How to Write Comedy

Video Transcript

"Woody Allen, Carl Reiner, Jerry Seinfeld. How do you write comedy? The great comedians make it look so easy. My name is Joe Pauly. I've been in the TV and entertainment business for about 20 years. I'm going to try and help you out. One of the best advice I can give you is watch different comedians, whether it be an observational or story or prop, impression or insult or a joke comedian, watch what they do. A lot of times with these guys, depending on who the performer is, if it's a story, they'll tell the story, put in a joke, with great jokes in it. If it's a joke comedian, then you're going to look at punchlines. Most of the humor is involved with a stand up comedian, is going the opposite of where the process starts, where the joke starts. You're going a certain path and it turns one way or another where you're unexpected. Unexpected is what comedy is. You don't expect that to happen. Whether the person falls down, trips, tells a joke, does an impression, it doesn't matter. A, B and C. A plus B equals C. The farmer and the daughter, ba-ba, ba-ba, makes the joke. A plus B equals C is your punchline. If you watched the aristocrats, it's a classic joke where it's set up and it comes back around. It's not so much the punchline but it's the joke itself. The farmer and the farmer's daughter, a million jokes right there. The minister or the priest and the rabbi, very much similar. They set it up, boom, go to the joke. Call back and the stinger and the rule of three, always use three as your comic talent. Good luck with writing for comedy. I hope I've been of help. My name's Joe Pauly, and have fun."