Screenwriters Network
Dark Comedy
Screenwriting
With Conor Kyle
And Nicolas Curcio
Class Overview
Genre definition and distinction (genre / DC vs. “straight” DC)
Our favorites
Purpose and appeal
Recent successful specs and trends
Topics and premises.
Characters and goals
Comedy Logic
Dark vs. “edgy” - shock value
Satire
Controversy
QA
What’s a dark comedy?
A movie, show, play, etc. with elements of both
comedy and tragedy, often involving gloomy or morbid
satire.
This is a style of humor that can be applied in
whatever dose you want to whatever genre you want.
As a genre in and of itself, we are referring to comedy
films that focus on disturbing or taboo subject matter.
DC/Genre vs. “straight” DC
Horror/comedy, thriller/comedy, crime/comedy, etc.
Or, simply genre movies with a bleakly comedic tone and sensibility. The comedy must hinge upon or be amplified
by the genre element. In “Scream,” the comedic premise (people using the unwritten rules of scary movies to
inspire and inform their murders) goes hand in hand with the horror premise (there are stalkers trying to get you).
Don’t let the comedy undercut the stakes and urgency of this kind of movie, or else you might be pushing closer to Scary Movie type farce.
“straight” DC
Comedic movies/shows that feature morbid or taboo subject matter. This can be either played for laughs (JoJo Rabbit) or
comedy can exist in contrast to tragic, dramatic, or serious things (Fleabag). Sometimes both (Shameless). Not quite the
same as “raunchy comedy” such as Booksmart or Knocked Up, which might include taboo things, but nothing too
disturbing, and the taboo nature of them is often just used to get more laughs, rather than delve deeply into those themes.
Super common in TV! (Fx network)
Conor’s Favorites
Honorable mentions: Fargo, Evil Dead series, Scream series, Tucker and Dale, Yorgos
Lanthimos movies, other McDonagh, The Details, Brigsby Bear, Parasite, Ingrid Goes
West, Jennifer’s Body, Happiness of the Katakuris, Wilfred, Hesher
Purpose and appeal
How do you add humor to an otherwise serious
story without breaking the mood or tension?
“I think the darker the story, the more necessary those pieces of levity are for balance in it.” … “When someone
is either about to burst into laughter or tears, and then give them that option to have that exhale, that moment
of humor instead. It doesn't play off as funny all the time. It plays off as relief. I have to give my character some
way to exhale in that scene.”
“The alternative is to break down.”
“... laughter allows you to actually crank the tension up higher.”
While dramadey is characterized by an inclusion of (but
separation between) both serious and funny
issues/scenes, DC is the breach of that wall, and the use
of one to highlight and amplify the other.
https://writingexcuses.com/2016/08/28/11-35-elemental-humor-qa-with-victoria-schwab/ 0:58
Novelist V.E. Schwab
Recent successful specs and trends
Super hooky/high
concept still very much
alive, but not as strictly
necessary as it once was.
Interesting POV, and
strong/authentic voice is more
valued than hooky concept
alone nowadays. For instance,
these two don’t have hooky
premises at first glance at all,
but this doesn’t matter as
much, especially in TV (Better
Things, Fleabag).
DC/genre (particularly thriller) is
still big, especially with a social
satire edge (thanks, Get Out).
Nobody will shut up about Ready or
Not in Meetings.
Topics - is anything off limits?
Broad topics - what are some specific taboos that we
can explore in each?
Politics - gun rights, war, ideological division
Religion - sacrilege, excommunication, “questioning”
Sex - incest, abortion, infidelity, prostitution
Mental Health - addiction, illness
Violence - murder, suicide, self-harm, war, crime
Prejudice - sexism, racism, homophobia
What topics need to be treated more sensitively
than others, and why?
-What is “newer” and less explored or established?
-When are we punching down as opposed to up?
Topics - is anything off limits?
In Conor’s estimation
Par for the course
Politics, class, heteronormative sex, violence, crime.
Iffy in probably a good way (especially if you have unique
firsthand experience or POV with these things):
Religion, LGBTQ+ issues, mental health, race, suicide,
prejudice, war.
Probably too far (but maybe not…..?)
Sexual assault, pedophilia, recent or ongoing real-world
tragedies, genocide or terrorism. You will have to do more
work to justify these as comedic topics with brilliant and
incisive writing, but you’re walking a tricky tightrope. This is
stuff that society kinda has yet to reckon with.
My tip: don’t really do Corona stuff unless you have some
fabulously unique take on it.
PREMISE
What is premise?
The premise of a screenplay for a movie or TV show is the driving force behind why
everything happens on screen. Baked inside a premise is the main character, the
world, the conflict, antagonistic force, timeframe, and “hook.”
This is the core heart of your story, and absolutely essential in explaining or
pitching your work.
The premise is a simple yet intriguing answer to the question “what’s it about?”
Why is premise important?
1)
It’s the main criteria by which people judge if they want to read your
work.
a)
b)
2)
Strength of premise is often a good barometer as to quality of script.
a)
b)
3)
Since premise almost always implies a genre, it determines which people or
entities would have any interest or ability to make a movie like that .
Stronger premises are more marketable, IE more likely to be read, produced,
and become profitable movies.
It establishes confidence in the reader before even opening to page one.
“Execution dependent” is not quite a death sentence, but it will make your life
much harder.
It acts as a “north star” to guide your construction of the story.
“High Concept” vs. Execution Dependent
The term is often applied to films that are pitched and developed
almost entirely upon an engaging and self-contained premise with
broad appeal, rather than standing upon complex character study,
cinematography, or other strengths that relate more to the artistic
execution of a production.
-A high-concept idea “blooms in the mind” to suggest a conflict,
structure, and essentially the whole movie.
- “Liar, Liar,” — “Groundhog Day” — “The Brass Teapot”
-What is the “world?”
-What are the stakes? Where does it kinda go?
-Who is the main character, and what are they trying to do? -What’s the tone and energy?
-What is unique and fascinating about this? “The hook.”
Has it been done…?
-With high quality or popularity?
-Recently? (10-ish years, longer for certain iconic stuff)
-With the same take (style/approach/POV)?
If only ONE of these applies, you’re good.
Consider this in terms of both the genre, and the industry as a
whole, but within your genre first.
What are people looking for in loglines?
Stories with stakes or conflicts that are in some way primal. (Death, sex/love, friendship, revenge.)
-Loglines that imply the “size” of a story — make sure idea isn’t “too big” (might seem like a 3-hour epic or
a miniseries) or “too small” (often better suited to a webseries, one-act play, or short story).
-Movies that are visual, dynamic, and are fundamentally about people doing things. Your story should
imply that the primary action is going to be tracked through action, the goals tangible. Avoid ephemera.
-Imply urgency and immediacy. Have an element of the familiar, mixed with something fresh and unique.
Loglines should make clear that this story has an audience.
-Movies are stories that could only ever happen once, in one specific way. The characters are uniquely
suited for this story, and their internal journey is mirrored, amplified, and pushed to its inevitable
conclusion by the external one. Avoid setting up a recurring situation (sounds like a TV show).
-Finally, once all this is in place, a unique and fascinating hook. Sense of irony, new different POV, some
variation or interesting mashup of familiar elements.
BACK TO THIS GENRE
SPECIFICALLY
What do we look for in a
dark comedy premise?
- Irony, juxtaposition (James Gunn’s Super, What We Do in the Shadows)
-If genre, a story that interweaves the comic premise and the
horror/thriller/etc. one (Tucker and Dale)
-Stakes that are not undercut by the humor (Scream vs. Scary Movie)
-Story that explores taboos or darker material in a new, exciting, and
funny way (Death of Stalin)
Let’s hear some loglines or premises!
Dark Comedy Characters
They appeal to our worst, most base instincts. They want to get rich, find love, etc, like the rest of us, but they
often want to do it in lazy, illegal, or dubious ways that get them into danger. DC writing is making increasingly
terrible things happen to these people, and watching them try to get out of it in hilarious ways.
Sometimes just normal, nice
folks, but their personality in
whatever way gets them into
trouble way over their heads
very quickly. Often oblivious to
the danger they’re getting in.
By and large, our protagonists are
dorks and idiots. There are many
slackers, cheats, and rogues who
want to get rich quick. People
with no flaws are rarely funny.
If competent - even hyper-competent like
Archer - they must have a vulnerable side,
a key defect, and often a lack of
self-awareness to these things, which
escalates bad situations into worse ones.
Be wary of the “straight man” protagonist. It can
absolutely work, but if so, the situations they find
themselves in must do more of the heavy lifting. Often
these are worlds where “everyone else is crazy but me,”
and your protagonist goes to ridiculous lengths to hold
things together and return to normalcy.
How do you get us onboard for an unlikable
protagonist with a morally iffy goal?
Dark comedy characters
are some of the most
selfish and horrible people
ever.
A big part of the appeal
of all movies (but this
genre in particular) is
watching people attempt
terrible things - that we
would never do - in
pursuit of things that we
can relate to wanting.
Try making them unequivocally the butt of the joke. We like them because they’re funny and go
way too far in pursuit of what they want, but ultimately we’re “allowed” to laugh at them because
they deserve whatever they get. They lose in entertaining ways, and often learn nothing.
How do you get us onboard for an unlikable
protagonist with a morally iffy goal?
With no context, this might
just seem like a couple
psychos. But consider that
this is about halfway
through the movie, and the
whole long first act has been
doing nothing but setting up
how badly they need this,
both financially and
emotionally. We have been
fully brought on board to
their desperation. Thus, in
context, this is a weirdly
triumphant scene, instead of
a psychotic and scary one.
Watching people
attempt terrible things that we would never do
- in pursuit of things that
we can relate to
wanting.
Wish fulfillment - Fun with Dick and Jane.
How do you get us onboard for an unlikable
protagonist with a morally iffy goal?
Also: make the “good guys” worse.
Jokes - where is the line?
“Comedy is 180”
-We have to push boundaries and
shock people to some extent,
because all jokes rely on “shock.”
Edgy humor, however, is
characterized by jokes that are less
funny than they are
shocking/offensive. The more
offensive a joke is, to put it simply,
the funnier it has to be to “earn” this.
Everyone has different lines here, but the shock or hurt of a joke shouldn’t overshadow the
punchline. You might get surprised laughter out of reflex, but if you go too far in the
direction of “punching down” at the vulnerable then your joke will leave a bad taste.
Drama in comedy films - when do we do this?
Often in dark comedies, “serious” scenes will be interwoven with humor to some extent
(Martin McDonagh is a master of this sort of both-at-all-times approach). But when do we
let comedy fall away entirely? (Fleabag pilot - showcase vulnerability, highlight specific
character moment.)
Establishing a
constant jokey
tone throughout
the entire movie is
a tricky
commitment to the
reader or viewer.
Allowing your
movie to have
somber scenes too
lets you play
different notes
more easily.
If you’ve set up a tone that allows for this, don’t be afraid to just play a dramatic scene straight in your comedy
movie if a jokey tone would underscore the power of a moment.
Comedy Logic
https://tvtrop
es.org/pmwiki
/pmwiki.php/
Main/RuleOfF
unny
The limit of the
Suspension of
Disbelief for a given
element is directly
proportional to its
funniness.
The “rule of funny” can violate real world principals - for instance,
giving a temporary ability to a character for the sole purpose of a
gag. But the character cannot do this when it's not funny. For
instance, Wile E. Coyote walks on thin air because he doesn’t
notice that he’s at the edge of a cliff, and he falls when he notices
it. We sort of understand in that moment that it’s the fact that he
doesn’t notice the ledge that is keeping him suspended. Thus, this
jives with the overall “joke” of the world: which is basically that the
entire world (reality?) is mocking Cyote’s constant, ugly failure. But
he couldn’t later walk on thin air as a calculated part of a scheme.
The limit of the
Suspension of
Disbelief for a given
element is directly
proportional to its
funniness.
Certain comedy worlds work differently, and it’s essential that you are consistent. Or at least consistently
inconsistent (The Sarah Silverman Program). We can use the strange logic of your world to solve problems, but we
can’t 1) render the world completely nonsensical, 2) get the character unfairly out of trouble without earning it.
Comedy Logic
Idle Hands - after killing them with his
possessed hand, Anton’s friends come back to
life as zombies. Why does this work?
-It fits into the kind of occult supernatural
Sam Raimi-ish horror world of the movie.
-As a stoner comedy, their explanation jives
with the disaffected 90’s teen “what’s the
point?” ethos.
-The simplicity and stupidity of their undead
reanimation becomes the joke.
Consider making the characters themselves realize the absurdity of a situation, but be careful not to break the
reality of the movie with too much lampshading and meta stuff.
-When properly set up, you can turn unlikely or illogical plot events into jokes, and an intrinsic part of the fun of your
world.
Rewrites and working comedy writer issues
Write your script as a complete story before worrying too much about the comedy.
New writers especially should not get too hung up on jokes, or worry things like “this scene
doesn’t have enough punchlines in it,” before the story works as a whole and independently of
the comedy. Comedy features must kind of be written as dramatic features, and you must trust
yourself to be able to joke it up on the page.
Nothing kills humor more than hearing the same joke over and over again. This is called
“comedic satiation,” and comes up a lot when execs read the script too many times, and forget
what is funny about it.
-How do we keep humor fresh through rewrites, to keep other creatives onboard when
they are in danger of faltering or falling off the ride?
Satire
What is satire? Stories that convey a message. “The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or
ridicule to expose and criticize society’s stupidity or vices.” Sadly, provocateurs will often
be misunderstood if the bluntness of their message overshadows the story. Consider
that sometimes, when where the reader/viewer might not accept the message directly,
they might accept a more allegorical version.
Political satire is extremely difficult and
divisive nowadays if you tackle it head-on
(The Hunt). In this climate, it’s going to seem
agenda-based no matter what, and turn a lot
of readers off no matter how clever you’re
being. Hollywood is extremely liberal, but
they are still surprisingly touchy about
putting off general audiences.
It can be useful to then nest that satire in a
genre story (the way sci-fi has been doing
since its very early days) if you want to dive
into issues like this without turning part of
the audience off.
When, though, do we want to lean in to this
in-your-face controversy or divisiveness?
How can it help, and how can it hurt?
More on Controversy
People like audacious and edgy ideas! In some weird way, we “like” being shocked or offended. It creates
conversation, and galvanizes emotions.
Controversy as a method of grabbing attention, and getting eyes on your script.
How can an unusual or shocking topic/logline act as “Clickbait” to tell an unrelated story?
QA