Writing the Comedy Film: Make 'em Laugh

Writing the Comedy Film by Stuart Voytilla and Scott Petri is such an amazing book. I am the President of Shriekfest, The Los Angeles International Film Festival and Screenplay Competition, so we see many scripts come through our doors. I am not a writer myself, but I do know that many writers should adhere to the rules that Stuart and Scott have laid out. They tell you what comedy is, how it works, the rules of writing comedy, and how to write every single type of comedy out there. They break it down into simple rules, it's so well written, it makes me want to take up writing myself. What I liked the most was that they refer to comedies that we have all seen. So, if you need help writing the fish out of water comedy, the romantic comedy, the sports comedy, the crime comedy, the military comedy, the teen comedy, the farce, or the black comedy this is your book. They break each one of these comedies down, by telling you what each one needs and how to lay it all out. I was really impressed by this book.

This book isn't funny! It's the real deal. I found many, many important and little-known tips for writing comedy for film (and television) in "Writing the Comedy Film". I was especially grateful for the detailed and clear discussion of the differences between writing the teen comedy, the romantic comedy, the fish-out-of-water comedy script, the black comedy, and so on. Also valuable are the descriptions of well-known screenwriters' varied styles of writing comedy, along with excerpts from their screenplays to illustrate those differences. Reading this book will have you laughing...all the way to the bank!-Elizabeth English

Writing the Comedy by Stuart Voytilla and Scott Petri is an excellent primer on how to pen screenplays that make us laugh. The authors' exploration into the nature of tragedy's flip-side gives away all comedy's secrets, concluding that the rules to creating good comedy, through the basic tenets of conflict, character development, plotting and story premise, apply to drama too. So look at the book as a two for one package on how to write masterful screenplays of any genre.