Creating Narrative Comedy

15 April 2010

A Two-Day Course With Tim Ferguson

Short Courses

This AWG course explores the principles of creating and writing narrative comedy for television and film. Participants will be shown how to construct a sitcom or narrative comedy from the ground up, making choices in terms of theme, sub-genre, character, structure, morality, style and tone. The course focuses upon the principles of jokes and narrative humour. These ancient principles are universally applied through all comedies. Participants are presented with processes and principles for devising comic conflict, metaphors, juxtapositions, reversals, story structures, knowledge differentials, pathos, subtext and the rhythms of comic dialogue. The course operates by way of lectures, script analysis and the viewing of narrative comedies. Some class time will also be devoted to exercises and workshopping. The course concludes with tips for formulating series bibles and pitching concepts to the film or television markets.

TIM FERGUSON
The course is devised and taught by Tim Ferguson – writer, producer and performer. Tim is a consultant in narrative comedy and script development for production companies and television networks in Australia and Britain. He lectures in narrative comedy and screenwriting at the RMIT School of Media & Communication in Melbourne. For over twenty years, Tim has toured the world performing stand-up and musical comedy, writing dozens of live stage comedy shows as well as writing or producing sitcoms and comedy films (including Doug Anthony Allstars, Daas Live In New York [IND], Daas Kapital & Big Gig [ABC], Daas Love [BBC1], Viva! [CH4], 01 For London [CH4], Friday Night Live [ITV], Juste Pour Rire Specials [HBO], The Edinburgh Years (Feature), Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush & Today [CH9] Unreal TV & Big Brother Insider (CH10), Shock Jock [TV1/ParamountCC], ForgetTheRules [Online]).

When: 9.30am to 4.30pm Fri & Sat 21 – 22 May 2010
Where: State Library of WA
Cost: $130 (AWG $90)
Applications: Participants should have some scriptwriting (screen or stage) experience, or background in stand-up comedy. Please provide a brief statement on your experience and why you would like to do this course, and a contact phone number. Your email application should be addressed to Alan Payne, AWG WA Manager, and sent to wa@awg.com.au In the subject heading of the email, please write ‘[Surname] Narrative Comedy’. Your application will be acknowledged. Limited places, a selection process may apply. Inquiries Alan Payne (08) 9201 1172

Applications Close 5.00pm Mon 10 May 2010

Presented with the assistance of ScreenWest and Lotterywest, and in association with the Wild West Comedy Festival.

COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS:

“The two day workshop was probably the best money I have spent on any writing workshop. The whole course was packed with information that I am still chewing over. It did a lot to demystify that scary beast: Comedy. I’d recommend it to anyone serious about being funny”

“It is always great to walk away from a workshop and feel that a bit of what you know has been reinforced, that you have learnt something that you wanted to learn and that you’ve found out something that you didn’t expect”.

“Tim’s delivery of the workshop was fantastic and came from not only extensive experience but an entertaining perspective. His delivery engaged us all and enabled us to have a clear insight into how to create a successful film and or television comedy.”

“I was really impressed with Tim and his course. I discovered lots of new (for me) and insightful information about how (& why) comedy works. Tim was very well prepared and the length and depth of the course seemed to be well suited to the two days”

“Tim’s workshop was one of the handiest I’ve been to. He doesn’t just revive some of the old Aristotelian principles, he shows you how to coax them up out of their armchairs and get them dancing a polka!”

Comments from participants in the AWG Creating Narrative Comedy course with Tim Ferguson held in November 2009 in Perth.