How to Make a Living Writing Comedy:
The
Art of Writing Comedy
The world of comedy is quite complex
than most people would care to think. Some individuals would not
even readily recognize comedians as a legitimate profession.
However, its quite ironic how they would not mind paying for a few
hours of hearty laughs and guffaws.
All of us can readily name several
famous celebrity comedians who have provided us endless supply of
comic relief through the years. Comedians such as Jay Leno and David
Letterman have been in the television business for over a couple of
decades because most people would welcome just a few minutes of pure
and unadulterated fun. Behind the limelight, a team of creative
comedy writers is actually working hard to provide hilarious and
amusing banters, witty and sly humor that would ensure that we would
stay glued on that particular channel.
A Comedian’s Comedian
Do you have a knack for
conceptualizing and writing comedy, but would rather shun the
limelight? You are not alone. There are actually a lot of comedians
who have turned to writing for other comedians for a living. They
found their niche in working behind big TV and movie productions to
write materials for popular comedians and conceptualize sensational
story lines.
More and more comedians have opted to
work behind the scenes rather than perform on stage since it turns
out to be a more profitable line of work. Production companies can
pay as much as $ 30,000 to $ 500,000 to develop a single idea. Quite
a lucrative job, right? There are even some writers who would accept
several deals from different companies at the same time. These
people are stars in their own right. The comedians’ comedian.
In comparison to the erratic job
performing at clubs with pay that could barely cover your rent, why
not think about this more practical alternative? Rather than perform
for a small crowd in comedy clubs, wouldn’t it be more rewarding if
you would actually watch you material come to life, reaching hundred
and thousands of audiences worldwide? But then constantly churning
out hilarious ideas is definitely no joke; it means serious business
for comedy writers. Like actors on the silverscreens, a comedy
writer can have a big break by coming up with innovative materials
more televisions and movies.
Breaking in
So how would you break into the world
of comedy writing? It can be quite a daunting task, especially for
agents. It is important to hire a competent agent since it is quite
hard to secure deals for new writers and production outfit would not
normally waste time hiring neophytes. No matter how good you are,
chances are you have to start at the bottom rung just like the rest.
It would be a good idea if you would
start working in a team, over time you can prove your mettle and
work your way to the top. Right off the bat, people would tell you
it’s an almost impenetrable market because of the stiff competition.
Two of the powerful weapons for new
comedy writers are original ideas and strong specs or
sample episodes. Original ideas would normally include sketch
materials and screenplays. Base your specs on your ideas and try to
peddle your material to as many people as you can. If you actually
have any experience performing onstage, you can use this experience
as your edge. You have a clear idea what jokes people would best
respond to and how to actually execute the scenes.
Since the industry is basically a
large network, don’t be shy to market your own material if you
believe it’s a good one. You have to be extraordinarily tough to
actually thrive and survive in this business.
Know What You’re Getting Into
-
The Pay
Based in the standard pay set by
The Writer’s Guild a 30 minutes television episode would
cost $ 17, 076. Agents will get 10% commission and another 20% goes
to the government. Most novice comedy writers can expect a weekly
salary of $1200. Of course, with time and experience you can demand
a higher pay as you start to make a name for yourself over the
years.
-
Where to Live
You might be wondering that since you
are integrally a part of Hollywood, will you be required to do make
the move? The answer to that is YES, eventually. Most of the
conceptualization and production of sitcoms and television shows are
there. Even if the location shoot is in New York, most of the
production staff is based in Los Angeles.
Another reason why you should make
the strategic move is because there are plenty of connections that
you can establish that can help you in furthering your career.
3.
Stability
Be fairly warned that although it can
be an extremely lucrative job, it is also equally unstable. Many
comedy writers live in constant fear of getting axed or blamed if
the show is not doing so well. It part and parcel of the whole
package. Eventually, you will get used to the nerves, as you know
your way around.
Hollywood Lingo
If you are so keen on being a part of
the dazzling world of Hollywood as a comedy writer, you would need
to be adequately equipped to fit in easily. Knowing the lingo and
jargon of Hollywood will greatly help you get your way around and
deal with other people in the business. So here are several
vernaculars that you will enc ounter in your line of work:
Sitcom
All of us are quite familiar with
Situational Comedy or better known as sitcoms since we spend
numerous hours watching them on TV. A script for a sitcom would need
to run for 22 minutes; the remaining 8 minutes will be taken up by
commercial breaks.
Spec Script
The script that you write for a show
is called the “specs”. If you are planning to be a part of a
show, you will use your original specs to be used as a sample
script. If actors have auditions, writers submit their specs.
When writing a script, it should look
exactly like other TV scripts, which will include the conventions
and stage directions. Make sure that it will look as professional,
so people will take it seriously. Amateur scripts will most probably
end up unread or worse, in the garbage.
Set Up and Punchlines
This is the term used in the unfunny
component of the story used to prepare for the delivery of punch
lines. Most of the time in a TV sitcom, the dialogue of one
character will be the set up and the other character will deliver
the punchline. Of course, you know that the punch line is the funny
part of the story or joke.
Cold Open
A cold open serves as the teaser of
the show. It is at the very first part of the show, just before the
opening credits as run. Cold open is the rapid flash of the overall
story or funny scenes that would generate more interest and pique
from the viewer.
Plot A and B
Any writer would know that a story
has to have a main plot. The story’s main plot is commonly called
the story A and subplots are better known as story B. Story A
involves the important characters of the story, while story B
consists of the main plot’s spinoff and often include secondary
characters.
Climax and Resolutions
Most of the stories would often
present a dilemma that will be used to get the viewers hooked with
the show. Presenting a very good dilemma will catch the interest of
the viewer that will force them to stay glued to the show to find
out how the dilemma was resolved.
In comedy shows, there are usually
two climaxes. The first one would be the end of Act one, usually
before the airing of the first commercial, and the second one near
the end part of the show, just before the character would be able to
solve his predicament.
Writing an Original Story
In preparing to write your own
material, nobody can help you with that other that yourself. You
will be solely reliable for the success or failure of your story.
However there are some important things that you should keep in mind
when writing a storyline. The most important part is it should look
like the more of a professional. There are some guidelines that you
that help you in developing your ideas and story:
Stay True to the Characters
The characters that you have
developed should be consistent and will be portrayed well by the
actors. In comedy, everything can be overstated and understated, but
stick to the plot where viewers will still be able to relate to the
story. Man’s day to day life is often reflected in comedy show,
albeit in a exaggeratedly comical way, that is why viewer easily
find themselves in the character. Incorporate humor that is
plausible and not something off base that will put off viewer’s
interest.
Create Active Characters
This does not mean you have to keep
you character’s constantly moving around in certain scenes. It
basically means that the characters in your story should have
multi-dimensional personalities that would generate more interest.
Flat characters will result to a flat storylines that will
ultimately mean your story will be rejected. All viewers would want
something riveting in the main character’s personalities and their
reactions on certain situations.
Once you have finished writing your
specs, ask some friend to read it and make some constructive
comments. Ask for their opinion and suggestions on certain parts
that would need some revisions. If the first draft turned out to be
a rather lame one, don’t get easily disheartened. This is expected.
It is important to prepare yourself
to some rounds of trial and error to perfect your specs. Even expert
comedy writers would still need some revisions and even have their
ideas scrapped altogether. Just make sure that you have an
exceptionally interesting core idea to work on so you will have a
perfectly good slate to work your magic on.
Now that you have more or less a
general idea of comedy writing, you don’t need to content yourself
to criticizing lame comedy shows in television. If you think you can
actually write better than them, then by all means set your sights
into doing just that. Better than earning big money, you can give
life to your ideas that will provide you with a much bigger
audience.
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