Sitcom Scenes vs Film Comedy Scenes: What's The Diff

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Sitcom Scenes vs Film Comedy Scenes: What's The Diff

    For those of you who read/write comedy how can u tell if a feature script reads like a sitcom?
    sigpic

    "I'm gonna run ya ragged!"

    "YEE HAWWW!!!"

  • #2
    Re: Sitcom Scenes vs Film Comedy Scenes: What's The Diff

    By the page count.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Sitcom Scenes vs Film Comedy Scenes: What's The Diff

      Sitcoms are more jokey. More of the humor is verbal than in most comic films, because films generally tell stories through actions and visuals worthy of the big screen. Almost every line in a sitcom is either the set-up for a joke or the punchline. That constant jokey rhythm would be tiresome over the length of a film. It's not real enough. Film viewers need more going on, more forward propulsion and a character who changes over the course of a film, while sitcom characters usually stay the same.

      A good feature comedy has to work like any other good movie, with all the usual demands: drama, tension, conflict, characterization, pacing, etc. Maybe even some depth and subtlety. Your readers /viewers must be able to suspend disbelief, care, and root for the protagonist to achieve the goal. In a feature, you're more likely to have scenes or parts of scenes that aren't funny, because the audience has to care about the character's plight, and sometimes, serious things have to happen. but overall, a feature comedy has to be as emotionally effective as any other film, and also funny. And the funny has to come from the character and the story. It won't all be jokes.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Sitcom Scenes vs Film Comedy Scenes: What's The Diff

        Yeah. From time to time you'll hear sitcom-like banter in comedy films, but not much, and the scenes are brief. There's that scene in 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN where Seth Rogen is going back and forth with another actor with "I know how you're gay". That's sitcomy. But that scene goes back and forth with another scene -- that's something you won't see in sitcoms. A sitcom will have a static environment. Film comedy has to be moving. It has to be kinetic, visual. And there has to be more than one thing at stake.
        "I ask every producer I meet if they need TV specs they say yeah. They all want a 40 inch display that's 1080p and 120Hz. So, I quit my job at the West Hollywood Best Buy."
        - Screenwriting Friend

        Comment

        Working...
        X