Steve is great, i once emailed him with a question and he responded. even asked if i needed any more help, but i never got back to him because i lost access to that email. just an amazingly genuine person who truly cares about his craft and helping other writers.
This is the most complicated thing to get across. I read books, funny books, one guy needs a joke every two paragraphs and another let’s you develop a lull and relax until something hilarious happens. The former is almost always a TV writer turned novelist, the later developed from O. Henry and other satirists. Never be needy, lots of people will enjoy constant laughs but you can’t magically reproduce a reader caring about the story and continuing until you hit their funny bone. If the story makes sense, if the characters feel “real”, you are so far ahead. The worst thing is now people count laughs. They count jokes. You want readers to care enough about the story to push forward a few pages to get to a laugh. The thing is the reader always has a question, the goal of writing is shaping that question. When you write the first words of a novel or first pages of a screenplay it’s all about controlling that question. Making the question matter, carrying them past all the grey text that just has to be there, that’s a good writer. You can change the question every three paragraphs, a big yuk-yuk every two, but if it’s at the loss of characters and setting it’s too much.
That was a supremely informative video,Steve is funny and a great teacher. I really appreciate that being distilled in such a way from the Jack Benny anecdote. I have to agree that the personal relations and observation one makes are just excellent reference points for character development and a pool of humorous scenarios and potnetial
In my opinion, the secret to writing funny scenes is having a character react truthfully to a situation or another person ironically. Thinking of sitcoms, there's always the straight-man, the one oblivious to being the butt of the joke. But there has to be a set-up to receive the payoff. It's all about timing.
In my opinion, the best comedy I write for my stand-up for open mics comes from real life and from circumstances that just happen in the moment. Sometimes if I hear my aunt or dad talk about something and the situation sounds funny, I write that down for an idea. I never sit down to try to write new ideas, I write them down if a funny situation happens.
All the great comics sit down and write. Half the job is writing. Seinfeld has talked on this many times. You can watch the videos on UA-cam, they’re very informative. Good luck in your standup ventures, that’s awesome!
Jack Benny said "I'm thinking" wasn't the longest laugh they ever got. That was about 4 seconds. The longest was about 7 seconds which he attributed to Mary Livingstone. The setup was Jack and Mary are listening to their guest stars expertly talk about opera for a while and Jack opens his mouth to add his (uniformed) thoughts and as soon as he says, "Well, I think--" Mary shuts him right down saying, "Oh, shut up." The humor in both those situations comes from the audience being familiar with Jack's character flaws.
Totally spot on! It's interesting how being funny in conversation and writing humor differ. I remember cracking jokes at dinner that landed well, but writing them? A whole different ballgame! Humor often hinges on characters being oblivious, just like that classic scene where the character eats a cupcake from the trash-relatable and hilarious! I’ve found that the Sense of Humor Improvement Program by Habit10x helps in refining that comedic truth. Embracing our imperfections can lead to genuine laughs. Keep sharing your truths; humor brings us together!
Oddly, in reference to his past life thing - I had a palmist tell me that I was a farmer from the midwest who fought in World War 1, inherited the family farm but it didn't do well, lost a lot during the depression, wife died young - only one kid who moved off and rarely visited or wrote. She said that I had a heavy wander lust because I died feeling very unfulfilled and weary. It was kind of intense.
The thing about novels is that it's not someone on a stage blurting out jokes, its more about someone who's living a life with a story to tell that can depict situational humor. A protagonist who jokes around and makes fun of others is not a likeable character, so I get it when he says humor should come from satirical situations in life when writing a story on paper.
Jeff, am I missing something here? Wasn't the laugh particularly long because Jack Benny had for years built up a character who was super cheap and tight with his money? I think the laugh induced by the long pause by Jack Benny in answer to "Your money or your life", followed by Jack's emphatic explanation, "I'm Thinking" is not necessarily funny because that's what we would say, although when I was mugged in real life, I did everything to postpone handing over my money. We laugh -at least in some significant amount - because we know how cheap he is. I'm not saying you're wrong, but doesn't some aspect of Jack's character as a penny pincher add significantly to the comedy? I respect your opinion. Help me understand where I'm off. or is what you're saying somehow the same as what I'm saying? If so, how? Love ya!
Absolutely the fact that he's a miser made the joke. The point I was trying to make was that the writers spent HOURS agonizing over the "funny" punchline the bit needed, when the answer turned out to be--what WOULD that character say in that situation? As soon as the writer said it, both he and his writing partner knew they had nailed it--the perfect combination of character, timing, and bevity.
Hi Lon, we have much more to go in this latest interview with Steve! Here are our previous interviews with Steve - bit.ly/1XuuBli Also he has an online masterclass coming soon. Link in the description.
I love Wes Anderson. His work is a kind of gently absurdist fairy-tale theatre, in which he see his subjects and characters with equal measures of compassion and caustic clarity.
I think the biggest difference between comic heroes and regular protagonists is this: in comedy, you don't want the hero's tragic backstory or flaw to be explained. In drama, explaining this at the outset makes the audience more sympathetic to the character. In comedy it ruins the jokes, because the audience becomes too focused on the issues underlying the character's motivations and actions, so it takes the audience out of the comedy. If it's a comic film, you can reveal the trauma at the end of the movie, but never at the beginning.
The movie Observe & Report comes to mind that would "break" this "rule". The character's problems are intertwined with the comedy. He's an absolutely deranged nutjob and seeing all the normal people's reactions to his unexpected insanity is how the comedy is provided.
@@Lifesizemortal I haven't seen that film, but to give a theoretical example. A comedy about a woman who's always making hilarious and sarcastic comments about men could be very good. But if you reveal at the beginning that she was raped repeatedly by her father as a child, it makes the audience very uncomfortable with the jokes. If you leave that to the end of the movie (or never reveal that in a series), you can do that. Not at the beginning though.
![Structuring A Comedy Screenplay: The Comic Hero's Journey - Steve Kaplan [FULL INTERVIEW]](/img/n.gif)
Steve is great, i once emailed him with a question and he responded. even asked if i needed any more help, but i never got back to him because i lost access to that email. just an amazingly genuine person who truly cares about his craft and helping other writers.
Hi, my contact info is in the links below the video.
This is the most complicated thing to get across. I read books, funny books, one guy needs a joke every two paragraphs and another let’s you develop a lull and relax until something hilarious happens. The former is almost always a TV writer turned novelist, the later developed from O. Henry and other satirists.
Never be needy, lots of people will enjoy constant laughs but you can’t magically reproduce a reader caring about the story and continuing until you hit their funny bone. If the story makes sense, if the characters feel “real”, you are so far ahead. The worst thing is now people count laughs. They count jokes. You want readers to care enough about the story to push forward a few pages to get to a laugh. The thing is the reader always has a question, the goal of writing is shaping that question. When you write the first words of a novel or first pages of a screenplay it’s all about controlling that question. Making the question matter, carrying them past all the grey text that just has to be there, that’s a good writer. You can change the question every three paragraphs, a big yuk-yuk every two, but if it’s at the loss of characters and setting it’s too much.
That was a supremely informative video,Steve is funny and a great teacher. I really appreciate that being distilled in such a way from the Jack Benny anecdote. I have to agree that the personal relations and observation one makes are just excellent reference points for character development and a pool of humorous scenarios and potnetial
In my opinion, the secret to writing funny scenes is having a character react truthfully to a situation or another person ironically. Thinking of sitcoms, there's always the straight-man, the one oblivious to being the butt of the joke. But there has to be a set-up to receive the payoff. It's all about timing.
In my opinion, the best comedy I write for my stand-up for open mics comes from real life and from circumstances that just happen in the moment. Sometimes if I hear my aunt or dad talk about something and the situation sounds funny, I write that down for an idea. I never sit down to try to write new ideas, I write them down if a funny situation happens.
All the great comics sit down and write. Half the job is writing. Seinfeld has talked on this many times. You can watch the videos on UA-cam, they’re very informative. Good luck in your standup ventures, that’s awesome!
@@marmantolewell, sort of. Depends on the comic. Some people live their lives in the free play creative phase, and then sit down just to edit.
I love Everybody Loves Raymond and I can imagine Ray in that moment 😂😂 he can never unsee that
Love this one, perfectly captured how I've been trying to explain what I find truly funny to people for years.
We're glad this one found you Ryan!
This was very insightful
Loved his book, the hidden tools, very simple and revealing, I recommend it to everyone who thinks they know what’s funny or what comedy is and isn’t.
Jack Benny said "I'm thinking" wasn't the longest laugh they ever got. That was about 4 seconds. The longest was about 7 seconds which he attributed to Mary Livingstone. The setup was Jack and Mary are listening to their guest stars expertly talk about opera for a while and Jack opens his mouth to add his (uniformed) thoughts and as soon as he says, "Well, I think--" Mary shuts him right down saying, "Oh, shut up." The humor in both those situations comes from the audience being familiar with Jack's character flaws.
Totally spot on! It's interesting how being funny in conversation and writing humor differ. I remember cracking jokes at dinner that landed well, but writing them? A whole different ballgame! Humor often hinges on characters being oblivious, just like that classic scene where the character eats a cupcake from the trash-relatable and hilarious!
I’ve found that the Sense of Humor Improvement Program by Habit10x helps in refining that comedic truth. Embracing our imperfections can lead to genuine laughs. Keep sharing your truths; humor brings us together!
Thanks for this
Oddly, in reference to his past life thing - I had a palmist tell me that I was a farmer from the midwest who fought in World War 1, inherited the family farm but it didn't do well, lost a lot during the depression, wife died young - only one kid who moved off and rarely visited or wrote. She said that I had a heavy wander lust because I died feeling very unfulfilled and weary. It was kind of intense.
The thing about novels is that it's not someone on a stage blurting out jokes, its more about someone who's living a life with a story to tell that can depict situational humor. A protagonist who jokes around and makes fun of others is not a likeable character, so I get it when he says humor should come from satirical situations in life when writing a story on paper.
You know what? In my next life I'm going to be a janitor.
He writes great books!
Jeff, am I missing something here? Wasn't the laugh particularly long because Jack Benny had for years built up a character who was super cheap and tight with his money? I think the laugh induced by the long pause by Jack Benny in answer to "Your money or your life", followed by Jack's emphatic explanation, "I'm Thinking" is not necessarily funny because that's what we would say, although when I was mugged in real life, I did everything to postpone handing over my money. We laugh -at least in some significant amount - because we know how cheap he is. I'm not saying you're wrong, but doesn't some aspect of Jack's character as a penny pincher add significantly to the comedy?
I respect your opinion. Help me understand where I'm off. or is what you're saying somehow the same as what I'm saying? If so, how?
Love ya!
Absolutely the fact that he's a miser made the joke. The point I was trying to make was that the writers spent HOURS agonizing over the "funny" punchline the bit needed, when the answer turned out to be--what WOULD that character say in that situation? As soon as the writer said it, both he and his writing partner knew they had nailed it--the perfect combination of character, timing, and bevity.
I would have preferred if the video kept going. I was invested.
Hi Lon, we have much more to go in this latest interview with Steve! Here are our previous interviews with Steve - bit.ly/1XuuBli Also he has an online masterclass coming soon. Link in the description.
I wish he talk about how wes Anderson makes comedy in serious situation.if this interview is not finished, can u please ask him karen?
I love Wes Anderson. His work is a kind of gently absurdist fairy-tale theatre, in which he see his subjects and characters with equal measures of compassion and caustic clarity.
I think the biggest difference between comic heroes and regular protagonists is this: in comedy, you don't want the hero's tragic backstory or flaw to be explained. In drama, explaining this at the outset makes the audience more sympathetic to the character. In comedy it ruins the jokes, because the audience becomes too focused on the issues underlying the character's motivations and actions, so it takes the audience out of the comedy. If it's a comic film, you can reveal the trauma at the end of the movie, but never at the beginning.
The movie Observe & Report comes to mind that would "break" this "rule". The character's problems are intertwined with the comedy. He's an absolutely deranged nutjob and seeing all the normal people's reactions to his unexpected insanity is how the comedy is provided.
@@Lifesizemortal I haven't seen that film, but to give a theoretical example. A comedy about a woman who's always making hilarious and sarcastic comments about men could be very good. But if you reveal at the beginning that she was raped repeatedly by her father as a child, it makes the audience very uncomfortable with the jokes. If you leave that to the end of the movie (or never reveal that in a series), you can do that. Not at the beginning though.
Real life doesn't work well on Film!
Hitchcock said movies are like real life, with the boring parts cut out.