Screenwriting : Stage 32 Screenwriting Lab: Write a Comedy TV Pilot in 6 Weeks - From Concept to Completed Script (February 2022) by Kristin Holloway

Hi Everyone!

Yes, finally!

Hello, Hello!

Hello everybody!

Hey hey everybody!

Hi everyone! I'm fairly active on twitter, if you have a twitter handle, drop it here and I'll follow you. (I'm @TJBerry)

Excited to connect with everyone

Hey! Where's everybody located? I'm in Nashville TN!

I'm in Los Angeles. twitter is @Louisa_Kendrick

Chicago here!

I'm just outside of Los Angeles.

Hi Everyone! I'm in Boston. Excited to check out Paul's webseries. If you wanted to check mine out from a few years back, you can find it here: http://www.paracelsusfilms.com/sib1 Great to connect with everyone!

Louisa, I am currently attending Second City so I was happy to hear you mention it. Looking forward to everyone's pilots.

Hi everyone! I'm in LA, Venice

I was curious, I'm more of a drama writer, does anyone have any tips on comedy? I know it's a big question :) thanks

Hey Miranda! I’m usually pretty good with that kind of stuff but like you said it is a pretty big question lol. Is there anything specific you’re stuck on?

Hey Miranda. Like Geno was saying, more than happy to help and comedy usually comes easy to me--at least way more so than drama. I don't think this works for everyone in every situation, but when I get stuck I like to think of how normal people would react or what they would say in a given situation, and I immediately discard those. Then I try to think of what is the worst thing someone could do or say in this situation, and I'll begin to work my way backwards. Which one seems most natural to the character but is still fresh and unexpected and moves the story? I don't know if that helps, but it usually helps me come up with options.

And I suppose I write a little bit like the way Spencer was talking about New Girl--I challenge myself to come up with 3-5 variations of jokes when I'm working through dialogue. I have rewritten entire storylines because I thought of a funny joke and it spun me off in a different direction. That would probably drive some people crazy, but it works well for me.

Lastly, I abuse the Notes section of my phone, and I am constantly looking for things that seem absurd. Just this week, I saw a car with a Rascal scooter tied to the back of it. It spun me off in a whole fantasy of old grizzled vet types in rural West Texas hauling their scooters out to a dirt track and racing them in the world's slowest, freedom-loving, beer-drinking dirt track race. Of course, no one was masked so they all died from COVID the next week and their flag-draped caskets were carried very slowly on their rascals at their mass burial to the sound of Taps. If all I get out of writing all that crap down was a funny one-liner 2 years from now, it was worth it!

Again, though, more than happy to help and share anything I can to help. Seems like we have a really great group to bounce ideas off of...

Hey. Have y’all seen this free webinar coming up? Did I say it’s free? https://www.stage32.com/webinars?search=Netflix%20+%20Stage%2032%20Prese...

Thanks Todd. Just registered.

Hi all. I am near Toronto. Enjoying the class and nice to meet everyone !

Thanks Chris! That is very helpful. And quite a fantasy! thanks. I guess, specifically I was wondering if anyone could tell me a bit about the workings of a comedic situation. I heard once, that comedy is all about blocking a person from getting what they want or putting them in a situation they can't win. Is that true? any thoughts? Hope everyone is having a good weekend

Hi Miranda - I recently took an excellent comedy writing class with Brent Forrester. He emphasized a few things. First, he said some of the best advice he ever received was to write from something personal that was painful, and trust that it will come out funny. I thought of this in regards to something embarrassing or humiliating, because who hasn't had those moments where you may have felt like a complete idiot, but when you later tell the story to someone it's pretty funny. Second, he said the key is to give your character a contradiction. So for instance, when a character thinks he comes across as one thing but is actually another, that is funny. (Example would be Michael Scott in The Office. He thinks he's smart, he thinks he's worldly, but then the things he says reveal he is the opposite.) If I can think of anything else I'll let you know! Hope that helps! And definitely recommend his class if he offers it again!

Jan, I checked out your web series “staying in Boston.” Fun and impressive. Great job. Makes me feel way out of my league in this class!

thanks so much Jan that's really helpful!!!! I will definitely look into his class!

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone else is writing an animated pilot?

Hey Anthony. I have written animated shows in the past, but this particular class I am doing a live action. If there is something I can help with, I am more than happy to...

Thanks for the response Chris! Would you mind sharing some of your scripts with me?

Hi Paul - thanks! I checked out Talking with Docs and it's great! With tens of thousands of views, I'd say Im out of my league! :) So many talented people in this class!

Hi everyone! Sorry I'm late. Really excited to connect with you all. I'm pretty new to Stage 32 and haven't done anything with social networking yet, but I've been watching a lot of the free webinars and reading the blog.

Jan, I'm based in Boston as well! Just got back from Miami. So sad to be back from Miami.

Anthony, I'm also writing a comedy pilot! (I'm an illustrator so I think my mind naturally goes in that direction). Would love to chat about animation as well. Looking forward to tomorrow!

I have an improv comedy background so I'm happy to chat about generating ideas and dialogue using some of those tools.

Also if anyone has any female-driven content, I'd be happy to share it on Women in Comedy Festival's social media. We have a decent following.

Looking forward to class tomorrow!

hey guys! anyone interested in sharing our homework? I'd love to see what everyone is working on? And maybe we could even give each other feedback???

Hey Miranda, I would love to! I'll send you a DM, and I'll send you one as well, Michelle!

Hey did everyone get feedback on their Act 1? I handed mine in on Thursday but still haven’t heard anything back yet. (I checked for spelling mistakes and everything !)

Hey Paul. I received a little bit of feedback on a few things he found confusing. I will say, though--and I don't know how other people feel--I know Spencer keeps saying Wednesday deadlines are loose deadlines. I don't treat them that way for the very reason you are talking about. I think if I keep turning stuff in on Wednesday I have a better chance of getting feedback than if I wait a day or two and try to polish more. Not sure that is true, but just how I think about it...

Thanks Chris, good advice. I was hoping to get some feedback from him before Act 2 but I may have to just go for it so I can get it in by Wednesday. Thanks for your advice.

Has anyone read any of the pilots Spencer sent us yet? I've been busy working on Act 2. I'm with Chris on the Wednesday thing, but now I'm also a little paranoid about typos and formatting errors. Where do you all stand on relocating to LA if you don't live there now? I'd love to do a Zoom with everyone on our own sometime so we can chat and learn about each other's projects and writing interests.

Hey Michelle. I have not read the pilots yet, but I will definitely get to it in the next couple of weeks. I will be moving to LA in June, but I literally have no responsibilities in life so I'm a terrible person to ask about this stuff.; My only thought is that it is already a tough business to make it in, I don't want to make it any harder. Always down for a Zoom and I love hearing about everything the group is working on, so I'd be more than happy to set one up for anyone who wants to be a part of it. I'm one of the dummies who actually bought a Zoom subscription because 45 free minutes of video conferencing just didn't seem like enough...

Lol I bought Zoom too. Would anyone else be interested in doing a Zoom call? Would love that. Yeah, I'm so entrenched here is Boston (although after visiting Miami over February school break I am kind of wishing to move somewhere warm.) I have 4 school-aged kids and my husband is an engineer, and LA doesn't really have engineering companies. But I do love writing comedy, especially for a visual medium. I guess I'll just keep working. The process itself is fun.

It depends on the day, but I'm definitely up for a Zoom call.

I can do a zoom too. Some evenings and Friday afternoon works.

Would love to join the zoom too if the time works!

me too! would love to do a zoom call

I'd like to join a zoom too.

Will be great

Yeah, let’s Zoom! Anyone like me and taking longer to write? I’ve gotten busier with work and life and am a little behind. I’m almost done with my Act 1. I’m writing a multi cam so I’m only writing 2 Acts, so maybe I can catch up. Where are you all at in your process?

OK--let's get some law and order on this Zoom call. Seems like we have a lot of east coasters in our class. Paul says he is free on some evenings and Friday afternoon. What about everyone else? I am literally free all the time. Are evenings better or afternoons? Weekdays or weekends?

Todd--to answer your question--I am through with the 2nd act and trying to finish the script off now. I think, though, that the Zoom call could be about sharing our work and ideas no matter where you are in the process... I am just excited to hear what everyone is working on regardless of how far along they are...

Hi all, I could set up a Google poll so everyone can mark when they are free. Sound good?

I finished act 2 and act 3 because I was worried about the length but I'm still proofreading so will have to send in act 2 tomorrow. I have spent more timing working on stuff for this class than some of my college classes lol.

Friday afternoon EST is good for me.

Tomorrow afternoon works for me.

Hi all, I've set up a Zoom call for anyone who can make it for today at 3pm EST:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83401531022

Hope to see as many of you as possible! I'm sure we can set up another one as well.

Thanks Michelle! I will be able to make the beginning - see you then!

Thanks Michelle

I have tickets to Batman then, but have fun y'all!

I read a few of the pilots that Spencer sent through, the multi cam comedies seem very familiar, formulaic but It's clear that is what they want because that's what they are :). I'm working my way through some dramas because I'm revising a drama script so I have my samples ready to start getting reps and meetings. Sorry I've been out of it in the thread.. @Michelle, I'll definitely join a zoom if you set up another and I'm available..

Link tp pilot scripts:

https://we.tl/t-K69Q21LTqp

Let's make people laugh.

Thanks Chris!

Hey Everyone

It was really cool meeting you all. Kind of sad it was our last class together. I loved our Zoom Friday afternoon. Hopefully we can do that again. Maybe with a glass of wine.

Two weeks later….. Hi everyone! I’m Angelique. But just call me Angel. I’m in Dallas (burn and raised in Chicago). I would love to join a Zoom call with you all and share our work.

Good morning! Is anyone willing to help me work out a scene for my Act 2? I’m having a mind fart. I’m at the point where my lead is facing her last obstacle, and I can’t get her to the finish line. It’s just this one scene. I know the remainder of the script to the end. What I need help with is the funny. I’m writing it with too much drama.

Hey Angelique! I’m more than happy to give it a look and see if I have any helpful ideas to find the funny. Let me know!

DM me your email Michelle

Never mind about the pilots. I got them! Also, I'm pretty much done with my script so if anyone wants me to read theirs my email is michelle@wicf.com. Hope everyone's work is coming along well. Is anyone going to take Spencer's pitch class?

Hey has anyone got their links yet for the one on one meetings this weekend?

No I didn't get the link.

No, I haven’t received the link

Probably hear soon I guess.

I just wanted to say I've had the pleasure of reading two of our classmates's scripts and they are SO good. I am so happy to have found this group. Again, feel free to email me anything you'd like read.