What do the following pieces of comic dialogue have in common? 1. ALLAN: What are you doing Saturday night? MUSEUM GIRL: Committing suicide. ALLAN: What about Friday night? (‘Play It Again, Sam‘) 2. KIM: I’m not a size 16, Mum. I’m a size 10. KATH: Country Road’s size 10. (‘Kath & Kim‘) 3. LUCILLE:…
Category: Comedy lesson
Narrative Comedy Themes
Every TV comedy needs a theme or what is known in feature-film development as a ‘controlling idea’. This inspires a show’s moral framework, the subtextual message that drives the show. Once you’ve had some initial thoughts about a project, take the time to identify your narrative comedy theme. Often this is implicit in the show’s…