The Art Of Comedy Writing

Author : Arthur Asa Berger
Publisher : Transaction Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1412835933
Total Pages : 136 pages
Book Rating : 4.30/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Art of Comedy Writing written by Arthur Asa Berger and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on 2011-12-31 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just as a distinctive literary voice or style is marked by the ease with which it can be parodied, so too can specific aspects of humor be unique. Playwrights, television writers, novelists, cartoonists, and film scriptwriters use many special technical devices to create humor. Just as dramatic writers and novelists use specific devices to craft their work, creators of humorous materials—from the ancient Greeks to today’s stand-up comics—have continued to use certain techniques in order to generate humor. In The Art of Comedy Writing, Arthur Asa Berger argues that there are a relatively limited number of techniques—forty-five in all—that humorists employ. Elaborating upon his prior, in-depth study of humor, An Anatomy of Humor, in which Berger provides a content analysis of humor in all forms—joke books, plays, comic books, novels, short stories, comic verse, and essays—The Art of Comedy Writing goes further. Berger groups each technique into four basic categories: humor involving identity such as burlesque, caricature, mimicry, and stereotype; humor involving logic such as analogy, comparison, and reversal; humor involving language such as puns, wordplay, sarcasm, and satire; and finally, chase, slapstick, and speed, or humor involving action. Berger claims that if you want to know how writers or comedians create humor study and analysis of their humorous works can be immensely insightful. This book is a unique analytical offering for those interested in humor. It provides writers and critics with a sizable repertoire of techniques for use in their own future comic creations. As such, this book will be of interest to people inspired by humor and the creative process—professionals in the comedy field and students of creative writing, comedy, literary humor, communications, broadcast/media, and the humanities.

Author : Arthur Asa Berger
Publisher : Transaction Publishers
ISBN 13 : 9781560003243
Total Pages : 146 pages
Book Rating : 4.43/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Art of Comedy Writing written by Arthur Asa Berger and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on 1997-01-01 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Art of Comedy Writing, Arthur Asa Berger argues that there are a relatively limited number of techniques - forty-five in all - that humorists employ. Elaborating upon his prior, in-depth study of humor, An Anatomy of Humor, in which Berger provides a content analysis of humor in all forms - joke books, plays, comic books, novels, short stories, comic verse, and essays - The Art of Comedy Writing goes further. Berger groups each technique into four basic categories: humor involving identity such as burlesque, caricature, mimicry, and stereotype; humor involving logic such as analogy, comparison, and reversal; humor involving language such as puns, wordplay, sarcasm, and satire; and finally, chase, slapstick, and speed, or humor involving action. Berger holds that the approaches which a comic selects and the way in which they are applied define a comic's hallmark style.

Author : Arthur Asa Berger
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351305700
Total Pages : 104 pages
Book Rating : 4.09/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Art of Comedy Writing written by Arthur Asa Berger and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-29 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just as a distinctive literary voice or style is marked by the ease with which it can be parodied, so too can specific aspects of humor be unique. Playwrights, television writers, novelists, cartoonists, and film scriptwriters use many special technical devices to create humor. Just as dramatic writers and novelists use specific devices to craft their work, creators of humorous materials?from the ancient Greeks to today's stand-up comics?have continued to use certain techniques in order to generate humor. In The Art of Comedy Writing, Arthur Asa Berger argues that there are a relatively limited number of techniques?forty-five in all?that humorists employ. Elaborating upon his prior, in-depth study of humor, An Anatomy of Humor, in which Berger provides a content analysis of humor in all forms?joke books, plays, comic books, novels, short stories, comic verse, and essays?The Art of Comedy Writing goes further. Berger groups each technique into four basic categories: humor involving identity such as burlesque, caricature, mimicry, and stereotype; humor involving logic such as analogy, comparison, and reversal; humor involving language such as puns, wordplay, sarcasm, and satire; and finally, chase, slapstick, and speed, or humor involving action. Berger claims that if you want to know how writers or comedians create humor study and analysis of their humorous works can be immensely insightful. This book is a unique analytical offering for those interested in humor. It provides writers and critics with a sizable repertoire of techniques for use in their own future comic creations. As such, this book will be of interest to people inspired by humor and the creative process?professionals in the comedy field and students of creative writing, comedy, literary humor, communications, broadcast/media, and the humanities.

Author : Peter Desberg
Publisher : Square One Publishers, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 0757054455
Total Pages : 311 pages
Book Rating : 4.57/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Now That's Funny! written by Peter Desberg and published by Square One Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2017-06-07 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a feeling of pure delight that comes from laughing out loud while watching a hilarious movie or a TV show. Yet as funny as these lines may be, they are the work of people you will never see. The magic behind any comedy hit begins when an idea is hatched in the mind of a comedy writer and is then put down on paper. And while few of us are privy to this fascinating process, for writers Peter Desberg and Jeffrey Davis, the challenge of observing and understanding how comedy is born has culminated in a unique new book, Now That’s Funny! Desberg and Davis provide an intimate look into the minds of twenty-four of Hollywood’s funniest comedy writers, who have given us such shows as: Saturday Night Live Monk Everybody Loves Raymond The Simpsons Frasier Maude Home Improvement Valerie Modern Family Cheers There’s Something about Mary The Honeymooners Suddenly Susan Newhart Sabrina the Teenage Witch Archie Bunker’s Place The Tracey Ullman Show Wings Who’s The Boss? and more How do you get to see the creative wheels turn? The authors’ premise was simple: Using a Q and A format, they provided each writer with a story idea and let them run with it. Each of the writers was told there were no rules, no boundaries, and no limits! Because everyone started with the same concept, the authors could see how some writers jumped in and began creating, while others asked lots of questions; how some writers stuck closely to the premise, while others turned it on its head. What emerges is an entertaining look—illuminating and hilarious in turn—at the creative process behind hit TV shows and movies. If you’re one of the millions who have enjoyed watching the work of comedy writers, here is an opportunity to go behind the scenes and see the madness unfold. Now that’s funny!

Author : Melvin Helitzer
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780898795103
Total Pages : 340 pages
Book Rating : 4.09/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Comedy Writing Secrets written by Melvin Helitzer and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to writing, selling and performing all types of comedy. Includes comments, advice, gags and routines from top comics.

Author : James Mendrinos
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 9781592572311
Total Pages : 356 pages
Book Rating : 4.16/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Comedy Writing written by James Mendrinos and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2004 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You've always known writing comedy was about more than just being funny. But how do you create a joke and work it into a script or a stand-up routine? Comedian, writer, and teacher Jim Mendrinos has the answers. In The Complete Idiot s Guide to Comedy Writing, Mendrinos gives readers the principles he teaches in his popular courses, from understanding what funny is and how to find it, to how to actually construct comedy. Working through the basic constructions and forms including premises, points of view, and twists, he shows the variations of written, verbal, and physical comedy. With useful exercises, Mendrinos helps writers refine their writing, appeal to their audience, and even break writer's block by learning techniques for brainstorming, free association, lists, and finding infinite points of view.

Author : Mike Sacks
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0143123785
Total Pages : 475 pages
Book Rating : 4.81/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Poking a Dead Frog written by Mike Sacks and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-06-24 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR Amy Poehler, Mel Brooks, Adam McKay, George Saunders, Bill Hader, Patton Oswalt, and many more take us deep inside the mysterious world of comedy in this fascinating, laugh-out-loud-funny book. Packed with behind-the-scenes stories—from a day in the writers’ room at The Onion to why a sketch does or doesn’t make it onto Saturday Night Live to how the BBC nearly erased the entire first season of Monty Python’s Flying Circus—Poking a Dead Frog is a must-read for comedy buffs, writers and pop culture junkies alike.

Author : Paul Ryan
Publisher : Lone Eagle Publishing Company, LLC
ISBN 13 : 9780823084678
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.71/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Art of Comedy written by Paul Ryan and published by Lone Eagle Publishing Company, LLC. This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dyin' out there? Learn how to act funny from a top Hollywood expert. Want to know a secret? Sssshhhh. Great comedy actors aren't born...they're made. Who makes them?Paul Ryan, that's who. NowRyan, the top comedy acting coach in Hollywood, shares his secrets inThe Art of Comedy, a step-by-step guide for turning actors into comedy actors. Packed with exercises,The Art of Comedyexplains exactly how to build a character, how to incorporate improvisation into a written scene, where to turn for comic inspiration, and how to increase your comedic imagination. Also included is a technical analysis of comedy greats from Milton Berle to Jerry Seinfeld. For anyone who wants to work in film, in television, or in community theater, here's the complete guide to acting funny. Written by Hollywood's top comedy acting coach Packed with practical step-by-step exercises Gives actors at every level an edge at comedy auditions

Author : Mike Sacks
Publisher : Writers House
ISBN 13 : 9781630640118
Total Pages : 526 pages
Book Rating : 4.15/5 ( download)

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Download or read book And Here's the Kicker written by Mike Sacks and published by Writers House. This book was released on 2014-05-28 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DID YOU HEAR THE ONE ABOUT ? Every great joke has a punch line, and every great humor writer has an arsenal of experiences, anecdotes, and obsessions that were the inspiration for that humor. In fact, those who make a career out of entertaining strangers with words are a notoriously intelligent and quirky lot. And boy, do they have some stories. In this entertaining and inspirational book, you'll hear from 21 top humor writers as they discuss the comedy-writing process, their influences, their likes and dislikes, and their experiences in the industry. You?ll also learn some less useful but equally amusing things, such as: How screenwriter Buck Henry came up with the famous "plastics" line for The Graduate. How many times the cops were called on co-writers Sacha Baron Cohen and Dan Mazer during the shooting of Borat. What David Sedaris thinks of his critics. What creator Paul Feig thinks would have happened to the Freaks & Geeks crew if the show had had another season. What Jack Handey considers his favorite Deep Thoughts.? How Todd Hanson and the staff of The Onion managed to face the aftermath of 9/11 with the perfect dose of humor. How Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais created the original version of The Office. What it's really like in the writers? room at SNL. Funny and informative, And Here's the Kicker is a must-have resource - whether you're an aspiring humor writer, a fan of the genre, or someone who just likes to laugh.

Author : Mary Ann Rishel
Publisher : Wayne State University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780814329603
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.08/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Writing Humor written by Mary Ann Rishel and published by Wayne State University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Providing both theory and praxis, this insightful and creative textbook explains how to write humor, comedy, satire, parody, nonsense, and both the literary and the joke monologue. Through its close analyses of short stories, sketches, essays, and scripts, it is a must-read for serious and not-so-serious writers of every genre. Guiding aspiring writers through the many techniques for creating humor, it illustrates and analyzes what works and what doesn't, suggests ways to energize passages that fall flat, and offers insights into brainstorming, team writing, and revision. This book includes the history and cultural background of each major genre, followed by a rich array of writing exercises. Readers will find an inventive selection of examples to learn from, including a script from M*A*S*H and pieces by such humorists as Woody Allen, Ogden Nash, and Art Buchwald-and by students as well.