Master Class Archive: Comedy Writing for Television

The entertainment industry adage goes that comedy is the hardest genre to write. This three-hour, live, online master class with a celebrated comedy writer of TV and films revealed the creative process of crafting scripts that engage audiences with humor and pathos. The class focused on how to develop memorable characters, a strong story at the core of your screenplay and how to create successful comedic setups and payoffs.

Topics presented included:

• Determining what genre of comedy works for your voice and story
• Developing memorable characters
• Writing comedic dialogue vs. writing comedic action
• Creating successful setups and payoffs
• Testing your material with audiences
• Finding collaborators