As a kid I wanted to be a comedy writer. Basically as a kid born in 1960 I was brought up on sketch comedy and TV situation comedies. TV situation comedies include all the comedies we watched between 4pm and 6pm every afternoon.
I sometimes think I'm a phony calling myself a comedy writer , but I've performed my own material live, I've now written a film which is nearly ready for release, so it's time to accept that I am a comedy writer and always have been.
The most important thing is I want to write good comedy and I do write good comedy. But what does that mean? I don't write tit and bum and arse crack comedy and have a proliferation of insult jokes. But then we all do to some degree, but if you do that stuff you do it with a twist.
To use what we know as examples.
Good Bad
Film American Pie American Pie 2
Sitcom Modern Family Married with Children
Sketch Alas Smith and Jones Hale and Pace
Stand Up Dry Wet
There's great comedy and awful comedy. No one goes around saying I write awful comedy but plenty do it and some get paid great money for it.
It's unlikely that that Talbot Rothwell who wrote 19 Carry On movies could write a Will Ferrell style movie. But to be more precise Woody Allen ( Jewish), Neil Simon (Jewish) and Mel Brooks (Jewish) all started their careers on Sid Caesars CAESAR'S HOUR and all have very individual styles of writing. If all three were interviewed or approached about their writing they would be all quick to point out the subtleties and differences in their style.The reality is all three attract very different audiences.
My preference is for Woody Allen but Mel Brooks and Neil Simon movies have a far more wider appeal. Mel Brooks appeals to the younger because he mainly does spoofs and Neil Simon writes romantic comedies.( with some very unappealing protagonists at times). This means his lesser efforts really flop and he doesn't have the strong core following of Woody or Mel. Of course his successes usually are big.
But all have one thing in common and that is they are mainstream. A Woody Allen film has a low budget by American standards of 20 million dollars. So to me he is still mainstream.
The problem with all of these great writers is that after 10-15 films there eventually becomes a sameness in their style.
I'm lucky that I've been in a position to watch and to most of all chosen to learn many styles so I have my own style but if I want to write something in a Monty Python, Zucker or Jewish I can put myself in the mind set and the planning to do it.
Anyway, I like to see myself as starting in the middle ground with an idea and then taking it to extremes if I choose. But I have chosen what my middle ground is and that's an interesting place.
There's many arguments about high brow low brow etc but this is my best example. It's from Woody Allen's LOVE AND DEATH. So many other writers would have just gone for a more obvious punchline.
Girl: I'm half saint, half whore.
Woody: Let's hope I get the half that eats.
More later......
