8/12/2019 10 Commandments for Dire...Dobkin No Film School

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10 Commandments for Directing (& Writing) Comedy fromDirector David Dobkin

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02.21.14 @ 4:27PM Tags : c omedy, daviddobkin, dga, directing, directorsguildoamerica, screen!riting, !eddingcras"ers

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What is the funniest movie youve ever seen! Do you

"ean to#ards the s"a$stickiness of a %arre""y ros' f"ick

or do you $refer Wes ndersons boarding schoo" sty"e

of humor! *here are a"" ty$es and sty"es of comedy but

one thing they have in common other than being "augh+

inducing is that those "aughs #ere hard+#on' Writing

and directing comedy is not easy des$ite ho# effort"ess"y $eo$"e res$ond to it and if

youre in need of a "itt"e guidance check out this artic"e Wedding Crashers director David

Dobkin #rote for the Directors ,ui"d of merica- his 10 Commandments of Directing

Comedy'

s a screen#riter and director . can admit that .

havent found my home' .ve #ritten and directed

comedic dramatic and horror fi"ms varying in tone

and substance but they a"" tend to contain a great dea"

of my comedic sensibi"ities' *he funny thing is (no

$un intended) .ve found it so much more difficu"t to

make $eo$"e "augh than make $eo$"e cry or scream in

terror / $eo$"e guard their humor fervent"y and have

etreme"y $articu"ar tastes #hen it comes to #hich

okes they find funny' *his is #hy Dobkins "ist is so he"$fu" because it breaks do#n

common issues found in crafting comedic fi"ms as #e"" as sheds "ight on its nature'

2eeing as a comedic fi"m starts at the scri$t#riting stage these ti$s #ork #e"" for both

directors and #riters so if youre in the $rocess of deve"o$ing your screen$"ay these ti$s

#i"" be inva"uab"e to you too' .ve chosen a fe# of Dobkins commandments be"o# but

you can take a "ook at the entire "ist here'

1. Kinda funny means its not working

3ne of the things you have to ho$e for #hen you make a comedy is that your audience

has a generous sense of humor' (*his is #hy $eo$"e "ike being my friend because . "augh

at a"" of their okes') 2ometimes you"" get those vie#ers #ho find something to

a$$reciate in a 4kinda funny5 oke but thats not something you #ant to bank on' s

Dobkin says a 4kinda funny5 oke is sim$"y not enough because thats not #hat $eo$"e

$ay for'

Laughter is binary: It either happens or it doesnt. As each joke arrives in

the course of a film the cavernous space of the theater is either filled !ith

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joy and laughter or !ith the "uiet of cringing embarrassment. #very time

you step to the plate to make a joke youre going to e$perience one or the

other. %&inda funny' or in other !ords chuckles and smiles are basically

comedy blue balls: a failure to launch. (eople pay to laugh and laugh big.

5. Great comedy has great drama at its core

3ne of the most he"$fu" things . "earned #hi"e studying comedy and tragedy in co""ege

#as that 4a tragedy is an unfinished comedy'5 Contrary to #hat some may think comedy

and tragedy are intrinsica""y ent#ined and adding dramatic e"ements to your comedies

#i"" he"$ bo"ster the "aughs' .n other #ords "aughing at someone you dont care about is

$retty chea$' ccording to severa" comedic theories if you $ut characters through the

#ringer incor$orating good dramatic scenes that make you tru"y care about them then

the comedic $ayoff is so much more substantia" because the vie#er #i"" be "ooking for a

#ay to co$e #ith the tragedy the character is going through'

)he more invested the audience is in your characters and the drama of

!hat they are going through the more they !ill laugh at the comedy. )his

is obvious in films like As *ood as It *ets and )ootsie !here !e cry as !ell

as laugh. +ut even in more contemporary !ork this commandment

applies. In &nocked ,p !e all really !ant to kno! ho! the hell this

schlubby guy and hot girl !ho dont even kno! each other are going to

have a baby together. And because !ere invested !hen the guys father

gives him advice that is so shockingly honest and hurtful that it only

makes things !orse it is cra-y funny. +ecause life is like that for us too.

10. You never know what you have until you are done editing

6our scri$t may have "eft $eo$"e in stitches' 6our cast and cre# may have been "aughing

after every take' ut you dont kno# ho# funny those okes rea""y are unti" your fi"m as

been edited' *his cou"d be a good thing es$ecia""y if youve found that the okes that

#orked on $a$er didnt seem to #ork on+set / there is sti"" a chance for you to #ork #ith

your editor to ensure that they #ork on+screen'

When you get to the edit and !atch your assembly you !ill !ant to cry.

Almost nothing !orks. )hats because its not a movie yet. Its an assembly.

And the process you go through bet!een that moment and a finished film

is !here you find out !hat you really have: the magic youve captured and

the magic youve missed.

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ryan

on 02.21.14 @ $:11PM

% kind o disagree !it" number $. %t can !ork to incor&orate drama into comedy, obviously, but es&ecially

in television, non se'uiturs, truncated dramatic arcs, and unreali(ed goals are &art o !"at make comedy

!ork.

)rom e*am&les as !ide+ranging as orka"olics, -'ua Teen unger )orce, /road ity, ouie, %ts -l!ays

3unny, and even 3eineld+ t"ese "ad c"aracters and storylines but arguably avoided real5 drama and

stakes at any cost.

"ereas somet"ing like Parks -nd 6ecreation s"oe"orns romantic i.e., dramatic8 story lines into t"e

s"o! t"at eel orced and a!k!ard.

Mu"

on 02.21.14 @ 7:2$PM

T"ere are lots o unny movies t"at arent - - unny. % mean, 9obkins clearly doesnt ollo! "is o!n

rules o comedy because look at t"e garbage "es madea cou&le o decent movies and a lot o dreck.

99

on 02.22.14 @ 12:07-M

T"ere is a ma;or debate in t"e sitcom !orld about t"e single camera s"o!s like t"e s +5)riends5, 3eineld5, Married !="ildren5, )rasier5,

etc. 3ome t"ink t"at a single cam actor !ill al!ays &erorm to t"e camera, i.e, "is eventual

"ris

on 02.21.14 @ #:0$PM

% t"e comedy isnt clicking on set, in s&ite o t"e &romising scri&t, t"en dont ;ust "o&e to i* it in t"e edit.

Try it a e! more !ays, !ork !it" t"e actors to get to t"e "eart o it. it" talented actors t"is isnt too

toug", t"ats !"y casting real conident &ros !it" a good nose or comedy is essential.

Do you have any advice on #riting or directing comedy! What have you "earned from

your o#n e$erience! 7et us kno# in the comments be"o#'

7ink- *he Church of Comedy- *en Commandments for Directing Comedy / D,

elated !osts

1' "omedy #riting $asterclass with %!ee& 'how% ( %)resh $eat% "reators'am *ain ( +esse ,rmstrong

8' ,ctor-#riter-irector and igital istri/ution !ioneer dward *urnsalks irecting ,ctors

9' #atch %*illy #ilder2 he 3uman "omedy% for an 4ne&th 6ook at the"areer of the 4conic irector

C3::;

you d on?t ha ve to agre e #it h us t o "e arn s ome thing' Were a"" h ere to h e"$ eac h ot her so thank you fo r addingto the

conversation@

11 C3::;

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audience !"ile t"e live actor !ill &lay it u& to t"e olks in t"e seats but t"at may not &lay t"e

same !ay once t"e ootage is aired. T"e o&&osite side o t"e argument is t"at, i somet"ing

alls lat in ront o t"e immediate audience, it !ill all lat on t"e screen as !ell. T"e Mar*

/rot"ers ? to &ick one comedy grou& t"at "ad e*&erience in bot" ? usually !rote t"eir o!n bits

regardless o !"at !as in t"e screen&lay t"at !as !ritten or t"em by an outsider, t"en tried

t"em irst in ront o t"e live room and t"en re!rote t"e &arts t"at didnt get a res&onse. T"ats

"o! t"eir best skits !ere created and vetted.

.

-s to 9obkin, "e got "is to& revie!s or t"e edding ras"ers5 o&ening % t"ink it !ent on or

about 10 minutes8, !"ic" !as all s&liced toget"er in edi ting.

99

on 02.22.14 @ 12:2-M

%ll add ? t"ere "ave been a number o sitcoms ? Married !="ildren5 and 3eineld5 most notable among

t"em ? t"at "ave lost a lot o t"eir comedic &o!er over t"e course o t"eir run due to t"e de&arture o t"eir

to& !riters !"o got some at multimillion dollar develo&ment or AB+Ps deals rom ot"er

studios=&roduction com&anies8. it" t"e 'uality o !riting visibly suering com&ared to t"eir earlier

seasons, t"e long time stars o t"e s"o! tried to do more5 to cover u& or t"is act by s!itc"ing rom

subtle=understated comedy to !ildly over+t"e+to& &erorming. T"at may "ave gotten e*tra laug"s rom t"e

live audience but oten ell lat or t"ose !atc"ing on TC.

.

-nd, as a side note, i anyone ever gets to see t"e live5 sitcom ootage &rior to t"e 3)B olks getting to it,

"e !ill re'uently ind dead silence !"ere laug"s are su&&osed to be. Daturally, once t"e laug" track is

added, t"e same e*c"anges are &resented as unending "ilarity. ay, !ay back, t"e 3im&sons5 once "ad

a 'uick 3aturday Dig"t ive ty&e bit many 3im&sons !riters ? as !ell as actors like Eon ovit(, arry

3"earer and t"e late P"il artman ? "ad stints on t"at s"o!8 !"ere omer !as !atc"ing 3D and, ater a

&unc"line !as told, t"e camera !as &anned over t"e audience t"at !as dead silent, ollo!ed by t"e sound

o a reverberating ec"o o a single &erson coug"ing.

Ma*aniilms

on 02.22.14 @ 1:4-M

% agree t"at !riting and &roducing comedy can be very diicult, es&ecially !"en its or a multicultural and

multi lingual audience.