Quote: ContainsNuts @ March 3, 2008, 6:45 PMI completely disagree. Someone shop-lifting in Poundland would be hilarious!
Yes but shop lifting in Poundland after shopping in Harrods, or maybe the Queen reduced to Poundland after Al Fayed kicked her our of Harrods.
Well, can you imagine it on crimewatch, "Thieves completely raided Poundland, stealing up to five pounds worth of goods."
Out of interest, Mr Facts. Did you find sitcom writing easy first of all? Or did it take you a while to get the hang of that? Could be the same with sketches.
Quote: Winterlight @ March 3, 2008, 7:02 PMOut of interest, Mr Facts. Did you find sitcom writing easy first of all? Or did it take you a while to get the hang of that? Could be the same with sketches.
Sketches will be a craft, yeah - so I'm certainly out of practice.
I written some ones I like so I'll see how I get on.
Well I've tried to be as helpful as possible. Good luck.
I only write from inspiration. It has to come to me. I find that when I try to write to order it mostly doesn't work. Brainstorming is the nearest I've got but I prefer just to let them come by themselves, mainly from observation out and about. Especially the horse-sex gags. If the guys in my group suggest a theme, if I don't get immediately inspired with an idea then nothing tends to come at all.
Bit like that at times, some times I write loads from divine inspiration. Other times I make loads of notes on headlines etc, stare at the scribbles, and things jump out of me. Like Russian election-corrupt-BBC voting corrupt-Cat called Socks shouldn't have won. It's like when you look at the page everything just slides into place.
Quote: Seefacts @ March 3, 2008, 3:09 PMI've been asked to write a few for consideration to be on the telly box, which although was exciting, I really am not a sketch writer.
I've got a few, and I've written a few over the last few days so have about 8 or 9 which I think are quite strong, but it's very hard.
My issue is what route do you take? A lot of quickie jokes you see in sketches feel like they should be followed by a 'wah-waaa!' noise. Then you get long dialoguey ones that aren't sketches, more sitcom style scenes.
So writers, what's your sketch writing way of . . . Method, that's, it method!
I've been trying to pick a subject and then to write about it, but that's yielded nothing.
It's also very hard ending on a big laugh. Well, the punchline essentially. Maybe starting with that is a better method?
Any thoughts on writing sketches?
So long as you can write narrative comedy you won't have any trouble writing sketches. When writing a sketch you're essentially doing the same thing you would with a sitcom scene. You set up a funny scenario, stick in some characters and gags and build to a punchline. The difference is that you don't have to worry about how it affects a larger picture. For that reason you're free to go on some terrific flights of fancy.
Most of all though, remember, like Mr Show says, "If you write a comedy scene, you're going to end up with some rat faeces in there."
I'm like Frankie in that my inspiration just comes sometimes (walking the dog normally).
But I have used methods similar to the other Dan, by thinking of two Random words.
Bee Chess.
Galvanised Sparrows.
Badger-Flavored Ice-Cream.
Castle Spotting.
If I laugh at the very idea, then I try to flesh it out, but like Lee will try to add Jokes on the way to the punchline, though a lot of my sketches are quick dashes to the punchline, which I feel is equally valid.
With me it's a case of immediately writing down funny ideas that come. I think in our day-to-day life, all of us have comical ideas that occur to us throughout the course of the day, and then leave our minds as soon as they arrive. For instance I posted that "Apocolpyse Now Then Now Then" idea in the "worst sitcom ideas" thread. That idea came when I was talking to a mate in the pub and he was on about the best war movies. As soon as he mentioned it, the Jimmy Saville idea came, and I scribbled it down in my notebook. I've now adapted it to a sketch and sent it off to a new C4 sketch show.
So for what it's worth, that would be my advice. Carry a notebook and listen to your internal gag machine.
Also, simple banter with friends / family can throw up tons of ideas. My mate James and I were on the train to Glasgow last year and we came up with a ton of ideas just by chatting. For instance we had this idea for a sketch called "The Horse Whisperer" that had us both in hysterics - obviously I won't reveal it here - but there's a lot to be said, especially in sketch work, for bouncing off other people.
A lot of this depends on what type of sketches you're writing. I don't particulary like topical sketches and so I don't tend to write them. In-between writing and re-writing new sitcom work I like to write sketches in batches, working from a list of ideas that I'll compile over a couple of months.
Writing a good sketch, IMO, is a different skill compared with sitcom. The premise is more important than the characterisation, plus with sketch you can pretty much get away with any idea, no matter how surrealist, dark or ridiculous.
I had the interesting experience a couple of months ago of writing a whole bunch of sketches according to a brief given to me by a very successful comedy producer, for a potential new themed sketch show. That was interesting because I was writing a whole bunch of sketches which had to involve situations and characters who would have subsequent appearance, not just one-off sketch ideas. It's actually quite a challenge.
I'm not quite sure where to put this link, but it sort of fits this thread better than others so I'll stick it here...
Green Wing and Smack the Pony writer James Henry gives his advice of sketch writing: http://jamesandthebluecat.blogspot.com/2008/04/writing-comedy-sketches.html
I sometimes think sketch writing now is the last refuge of the idiot. I mean most sketches you see nowadays on TV are pretty wank, with no point, no punchline, and, crucially, no laughs.
Quote: chipolata @ April 10 2008, 12:14 PM BSTI sometimes think sketch writing now is the last refuge of the idiot. I mean most sketches you see nowadays on TV are pretty wank, with no point, no punchline, and, crucially, no laughs.
Too many lazy sketch writers who write an easy visual gag. That's the problem. A sketch show NEEDS purpose (see Fat Show, Big Train) That's why stuff like Smith & Jones had it fair share of brilliance, but also a lot of average stuff - simply because they took anything in terms of style.
You're right about sketch shows needing purpose. The great ones had visionaries at the heart of them with something to say. The others have largely been commissioned by BBC3.
