Today, after a few examples, please use your class time to write a sketch of your own.
Types of Sketches
To help you get going here are a few tried and tested comedy formats for sketches.
1) Escalation: A 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. (See handout from last class!)
3) Mad Man, Sane Man (opposites): This format speaks for itself--one character is sane, the other (or others) not so much. But don't go for obvious settings.
4) Dangerous Situations: For example, sketch set on a flight deck of an aircraft or during a disaster.
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 or nurse.
6) Old and New: Getting a laugh from putting something modern in a 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). Generally, a comic pairing of opposites also creates humor: fat & thin, tall and short, hairy and bald, smart and stupid, etc.
8) Parody. Poking fun at a well-known book, TV show, or film.
1) Brainstorm and then 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. As you describe your characters or the situation, consider well-chosen words to describe the scene visually.
5. Write your sketch draft (baseline script). A good length for a sketch is between 3-6 pages. Skip a line between each speaker in a script.
If you need inspiration, watch any of the sketches above as models/examples* (please use headphones...)
HOMEWORK: If you did not complete your script in class today, please complete as homework. Turn in your draft of a sketch by Tuesday, Oct. 15 to our Google Classroom.
Types of Sketches
To help you get going here are a few tried and tested comedy formats for sketches.
1) Escalation: A 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. (See handout from last class!)
3) Mad Man, Sane Man (opposites): This format speaks for itself--one character is sane, the other (or others) not so much. But don't go for obvious settings.
4) Dangerous Situations: For example, sketch set on a flight deck of an aircraft or during a disaster.
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 or nurse.
6) Old and New: Getting a laugh from putting something modern in a 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). Generally, a comic pairing of opposites also creates humor: fat & thin, tall and short, hairy and bald, smart and stupid, etc.
8) Parody. Poking fun at a well-known book, TV show, or film.
- Watch sample "famous" sketches from a variety of TV shows/performances (some may not be suitable due to language or situations, watch at your own risk):
- The Dentist (Tim Conway from the Carol Burnett show)
- Pink Tights & Plenty of Props (Rowan Atkinson)
- Roll Call (Rowan Atkinson)
- Substitute Teacher (Key & Peele)
- Nazi Sketch (Mitchell & Webb)
- Mister Robinson's Neighborhood (SNL)
- Avengers v. Game of Thrones Family Feud (SNL)
- Goddesses of Creation (SNL)
- Barbie Instagram (SNL)
- Evil Boss (SNL)
- Homey D. Clown (In Living Color)
- Polite War The Whitest Kids You Know
- Hard Day The Kids in the Hall
1) Brainstorm and then 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. As you describe your characters or the situation, consider well-chosen words to describe the scene visually.
5. Write your sketch draft (baseline script). A good length for a sketch is between 3-6 pages. Skip a line between each speaker in a script.
If you need inspiration, watch any of the sketches above as models/examples* (please use headphones...)
HOMEWORK: If you did not complete your script in class today, please complete as homework. Turn in your draft of a sketch by Tuesday, Oct. 15 to our Google Classroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment