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CONTENTS

DEDICATION AND THANK YOUS

INTRODUCTION BY ANDY BRECKMAN

FOREPLAY, OR HOW TINA FEY CAN KICK BRUCE WILLIS’ ASS

PART ONE: HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

CHAPTER ONE

HOW TO BUST A GUT

OR COMEDY COLLEGE 101

A Criminally Brief Histoory of Film Comedy

Yes, But What Kind of Comedy?

Exercise: Beg, Steal, or Borrow

CHAPTER TWO

THE COMEDIC IDEA

A.K.A. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INAPPROPRIATE A.K.A. THE BLUES BROTHERS ARE NOT ROLE MODELS

The Inappropriate Goal

The Comedic Logline A.K.A. The Pitch

Uniquely Familiar

Exercise: Twenty Uniquely Familiar Ideas

The Fill-in-the Blanks Elevator Pitch

Exercise: The Poster

PART TWO: PLOT VS. CHARACTER: WHO WILL WIN?

CHAPTER THREE

COMEDIC CHARACTERS

A.K.A. A FOOL’S JOURNEY A.K.A. I KNOW A GUY JUST LIKE THAT

The Importance of Character

A FOOL’S JOURNEY

Take Your Silliness Seriously

Characters Change

The Rock and Roll School of Screenwriting

Plot vs. Character

BUILDING THE COMIC CHARACTER

Exercise: The Comedic Character Worksheet

WHAT I REALLY WANT TO DO IS DIRECT

Comic Vision

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR

INAPPROPRIATE DIALOGUE

UNITY OF OPPOSITES

ROWING A SINKING BOAT

Funny People

Exercise: Character Work

CHAPTER FOUR

HILARITY AND HEART

A.K.A. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE WOLF PACK

The “Classic” and Still Modern Three-Act Structure

Exercise: Question Everything

The Comedic Sequence Approach

Scene Study

Putting Scenes to Work in Events

Exercise: Funny Scenes

The Secret Ingredients of Comedic Scenes

PART THREE: THE COMEDIC ROADMAP – THE EIGHT COMIC SEQUENCES

CHAPTER FIVE

COMIC SEQUENCE (A)

A.K.A. THE COMEDIC WORLD A.K.A. WELL BEGUN IS HALF DONE

Setting Up the Comedic World

Exercise: Comedy Calisthenics

What is the Tone of Your Story?

The Prestory

Open With a Hook — First Impressions

Defining Action

Status Quo—Something’s Missing

Exposition

Point of Attack — Opportunity Knocks

Exercise: Rewrite Your Favorite Movie

CHAPTER SIX

COMIC SEQUENCE (B)

SETTING UP THE INAPPROPRIATE GOAL A.K.A. “YOU’RE GOING TO DO WHAT?” OR WHY CRASHING A WEDDING IS A GOOD IDEA

What the Hell Happened to Me?

The Buddy

Meet the Bad Guy A.K.A. The Dick

The Dramatic Question — Oh, That’s What it’s About

End of the First Act — Protagonist and Objective

Exercise: Change the Point of View

CHAPTER SEVEN

ACT TWO!

A.K.A. WHERE SCRIPTS GO TO DIE

COMIC SEQUENCE (C)

THE MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD A.K.A.

SOMETIMES GIRLS THROW UP ON YOU

OH YES, OH NO!

START SMALL AND GO BIG

THE PROMISE OF THE PREMISE

The Main Events of Sequence C

THE MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD

Establish the Initial Goal

Learning New Rules / Taking on Appearances

Friends and Enemies

Subplots

Subplots and Themes

First Attempt Fails — Maybe

Exercise in Conflict: The Agitator

CHAPTER EIGHT

COMIC SEQUENCE (D)

IT JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE A.K.A. HOW MUCH PAIN CAN BEN STILLER TAKE?

FIVE EVENTS TO THE MIDPOINT

Anticipation and Reaction Scenes

Reaction Scenes

Ramping Up

Backward from the Midpoint

The Midpoint Hints at the Ending

Importance of Location

CHAPTER NINE

COMIC SEQUENCE (E)

LOVE IN THE AIR A.K.A. WHY ANDY CHOOSES LOVE OVER SEX

Reaction to the Midpoint

Major Character Shift

Develop the Theme

Upping the Stakes

The Jolt

Comic Exercise: The Soundtrack

CHAPTER TEN

COMIC SEQUENCE (F)

WHAT WAS I THINKING? A.K.A. YES, I’M A LIAR BUT

A Final Push

Good Times Never Last

Expose the Character’s Weakness

The Calm Before the Storm

End of Act Two: Bad Things Happen

OTHER WAYS TO END ACT TWO

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ACT THREE

COMIC SEQUENCE (G)

TIME TO GROW UP A.K.A. WHY ARE ASHTON AND NATALIE SO SAD EVEN THOUGH THEY SAID NO STRINGS ATTACHED?

SO WHAT IS ACT THREE?

WHAT ELSE SHOULD HAPPEN IN MY ACT THREE?

Singing the Blues

Who Am I?

Help from the Mentor

The Last Great Decision

CHAPTER TWELVE

COMIC SEQUENCE (H)

THE NEW ME A.K.A. WHY BEN STILLER, JIM CARREY, HUGH GRANT, NATALIE PORTMAN ARE RUNNING AT THE END OF THE MOVIE

The Battle

Convergence

Sacrifice

Resurrection

Epiphany

The Final Race

The New Me

TAKE A BREATH AT THE END

A WORD ABOUT SATISFYING ENDINGS

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

WRITING THE SCREENPLAY

Writing the Screenplay

TURNING THE SCRIPTMENT INTO THE SCRIPT

WHY DO SCREENPLAYS FAIL?

THE WRITING BEGINS

Some Words about Dialogue

TRUST THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN IT’S DONE?

The Business of Writing

FUNNY IS MONEY

FILMOGRAPHY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR