shows are themed, so write sketches that you think will suit the format of the show but it's amazing how flexible those themes can be. The most popular TV comedy format is the sitcom, and for most comedy writers, creating a successful sitcom is winning the Cup Final, the lottery and the space race, all in 29 minutes (24 on commercial TV). But beware - you're aiming at a narrow and well-guarded goal. Very few sitcoms are commissioned and even fewer make it to the screen. Even the most established comedy writers might spend years trying to get a sitcom made. But don't despair - some people hit the back of the net first time. Susan Nickson created and wrote Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps when she was just 19. It's currently on its fourth series. Okay, this might not happen to you, but it does happen. Instead of launching yourself straight at the terrifyingly steep learning curve of a sitcom, you may find it easier to build yourself up to it - start with shorter formats, such as sketches or contributions to panel shows. As with radio, get your material to as many producers and production companies as possible. Be realistic about it - as a new comedy writer, you're probably not going to get a gig writing for Never Mind The Buzzcocks or Have I Got News For You. But you might get noticed by someone developing a new show, or looking for new people to contribute gags on an existing show. And by the way, if you do land a gig like this, don't be disappointed if none of your polished gems of comedy make it to the screen straight away: the writers-to-gags ratio on some shows can defy reason. The important thing is that you're through the door. Open Mic There's one thing you are going to need, sooner or later. No, not a kettle, you've already got one of those (haven't you listened to a word we've told you?) but an agent. This is one of the cruellest catch-22's in the business - to get an agent you need credits, but to get credits you need an agent. It can be done - we did it, and, if you think about it, so did everyone else who's got an agent. Plug away at the agents and producers with your stuff and eventually (if it's good) doors will start to open. We have heard that some very posh comedy writers put their children's name down for an agent as soon as they're born, but we're not convinced that's true. A word of warning. Once upon a time, jokes and comedy routines were public property: ownership was a free-for-all and nobody had any rights. Those days are long gone (except in advertising, where they'll nick whatever they feel like with the full backing of the law) so don't steal. If you start trying to pass off other peoples' work as your own, you'll get found out quicker than you can make a cup of tea (one sugar, thanks) and you'll get a reputation you really don't want. Some comics have even ended up with a broken nose, but that's another story. Keep it original. The only better way to put off writing than making tea is reading websites about how to put off writing. Stop it. Go away. Now. You are a comedy writer, and your nation needs you. Persevere, trust your instincts, go on your nerve and don't let the sound of a door closing in your face put you off. Remember - it's the best job in the world. Apart from chief licker at Lyon's Maid. And please don't be too good. You'll put us out of a job. Further Reading Useful Links More on Get Writing Tip: Starting Small Tip: Testing Your Material Tip: Be Original Exercise: Cut, Cut and Cut Again Exercise: Twist the Situation Exercise: Taking Notes |