Sketch Comedy Writing

Home , Joke (sketch), Punch line, Sketch comedy

SKETCH COMEDY WRITING

COMEDY HANDBOOK HOMEPAGE Ending a sketch The most important part of any entertainment is the start. You want folks to continue to watch and/or listen. The second most important part is the end. What do audiences take away from what they just saw and/or heard? Closing Line A single line that wraps up the action often followed by a black out. No fanfare, but the scene and action end cleanly. Punch Line Quite simply, the answer to the joke of the sketch. A closing line you would expect a rim shot to follow. The Button A physical punch line, the scene’s final beat ends in a frozen moment in time, often with one or more players turning to the audience with a grin. Breath in all of the fun and feel a group lift. The Fade Away Life simply goes on. The scene continues in pantomime while lights fade out. In video maybe the camera zooms out or pans away. Cut away Commercial, PSA or other format that can have a person giving a disclaimer, more info, etc. In video you may simply have a slate of text. In live theater perhaps a single cast member steps forward “What you have just seen…”. Perhaps there is a narrator. Same old Thing? One of the biggest complaints sketches get are their horrible endings. Many famous TV shows are known for their lack of good sketch endings. Too often a sketch falls into the routine of a song on a radio, just fading away without a big finish. Many writers do their best not to do the same old thing. But when in doubt, the same old thing is better than nothing. Once you master the same old thing get creative and create original endings. As always learn from the successes AND failures of others. FRIENDLY ADVISE If the sketch is on the weak side DO NOT USE A FADE AWAY. A less than perfect sketch can benefit from a cliché Punch Line or Button. Nothing worse than a bad sketch with a weak ending! Too often you watch and think, did this writer just give up? Make a choice. A bad choice is better than no choice in comedy. If nothing else, we can learn from a bad choice. CLICK BACK BUTTON to return to previous page