Laughing Out Loud: Writing the Comedy-Centered Screenplay [Paperback]

Andrew Horton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2000

Whoever wrote "Make 'em laugh!" knew that it's easier said than done. But people love to laugh, and good comedy will always sell. With the help of this complete and entertaining guide, writers and would-be writers for film and television can look forward to writing comedy that goes far beyond stereotypic jokes and characters. In Laughing Out Loud, award-winning screenwriter and author Andrew Horton blends history, theory, and analysis of comedy with invaluable advice.
Using examples from Chaplin to Seinfeld, Aristophanes to Woody Allen, Horton describes comedy as a perspective rather than merely as a genre and then goes on to identify the essential elements of comedy. His lively overview of comedy's history traces its two main branches--anarchistic comedy and romantic comedy--from ancient Greece through contemporary Hollywood, by way of commedia dell'arte, vaudeville, and silent movies. Television and international cinema are included in Horton's analysis, which leads into an up-close review of the comedy chemistry in a number of specific films and television shows.
The rest of the book is a practical guide to writing feature comedy and episodic TV comedy, complete with schedules and exercises designed to unblock any writer's comic potential. The appendices offer tips on networking, marketing, and even producing comedies, and are followed by a list of recommended comedies and a bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Andy Horton's latest book is not only refreshing, insightful, and effortlessly scholarly; it's also imbued with that rare quality so lacking in its field--a shameless sense of fun."--Herschel Weingrod, screenwriter (Trading Places, Twins, Space Jam, Kindergarten Cop)

"Andy Horton does a masterful job of explaining the inexplicable--the elusive principles of comedy. The book is a celebration of those who have mined for humor in the most barren landscapes and struck gold. Horton emphasizes the importance of laughing in the face of adversity. These are more than good rules for writing. These are good rules for living."--Barbara Hall, screenwriter (Northern Exposure, I'll Fly Away, Chicago Hope)

From the Back Cover

"Andy Horton's latest book is not only refreshing, insightful, and effortlessly scholarly; it's also imbued with that rare quality so lacking in its field (a shameless sense of fun." (Herschel Weingrod, screenwriter (Trading Places, Twins, Space Jam, Kindergarten Cop)) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (January 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520220153
• ISBN-13: 978-0520220157
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #419,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars On the right track but too much compromise, January 13, 2001

By 

Ksuzy (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Laughing Out Loud: Writing the Comedy-Centered Screenplay (Paperback)

This book provides some marvelous exercises for learning to think comically, which Horton claims is essential to writing good comedy. He also provides a rich history of comic traditions in many genres, which adds to the book's usefulness. He does, however, manage to skim both subjects too lightly in his attempt to put both in the same book. Thus, those who are looking for a how-to book will be dissatisfied, and those who are looking for an academic book will be dissatisfied. His treatment of comedy as a genre is too light to be considered anything other than watered down for screenwriters who are supposed to care. Did *I* enjoy the book? In most instances, yes. However, I found it too selective of what Horton considered good examples of comedy.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More about the history of comedy, October 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Laughing Out Loud: Writing the Comedy-Centered Screenplay (Paperback)

The subtitle of this book is "Writing the Comedy-Centered Screenplay". It should be "A History of Comedy".

I found this book very dry and difficult to get through. Most of the useful information is found in the first chapter of two. What follows is a detailed history of comedy starting with Aristophanes and such hilarious examples of anarchistic comedy as:

"Come at once to supper And bring your pitcher, and your supper chest, The priest of Bacchus sends to fetch you thither. And do be quick: you keep the supper waiting."

Pretty funny stuff, huh? As an earlier reviewer commented, leave this one for the academics.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Leave this one for the academics., January 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Laughing Out Loud: Writing the Comedy-Centered Screenplay (Paperback)

I had high hopes for this book but was regretably disappointed. This is not a good guideline for writing a screenplay. Instead I found an acadamic study of the history of comedy that had me skimming soon and often.