Key Takeaways from The Comic Toolbox by John Vorhaus

Key Takeaways from The Comic Toolbox by John Vorhaus

Comedy is truth and pain.
The truth must speak directly to the audience while the pain is an exaggeration of it that will make it comedic.

Comic premise is the gap between comic reality and real reality. Think of what is expected and then insert the opposite. Comedy deals with people's expectations, disrupting them.

Three levels of comic conflict:
1. Man versus nature (Global conflict)
2. Man versus man (interpersonal or local conflict). Comic character versus normal character or comic characters in opposition.
3. Man versus himself (inner conflict)

COMIC CHARACTERS:

1. Comic perspective: Unique way of looking at his world.
2. Flaws: distance the character from the audience.
3. Humanity: Closeness between the character and the audience.
4. Exaggeration: On all three: the comic perspective, flaws and humanity.

COMIC TOOLS:

- Clash of context: Takes something out of its usual place and sticks it where it doesn't fit.
- Inappropriate response.
- Law of comic opposites
- Tension and release.
- Rule of three (setup, setup, payoff)
- Doorbell effect
- Running gag
- Callback which is similar to the running gag.

TYPES OF COMIC STORIES:

1. Center and Eccentrics: Everyman surrounded by comic characters. Everyman stands in for the audience.
2. Fish out of the water: Normal character in comic world or comic character in a normal world.
3. Character comedy: Direct emotional war between strong comic opposites.
4. Powers: comic story built around magical powers where the power is the comic premise.
5. Ensemble Comedy: Group of people in conflict with each other and the world.
6. Slapstick: Superficial comedy.
7. Satire and parody: Satire attacks substance of social or cultural phenomenon or icon. Parody attacks the style of an art form.

FILM STRUCTURE:
1. Hero: Who is he?
2. What does the hero want?
3. The door opens, throws the story into action.
4. The hero takes control.
5. A monkey wrench is thrown, bad things happen.
6. Things fall apart.
7. The hero hits rock bottom.
8. The hero risks it all.
9. What does the hero get?


SITCOM STRUCTURE:
Trouble is coming
Trouble is here.

Old stability
Instability
New stability

Usually divided into:
A Story
B Story
Theme

Structured like this:

Introduction
Complication
Consequence
Relevance

SKETCH COMEDY STRUCTURE:
1. Find a strong comic character
2. Find a force of opposition
3. Force a union
4. Escalate their conflict
5. Raise the stakes
6. Push the limits
7. Seek an emotional peak
8. Find a winner
9. Change the frame of reference.