Did you ever have a comedic bit in your
screenplay not perform as well as you think it should have? It happens to everyone, and it can be really
frustrating. Based on my experience reading
hundreds of scripts, I’ve put together a list of possible reasons a joke may be
missing the mark – a checklist you can tick through to diagnose your ailing
gag. The list may help you tweak a
comedic moment to make it work, or at least understand why it didn’t.
Out Of Character
Sometimes a character says something in a script
that makes sense in the situation and has potential to be really funny,
but: It isn’t really something that
character would be likely to say. That
kind of disconnect can suck the punch out of your humor.
The Obscure Reference
You’ve come up with the most hilarious gag based
on Raul Castro, the current leader of Cuba.
Cuba has been in the news lately, so people should know about this guy,
right? Some do. Many don’t.
Even if you’re being really clever, if the reference isn’t familiar,
your joke will clunk.
Tonal Rupture
When you establish your tone in a screenplay, one
thing you do is set the parameters for how broad (i.e., silly/goofy/implausible/outrageous) the humor will be. Even if a joke is genuinely funny on its own,
if it doesn’t fit the tone of your script, you’ll probably be disappointed with
its performance.
Upsetting Subject Matter
In a prior blog entry, I
talked about how some dramatic subjects evoke negative emotions in your audience,
which can turn people against your story.
The same is true for jokes. If
the subject matter upsets people, they may refuse to laugh. Yes -- I know -- famous comedians sometimes
get huge laughs out of controversial material.
True, but it’s a dangerous minefield, and medium-funny jokes about
upsetting subjects are at great risk of blowing up in your face.
Wrong Audience
You’re writing a family movie, and you come up
with the most acerbically witty piece of dialogue about the bitterness of
divorce. You know it’s not for kids, but
parents watch these shows too, right? Even
if it’s sharp and insightful, your readers may be too focused on the poor “audience
fit” to laugh.
Not Organic
If you want to make things easier on yourself,
mine your comedy directly from the main concept of your story. If your story is about aliens, most of the
humor should involve aliens. Many jokes
underperform because -- while they’re kind of funny – they leave the reader thinking
(often unconsciously): “I thought this script was about something else. Why isn’t the writer writing about that?”
General Logical Flaws
If the reason for a particular funny line to be said -- or
the set up for a bit of physical humor -- isn’t plausible, then the humor will
suffer. If the believability isn’t
there, even though you’re on your comedic game, you’ll be wondering why people
aren’t guffawing.
It’s Been Done Before (By You)
I won’t even talk about humor that is stolen from
prior works. That’s too obvious a
problem, and most experienced writers avoid that trap. What I do see a lot is a writer repeating the
same basic original comedic idea multiple times, trying to get additional
laughs from the same thought. Once in a while,
repetition can compound the humor, as with a well-executed running gag, but
most of the time, less is more, and it’s best to use a joke just once.
Two Or More Of The Above
Sometimes the problem consists of two or more of
the above issues combining to undermine your hilarity. Maybe your funny line is just a bit off in
tone and it’s not entirely believable
that your character would say that.
Comedy can be tricky and sometimes hard to
analyze, but being aware of these basic guidelines can help.
