Whoever wrote "Make
'em laugh!" knew that it's easier said than done.
But people love to laugh, and good comedy will always
sell. With the help of this complete and entertaining
guide, writers and would-be writers for film and television
can look forward to writing comedy that goes far beyond
stereotypic jokes and characters.
In Laughing Out Loud, award-winning screenwriter
and author Andrew Horton blends history, theory, and
analysis of comedy with invaluable advice. Using examples
from Chaplin to Seinfeld, Aristophanes to Woody Allen,
Horton describes comedy as a perspective rather than
merely as a genre and then goes on to identify the essential
elements of comedy.
His lively overview of comedy's history traces its two
main branches - anarchistic comedy and romantic comedy-
from ancient Greece through contemporary Hollywood,
by way of commedia dell'arte, vaudeville, and silent
movies.
Television and international cinema are included in
Horton's analysis, which leads into an up-close review
of the comedy chemistry in a number of specific films
and television shows.
The rest of the book is a practical guide to writing
feature comedy and episodic TV comedy, complete with
schedules and exercises designed to unblock any writer's
comic potential. The appendices offer tips on networking,
marketing, and even producing comedies, and are followed
by a list of recommended comedies and a bibliography.
