The Eight Characters of Comedy: Guide to Sitcom Acting And Writing [Paperback]

Scott Sedita (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2005

At the core of this Hollywood howto guide is the concept of The Eight Characters of Comedy, the eight specific character archetypes used in sitcoms dating back to the advent of TV. Every actor can find a sitcom niche by identifying with one of these eight characters. Using past and current actors and sitcom personalities, Sedita describes in detail where these characters come from and how actors can play them truthfully. * who is normally cast as The Logical Smart One' * why do we love The Lovable Loser' * why is The Neurotic such a fun character to play' In addition, readers learn how to break down a comedy script, how to identify different types of jokes, how to deliver them with comedic precision, sitcom auditioning techniques, and how to market themselves.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scott Sedita has years of experience in both New York and Los Angeles as an actor, agent, writer, casting director, and acting coach at his Scott Sedita Acting Studio. He has appeared on numerous shows, including Starting Over, Faking It and Helmets Off, and is resident acting coach on Fight For Fame.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Atides Publishing (November 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977064107
• ISBN-13: 978-0977064106
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super helpful, January 20, 2006

By 

A. Rago (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Eight Characters of Comedy: Guide to Sitcom Acting And Writing (Paperback)

This book finally says the things you know, but have been unable to put your finger on. It is easy to read, and funny too. Well, one would hope with a book about sit-coms.
As an actor, I found this helped me tremendously. It gave me insight into what to do, and how to do it. I can already see the results.
As a writer, I find it easier to make choices for my characters, now that I have a guideline for their intentions. Even the difficult part of starting the script is made easier when you just decide what character would go with the ones you already have.
Definitely a must have!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, February 6, 2007

By 

M. Swanson (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Eight Characters of Comedy: Guide to Sitcom Acting And Writing (Paperback)

I mean, seriously. Someone FINALLY sat down and wrote a book that deconstructs all the different characters (there's 8, by the way) that appear in comedy, sitcoms specifically. Sedita manages to set forth a simple, concise, easy-to-read (AND understand) method to determining, from an acting standpoint, WHICH character you are (I'm, surprisingly, a "lovable loser" and not, as I had hoped and dreamed, a "womanizer"), and which specific traits are most often and commonly associated with PLAYING these characters ("hopeful" and "optimistic" are two big ones for the "lovable loser"). I can only begin to tell you how incredibly helpful this book has been in my audition preparation and my character creation. If you've ever thought about acting, especially in comedy, PICK UP THIS BOOK!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars actual insight for all types of comedy writing, November 22, 2009

By 

Court's Indulgence (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Eight Characters of Comedy: Guide to Sitcom Acting And Writing (Paperback)

In this book, you should bear in mind that the advice is all geared toward aspiring sitcom actors. I am not one, but I have burned through a good dozen books about humor writing, and this one turned out to be one of the most helpful. It nails down the principles of character-based comedy which are not really explained anywhere else, and so I still go back and refer to it when working on all kinds of things. This book has especially good insight for sketch writing.