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- Brainstorm. Start with a situation from your real life that stood out to you in some way. Maybe it made you laugh, maybe it confused you in the moment, or maybe it made you get right on the phone to rant to someone else about it.
- Blow Out Your Premise. Take that nugget of an idea and expand it into what’s called a premise. The easiest way to do this is to phrase it as a “what if?”
- Outline. Once you have a list of game moves, pick out your favorites and arrange them in order from smallest to biggest. For “High-Stakes Ice Breaker Questions,” the first game move is the fact that Tao’s questions come out of the spooky box, while Lily’s have stickers on them, and the final game move finds Tao holding a gun and being asked to pull the trigger.
- Fill in the Dialogue. During the outline phase, the structure of your sketch can be loose, but now it’s time to fill in those cracks. It’s time to flesh out the environment, name your characters, and give them a voice and a personality all their own.
- Exposition
- Introduce The Joke
- Heighten The Joke
- Punch The Joke
- Button
Answer the Q’s that audiences may have as quickly as possible. Typically you want this part of your sketch to be 5 lines of dialogue or less. If you’re writing in script format (using a program like WriterDuet, Celtx, or Final Draft), think about this part of your sketch being less than a page–about half of one. 1. WHO? – Who is onstage/camera? Wha...
Once you’ve set up the reality of your world,it’s time to add the joke. Keep in mind you want to focus on ONLY ONE crazy/wacky/funny thing. If you toss out all the rules (before perfecting them), your sketch will be too confusing to be funny! Sometimes called the “GAME,” the joke is usually the thing that first sparks your interest when thinking of...
This is the meat of the sketch. 95% of your length should come from this part of the sketch. Why? Because it’s where all the best jokes are. What does “heightening” mean? Great Q! It’s sort of like turning the volume up on the funny. Whatever your joke is–make it MORE!! (More ridiculous, more specific, more and more-er and more-est.) In the example...
So, you’ve made a lot of funny out of one small joke. Perfect! Now you have to get out of the joke. How to end a sketch? Great Q. Here are just some ideas: 1. Heightening TOO FAR. (People kill each other, you’re on the moon, something explodes. SNL’s famous example is jumping out of a window.) 2. The voice of reason. (Someone steps in and calls out...
The goofiest and most fun part of a sketch is the button. Don’t sleep on the button! You want to leave the audience laughing. This is one last joke that slaps a laugh on the end of a sketch. This joke can be a little random or even discredit the joke of the sketch. Ex. MANDY (the voice of reason) finally agrees. MANDY: Yeah, fine. But then why did ...
Apr 18, 2024 · 1. 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. [3]
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May 8, 2022 · Jack isn’t just any dad, he’s a former CIA operative. And Greg’s not just a clueless boyfriend, he’s a walking bad-luck charm. So in a structural sense, this relationship is primed for comedic conflict. Here are five great tips for writing a comedy scene: Take a typical situation and exaggerate it. Let tension build.
Oct 5, 2023 · 1. Remember that Brevity is Key in Stand-up Comedy. Your jokes should be short and to the point, or complex and elaborate, but that’s much harder to pull off. If you drag on in setting up your punchline, chances are your audience will lose interest before you get to deliver it. So keep your jokes concise and punchy.
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Sketch comedy writing is a thrilling ride, full of twists, turns, and belly laughs. By mastering the art of short-form comedy, you can create sketches that not only entertain but also resonate with audiences long after the curtain falls. Remember, the world of comedy is vast and varied—there’s room for every voice, every style, and every laugh.
Nov 5, 2023 · Writing sketch comedy, like writing all comedy genres, is all about seizing on a clear, gettable premise that elevates a relatable subject with an added layer of commentary. It’s not enough to simply present a parody for parody’s sake, but rather inject your comedic perspective on that parody in a way that audiences may not expect.
