Expert: Barbara L. Baker - 12/5/2001

Question
Hi Barbara, my name is Colin and I am a 20 year old college student who is interested in writing a screenplay comedy. My problem is that while I am an avid movie fan and am particularly knowledgeable with regard to comedies, I have never written a comic piece before. Therefore, I would be interested in what books, scripts, or movies you would suggest for me to review so that I can learn the formats, formulas, and techniques that the best comic writers use. I appreciate any guidance you can give me.Thank you very much for your time

Answer
Dear Colin:  I'll do my best to give you some suggestions, keeping in mind that a book or other example can only take you so far.

First, I recommend the following books on comedy screenwriting:

1. Andrew Horton, "Laughing Out Loud:  Writing the Comedy-Centered Screenplay."  It was published by the University of California Press in 2000, and is a good beginning.  It also should be readily available.  

2.  Sol Saks, "Funny Business:  The Craft of Comedy Writing."  2nd Edition published in 1991 by Lone Eagle Publishing Co. (in L.A.)

3.  John Vorhaus, "The Comic Toolbox:  How to Be Funny Even if You're Not."  Published by the Silman-James Press in 1994 (also in L.A.)

You also should probably get a basic book on screenwriting.  Some possibilities include the following books:

1. Paul Argentini, "Elements of Style for Screenwriters." Lone Eagle Publishing, 1998.

2. Linda J. Cowgill, "Secrets of Screenplay Structure."  Lone Eagle Pub., 1999.

3. William Froug, "Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade."  Silman James Press, 1993.

4. David Trotter, "The Screenwriter's Bible," 3rd Ed. Silman-James Press, 1998.

5. Christopher Vogler, "The Writer's Journey," 2nd Ed. Michael Weise Productions, 1998 (in Studio City, Ca.).

There are many, many others.  

It also is a good idea to watch a variety of comedy films from different time periods.  You also can look at other scripts. You probably will have to get a published screenplay, but there are many out there (some are even available over the internet), including screenplays on "American Beauty,""The Truman Show,""Fargo,""Pulp Fiction," and many, many more.  Which ones you choose will depend on what type of comedy screenplay you want to write, since there can be a lot of difference between types--will yours be more of a slapstick comedy, a farce, a satire, a parody, a black comedy, a "comedy of manners," a screwball comedy, a romantic comedy, or some combination of these?

If you don't know all these different types, it might not hurt for you to read up on some of them, and there are a lot of books on comedy that might help you, usually found by genre type (for example, there are books on silent comedy, on screwball comedy, on comedy films of the 1950s, on dark humor, on parody, etc.).  A general book that might give you a start is Kristine Brunovska-Karnick & Henry Jenkins, eds., "Classical Hollywood Comedy."  It was published in 1995 by Routledge Press (in New York).  Some of the articles in it are pretty academic, but it provides a good overview.  An older book is Gerald Mast, "The Comic Mind," 2nd ed., published by the Univ. of Chicago Press in 1979 (it is mostly a historical look at comedy).  There are also books on comedy in general, such as Ron Jenkins, "Subversive Laughter: The Liberating Power of Comedy," published by the Free Press (N.Y.) in 1994 or Walter Kerr's classic book, "Tragedy and Comedy," published by Simon & Schuster, 1967.

My final piece of advice is to find a course in screenwriting, if you can (or at least a person nearby who can help you with your project). Does your university have a film or broadcasting program, or a communication degree?  If so, does it offer a course in writing screenplays?  If not, is there someone there who could assist you further (e.g. could read a draft, or give you the name of a professional who has written a screenplay, or?).  If you live in or near a big city, sometimes there are other options (for example, in both L.A. and N.Y. there are workshops offered by various universities or institutes such as the AFI which teach things like screenwriting).  These last suggestions do involve some cost, of course.

I hope all this has provided you with some initial guidance.  While all this can provide you with some background, and some information on screenplay structure, eventually, you'll just have to trust your instincts.  Is what you write funny to you, and to your friends?  To other people?  Etc.  

Good luck on writing your comic screenplay.  If you need further advice, write me again.