Jun 06
This is a period of English theatrical history I adore. When most teenagers in the ’90s were discovering Dylan, The Stones, Hendrix, etc. I was discovering comedy albums on C.D. and vinyl like Jonathan Winters, Bob Newhart, Steve Martin, and periods in comedy history like Restoration comedy, Commedia dell’arte, or comic playwrights like Aristophanes. Out …
Jun 03
“Stories are about fucked up people.” – Judd Apatow When I first started writing scripts, in the early ’90s, I was really into Buster Keaton and The Marx Brothers. Which is great from a comedy history/geek perspective, but not so much when it comes to screenwriting. Keaton’s philosophy was figure out the beginning, and the …
Jun 02
“In that moment what would you say? Forget the joke. What would you say?” – Garry Shandling. When it comes to comedy screenwriting, sometimes (but not all the time by any means) story can take a backseat to spectacle or humor. Whether or not it should I think comes down to personal taste. So I …
Jun 02
I’ve been thinking about the difference between story and plot when it comes to screenwriting. And, if I’m honest, I sometimes use those words interchangeably. I tink this comes from learning about script structure so I often end up conflating the two. But they are different. And I don’t just mean in the spelling. If …
Feb 23
Other than working and getting paid, I mean. Here in the U.S. comedy writers are expected to have certain calling cards in order to get work or get an agent, which don’t always go hand in hand. I’ve procrastinated on my own writing samples long enough. Admittedly it has been tough having a kid, and …
