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.
