Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="HRSegovia" data-source="post: 5668434" data-attributes="member: 99950">[FONT=&quot]Writing for Television and Sitcoms [/FONT]  [FONT=&quot]Writing for television is very competitive and difficult, even taking to consideration that you'll be working with a team of eleven other writers. But the pay-off is well worth it.MARIE: These breadsticks are old.FRANK: Well, you are what you eat!MARIE: Bobby, give your father his helping of Miserable Bastard.- Everybody Loves RaymondRemember that most sitcoms are character driven stories in situational comedy.The Heart of every Sitcom is the What If? scenario. The plot is determined by the reaction of the main character when he is placed in a unique -- frequently uncomfortable -- situation. Not all sitcom dialogue is humorous. In Fact, more than 65 percent of a sitcom's time is taken up with serious situations, which are highlighted by comic relief.- Comedy Writing SecretsWith this in mind, here are the ten most common setups in sitcoms. These setups are epsiode themes which provide plenty of opportunity for comedy and allow you to build an episode. Think of them as the story concept. While they tend to theme entire sitcoms, these are episodic ideas.FAMILY AGGRESSION: People who live together long enough become bitter, even when they love each other.WORKPLACE AGGRESSION: Scrubs and Just Shoot Me are filled with these.MISTAKEN ASSUMPTIONS: Mistaking one fact for another can lead to disappointment and comedy. For example, Cartman mistaking the Ultravibe Pleasure 2000 in his mom's closet for a cool Christmas toy.INTRUSIONS: A "breaking of the rules" and sometimes "cover-up" also leads to comedy. Especially when the audience experiences the extent and frequent close-calls the character goes through to continue the facade.HEARTBREAK: Desperate Housewives and most family sitcoms test the boundaries of relationships.MORAL AND ETHICAL CONFLICTS: Inner conflict of "right and wrong" is often extroverted in sitcoms.SYMPATHY FOR THE DISADVANTAGED: Handicapped people have been targets secretly for a long time, and now it is becoming more acceptable to fire shots at them. A good example is Joe from Family Guy.PHYSICAL MISHAPS: An accident of sorts renders the character helpless in some way for a short period of time.SOMETHING OF VALUE: ...and the extents people will go through to achieve or protect it.FAILURE TO COPE: Often includes the lead character unable to cope with a new situation.[/FONT]</blockquote>

Verification