Writing situation comedy for TV

City Lit

Course

In London

£ 59 VAT inc.

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Description

  • Type

    Course

  • Location

    London

  • Start date

    Different dates available

Writing comedy of any kind requires tremendous discipline. You need to be able to construct believable characters who can act as vehicles for jokes without sacrificing their believability. You need to put together scenes so that they build naturally to punchlines, and craft your plots in the same way. This course will uncover the secrets behind a successful situation comedy, and teach you how to develop your own work.

The Tutor
Chris Head is a director, script-editor and coach of comedy. He has directed over twenty shows for the Edinburgh Fringe and elsewhere and as a coach he has run comedy writing classes for the BBC and Channel 4 and teaches sitcom at Bath Spa University. He also works one-to-one as director, mentor, script-editor and coach for comics and writers across the UK and internationally. His recent sitcom students have been amongst the winners of the BAFTA Rocliffe sitcom, have had a TV script commissioned by Channel 4 and a series commissioned by Channel 5 sitcom.

City Lit reserves the right to change course tutors from those advertised in this outline. In line with our refund policy we are unable to grant a refund on the grounds of a change of tutor.

Facilities

Location

Start date

London
See map
Keeley Street, Covent Garden, WC2B 4BA

Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open

About this course

- How to set up a comic world that is filled with potential for stories and jokes
- How to create comic characters that are well-rounded and can sustain the audience's interest over the course of a series
- How to design scenes so that they follow a rhythm and build to a punchline or climax
- How to construct plots.

No additional costs. Please bring a notebook and pen or pencil with you to class.

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Subjects

  • Writing
  • Works

Course programme

The course demonstrates how to set up a comic world, how to people it with comic characters, how to construct plots and design scenes.

There are three basic elements to the course: example, analysis and exercise. You'll watch clips of successful comedy, with relevance to a specific topic. There will then be a mixture of explanation and analysis of how it works. You will then have a chance, in groups, to produce your own work. All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit. For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.

Additional information

You may be interested in a term-long screenwriting course, including Ways into screenwriting or Television screenwriting in Term 3. All students are invited to join us at City Lit Talks Back, our monthly performance night for City Lit writers. Everyone is welcome, admission is free and there's no need to book in advance. Students are also encouraged to submit to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter. General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Friday from 12:00 – 19:00. See the course guide for term dates and further details

See related categories

Writing situation comedy for TV

£ 59 VAT inc.

The best Television courses

See all

See all