tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571493334447630940.post5143425242104746233..comments2019-10-24T23:38:47.525-07:00Comments on The Working Screenwriter: THE COMEDY SCREENPLAY: BUT IS IT FUNNY?Jim Vineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916150948362587451noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571493334447630940.post-24652285358718545392013-07-28T22:46:52.668-07:002013-07-28T22:46:52.668-07:00Very insightful...
So true: "For a relative ...Very insightful...<br /><br />So true: "For a relative handful of writers, comedy is a piece of cake. For other writers, other genres are a far more obtainable/realistic goal."<br /><br />This can be very helpful for aspiring screenwriters. One of the best screenwriting tips to take is not dive head-on into comedy writing if this is not your genre. Learning to write comedy effectively takes mastery. Though there are naturally funny people, it takes more than just a sense of humor to make a really hilarious material. Screenwriting 101 Prohttp://www.thestorysolution.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571493334447630940.post-41995859168685034392009-12-28T00:09:58.567-08:002009-12-28T00:09:58.567-08:00Thanks for the excellent post, "Reel World.&q...Thanks for the excellent post, "Reel World." Good to know you're out there!Jim Vineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03916150948362587451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571493334447630940.post-30569190370223060532009-12-27T17:44:05.755-08:002009-12-27T17:44:05.755-08:00When my comic strip was published I found that the...When my comic strip was published I found that the best reactions came from the character's expressions when one character would say something funny. For example a banker tells a guy "You have outstanding payments on your account," the man he is talking to doesn't understand the banker's terminology and thanks the banker. You can stop there or follow up with the banker's dumbfounded reaction. Word play is a pretty easy form of comedy because most people will get the joke, though not everyone finds puns to be funny. However, word play works a lot better in comic strips and not so good in screenplays. Personally I like subtle comedy more than the outrageous kind that you see in more recent movies.<br /><br />I have 30 days to come up with a short film and I'm thinking of doing a comedy. Thanks for the helpful blog post.The Reel World of Zachary Hayeshttp://www.thereelworldofzacharyhayes.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571493334447630940.post-87746574857191647132008-04-30T15:51:00.000-07:002008-04-30T15:51:00.000-07:00(I should clarify, I’m referring only to spec moti...(I should clarify, I’m referring only to spec motion picture screenplays and not television scripts or scripts you’re planning to shoot on your own.) But I had a feeling you’d respond with “don’t all writers write what’s in their head?” Actually, I was referring specially to your comment about visualizing “what I’ve got in my head.” And that’s a major problem with most non-pro screenplays: writers trying to articulate on paper what they've previosuly seen in movies (and I touched on that in my previous post). But yes, I think you’re absolutely right, you SHOULD include certain descriptions...as long as those descriptions are integral to the character/story/plot. I’m merely trying to keep writers from writing things such as (I’ve changes character names, but this is an actual excerpt from a script I recently critiqued):<BR/><BR/>Joe lightly pats Frank on the middle of his back.<BR/>JOE: It’ll be okay, buddy.<BR/>Frank turns to the right and sees Joe standing there. Frank slightly smiles, then he looks at the ground for a long while, and then he turns back to Joe, wiping a few tears from his eyes. <BR/>FRANK: He was a really good guy, wasn’t he?<BR/>Joe thinks about this. As he does, he pulls a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, removes a cigarette, puts it between his lips and then lights it with a Bic lighter, then turns slightly to look at Frank.<BR/>JOE: I guess he was a pretty decent guy.<BR/><BR/>You summed it all up with, “Less is indeed more.” So true.Jim Vineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03916150948362587451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571493334447630940.post-44585918792413350612008-04-30T14:58:00.000-07:002008-04-30T14:58:00.000-07:00Thanks for the quick response! Just a small, enum...Thanks for the quick response! Just a small, enumerated retort:<BR/><BR/>1) Don't all writers write what's in their head? Where else is the content supposed to come from? If there's another source then maybe I have more to learn I originally thought...<BR/><BR/>2) I'm not saying to turn a script into a novel. If you want to labor over action, write prose and not scripts. My only point -- not necessarily disagreeing with yours -- is that I would never omit information because I was afraid of stepping on someone else's toes. If a camera angle or a character movement is essential to the scene, I'll include it. There are also instances where a screenwriter is planning on directing their own work, in which case the script could act as a kind of written storyboard for certain sections (doesn't happen as often, but I have seen it).<BR/><BR/>3) The other problem here is that the kind of action that is integral to a story changes from script to script. Some character-driven films might have subtle action -- even as a subtle as a blink or a hand gesture -- that the original writer would consider VERY essential. Other films might only need as basic a direction as "JOE ENTERS" and then dialog (a lot of TV writing tends to be like this in my experience). I've read successful shooting scripts on both sides of the spectrum, as I'm sure you have.<BR/><BR/>But, I just wanted to clarify that I am not encouraging verbosity, I just don't think screenwriters should be afraid of being specific if they need to be. But with screenwriting even more so, perhaps, than other forms of writing, less is indeed more.Joseph "Jon" Lanthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00826623899121215596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571493334447630940.post-76828451445347795342008-04-30T14:18:00.000-07:002008-04-30T14:18:00.000-07:00Thanks for the comment, Jon. If tilting a head an...Thanks for the comment, Jon. <BR/><BR/>If tilting a head and crossing arms is integral to the story, then sure, include it. But 99.8% of the time, that sort of thing just isn’t necessary. I find that many non-pro writers tend to write as you do, writing what’s in their head. Unfortunately, what they’re trying to do is describe what they’ve previously seen in movies. Sure, it looked good in those movie, but the descriptions just don’t come across on the page. Believe me, I’m always reading amateur screenplays where “bits of business” such as head-tilting is included in the description. I think this is a big mistake. Just give us the basics – the meat of the scene – and let the actor and the director fill in the rest.Jim Vineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03916150948362587451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571493334447630940.post-21403520917421345952008-04-30T12:06:00.000-07:002008-04-30T12:06:00.000-07:00A lotta good points here. One thing I might say is...A lotta good points here. One thing I might say is that as a writer whose work is seldom produced, I tend to over-describe because it helps whoever might be reading to visualize what I've got in my head. If Joe's crossing his arms and tilting his head is integral to the humor as I limn the moment, I include it. I think writing spec scripts (or any scripts for consideration) and writing shooting scripts are two very different things. First you write to make a producer or director or whomever laugh (or at least get them interested). Then you write to give the actors the tools they need to make the audience laugh. Obviously the best scripts do both at the same time, but I try to err on the side of quality and specificity.Joseph "Jon" Lanthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00826623899121215596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571493334447630940.post-53922992955159339752008-04-12T02:40:00.000-07:002008-04-12T02:40:00.000-07:00It was a stimulating read for me, a somewhat first...It was a stimulating read for me, a somewhat first-timer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com