A sketch is a short play or slight dramatic performance. It differs from a play in that there is not necessarily a major theme or point in the sketch. Usually sketches are simply meant to be enjoyed. Most sketches attempt to be funny. Deep discussion dealing with the human condition is left to PLAYS.
Sketch Writing:
1) Choose a setting. Avoid common set-ups. Think original. Only set the sketch in one location.
2) If you're trying to sell your material [or enter a contest], don't put in anything expensive like a helicopter [or car]. Most TV shows [or theaters] are on a tight budget.
3) Three [or four] characters is more than enough for a short sketch. Don't write for a big cast. Avoid crowd scenes where the actors do not speak.
4) Think about what is happening visually as well as the words you use to communicate an idea. Be specific! A speckled trout wearing a fake mustache is funnier or more vivid in the audience's mind than a fish.
Types of Sketches
To help you get going, here's a few tried and tested comedy formats for sketches.
1) Escalation: Funny idea starts small and gets bigger and bigger, ending in chaos of ridiculous proportions.
2) Lists: Sketches in which the bulk of the dialogue is a long list of funny items. The best example of this is "Cheese Shop" in Monty Python. (You can find all the Python sketches at www.planetcomedy.force9.co.uk/bookstore.html.)
3) Mad Man, Sane Man (opposites): This format speaks for itself, but don't go for obvious settings.
4) Dangerous Situations: For example, sketch set on a flight deck of aircraft.
5) Funny Words: Sketches which use the sound of language itself to be funny. For example, use of the words "blobby" or "wobble"; Names can be funny if you want people to think of your work as comedy or humorous. Some names are just funny: Aloysious Butterbean is a funnier name than Tom Johnson or man.
6) Old and New: Getting a laugh from putting something modern in an historical setting (Or, vice versa) Example: Abraham Lincoln using a cigarette lighter shaped like a handgun. Benjamin Franklin inventing the fidget spinner, Alexander the Great using a cell phone, Jesus dining at the Cheesecake Factory, etc.
7) Big and Small. Getting humor from large differences in scale. For example, a pig trying to make love to an elephant (South Park).
Look here for samples of fine sketch writing (read the packet of scripts I gave you as models):
Sketch Writing:
1) Choose a setting. Avoid common set-ups. Think original. Only set the sketch in one location.
2) If you're trying to sell your material [or enter a contest], don't put in anything expensive like a helicopter [or car]. Most TV shows [or theaters] are on a tight budget.
3) Three [or four] characters is more than enough for a short sketch. Don't write for a big cast. Avoid crowd scenes where the actors do not speak.
4) Think about what is happening visually as well as the words you use to communicate an idea. Be specific! A speckled trout wearing a fake mustache is funnier or more vivid in the audience's mind than a fish.
Types of Sketches
To help you get going, here's a few tried and tested comedy formats for sketches.
1) Escalation: Funny idea starts small and gets bigger and bigger, ending in chaos of ridiculous proportions.
2) Lists: Sketches in which the bulk of the dialogue is a long list of funny items. The best example of this is "Cheese Shop" in Monty Python. (You can find all the Python sketches at www.planetcomedy.force9.co.uk/bookstore.html.)
3) Mad Man, Sane Man (opposites): This format speaks for itself, but don't go for obvious settings.
4) Dangerous Situations: For example, sketch set on a flight deck of aircraft.
5) Funny Words: Sketches which use the sound of language itself to be funny. For example, use of the words "blobby" or "wobble"; Names can be funny if you want people to think of your work as comedy or humorous. Some names are just funny: Aloysious Butterbean is a funnier name than Tom Johnson or man.
6) Old and New: Getting a laugh from putting something modern in an historical setting (Or, vice versa) Example: Abraham Lincoln using a cigarette lighter shaped like a handgun. Benjamin Franklin inventing the fidget spinner, Alexander the Great using a cell phone, Jesus dining at the Cheesecake Factory, etc.
7) Big and Small. Getting humor from large differences in scale. For example, a pig trying to make love to an elephant (South Park).
Look here for samples of fine sketch writing (read the packet of scripts I gave you as models):
- The Dead Parrot Sketch: Monty Python's Flying Circus
- Self Defense Against Fruit Sketch: Monty Python's Flying Circus
- Italian Lesson: Monty Python's Flying Circus
- The Headmaster Sketch: Rowan Atkinson
Try your own hand at writing a 5-6 page sketch. Use the prewriting we did last class to help you get an idea for your sketch. Skip a line between each complete line of dialogue (but do not double space scripts!) Describe your setting briefly before you begin. Give each character in your scene a specific action to do. Describe that action after describing the setting.
Example: A cheese shop in the middle of London. A band is playing Greek music. A MAN enters awkwardly and rings the bell. The PROPRIETOR (owner) of the shop pops up from behind the counter.
Scripts are not due yet! You should write at least 2 or more pages today during the lab! Use your time effectively. The more you talk, the shorter your deadline will be.
HOMEWORK: None. You are welcome to complete your play/sketch drafts for the Geva contest. Students will be required to enter at least 1 original play to that contest (deadline March 1). Also, check out this contest about overcoming odds/struggles.
Example: A cheese shop in the middle of London. A band is playing Greek music. A MAN enters awkwardly and rings the bell. The PROPRIETOR (owner) of the shop pops up from behind the counter.
Scripts are not due yet! You should write at least 2 or more pages today during the lab! Use your time effectively. The more you talk, the shorter your deadline will be.
HOMEWORK: None. You are welcome to complete your play/sketch drafts for the Geva contest. Students will be required to enter at least 1 original play to that contest (deadline March 1). Also, check out this contest about overcoming odds/struggles.
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