What makes sketch comedy funny

The last thing to do is write the dialogue. An issue writers can have with sketches is that they launch into dialogue before everything is thought through.

Starting to write dialogue with unclear POVs, an ill-defined dynamic between the characters, little sense of the game of the sketch or what problems the characters are trying to solve is a recipe for producing an unclear and ultimately unfunny sketch. Set-up: Establish the who, where, what etc. The given circumstances. Do this economically. There can be laughs here but the game, the central comic idea, is not yet revealed. Yes, endings can be the biggest problem with sketches.

John Cleese bemoaned that he and Graham Chapman would write a sketch in a morning, then spend another week trying to end it. Python themselves of course abolished the punchline with meta endings and stream-of-consciousness flowing from one thing to the next. Aside from doing that, here are three initial very common and effective endings. I will explore in a follow up response…. A VERY common ending. The straight character suddenly buys into the worldview, or takes on the behaviour, of the funny one.

This is either done inexplicably or in a calculated way. Another classic. False dawns can also work mid-sketch — they can serve as a breather in the escalation. Finally it seems he has understood and is now going to bring the right dish. The couple relax, but he gets it wrong again but in a new or more extreme way. A new character comes in and enters the situation. Dramatic irony. Or they can be a way of the sketch starting again, the whole thing going full-circle see below.

Extra killer fact A revelation that casts everything that came before in a new light. Be wary of these though. Make sure the sketch is funny in its own right prior to the pay-off. Or make it a quickie.

Variation The punchline provides a variation on the central joke. Bit surreal but you get the idea! Meta ending The artifice of the situation is acknowledged, or the illusion is broken in some way, or the conventions of the performance situation are broken or exposed.

End on a strong laugh line The sketch just ends on a good line. It was all a trick… The situation is revealed to have been some sort of practical joke or trick. This can be used as a false dawn too. Start your sketch writing with 2 characters. You should only have as many characters in a sketch as you absolutely need. Got a part with just a line or two? Consider cutting the character all together. Otherwise, that one or two lines better be killer and better add to the sketch. The game of the scene is the same as the fun of the scene.

Whatever the FUN is — you only need one. Would it have been as good? Definitely not. They played it to the max, even ending up in space. End up in space. The audience will appreciate it so much more. Too many talking head sketches exist in this world. Develop jokes from this research. The best jokes are surprising and often absurd. Like a magician, comedians need to be skilled in the art of misdirection.

Lead your audience in one direction with the beginning of a joke and then add a "punchline", that surprises them. For example: I once wrestled a bear. It weighed less than a pound and was stuffed with cotton. This joke uses the art of misdirection. The first sentence is the idea developed through word association.

It makes you think that the following story will be about a person taking on a pound grizzly bear, so it is funny when it turns out to be a stuffed teddy bear.

This joke is funny too because it is equally absurd. How many adults do you know that wrestle teddy bears? Consider your jokes timing and delivery. Many comedians agree that a joke succeeds or fails based on timing. Think about how you might deliver the joke about wrestling a bear.

Pause after you say "I once wrestled a bear". Give your audience a second or two to think about you wrestling a bear and all the danger that entails. Maybe take a deep sigh to show that the story that follows is serious to you. Then say "It weighed less than a pound and was stuffed with cotton. If you say it quickly, the audience won't have the time to assume anything and the joke will flop. Develop your idea or joke into a premise. Most great comedy sketches begin with a single idea.

Now it is time to expand on your central idea. Explore your premise. Don't be afraid to write an idea down and throw it away soon after. You will probably think of 10 ideas for every 1 good idea. For example, the premise you've settled on is an adult wrestling a teddy bear.

Many comedians say that great comedy needs to be somewhat realistic. Focus on normally realistic actions. Don't all of sudden switch to a teddy bear in space or a teddy bear coming to life. Your audience won't be able to follow you.

Focus on the action you've set up in your premise. What wrestling moves did you use on the bear? Did you get it in a headlock, full-nelson, or some other elaborate hold? Where did this wrestling match take place? In your bedroom, in your daughter's bedroom, or in a store like Build-A-Bear? What started the fight in the first place?

What was the outcome? Use these kinds of questions about action and place to expand your idea or joke into a premise. Part 2. Outline your comedy sketch.

Now it is time to put pencil to paper or fingers on keyboard. You know your basic premise. It is time to outline, which should include how you plan to begin, what content, premise, or rough jokes will make up the majority of your sketch, and how you will end. If you have a great ending in mind like a grown man fighting a teddy bear in a Build-A-Bear , start there and write what leads to that.

Maybe the adult did not like the way the teddy bear was "looking" at him when he went in to buy his daughter a birthday present. Maybe work has been stressful and the man just needed to physically hit something. Maybe this particular bear reminds him of someone he hates. Use your imagination to develop a storyline.

Understand and use standard formatting rules for script writing. Be sure to include the setting, actors' lines, acting directions, and stage directions. Your character or characters will be in at least one place. Give detailed information about the setting. What other objects will be in the setting with your actors?

In the Build-A-Bear fight sketch, describe other stuffed animals and how they looked on. Timing is everything in comedy. Cut everything that does not feed the core joke. Writing a sketch that fits one of these styles is a great way to get started.

A Parody makes fun of a specific work or style. Satire is ridiculing an idea or social convention to draw attention to an issue in society. Satire has a long history as a weapon against tyranny. A character is completely out of their element.

The fun here is in playing with how different the character is from the environment you put them in and how they react. A character has to do a seemingly simple task, but things keep getting in the way. Start with simple obstacles and get more ridiculous. Farts, poop, etc.