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OTHER KINDS OF TV COMEDY
WRITING FOR ANIMATION
Many, if not all of us have an affinity for cartoons that can be traced back to our childhoods. So, it should come as no surprise then that when The Simpsons hit the airwaves in 1989, it became an instant hit and has remained so ever since. To date, it is the longest running prime time animated series in America. It also currently holds the record as the longest running sitcom in the U.S. This animated series for adults was the brainchild of creator Matt Groening and is actually a spin-off of The Tracey Ullman Show. The Simpsons are the antithesis of traditional sitcom families; Homer and Bart have become American icons and together, along with their creators, they have singlehandedly reinvented animation. With sharply written shows that followed like South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, Bob’s Burgers, and Archer, it’s no wonder animation is currently one of the hottest, most watched forms of television today. This is not likely to change.
In some ways writing for animation is like writing for traditional sitcoms, and in some ways it is much different. If you browse through an animated script, you will see that it looks very much like a regular sitcom script. Some animated shows are written single-camera film-style, others multi-cam style. Some use three-act structure; others opt for traditional two-act structure.
“There’s very little difference in writing animation vs. a live-action sitcom. The stories still have to be compelling and work to take the characters on a journey. On The Simpsons, we have a cartoon wrapped around a family, so we constantly look for real family stories, situations, and emotions. But I believe any animated show searches for these things. Sponge Bob still cries and laughs and gets jealous and falls in love. He may do it thousands of feet under water but it’s these differences that make every show, animated or live action, unique.” — Emmy Award winner John Frink, executive producer, The Simpsons
Perhaps the most significant difference between the two is that with animation, the sky is really the limit in terms of what you can do. Traditional sitcoms are hugely restricted by money, time, and what can be done by human actors. In animation, if a writer can think it, an animator can draw it. Animation writers are lucky in that they don’t have to be in the constant mindset of “can the show afford to do this?”
In animation, the process between writer and animator is extremely collaborative. To be successful, the two must work in harmony. In the same way sitcom writers turn over their scripts to a director, animation writers put their scripts into the hands of an animator. In order to do this, animation writers have to translate the vision in their head via scene descriptions. Thus, scene descriptions in animated scripts tend to be more detailed than in traditional sitcom scripts. That said, the true trick for animation writers is to write enough description to get the point across, but not so much that it steps on the animator’s own creative vision. Needless to say, this is a delicate balance to strike.
“You want to describe the action in detail, but you also want to leave enough room for the animator’s creativity. Animators will add their own comedy and bits. It’s very collaborative.” — Emmy-nominee Kate Boutilier, Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys
Once the script is finished, production on animated shows is, as you might imagine, much different than production on live action shows. Animated shows have table reads with the cast, writers, producers, etc., just like regular sitcoms. But then, because there are no physical sets on a soundstage or any other location, actors eventually go into a studio, step into character, and record their lines.
Although some animated shows like South Park have a reputation for being able to turn around very quickly, as a rule, animation takes a lot longer to produce. To save money, much of it is done overseas. Thus, it can take many months from the time a script leaves a writer’s hands until the show is actually complete and ready for air. In the sitcom world, the process is much quicker. The turnaround time for a sitcom is usually a few weeks to a month, depending on whether or not the show is running behind. I have seen sitcom scripts that were turned in and put into production within a week. This is rarely the case with animation.
“Most of the differences I deal with come in the production of the animated show vs. the live-action sitcom. Animation tends to have a much longer time span from table read to aired show. We read a script, record it, and then move on to other shows until that first show comes back in the form of story boards, animatics, and color versions over the course of nine months. We’re able to fix the writing, animation, and voice acting during this time period. Most live-action shows table read on one week day and film/tape the show five days later. The writing and acting has to be fixed in a much shorter time frame. So The Simpsons should be roughly 270 days better than all other television, right?” — Emmy Award winner John Frink, executive producer, The Simpsons
I recognize that shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park are cooler than cool, and most people would kill for a chance to write for one of them. But, if you are really serious about wanting to write animation, don’t overlook shows on The Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Adult Swim. While I am not professing it’s easy to get your foot in the door at any of these places, writing for shows on these cable networks can be great places to cut your teeth as an animation writer.
Another way you might break into animation is through toy companies. A current trend is that some toy companies are starting to get into the animation game by taking some of their top-selling toys/characters and hiring writers to develop TV series based on the character(s). A good example of this is Hasbro, which took their popular My Little Pony characters and brought them to life through animation. Unfortunately, this kind of work does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Writers Guild of America, so writers who work on these types of programs do not get paid as much. Still, if you can get the work, it is a good thing to put on your resumé, in your quest to stacking up writing credits. This kind of work can definitely lead to other things.
“Most writers direct their movies in their heads as they write, but they have to be careful not to put too much direction in their script as it is normally the director’s place to make those decisions. In animation, the writer is expected to call camera angles, to write every color, tone, expression, and even costume. You get to extend yourself creatively. You have to remember: if it is not on the page, the storyboard artist will not know what you mean.” — Bonnie DeSouza, writer, My Little Pony and Fish Police
WRITING FOR LATE NIGHT
Many comedy writers have a specific goal of writing for late-night television. If you feel a calling to work on shows like The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, etc., you really need to be a solid joke writer. Look at the monologues on these shows; they are mostly joke-driven. You also need to be topical. You have to ensconce yourself in current events and pop culture. So start reading lots of newspapers every day. Then, start writing jokes. Lots of jokes. Make a goal for yourself that you will write X number of jokes per week. Start sending them out to people. Family, friends, acquaintances. Post some jokes on Facebook. See what people respond to. As with all TV writing, you are going to have to prove you are funny before anyone is going to hire you as a writer on a late night show. You need to start now so that you are ready when opportunity knocks.
“It is 100% important to keep up with current events to write for late night. That’s the gig — to be able to make people laugh at the day’s events. Even if you’re on the sketch side, and write more generic comedy pieces, chances are you’ll need a few topical jokes dropped in along the way. Politics, music, movies, television, sports, fads — you have to know all that stuff, even when you’re not interested. For instance, I hate reality TV. It’s just not for me. But whether I like it or not, everyone else seems to love it — so, I now know more than I ever thought I would about the Kardashians and the Real Housewives. Just like we have other writers who hate sports, but know all about Tim Tebow. You kind of have to leave your comfort zone a little, and know what people are talking about.” — Emmy nominee Jon Rineman, writer, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Perhaps one of the most important things you can do to improve your talents in the joke writing arena is to get out into a so-called comedy community. Go to comedy clubs regularly and learn from stand-up comics; learn from the good ones, learn from the bad ones. And don’t go home early. Get to know comedians who are more successful than you, as well as those who are on equal footing. This is a very tight-knit group of people and belonging is a good first step. If you see someone you think could be helpful to your career, don’t hold back. Tell that person what it is you want and ask if he or she can help.
“You should physically approach the person you’re trying to send material to. If you’re a normal person, polite, dressed well, and don’t appear to be crazy, you have a shot. People want to help young people. They think, ‘that person looks like me when I was just starting out.’” — Emmy Award winner Jay Leno, comedian and former host of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Writing for late night isn’t much different than writing for any other kind of television in that producers don’t take unsolicited material. Everything must come through an agent. Agents are difficult to get, and when the arena you are looking to enter is so specialized, it becomes all the harder. Putting yourself in a position to get your work seen is key. If writing for late night is something you are desperate to do, I highly recommend (as I do with other kinds of writing) that you try to get a job in production on one of these shows. I am not suggesting this is at all easy. It isn’t. But if you can get your foot in the door, hopefully you will be in a position where you can eventually pitch some jokes or get your material read, and take off from there.
“When I started on The Daily Show, it was such a small enterprise that people were still able to just send in unsolicited packets that might get read. Some were even hired that way, but not anymore. Maybe there are startups that would do such a thing, but that’s certainly not the case at most of the late-night shows. Most require your packet be sent in by an agent or manager, and the mysteries of how to get one of those are beyond me.” — Emmy Award winner and Peabody Award winner Eric Drysdale, writer, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
SKETCH WRITING
Currently, there are very few sketch shows out there. Of course the most obvious one is Saturday Night Live . Work in this arena is so limited that it is almost nonexistent. If your goal has always been to write for a show like Saturday Night Live, you need to be aware that it is nearly impossible to get hired as a janitor on that show, much less as a writer. I am not trying to be a downer or stomp on your dreams, but I think it’s important that you are realistic. If writing for Saturday Night Live is the only thing you want to do in life, then I say go for it, because you won’t know for sure until you try. Just be sure you have a back-up plan in case it doesn’t work out.
As with other television writing, shows like SNL will only look at writers who come through an agent. On occasion an un-agented writer might squeak through, if he or she comes by way of one of the well-known comedy groups like Second City or The Harvard Lampoon, but even this is rare.
A professional writing portfolio for a show like SNL will usually contain three or four sketches and a couple of commercial parodies, with maybe a monologue of some sort. The work gets passed around and read by the writing staff, who will then decide whether or not to have that person in for a meeting.
“Nepotism. It’s an ugly word that should remain ugly in most cases, but in the world of entertainment it basically runs everything. I’m not talking about cousins giving cousins high paying jobs at the dump, but friends giving friends high paying jobs because they like them. Comedy people want to be around other like-minded comedy people. They form groups, Second City, The Groundlings, USB Theater, stand-up communities, college humor magazines, etc. Form a group. Be a part of a group. Be a part of the “I Hate Groups” group. People in the group know you and they trust you or maybe they just like you. When one of you makes it in the door, the door opens for everybody else.” — Emmy Award winner Andrew Steele, head writer, Saturday Night Live
I would encourage all comedy writers to try their hand at writing a couple of sketches, even if you fancy yourself a sitcom writer with no interest in a show like SNL . Having a couple of sketches in your portfolio can put you ahead of the game as, once in a blue moon, producers will ask agents for them. The vast majority of sitcom writers don’t bother to write sketches, so if you have some in your back pocket that might be the thing that gets you in the door someday. I have seen it happen — and more than once.
If that’s not enough to convince you, then consider this: because sketches are relatively short and often take place in one primary location, once you have written a good, funny sketch, you could easily cast it and shoot it. Then post the finished product on sites like YouTube. If it’s fresh and original, it might get you noticed. Plus, with cameras and recording devices so readily available there’s really no excuse for writers not to be actual makers, at least within reason. Writing and shooting a sketch seems like a good and fairly doable place to start.
So, how do you go about writing a good sketch? Here are some things you should think about to help jumpstart your brain:
● Premise — First you need to come up with a strong, funny premise. In sketch writing, the sky’s the limit. You can go with a premise that’s familiar and grounded in reality. For example, someone going to the dentist. That could be a sketch. Or you can write something more out there and absurd. One that falls into this category is SNL’s Land Shark, which was voiced by Chevy Chase. This was a recurring sketch in which a cunning shark popped up on land, rang the doorbells of young, innocent women and attacked them. Funny stuff.
● Setting — Next consider where your sketch will take place. Don’t be afraid to have fun. While most sitcoms take place in familiar settings, your sketch doesn’t have to. It can take place on Mars, in the middle of the ocean, or in hell for that matter. This is one time you can (and should) really let your imagination run wild.
● Character — Once you have your premise and setting, ask yourself who your main character is? A small suggestion: Think of this character as someone who can recur. This will give you more bang for your buck. And if you do produce your sketch and it catches on even just a little, you could then produce more sketches with the same character. When thinking of characters, don’t be afraid to go against type. A good example of this would be my absolute favorite sketch in the world which was on SNL. It’s about a motivational speaker named Matt Foley (played by the late Chris Farley). Now, most of us would expect a motivational speaker to be fairly upbeat and at least moderately successful. Not Matt Foley. He’s a thrice divorced loser who eats government cheese and lives in a van down by the river. Matt’s way of motivating people is to stomp on their hopes and dreams and tell them that they are going to end up just like him, living in a van down by the river. This character is incredibly funny because it’s just the opposite of what we’d expect.
● Escalation — As with sitcoms, you need to set up the problem quickly. Then escalate it. Keep making it worse and worse…with the very worst thing happening at the end.
● Jokes — Try to write one every ten seconds. You have to. Sketches are short, so there’s not a lot of time to make people laugh.
● Catch Phrases — If you can give your main character a catch phrase, definitely do. It will make that character more memorable. But don’t overdo it. A couple of times per sketch will be enough.
“The best way to break in first and foremost is to do it — write a lot on your own so that it’s a normal routine, so you get used to doing it, and so you’re ready to show your work to agents and managers and, if you’re lucky, a head writer. For monologue writing, that means setting aside some time to sit and write some jokes. For sketch, that means writing a piece and producing it — probably for YouTube or Funny or Die. Put it up, and just see how it does — if people like it, what they have to say. Same goes for monologue — try putting up some jokes on Twitter and see what kind of reaction you get. Of course, Twitter isn’t the end-all/be-all — just because something’s popular there doesn’t mean it would beat the ideas coming from a room full of writers — but it gets you into the habit of having some stakes for your jokes.” — Emmy nominee Jon Rineman, writer, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Before you sit down to try your hand at writing a sketch, be sure to watch as many skectches as you can. See what they have in common. Let me give you a place to start. Go online and see if you can find the Kristen Wiig–Ben Stiller SNL Halloween Party sketch. Wiig plays Shana (a recurring character) a red-headed hottie who speaks in double entendres and gets any and all men in her presence all hot and bothered. In the Halloween sketch, Shana arrives at the party dressed as a sexy bunny. The male guests are thrilled to see her. Then she chews up an apple in a very unladylike way and the guys immediately go from hot to cool. Shanna gets them hot again and then she starts to do things that are downright disgusting. And when you can’t imagine how Shana could do anything any grosser…guess what? She does. Right up ‘til the end when she walks out the door and the sketch is over. This is a perfectly written sketch. Check it out and you will see how it hits all of the elements we discussed.
On the next page is an example of what a professional sketch looks like. It was written in my Comedy Writing for Late Night class at Emerson College by Jon Rineman who is now a writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The sketch is reprinted with Jon’s permission.
FADE IN:
INT. KITCHEN
MAN stands by, about to boil some lobsters. Cheesy infomercial music plays.
MAN
Boy! I love lobster! Time to get these babies cooking!
Man goes to put lobsters into pot, when PITCH MAN enters.
DOORBELL RINGS.
PITCH MAN
Not so fast!
MAN
Who the hell are you?
PITCH MAN
I’m your new best friend!
MAN
(Frantically looking around)
How did you get into my house?
PITCH MAN
I came in through the door. And by door, I mean chimney! But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to talk about lobsters. What would you say if I told you that lobsters couldn’t feel themselves boiling?
MAN
I’d say that’s wonderful! I’d feel much better about boiling them!
PITCH MAN
Well, tough luck, Grandma! They feel every waking moment of the torture that is being boiled alive!
MAN
Oh my God, that’s horrible!
Actually, it’s great!
PITCH MAN (CONT’D)
Because now, using the excruciating pain being realized by our orangeyred victims, you can measure just how dead your lobster is, and exactly how close its carcass is to being joyfully consumed!
MAN
Wow, you mean lobsters actually go through different stages of death?
PITCH MAN
Whoa, how about you shut the hell up! Because that’s exactly what I was going to say! You can pinpoint exactly how cooked your lobster is using the new Lobster Subsistence Decliner…
(Holds up small machine)
The LSD.
MAN
Are you crazy? You call this thing the LSD?!
PITCH MAN
Yes, but not because anyone’s trippin’ on acid! It’s because they’re trippin’ up the lobsters who are trying to survive! The way it works is, you pick up the lobster and put him in the LSD. able to see on this meter exactly As the lobster cooks, you’ll be where you are in the process of crustacean homicide.
Pitch Man points to the meter.
MAN
Lobsters are crustaceans?
PITCH MAN
Lobsters are dead once their ass hits the LSD! Take a look!
(Pointing to meter)
The lobster begins dying by feeling an intense increase in heat.
(MORE)
Then, in Phase Two, the lobster’s pupils melt, and it loses its sight completely!
MAN
Lobsters have pupils?!
PITCH MAN
I don’t even know if they have eyes! But they’ve got a lot of explaining to do at Phase Three, because that’s when they develop a nasty heroin addiction!
MAN
Heroin? Man!
PITCH MAN
At Phase Four, the lobster experiences sickening, unthinkable twinges and swelling as its joints become frayed. Then comes the mild discomfort.
MAN
Mild?!
PITCH MAN
At Phase Five, the lobster is diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis! At Phase Six, it loses the memory of its seventh birthday! And then at Phase Seven, the lobster begins to suffer from Mad Cow Disease!
MAN
Mad Cow?! Oh God! I don’t want to eat a lobster that has Mad Cow!
PITCH MAN
Oh you won’t have to! The Mad Cow is canceled out at Phase Eight, when the lobster catches the Bird Flu!
MAN
PITCH MAN
No, it’s Avian! Just kidding – Of course it’s fatal!
(MORE)
And now that the lobster is dead, you can go to town enjoying a fine lobster dinner.
MAN
Well, how much does this thing cost?
PITCH MAN
Cost? That’s not important.
MAN
Yes! Yes it is!
PITCH MAN
All I can say is, you better buy it, because anyone who doesn’t will be declared a member of Al Qaeda and forced to register as an interspecies sex offender!
MAN
Well, that’s pretty rough! I better buy one. Who should I make the check out to?
PITCH MAN
Oh, don’t ask me!
MAN
What? Aren’t you a salesman?
PITCH MAN
No! I’m just a guy! A guy who works at the tollbooths, and really loves his LSD. Well, I gotta go, but don’t forget to buy our own LSD. LSD – It’s the future!
MAN
(Reaching into pockets)
Hey…where the hell is my wallet?!
PITCH MAN
See ya!
MAN
Hey!
Man chases Pitch Man off screen, as “LSD” comes up.
(Sounding unprofessional)
The LSD: Available at the place next to the thing.
FADE OUT.
THE END
STAND UP AND IMPROVISE
I am a big believer in stand-up and improv. Both of these arenas are, in my mind, perfect training grounds for a comedy writer’s room. Yes, I realize that it’s easy for me to tell you to go try to be funny publicly. Risk making a fool of yourself even. Why? Because if you have the guts, you will be ahead of the gang when it comes to being prepared for a career in comedy. In my comedy writing classes I regularly make students do both stand-up and improv. They groan. Then, after they’ve done it, they realize it’s not so bad; in fact, even though it’s hard work, it can be kind of fun.
Let’s start with stand-up. If you do it regularly, it will force you to keep writing fresh material, which you will need when it comes time to look for employment. Soon, you will start to get a feel for the rhythm of the setups and punchlines and even the transitions. You’ll get a handle on the timing of jokes. If you have any bit of shyness, stand-up will help you lose that. (Which is something you need to do. Trust me when I tell you writers’ rooms are not for shrinking violets.) As a comedian, you will start to get comfortable in your own skin. And let’s not forget, doing stand-up — especially if you are good — can get you noticed. If you are in L.A., New York, or even Chicago, there may be industry people in the audience. Especially in Los Angeles, agents and managers are known to constantly visit comedy clubs, looking for new talent. And if it’s not an agent or manager, it could be a producer or even a star. Harris Wittels, a former student of mine at Emerson College graduated and moved to Los Angeles with aspirations of being a comedy writer. While Harris is extremely talented, he was also smart enough to know that he couldn’t sit home waiting for the phone to ring. He had to do everything in his power to make his career happen. So Harris went out and did stand-up at comedy clubs. He worked hard, continuously churning out new material. One evening, he was doing his routine, and who happened to be in the audience, but Sarah Silverman. Not long afterwards, guess who got hired as a writer on The Sarah Silverman Program? From there, it didn’t take Harris long to make the jump to Parks and Recreation, where he is now a co-executive producer.
Another great training ground for late night writers as well as sitcom writers is improvisation. While improv may be a bit intimidating because you are standing in front of an audience without any prepared material, you are forced to think on your feet and be funny in the moment. This is what you will be doing in a comedy’s writers’ room, day in, day out. So if you can, take some classes in improv. See how quickly your comedywriting skills improve.
“Improv comedy is invaluable to being in a writer’s room. There is a formula to comedy and learning to be able to riff (I hate that word, kinda cheesy) while writing scenes in the room is super helpful. Improv makes it feel second nature to you. And also when you are pitching stuff, you are doing it to a room of ten or so people, which can feel like an audience — so saying jokes on stage and in front of people, can prepare you in that way as well. I took classes at UCB and haven’t looked back since.” — Harris Wittels, co-executive producer, Parks and Recreation, consulting producer, Eastbound and Down, and writer, The Sarah Silverman Program.