Thread by @AGComedy

If you are a new comedy writer struggling with your pilot script, man I get it. UGH. It feels like you hit brick wall after brick wall. It’s exhausting going after your passion when you feel you are going it alone. (THREAD) #PreWGA #screenwriting 1/

I’ve spent 14 years in tv, the last four years studying comedy scriptwriting, reading scripts, and giving notes. Here are some tips, questions and resources I’ve collated (stolen?) from the giants that could help you. 2/

And then at the end of this thread I’ll bear my soul a bit (ouch) with a few painful lessons to encourage you. This list is by no means comprehensive and there are a huge variety of perspectives, but here’s what helped me big time. 3/

Your concept: Generally speaking, the more unique the concept, the better the potential for your script. But if you decide to use a well-known trope (something we’ve seen on tv or in movies before like a fish-out-of-water, person against the world, person rebuilding their 4/

lives, or a washed-up star trying to recapture their success, whatever) there should be another level to the story or a very deliberate subversion of the trope to make it fresh. There’s a ton of comedies about struggling actors, or bars, or offices, or universities/schools, 5/

etc. So it helps to think of definite reasons WHY your script is different to all the others. What makes it stand out? 6/

What happens after the pilot script ends? One of the biggest mistakes we make as new writers is writing the pilot script in a vacuum. But the pilot is more than that - it’s the teaser for a continuum of story. 7/

So ask yourself where you want the series and character arcs for the first few seasons to go. Consider loads of different possibilities. This will help you to know what foundations to lay in the pilot. 8/

And specifically - what to avoid in those first few pages of the script set-up- from @shannanejohnson (insta)
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Story world - Why aren’t new writers taught about this?! @Houston_Howard’s work on this is revolutionary. The story world is not just a precinct. It’s about creating a nest for your theme to incubate, but should run counter to the point of your thematic question. 10/

Done well it's also a whole new level of comedy. What are the rules in this world? How do your characters function in this world? How is this world different to every other story world we’ve seen? Houston’s @FilmCourage video is phenomenal: 11/

Theme - The theme should at the very least be like a Twitter lurker- you might not know who it is, but they’re there as a constant quiet presence. What is the thematic question that the script and the show asks? 12/

The next step is working out every characters’ opinion of the theme, because this governs their actions through the script. The differences of their opinions will provide much of the script’s interpersonal conflict.
@D4Darious has a great video here: 13/

Though it’s not about comedy, this excellent vid from @MichaelTuckerla talks about how theme affects your characters: 14/

The conflict - Lack of conflict is a problem. Conflict doesn’t mean everyone needs to shout at each other. Conflict is about which forces (people, circumstances, etc.) are obstacles to your characters (especially your protagonist). What stops them from getting what they want? 15/

Much of conflict is character based. Think about tweets (whether controversial or completely innocent) you’ve seen that have inspired TONS of debate. Each one of those twitter responses comes from a different person with unique life experiences and points of view. 16/

You can apply that principle to your characters - who they are, the decisions they make, the actions they take. How do the others around them react to this? And vice versa? Conflict means the protagonist should be up against it, and because this is a comedy, 17/

ou have the freedom to really exaggerate this. You can make it much harder for them to negotiate life- they’re in hell and that’s where the comedy comes from. Torture them. Hilariously.
@Screencrafting has a really good article about it here: 18/
screencraft.org/2014/05/13/way…

The protagonist: Some initial questions- What is their core wound? Their worldview? What do they want in life? Why is their story starting here at this point? What are their goals, both internal and external? 19/

Their weaknesses? What do they need in life? And what are the stakes- what do they stand to lose if they don’t succeed?

The Protagonist must be active in terms of the plot after they are presented with a main problem by the pilot’s inciting incident. 20/

Before the incident was their world as it is. But then their world is threatened in some way, so they make a decision/take an action to counter OR ignore the problem. AND as this is a comedy, their actions must either 1) make the original problem worse and/or 21/

2) create new problems 3) both 1 and 2. Other characters serve to either scupper their decisions or help in some way. All of their decisions should have a knock-on effect throughout the script. Consequences. Comedy loves bad decisions by @scriptmag: 22/
scriptmag.com/features/comed…

Structure: There are so many good opinions on structure, but the videos I found most helpful for the way I like to tell stories are:
a) @studiobinder’s take on Dan Harmon’s story circle to chart protagonist’s journey through the episode. 23/

b) Have you heard of And, but, therefore? this saved my life in terms of creating plot and beats. Not a lot of people know about this. 24/

c)- This is @slate’s hidden comedy formula and it is AWESOME. 26/

Characters: comedy is character driven, so have some fun fleshing out your characters the more re-writes you do. All characters should not only have the usual stuff- world view, morality, their wants/needs, but they can really shine 27/

when they are given quirks that subvert how they present to the outside world. Here are a few guides that will help:
a) Lessons from the Screenplay (@MichaelTuckerla) did a brilliant vid: 28/

b) @Filmcourage did an amazing compilation of advice here:
c) @wcmartell is such a delight and his character advice is here: 29/

Character descriptions: character descriptions put a very firm picture in our head of the vibe of the character, and are are a great opportunity to make the reader laugh and immediately think “yeah, I know that type! or 29/

“huh! I’ve never seen someone like that before!”  @WordDancer1 made a great video on introducing characters: 30/

Scene descriptions: Scene descriptions are an essential part of visual storytelling of television. And as this is a comedy, they provide another level of visual humour. They don’t have to be long-some of the best are one or two-word sentences. 31/

Revising the Script breaks down how the Coen Brothers do it: 32/

Writing visually: It’s important, especially in a comedy to consider what’s visual before dialogue. Anything that can be told visually should be told visually. What are the backdrops in every scene? What is happening physically? What do the characters leave unsaid but 33/

reveal with gestures? Visual storytelling is absolutely essential in comedy because then you get to provide your audience with several layers of jokes before characters have even said anything. 34/

This video with
@phubar on visual storytelling was a revelation to me- 35/

Dialogue - Every word of dialogue should have a purpose - to move the story along or reveal something about the character. A big trap is that the characters speak in the same way in the script. There’s a great piece of industry advice 36/

(by William Martell?) that you should be able to cover the name of the character and still know who is talking. Each character has differing language, idioms, speech patterns.
This guide from @Filmcourage can help streamline it: 37/

Scene construction: Ask yourself the purpose of each scene. How does it drive the story? How does it reflect the choices and actions the characters? Is is absolutely necessary, or can it be integrated into a different scene? Does it make you want to read/hear the next scene? 38/

It’s much stronger if the scenes are as compact as possible. Enter at the latest possible moment, and exit at the earliest possible moment. Make your scenes as tight as possible - more room for your wonderful story and characters! 39/

Really good scene construction tips here from @ScriptReaderPro 40/
scriptreaderpro.com/screenplay-sce…

And, of course, the comedy: The script must mine every single moment for comedy potential, and this generally comes with lots of re-writes. Examine every line, every action, every scene location, everything- ask yourself “is this the funniest possibility that there is?” 41/

Ask yourself lots of "what if" questions. It’s comedy so be exaggerated, push things as far as they can go. This is a great video by @filmcourage on building comedy into the script: 42/

This is such a good breakdown about comedic formulas from @wisecrack using the great Key and Peele 43/

Hidden tools of Comedy by @SKComedy is a classic 44/

And emotional engagement with your audience- essential with comedy. Man @KarlIglesias is so, so good and he talks through the entire writing process. 45/

Two more resources:

a) @OnthePage podcast is so so good - 46/
onthepage.tv/on-the-page-po…

b) Questions to ask yourself about a new idea for a pilot:
@CaroleKirsch gives great advice here: 47/

Phew. Now that’s out of the way, I wanted to share my four biggest personal mistakes when I started out so that you can benefit from my pain and idiocy. 48/

a) I mistakingly shoved my early scripts into higher-up hands thinking the scripts were ready just because they were “done”. They were NOT. I CRINGE looking at the old scripts. I die. UGH. With very few exceptions, it takes a long time to get to the point where we 49/

write good scripts. The early ones are practice. People who are directors, producers, etc. are so, so busy and to give them something that is nowhere near ready is a huge mistake. Work on the craft first. 50/

b) I didn’t realise how hard writing was going to be. I had a vague idea in my head. But MAN YOU GUYS. I did not foresee giving up my social life for three years. I did not foresee living with a broken downstairs toilet and oven or living on carrots and potatoes because 51/

writing jobs don’t just float down from heaven. It’s really really hard (but it is so worth it).
c) I didn’t build my network like I should have the first few years. Huge mistake. Writers need that network for support and sanity. Reach out. Find your people. 52/

d) Deep down on some level I was scared that I didn’t belong in this tv world. Impostor Syndrome. All the rejection doesn’t help (get ready for it). Fear and feeling unworthy. Even if we are committed to the craft, and gain traction, and even see successes 53/

there can still be that little part of us that is freaking terrified and wondering what TF we are doing. Keep punching that sumbitch in the mouth- that destructive part of you doesn’t belong here anymore. 54/

I keep a photo of me holding a BAFTA (it was not mine, but I strongarmed someone into letting me hold it for a photo) on my kitchen cupboard to help me focus on where I will end up. You belong here. YOU BELONG. 55/

When things are really hard, and you are really down, you can transform this @issaRae has some amazing insights. 56/

You have a unique voice. You may even have an incredible story you want to share with the world. The amazing @jengrisanti goes into great detail about how to do it here. 57/

And learn from the No you get- fantastic advice from Markus Redmond - 58/

Kick the door down. It's waiting for you. Love you guys. 🥰 59/ (END OF THREAD)

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