Write a Sitcom

3rd Rock From The Sun, Seinfeld, Spaced and Friends can all have the power to make you laugh. As Dick Solomon once said on 3rd Rock From The Sun, "Making someone laugh is like having the power to get into someone's brain and tickle it." To which Harry replied, "I could do that with a drumstick." There are distinct types of sitcoms, but behind the scenes, there is always a script, and scripts don't fall from the sky. They need writers.

Steps

  1. Learn the proper formatting techniques if you are planning to make this a professional career. The easiest way to do this is get some software that will format what you type into it appropriately (for example Celtx).
    • At the beginning of every scene write where it is, and whether you are indoors or outdoors (Int. = Indoors Ext. = Outdoors). Stage directions are written in blocks of text spanning from the margin on the left to the margin on the right. Text is in blocks at the middle spanning from the centre (imagine the page is split into three equal thirds, you would be writing text in the center). Always have characters' names in capitals except within dialogue.
  2. Look around at all the different sitcoms on the air. Look at where they come from. The show's nation usually dictates the comedy used. For example, American comedy is mainly slapstick and what happens to the characters, whereas British comedy is more about what the characters do to each other and fooling the audience. Of course, there are many other styles, so just look around and find an amusing balance.
  3. Choose your genre and audience. You can have sci-fi, adventure, or something as simple as the misadventures of two friends (also known as slice-of-life).
  4. Plan your characters. Get a notebook and dedicate a page to a character. Explain how they act and behave, how they talk, and most importantly, why. The characters are the basis of your story.
  5. Write a basic plot line in your notepad. You will want about 15 to 20 plot points, and this may sound daft, but make sure they are in chronological order. You don't want to write any jokes here as this comes with the script.
  6. Start to write the script. Get your laptop, computer, book, anything! Just start writing. Use the format if you're planning on selling this. Type in Courier New, size 12, since this is the industry standard. This is where you put the jokes in. Make them true to your character and to your style. You want to write about 25 pages (the general rule of thumb is one minute per page).
  7. Read it thoroughly. Look for character consistency and plot holes. Once you have read that, revise it into the second draft. Always save every draft as a different file. This is so that you can read them all through, and if you think the humour starts to slip somewhere, go back to where it started to slip and revise!
  8. Write some more scripts without making any public, and always copyright them. However, you'll want about 5 scripts, at least at first. Do not let anyone but critics and friends see them. This is to build up a small portfolio and avoid plagiarism.
  9. Get an agent. Search for some agencies and try to get an agent. Look for an agent with a good history and a nice price. This is where your scripts come in, as the agencies will probably want to read some of your work. If they don't, ditch them.



Tips

  • Up to where you start writing the scripts, write with paper and pen. This makes it easier to let the ideas flow.
  • Set yourself an amount of time to work for, and if you succeed to do it, treat yourself to something.
  • Sitcoms of the "golden age" had set boundaries: they did not make fun of characters, there was no overt abuse or cruelty except perhaps by a boss at work, there was an intent of doing good, of amusement, of perhaps teaching a lesson, of making people feel good, of no one ultimately getting hurt seriously by all the shenanigans. Satires used a gentle touch, and did variations on the subject rather than mockery. Be careful of your approach and the mood you create.
  • Have fun. The audience will see that and enjoy it, too.
  • Treat yourself to something big when you finish a script.
  • Make sure each distinctive character benefits the whole group of characters overall. Like Friends, each of the 6 characters had their own personality that benefited the group. Try have an average of 4-6 characters too. 1-3 won't give you enough to give you 2 plots per episode. Then you'll end up needing recurring characters constantly like Sam And Cat and they'll end up becoming main characters which isn't always a good thing, like iCarly. But over 6 is too much because each character won't get enough screen time within 21-24 minutes.
  • Learn from the best and the worst: Sometimes the "worst" sitcoms are the most formulaic, and will teach you the basic requirements of the genre. The best ones are more likely to disguise the formula effectively. The best sitcoms have often come from the Desilu studio, MTM Productions, Norman Lear productions, Susan Harris, and more recently, the creators of Friends, and Will & Grace. Saul Turtletaub and Bernie Orenstein are two of the masters of the genre. M*A*S*H was one of the all-time best sitcoms, headed by Larry Gelbart, and the many episodes list the names of the many fine writers they used on the show.
  • The Carol Burnett Show(s) (there were three incarnations) (while a variety show format, the sketches often functioned as mini-sitcoms, one of which led to the spin-off, Mama's Family).
  • When writing, planning, or anything, go to a special place, play some relaxing music, and write.
  • There are also typified formats such as the fish-out-of-water, or putting a person into a foreign or strange environment.
  • Many older sitcoms can be seen in reruns or on cable television channels. It is helpful to talk to fans who watched when they were originally on to understand their cultural context.
  • Learn from other genres: The Cosby Show made effective use of classic vaudeville routines in one episode; in fact, most of American comedy has been based on roots in vaudeville and burlesque. There are older genres as well, the Italian Commedia dell'Arte, and the Spanish Tonadilla, which can be useful resources. Learn what works and how to wield it skillfully, lest you ruin it.

Warnings

  • Do not let anyone see your uncopyrighted works.
  • Do not steal anyone's material, whether jokes, lines, or stories!

Related Articles

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Write_a_Sitcom&oldid=364296"